News - May 14, 2010

SUF director and staff participate in seminar “International College and University Health, Safety, and Security”

When the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) scheduled the seminar “College & University Health, Safety, and Security in Florence,” it was a given that SUF would participate. And as director of one of the largest American study abroad program in Florence, SUF Interim Director Michael Calo naturally accepted the invitation to introduce the seminar.

Also attending were Amy Kleine, Assistant Director for Student Health and Wellness, and Jim Kauffman, SUF Assistant Director for Student Life. The seminar addressed the issues of safety and security as organized by providers for college students participating in U.S. study abroad programs. Said Calo, “The health and safety of our students is our first priority—we take these issues very seriously and are doing everything in our power to assure that students on our programs have a healthy, safe, and secure environment in which to study and live.”

In the recent webinar “Safety and Security in Education Abroad: Policies, Procedures, and Partnerships,” NAFSA attested that safety and security issues have become increasingly important in the world of study abroad. SUF administration has long made it a practice to closely monitor related issues in the news. The SUF director also maintains close ties to the U.S. Consulate in Florence and is included in the U.S. Embassy warden network in Italy. The goal is to constantly analyze and improve the institutional responses to safety and security crises that can arise while students are with SUF. As Kleine emphasized, “The safety and health of our students at SUF is of paramount importance to us. The conference provided an important opportunity to be updated on various initiatives and services regarding these issues from both the private and public sectors, which will help further develop our emergency procedures.”

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