"I'm a federator"

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Sophie Bénart is the administrative and financial manager of the Périgord Campus, in Périgueux. Holding that position since 2011, she is delighted with all the progress made and the creation of a genuine university campus in Dordogne.

Photo : Sophie Bénart © Arthur Pequin
Sophie Bénart © Arthur Pequin

"The academic world is vast. There are a lot of doors to open when you're curious," according to Sophie Bénart. Before arriving at University Bordeaux IV in 2011 as Administrative and Financial Manager (known as a RAF) at the University Institute of Technology in Périgueux, the young woman was administrative secretary in central administration then administrative attaché, appointed as Materials Manager for 6 years in two middle schools in Dordogne.

Those different experiences were rich in both human challenges, in terms of team management, and very down-to-earth challenges in terms of day-to-day management.

"In 2011, I took the exam to become a principal attaché and applied for the position of RAF at the Institute of Technology (IUT). I was really interested in the prospect of discovering higher education from the inside after 6 years in secondary education. In no time, I really enjoyed the highly varied position that already included a "campus site" aspect since the IUT shared facilities with the Institute of Law and Economics (IDE) and the Institute of Education (INSPE). Some expenditures and projects were already done jointly on a dedicated line; the manageable size of the campus site (approx. 15,000 sqm) made things easier. "We registered the 'Campus Périgord - University of Bordeaux' trademark in 2012," Sophie Bénart explained.

Pooling forces for the common good

For the past 10 years, Sophie Bénart admits that she has never had time to get bored. A university is an asset for a region; she's definitely convinced of that. She has devoted a great deal of effort to the regional campus site, and now reports directly to the General Director of Services, supported by a team of 17 full-time staff.

"Working on a manageable-size campus lets you get to know and work with the whole teaching and administrative community, and to establish a lot of external contacts with local partners. What motivates me on a daily basis is constantly improving the quality of life for students and staff, in the belief that colleagues work better when they feel good. I also try to foster the campus opening up to the 'locals' and vice-versa, to let the people of Périgord realise how lucky they are to have part of the University of Bordeaux a stone's throw from home," Sophie Bénart explained.

I also try to foster the campus opening up to the 'locals' […], to let the people of Périgord realise how lucky they are to have part of the University of Bordeaux a stone's throw from home.

Sophie Bénart, Administrative & Financial Manager of the Périgord campus

What does the University of Bordeaux mean to you?

"A big family! A first-rate university, of course, but also a huge team made up of committed people and with whom projects and human values can be shared, despite the distance that may separate us.

We take pride in saying we work at the University of Bordeaux, and I'd say that being in Périgueux is a little "bonus": developing a venue for university training here, for young people from Dordogne, who will gradually have access to a wider and wider range of courses thanks to digital technology, but courses embodied by a teaching community focused on providing individual support."