Event will expand and enrich College’s global connections and create learning opportunities for students
Lafayette College has been invited to participate in the 2026-27 Entente Cordiale Challenge, joining a prestigious group of U.S. colleges and universities that will engage with students from France and the United Kingdom to seek creative solutions for a pressing global issue.
“We are honored to have been selected for the Entente Cordiale Challenge, another wonderful outcome of our bicentennial year and our growing commitment to global engagement,” President Nicole Hurd says. “Lafayette’s participation in this prestigious event supports a key pillar of our strategic plan, to expand and enrich our global connections and presence, and create learning opportunities for students.”
Global connections made possible Lafayette’s invitation to be part of Entente Cordiale Challenge.
Through the encouragement of Virginie de Pusy Lafayette, a direct descendant of the Marquis de Lafayette who was a bicentennial guest of the College, Lafayette will join in a competition with students from George Washington University, University of Virginia, William & Mary, Columbia University, University of Alabama, and with universities in the United Kingdom and Britain. Student teams will have until the end of January to research, draft, and submit a 5,000-word, solution-focused report on the theme “Artificial Intelligence, Power, and Ethics.”
Submissions are evaluated by an international panel, with top teams advancing to a final round of presentations before distinguished leaders from academia and public life. The top 10 submissions from each country will be announced in February, and finalists will be invited to present their work before an international jury of academic, business, and policy leaders April 7-8, 2027, at Oxford University.
Prizes are awarded within each of the United Kingdom, French and United States cohorts, recognizing outstanding research. The top five finalist teams from each participating country are awarded prizes, scholarships, and opportunities to present their papers at locations such as Élysée Palace and Buckingham Palace.
About Entente Cordiale Day
Started in 2024, the Entente Cordiale Challenge, under the patronage of King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron, establishes itself as a leading platform where students and future leaders meet annually in April to present their ideas, recommendations, and innovative solutions to tackle pressing global challenges.
The event is inspired by the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and celebrates the spirit of the April 1904 Entente Cordiale diplomatic pact signed between France and the United Kingdom.
Information on how Lafayette will recruit its Entente Cordiale team will be shared at the start of the academic year.