Patrick Gérard
Patrick Gérard is a senior French civil servant and politician, born in Nancy on December 30 1957.
Actually, his main position is that of State Councilor, but he is also a national associate-corresponding member of
the Stanislas Academy and honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts of
Bordeaux.
Former professor of public law at the "Conservatoire national des arts et métiers" (National Conservatory of Arts
and Crafts; CNAM), he was mayor of Vincennes ( Val-de-Marne ) from 1996 to 2002 and rector of the Paris
Academy from 2008 to 2012, associate professor at the Paris Descartes University ( Paris V) from 2012 to 2017
and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the "Institut national du patrimoine" (INP) from 2010 to 2017.
He was director of the "École nationale d'administration" (National School of Administration) from 2017 until its
dissolution in 2021.
Studies and publications
Patrick Gérard completed his secondary studies at the Lycée Henri-Poincaré in Nancy. After his "baccalaureate
C" in 1974, he studied at the University of Nancy II (law degree in 1977), at the Institute of Political Studies in
Paris (diploma in public service in 1978) and at the University of Paris II (master's degree ). in public law 1978,
diplomas of advanced studies in public finance and taxation 1979 and in internal public law 1980, doctorate in
1986).
In 1980 he becomed assistant in law at the CNAM, an establishment in which he spent almost all of his university
career. He obtained a doctorate in public law at the University of Paris II in 1986 having defended a thesis on the
American presidential election of 1984 prepared under the direction of Denis Lévy and was appointed lecturer on
October 1 , 1988. He obtained the authorization to direct research at the University of Paris II-Panthéon Assas in
1989 and became a university professor three years later ( public law aggregation competition 1992), first at the
University of Orléans for two years, then at the CNAM from September 1, 1994 to September 21, 2006.
From 1993 to 2006, Patrick Gérard was seconded for long periods to occupy various administrative functions and
only taught effectively between october 1992 and June 1993 (Orleans) and between February 1999 and October
2002 (Paris) where he notably teaches town planning law; he is the author, published by Eyrolles, of the book
“Practice of town planning law” .
From 1992 to 2002, he taught the course on French political institutions at the École des mines de Paris (Mines
Paris Tech). He has been teaching public law again since October 2012 since he was elected and appointed as a
half-time associate university professor at the University of Paris Descartes (PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité) from the
year 2012-2013 and teaches a course at "Sciences Po"'s School of Public Affairs.
In 2020, he publishes the fourth edition of his book on State administration (LexisNexis) and in 2022 the second
edition of the book La Juridiction administrative (La Documentation française). Patrick Gérard was appointed
associate professor at the CNAM in November 2021.
Administrative career
Adviser in charge of legal affairs and higher education in the office of the Minister of National Education François
Bayrou from April 1993 to may 1994, he was then rector of the Orléans-Tours Academy from may 1994 to June
1996. Appointed to this function at the age of thirty-six, he became the second youngest academy rector
appointed in France since the existence of the statute of rectors in 1854, after the rector Armel Pécheul,
appointed rector of the academy of Limoges , in July 1986, at the age of 35. His mandate is marked by a strong
development of vocational education in a complex territory of exercise (the third in the country in area after
Toulouse and Bordeaux and made up of six departments).
He was then director of the National Center for University and School Works from December 1996 to February
1999. He implemented a reform of the CROUS which reserved the vice-presidency of the boards of directors for
students and which gave a status to manual workers.
Following the change of majority, Patrick Gérard becomed rector of the Bordeaux Academy in July 2002, which
later earned him the election of President of the Conference of French Rectors by his colleagues , then in July
2004 he was appointed director of school education at the Ministry of National Education when François Fillon
drafted and implemented the law on the future of school , and finally in June 2005 he became director of the
cabinet of the Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research Gilles de Robien , a position he left
at the end of September 2006 when he was appointed State Councilor by the Council of Ministers ; he is
assigned to the Litigation section.
In July 2007, following the resignation of Michel Dobkine , chief of staff of the Minister of Justice Rachida Dati ,
Patrick Gérard was in charge of these new responsibilities at the Ministry of Justice . He kept them until
November 2008 when François Séners replaced him in turn . During this period, he managed the reform of the
judicial map, prepared the bill establishing the general controller of places of deprivation of liberty and participated
in the development of the constitutional reform of 2008.
Patrick Gérard was appointed rector of the academy of Paris , chancellor of the universities of Paris , by the
President of the Republic on December 3, 2008, replacing Maurice Quénet.
In February 2009, within the framework of the university mobilization, in respect of the security of the places for
which he is responsible as rector of Paris, he lodged a complaint "for damage" and "violence on an agent"
following the muscular occupation of the Sorbonne by a group of demonstrators. It organized, with the city of
Paris , from 2010, the renovation work of the Sorbonne university library and the upgrading of the entire building
to safety standards.
In an academy with the most endowed in France in higher establishments, the role of the rector of Paris then
appeared essential in the implementation of the Law relating to the freedoms and responsibilities of universities
(LRU) of the August 10, 2007 known as "university autonomy" which provided that before January 2013, all these
structures became autonomous in the budgetary and real estate fields, as well as in the management of their
human resources. Added to these far-reaching changes is the policy of upgrading the real estate of French
universities through the Campus Plan (with a budget of 700 million euros for Paris and a grant of 150 million
euros for student housing facilities; as such the Sorbonne opened a new center in Clignancourt in 2011, and the
law faculty of Assas was completely redone in 2012). Rector Patrick Gérard, in his capacity as coordinator of the
rectors of Île-de-France , became the first president of the Public establishment for university development in the
Île-de-France region (EPAURIF), created by the decree ofAugust 26, 2010.
For the first time in Paris, according to the instructions of the government which wished to change the school
map, the rector modified the system of allocation of students entering high school by allowing scholarship
students who have had good results in college to access to the most prestigious high schools. This policy had
significant results: a study by the Paris School of Economics , published in 2014, showed that social diversity
increased by a third between 2008 and 2012: this was, as Le Monde writed, a “little noiseless revolution” .
Patrick Gérard's mandate as rector of Paris was also marked by important agreements signed with the Senate of
Berlin to develop the teaching of German in Parisian schools and colleges and by a reform of the school map
allowing pupils from of the northern districts of Paris to have access to high schools in the center of the capital.
Another agreement is signed on his initiative with the city of Paris to allow new constructions at the Cité
internationale universitaire de Paris (CIUP). Finally, an agreement is signed with the Ministry of Defense and the
National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU) in order to create, in place of the Lourcine barracks, boulevard de
Port-Royal, a new campus hosting a boarding school of excellence and additional premises for the University of
Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne . Patrick Gérard inaugurated inMarch 2012 the completely renovated Mabillon
university restaurant and asked the CROUS of Paris to embark on a project to build a barge which would be
installed on the left bank of the Seine and would serve as a university restaurant for the students of the ParisDiderot University .
Following the change of majority in May 2012, he handed over his post as Rector of Paris to the Government and
rejoined the Council of State on July 19, 2012 where he was assigned to the Interior Section. He was replaced by
François Weil . He kept the February 15, 2013 a conference entitled "Brief history of the University of Paris" in
public session of the Academy of Stanislas in Nancy and, in July 2013, in the mixtures in honor of Pierre Grégory,
delivers a historical and institutional contribution on “The rector and his academy”. In September 2015, he
became general rapporteur and deputy chairman of the report and studies section of the Council of State .
Patrick Gérard was also appointed president of the "Institut national du patrimoine" on September 9, 2010 and
renewed in office by decree of the President of the Republic on October 10, 2013; he was auditor of the 52nd
national session (1999-2000) of the Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies. He is also chairman of the
commission for selecting candidates for the office of inspector general of cultural affairs and chairman of the
commission responsible for assessing the suitability of persons who do not hold a doctorate to exercise the
functions of rector. In 2014 he published a manual for candidates for civil service competitions on State
Administration and in 2017 a book on administrative jurisdiction.
Among the candidates for the direction of the National School of Administration in July 2017, he was selected by
a jury including the former President of the Italian Council of Ministers and European Commissioner Mario Monti.
From 2017 to 2021, he directed the National School of Administration and was the last director of the ENA, where
he was appointed in August 9, 2017 by a decree of the President of the Republic. As such, in 2018 he initiated a
schooling reform organized around the skills expected of senior civil servants, created an entrance examination to
the ENA for holders of the doctorate, simplified the organization of the School and tackles the reduction of the
budget deficit of the ENA. In 2019, it opened a second “equal opportunities” preparatory class – for brilliant
students from modest backgrounds – in Strasbourg and created a master's degree in European affairs. When the
possible abolition of the ENA was announced, he published a vigorous column in defense of the School in Le
Figaro, emphasizing that the ENA was a mark of France in the world. He continued to reform the schooling of the
ENA for promotions in training and recalled that the ENA, often accused of a lack of social diversity, welcomed
among its students 26% of former grant holders from higher education. After the decision of the President of the
Republic, announced on April 8, 2021, to abolish the ENA and create the National Institute of Public Service,
Patrick Gérard asked for his reinstatement in the Council of State on September 1 , 2021. On October 15, 2021,
he was appointed deputy chairman of the administration section of the Council of State.
Patrick Gérard was appointed from October 2017 to December 2021 as a member of the board of directors of the
National School for the Judiciary.
Political career
President of the Collective of Liberal Students of France from 1978 to 1981, then of the Movement of Young
Giscardians from 1981 to 1986 , Patrick Gérard also held several elective responsibilities. During his term as
mayor of Vincennes from 1996 to 2001 and then from 2001 to 2002, the Cœur-de-ville media library, the
renovation of the Château de Vincennes and the redevelopment of the Rigollots station district in the east of the
town were carried out. towards Fontenay-sous-Bois as well as the creation of an on-call medical service.
He was regional councilor for Île-de-France from 1992 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2002.
Decorations
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Officier de la Légion d'honneur Officer of the Legion of Honor He was knighted on July 13 , 2000 , then
was promoted to officer on December 31 , 2009 .
Commandeur de l'ordre national du Mérite Commander of the National Order of Merit He was knighted
on May 10 , 1995 , promoted to officer on May 14 , 2004 , and commander the November 15 , 2018 .
Commandeur de l'ordre des Palmes académiques Commander of the Order of Academic Palms He was
appointed ex officio to the rank of Commander upon his appointment as Rector of the Orléans-Tours
Academy in may 1994.
Commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters He was
made an officer onDecember 15, 2011 and promoted to Commander on August 31 , 2018
Croix d'officier de l'ordre du Mérite de la République fédérale d'Allemagne Officer's Cross of the German
Order of Merit. He was appointed to this rank in 2007.