The Rome Global Gateway, a sector of Notre Dame International, will launch the Rome International Scholars Program in the spring of 2016. This program will facilitate a select group of undergraduate students to conduct independent research, participate in job internships and practice service learning while studying abroad.
“The goal of the program is to offer to highly motivated Notre Dame undergraduate scholars the opportunity for a life-transforming education abroad experience in the Eternal City,” Theodore Cachey, inaugural academic director of the Rome Global Gateway, said.
Cachey said the semester-long program will normally be comprised of five courses, including an elective at one of the universities working with the Rome Global Gateway, a foreign language course and the required on-site, “All Roads Lead to Rome” course. The international scholars’ remaining two courses will consist of an independent research project supervised by a Notre Dame faculty member and an experiential learning activity, usually involving service or an internship.
According to Notre Dame International’s website, the Rome Global Gateway is located one block away from the Colosseum and serves as an academic and cultural center for the University in Italy. Although Notre Dame faculty will teach a majority of classes, elective courses can be taken at several of the universities in Rome, including Roma Tre University, John Cabot University, Pontifical Gregorian University and Sapenzia University of Rome.
Students in the International Scholars Program will spend the spring semester of their junior year in Rome and receive funding to stay for up to six weeks in the summer.
“I'm excited by the prospect that some of Notre Dame's most capable students will be directly engaging the incredible intellectual, cultural and spiritual opportunities that Rome offers according to their individual academic aims and ambitions,” Cachey said. “I'm anxious to see what they come up with.”
Cachey said the application process for next year’s Rome International Scholars Program is in progress from now until April 17. Anywhere from eight to ten applicants will be chosen to participate in the program’s pilot year.
“Students in the new international scholars program will be selected from across the disciplines and departments,” Cachey said. “I would stress that this is a special program that is specifically designed for self-motivated students who would value the opportunity to undertake independent research during the spring semester of their junior year that would ideally lead to senior thesis projects or the development of post-graduate research."
According to Cachey, the program was made possible by a donation from the Ravarino Family Endowment for Excellence in Italian Studies. Over the past year, a steering committee co-chaired by Elizabeth Mazurek, associate professor of classics, and Christian Moevs, associate professor of Italian, designed this new opportunity for Notre Dame undergraduate students.
Cachey said the Rome International Scholars Program advances the University’s mission by providing leadership opportunities to undergraduate students and advancing Notre Dame’s global reputation.
“The program advances the University’s mission by pursuing its Catholic mission,” Cachey said. “Through the service and engagement opportunities offered by the program in Rome, home of the Holy See, students will be exposed to the challenges of contemporary social and political life in Rome, including immigration, poverty, ecological and urban cultural crises.”
To learn more about the Rome International Scholars Program or to apply visit international.nd.edu
