Sylvie Retailleau has been appointed Minister of Higher Education and Research. The one who has managed Paris-Saclay University since 2020 therefore joins the Borne government. Studies, professional career… Portrait of Sylvie Retailleau.
On May 20, 2022, Élisabeth Borne revealed the composition of her government. We find Pap Ndiaye as Minister of National Education and Sylvie Retailleau as Minister of Higher Education and Research. Furthermore, it should be noted that almost all ministers graduated from a major business schoolengineers or an institute of political studies.
Before her appointment to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau led the University of Paris-Saclay, a very recent experimental establishment project, since it saw the light of day in 2019. Her knowledge of the ecosystem of education in France will be a key asset in the management of his ministry.
Biography of Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research
Sylvie Retailleau’s studies and diplomas
Sylvie Retailleau was born on February 24, 1965 in the south of France, in Nice. It was at the age of 19 that she decided to go to Paris for her studies. She trained at ENS Cachan (École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, now called ENS Paris-Saclay).
Passionate about mathematics and science, she specializes in physics by joining the EEA department, for Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Automation. In this discipline, she obtained her license, then a master’s degree in 1987. She then continued her studies by passing the aggregation in physical sciences, with the applied physics option, in 1988.
Sylvie Retailleau did not stop there, since that year she joined the University of Paris-Sud (an institution which has now joined the University of Paris-Saclay). In 1989, she graduated with a DEA in physics and microelectronics. She continued to train at this establishment and obtained a doctorate, still in microelectronics in 1992.
Sylvie Retailleau’s professional career marked by teaching
As soon as she graduated, Sylvie Retailleau showed her deep attachment to teaching and, more particularly, to the University of Paris-Sud where she trained. In 1992, she began her career as a lecturer. She held this position until 2001, when she became Professor 2e class.
In 2007, Sylvie Retailleau changed levels and now plays the role of 1st grade teacher.D class, before becoming a Classe Exceptionnelle professor in 2011. The same year, Sylvie Retailleau remained a Classe Exceptionnelle professor, but took the head of the Faculty of Sciences of Orsay. It was in 2016 that her role changed in scope as she became president of Paris-Sud University. She remained at the head of this institution for two years, before joining the University of Paris-Saclay.
The history of Paris-Saclay University
The objective of the University of Paris-Saclay is to create a major French university and research center of excellence in order to shine within France, but also internationally and, more particularly, in the rankings. In 2014, the various members of the University of Paris-Saclay joined the ComUE (Community of Universities and Establishments) Paris-Saclay.
In 2017, following disagreements between all ComUE establishments, it was decided to separate its members into two different university entities: the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris) and the University Paris-Saclay. Today, the latter brings together the University of Paris-Sud, the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) and the University of Évry-Val-d’Essonne, theENS Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, CentraleSupélec and theInstitute of Optics Graduate School (IOGS).
It was in November 2019 that the ComUE Paris-Saclay was repealed to make way, by decree, for the University of Paris-Saclay. Since January 2019, we have found at its head a certain Sylvie Retailleau who has used her experience as president at Paris-Sud University to benefit this experimental establishment.
It is important to note that the president of this university is appointed by vote of the board of directors. It includes representatives of establishments that are members of this entity, staff, students, local authorities and businesses. It is also supported by a members’ council which brings together only representatives of member schools and universities. Finally, an academic council of 220 members (staff and students) as well as a scientific strategy and innovation committee (made up of people external to the University of Paris-Saclay) also serve to manage this entity.
The projects awaiting Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research
Throughout her experience as president of Paris-Saclay University, Sylvie Retailleau often cites the fact that she has no other choice but to apply measures and laws with which she is not. necessarily in agreement, particularly at the research level. Thus, appointed Minister of Higher Education and Research on May 20, 2022, she will be able to apply herself to upgrading French research through new methods.
Among the major projects on which Sylvie Retailleau will work as Minister of Higher Education and Research, we find the Research Programming Law. Set up in 2019, it challenged the woman who was at the time president of Paris-Saclay University. She then indicated that “ France is on the verge of a decline with serious and irreversible consequences “. Sylvie Retailleau is fully aligned with the objectives of Emmanuel Macron who wishes to revalorize research and invest in this subject.
The President of the Republic also declared that he wanted to transform large research organizations into resource agencies, a subject already raised by Nicolas Sarkozy’s government at the end of the 2000s. Among the national research organizations, we find the CNRS, INSERM and even the CEA.
Finally, another important project that could fall to Sylvie Retailleau is the reform of higher education. Indeed, during the last conference of France Universities (formerly CPU for Conference of University Professors), Emmanuel Macron declared that he wanted to tackle the dual Grandes Écoles-Universities system.
Sylvie Retailleau reappointed as Minister of Higher Education
Elisabeth Borne unveiled her brand new government at the beginning of July 2022. Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education, was reappointed. She should therefore continue her projects, starting by placing the University at the heart of France’s concerns, as the Prime Minister announced during her speech on July 6, 2022 to the National Assembly.
Parcoursup in the bosom of the Minister of Higher Education
Sylvie Retailleau announced that she would like to work on Parcoursup. Many denounce its effectiveness and some even criticize it for bringing the end of the baccalaureate. The Minister of Higher Education thus announced that she wanted to do better with this higher education allocation algorithm and promised to make several improvements.
The Minister of Higher Education intends to place research and students at the heart of her concerns. She will also work on a complete overhaul of the system for awarding scholarships based on social criteria. In addition, Sylvie Retailleau revealed, as her main focus, work on harmonization and transparency in the selection and calendar of master’s entries. Some also advocate greater selectivity when entering these courses which grant a bac+5 level.
Find My Master: Sylvie Retailleau’s master’s course
The major project of the Minister of Higher Education and Research is to standardize the conditions of access to master’s degrees. To do this, Sylvie Retailleau unveiled, a few weeks ago, a platform called Trouve Mon Master. It has in fact already been deployed, on a smaller scale, in 2021, by her predecessor: Frédérique Vidal.
Trouve Mon Master has a vocation: to function like Parcoursup, that is to say to allow students to find their master’s level training, to apply and to consult the admission results on a single platform. This project also aims to simplify applications for master’s degrees, by also standardizing the files that students must complete. Via a single, one-stop shop, it becomes much simpler to find and apply for a master’s degree.
