Less than a week remains for students to apply to a spring 2009 program in Florence, home of Elon University's newest international "centre" and birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to participate through the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies. The deadline is Sept. 22.
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For more information on the program, visit the ICCIS web site listed to the upper right of this page.
“Other than London, Italy is by far the most popular destination for semester programs,” said Laurence Basirico, dean of international programs at Elon. “I really don’t have a good explanation for it. There’s a certain charm, a romanticism about Italy.”
Until now, Elon students who desired semester programs in Italy have turned to affiliate programs, academic experiences hosted by other schools or institutions. That made Florence a natural location for Elon to expand its international offerings. Other university-sponsored semester programs are located in Great Britain and Costa Rica.
Students who enroll in the Florence program live in apartments in a quiet section of the city within walking distance of classes. Private art studio and music instruction is also offered for a fee.
Elon sophomore Phil Moroni, an international studies major from Baskin Ridge, N.J., is one of the 26 students on the inaugural program to Florence. Its location is ideal for weekend trips elsewhere in Italy and beyond, he said, including Switzerland, where he hopes to visit friends.
“I grew up in an Italian family, and there was a lot of influence there, which is why I want to go,” he added. “There’s so much history with the Romans and the Renaissance. I think that’s what draws people.”
The Florence program comes as the President’s Office hosts its first overseas trip for alumni, with President Leo M. Lambert and his wife, Laurie, hosting 32 Elon alumni and friends in an eight-day visit to the country.
That group plans to briefly meet up with the students in the semester program.