Back to the future: A trip to 58 Rue du Port

Rue du Port. An address that will evoke many memories for all those Master’s graduates who studied when EDHEC was still located in the heart of Lille.
We caught up with a few students, professors and staff members to talk about their fondest memories from the campus and we returned to the site to tell the story of what it has become today.

But first a look back at EDHEC’s history in the city of Lille …

Before putting down roots near Parc Barbieux, for a long time EDHEC was based in the Vauban neighbourhood. After parting ways with the Catholic University in 1956, the School moved to 67 Boulevard Vauban, and then to 47 Boulevard Vauban, where the premises quickly proved too confined for the rapidly growing student and staff numbers. In 1976, EDHEC established itself at 58 Rue du Port in a new building located just outside Lille city centre. Come springtime it was a common sight to see students from the school enjoying the sunshine and lolling about at the nearby Citadel.
And so began what some refer to as the Oger era, so named after the Dean at the time, Olivier Oger. EDHEC enjoyed a period of fantastic growth: in the space of just 30 years, it saw a tenfold increase in the number of students and permanent professors, at the same time setting up its own research laboratories. It developed its first dual programmes, for example in collaboration with the Catholic University of Lille, as well as many international partnerships. EDHEC went on to set up another campus in Nice in 1991, was awarded the most prestigious international accreditations – EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA – and gradually moved up the ranks to join the top international schools in areas of expertise like finance.

In October 2010, EDHEC was in need of a more spacious and modern campus, and so it left behind its historic home in the Vauban neighbourhood to inaugurate one of the finest campuses in Europe. The Lille campus occupies 43,000m2 in Croix and in 2010 welcomed its first students.

Recalling fond memories from Rue du Port

Florence Da Costa, who runs the Career Centre, started her EDHEC career on the Rue du Port campus. She feels this campus on a human scale facilitated exchanges between people but suffered from a lack of sufficiently large and elegant spaces to organise and host major events (corporate fairs, Career Day, Alumni get-togethers, etc.). It became essential to move and find a bigger campus to enable the school's expansion. The Rue du Port campus was the scene of a great many memories for students, and it was there that they had unforgettable and exceptional encounters. In its corridors one would find loving couples holding hands or groups of friends comparing answers after a mid-term exam.

Camille Maugein, a graduate from the Class of 2013, also experienced life on both EDHEC campuses. She belonged to the hundreds of students who decided to start their pre-Master’s course in Lille. When the Nice campus was inaugurated in 1991, some students had the chance to take their pre-Master's classes down south. That created a tangible separation between those in Lille and Nice: “you could feel the split in particular during the integration seminar, when there was a bit of a battle between the Nice and Lille contingents”. As for the ambience on the Vauban campus, it was warm and familial: “during the Boucles ETNA, there was an exhibition of flags and other symbols from associations. There was a good atmosphere thanks to the proximity we felt due to the size of the room. It's one of my fondest memories from the campus”, Camille tells us. The campus may have been smaller, but students spent a lot of time there. They were close to where they lived and the famous Rue Masséna, where after class they would meet up for a drink. “During the first year on the Croix campus, there were several restrictions particularly relating to the activities suggested on the “Pipo” lists with a view to preserving the new campus”. If you were at EDHEC before 2010, you're sure to know about this old tradition. Our northern school is one of the few not to draw up a list for the Students Bureau and associations in general. On the Rue du Port campus, “Pipo” lists would emerge: the concept was to create a fake list with a theme and disguises and then students would meet up at Le Snook (a legendary club among EDHEC students, now renamed Le Smile) to vote for the best Pipo list and party until dawn. The Students Bureau still organises a week-long event which involves various activities and ends with a night out at Le Smile to reveal the name of the next generation. It just goes to show that some (albeit slightly modified) traditions are still going strong!

Denis Dauchy, Professor of Strategy, joined EDHEC in 1995. The Rue du Port campus was smaller “which allowed a certain proximity between teaching staff and students. There were about 50 teaching staff, so we all practically knew one another. The basement bar also allowed staff and students to mix socially”. The campus was more self-contained in Lille, “it was an urban campus on a human scale”. But that also explains why it was necessary to change campus so we could host more students and offer a greater number of services (gymnasium, more modern rooms, etc.).

What has 58 Rue du port become since?

22 years later, 58 Rue du Port is home to the Vauban university library. It has seen many generations of EDHEC students pass through and still today students from Lille come here to revise before their midterms, unaware that a few decades ago the building was home to their school’s old campus. The old classrooms have been replaced with glass walls welcoming the morning’s first rays of light and students as they arrive. The building has two floors, with on the second two rooms equipped with many tables for students who wish to revise. The first-floor mezzanine is not accessible to students, while on the ground floor there are wardrobes filled with books. Each day the building hosts hundreds of students from universities and schools across Lille, in devout silence.

58 Rue du Port saw dozens of EDHEC generations pass through its doors. All these students have fond memories of the place which left a lasting impression on their lives. Years have gone by but the facade at 58 Rue du Port remains intact. The red brick walls even still display inscriptions marking the passage of some of the school's students.

Would you also like to share your fond memories from EDHEC? Post your text on our Facebook or LinkedIn page or write to us at alumni@edhec.com. Nostalgic photos are welcome!