On
March 9, Fairfield University Florence Program, in collaboration with the city
of Florence, Project LINK, the
University of Florence, School of Political Science and the Jean Monnet Centre
of Excellence, held the first annual Student Forum: Under TwentyFour: UNIFI
Students Present in English on Italian Current Events.
Professor
Lisa Friend of Fairfield University and Professor of International Relations
and Chair of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Max Guderzo of the
University of Florence, coordinated the event, which was held at Palazzo
Giovane, Casa della Creatività. The forum provided an enjoyable opportunity
that combined both learning and socializing for more than 60 American and
Italian undergraduate university students.
Irene
Campolmi, Sebastiano Mori, Leonardo Pierini and Claudia Liberatore, all
students at the University of Florence and participating in Fairfield’s Living
and Learning Program, led a slide show and discussion, Italy: From a Country of
Emigration to a Country of Immigration. Dr. Cristina Giachi, deputy mayor for
University, Research, and Youth Policies and Professor Guderzo introduced the
student speakers.
Dr.
Franca Alacevich, dean of the School of Political Science at the University of
Florence, gave a closing speech about the importance of Italian and
international students studying and speaking together in order to learn more
about each other. An animated question and answer session followed. The
well-attended night concluded with food and refreshments provided by Fairfield
University.
