Interview to Professor Pedro Santa Clara

 "Thinking about a campus is a unique opportunity in the life of an academic, which allows us to rethink how we teach in the future"

Professor Pedro Santa Clara, responsible of the project Nova 2020

The Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) has already seen the different architectural proposals created by five studios regarding the new campus of the college, along the coast in Carcavelos, which will host a population of about 3300 people, including students, teachers, and employees.

Professor Pedro Santa Clara spoke about this strategic investment that allows Nova SBE to combine academic excellence with a potential for a "Californian" lifestyle. The goals are ambitious. The Nova SBE hopes to start the 2016/2017 academic year already in Carcavelos, and take its palce among the top 10 schools in Europe within a decade.

How did the idea of a new campus for Nova School of Business and Economics arise, and when did the planning begin?
The Nova School of Business and Economics has grown and changed a lot, especially in the last five years, during which time the demand from students has been growing over 30% per year. To give you an idea, this year, from the pre-experience masters, we received about 1,200 applications when we have only 300 vacancies. This discrepancy forces us to ration [ourselves and our resources] rigorously.
We are confident that we could double the size of the masters program, without any loss of quality, if we had space. At this time, the College in Campolide does not have room for everything we do. We are already using the school 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we have reached the limit.

It’s primarily a matter of space then?
Yes, but not only. More than a need for physical space, the idea of a new campus is a major strategic investment that the school decided to make two years ago and which derives from the fact that we recognize that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity. One possibility is offered by the Bologna Treaty.
If we think of our school as a marketing problem, we are dealing with a product with two characteristics. The first is the academic quality that is reflected in the rankings and in the placement of our students, which has progressed greatly. The second - also very important for the students - is the lifestyle they can have in the two years they spend studying outside their home country. For our "customers", who are 22 to 25 years old and mostly from the rest of Europe, Lisbon is a very attractive destination.
This "Californian-like" lifestyle is a plus for us when competing in Europe. I am very sensitive to this. I was a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles for over 10 years, and, in the United States, UCLA competes with other schools to attract students and teachers, taking advantage of the California lifestyle it offers. The same thing will happen in Europe. There will be schools in London, Paris or Berlin playing the card of being located in large cities, with a huge cultural life.
Our competitive advantage is the proximity to the beach, the outdoors, sports, healthy living, beyond having a people who are friendly and communicative, interesting history and culture, very good food, being a very safe country, etc. But, if we are to take advantage of these benefits and compete with the best in the rest of Europe, we need a new campus.
We believe we have five to ten years to reach the top 10 in Europe. We believe that in one decade the hierarchy of European schools will be completely constructed and that when it happens, it will be forever.


What else are you seeking in this new campus?
This is an extraordinary opportunity. Thinking about a “dream campus” is a unique opportunity in the life of an academic, and it allows rethinking how we want to teach in the future.
Throughout this process, there have been some very interesting issues. But for me, the greatest revelation is that teaching, itself, will be very different in the future from what it has been in past centuries. Today technology allows us to access online courses, in video, offered by the best universities in the world, anywhere and whenever we want. These videos are getting better and we believe that, in large measure, are better than teaching in an amphitheater with 300 people.
We believe that the role that universities must have begins with the interaction between teachers and students, and the campus has to be a space that promotes this interaction in the best way possible. For this reason, for example, we designed a campus that will not have any large amphitheater. We will have only 80 places in the amphitheaters and smaller rooms with 40 places, in order to ensure that we will never give in to the temptation to go back to putting 300 students in an auditorium in front of a teacher.
In addition, we want a campus that takes full advantage of the location, as I mentioned. We wish thata German or Italian student who is thinking about where to study will not hesitate to choose Nova SBE.

The architectural designs of the new campus of Nova SBE are ready and will be on display during the month of June, at Nova. How many are there? Who made them? And what are the main differences between them?
We have five architectural designs that were invited from five architectural offices of excellence: Frederico Valsassina, Nuno Leonidas, OpenBook, Juan Trias de Bes, and Vitor Carvalho Araújo.
Regarding the quality of the projects, we have a stunning response. I confess that I already had a look at them! We invite the entire community of Nova SBE - and especially our alumni - to visit the exhibition and give us your feedback… so help us choose the best proposal.

When are you planning to start the construction?
We think that it will be possible to begin next summer, and it should take about two years. We have an ambitious goal, as we would like to start the 2016/2017 academic year in the new campus, which means that Nova SBE would open its doors in Carcavelos in September 2016.

How can the alumni use this campus?
Part of our strategic focus is going to be on the former students. Many former students are now actively involved in the school, at all levels, but we want to see that number grow significantly in the future.
With the new campus we will be better placed to invite alumni to become involved with school initiatives. We will obviously have rooms available for the alumni community, as well as a training center that will address their needs specifically. Finally, we have lockers where former students who enjoy surfing can keep their board!