The RUI Foundation is a foundation of thought that aims at proposing and developing ideas, fosters dialogue, and encourages young people to reflect freely and autonomously.
Periodically, the Foundation organizes conferences and seminars for university professors, researchers and students on in-depth analysis of current events or university matters.
The main events occur at the Castle of Urio (Como) and at the Centro Convegni in Castelromano (Rome).
Participants at the November 2018 conference “Il ’68, un’occasione perduta?” (“1968, a Missed Opportunity?”) at Università LUISS were: Paolo Pagani from Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice, Lucetta Scaraffia from Università di Roma, Marco Paolino from Università della Tuscia, and di Leonardo Allodi from Università degli Studi in Bologna; the moderator was Giovanni Orsina, political analyst and director of the LUISS School of Government. Among the findings was the need for a serious and detached historical analysis of the events surrounding the 1968 movement, which should not to be interpreted as a unified and monolithic phenomenon, but rather as a complex moment characterized by mixed ideologies.
The RUI Foundation develops research projects that inform the content of our educational programs in our residences and foster a lively cultural debate within universities and society itself.
In particular, there is a research group on themes connected to the concepts of “masculine and feminine”, aimed at an in-depth understanding of their characteristics from an individual and relational point of view. The group endeavors to discover the potential behind a true collaboration between men and women, particularly in the work context and in building a family. The group coordinated the publication of “A misura di uomo e di donna” (“Tailored for Men and Women”), curated by M. Cinque, M. Melfi, A. Petagine (Orthotes, 2016) and has elaborated multimedia didactic materials to be distributed in our colleges.
The RUI Foundation publications are a chance to go in-depth and to divulge topics connected to the education of university students, our research projects in the making, and our ethical standpoints.
The magazine “Fondazione RUI” discusses life in our residences, with articles on events, stories, and contributions from educators and important figures in our culture. The blog “Life Skills” is where the organizers of our JUMP program contribute regularly with insights on ethical-anthropological issues, soft skills, preparation for the university, and geopolitical and current events.
“Coltivare l’umano” (Cultivate the Human Side), by Antonio Petagine, Orthotes, 2019.
This publication aims at introducing the main ethical questions in simple terms, understandable to students from all fields of study. After the first chapter, where the author asks us to focus on what really prompts our choices, there is an analysis of the concept of happiness and of the ways in which our society promotes a model centering all expectations of realization on the individual. In the third chapter, a turning point in the book, there is an analysis of our needs, abilities and faculties–areas that will be further discussed in the chapters that follow: taking care of our bodies (chapter 4), taking care of our intelligence (chapter 5), emotional intelligence (chapter 6) and the importance of interpersonal relations (chapter 7).
“A misura di uomo e di donna” (Tailored for Men and Women), by M. Cinque, M. Melfi, A. Petagine, Orhotes, 2016.
What does it mean to be “men” and “women”?
Many say that we need to “rethink our differences.” This publication wants to foster such a rethinking, starting from a concrete standpoint, that of soft skills. When we are in contact with each other, when we communicate and work as a group, does it make a difference if we’re a man or a woman? This book tries to answer this question offering an overview of the subject with many voices collected from our educational activities in the RUI Foundation colleges. The philosophical and psychological-pedagogical insights, together with stories from personal and professional experiences, provide food for thought for readers to start rethinking themselves, rediscovering themselves, and collaborating towards a society more and more tailored to men and women.
“Pratiche di valutazione formativa” (Practices for Educational Evaluation), by Giuseppe Scaratti, Vincenzo Arborea, Maria Cinque, Cortina Editore, 2015.
Starting from the RUI Foundation residences, this text gives insights to support our main hypothesis: making a correct evaluation of the effectiveness of complex educational activities is an opportunity to better ourselves and the organization itself. The main topics are organizational learning, continuing education through concrete experiences and the organizational implications that determine what the conditions are for their efficacy. This text focuses on themes typical of a particular scientific community, that of work and organizational psychologists, in which education and evaluation open up processes for a more in-depth understanding of the organization itself.
The RUI Foundation invests in innovative initiatives and pilot projects that offer residents new opportunities, at home and abroad. These initiatives are also the starting point of new topics that can entice a larger public: high school students, their teachers, and international research networks.
The European project Red Glow, financed by the European Commission, aims at creating a network comprised of seven nonprofit institutions all over Europe in order to promote real, active citizenship among young European women by strengthening transversal competencies, which are indispensable when entering the job market today. Red Glow (a two-year program 2018-2020) caters to 950 young women between the age of 14 and 30 living in one of the six partner countries (UK, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Latvia, Spain). It aims to develop and spread good practices among young European women to facilitate a successful and qualitative future job experience and to render them more conscious of their European citizenship.
The RUI Foundation received funds from the Fondazione Cariplo for the innovation of education at the five residences in Milan. This project took place between July 2018 and December 2019 and approached the issue from various fronts. The main ones were:
Romanae Disputationes is a national philosophy contest for high school students. This event’s objective is to foster a love for philosophy in high school students. Philosophy opens our minds to free thinking, teaches us to ask the right questions, and forces us to explain our thoughts properly. This is why philosophical knowledge is not merely a subject in school; it fosters skills that will be valuable in any academic or work environment. 15,000 students from hundreds of schools all over Italy participated in our first competition. Since 2014, the RUI Foundation has been a partner of the event, sharing its mission and educational contribution.
The RUI Foundation is a partner in the ChinaMed Business program, a 5-week program with over 200 hours of courses taking place at Peking University during the Summer. The ChinaMed syllabus was developed by a group of international scholars of contemporary China, together with European specialists in “executive” education and Chinese professionals. All faculty are managers, legal professionals, and university professors from the best universities and the most dynamic companies in the world. ChinaMed is characterized by highly qualified people combining direct knowledge of both China and the Euro-Mediterranean regions, a solid grasp of international business and entrepreneurial drive. The RUI Foundation incentivizes the participation of its residents and alumni by awarding scholarships.
The RUI Foundation is a partner a partner of IESE MiM (Master in Management), the one-year program for undergraduate students, launched by one of the best Business Schools in the world. The master, based on the most innovative Active-learning methodologies, takes place in Madrid and is reserved to brilliant and highly motivated students.
Thanks to the agreement between IESE and RUI Foundation, each year one scholarship equal to 50% of the annual Master’s fee are awarded to students residing in our colleges and selected by IESE MiM.
