News - August 28, 2009

SUF welcomes fall 2009 students

Syracuse University in Florence staff and faculty are pleased to welcome incoming fall 2009 students. On September 1, students from Syracuse and other universities across the USA will be welcomed at the Florence airport by SUF staff. A four-day orientation follows, where students become acquainted with the SUF program and the city of Florence, as well as receive an introduction to Italian culture.

Students will be kept busy with welcome dinners, registration, housing, permits of stay, internships, and work-study applications. In addition SUF offers walking tours of the neighborhoods led by SUF staff and teaching assistants, and informational meetings about extracurricular activities, internship opportunities, and SUF volunteer programs.

SUF Director Barbara Deimling encourages students to work with faculty and staff and really get the most out of their semester abroad. “SUF has so many resources to offer as a means of engaging and integrating with the local community. We urge students to explore them all, particularly through our internship and volunteer programs.”

This semester also sees the second group of freshmen participating in SUF’s Discovery Florence program, after the success of the pilot DF program in fall 2008. These students will follow a curriculum tailored specifically for them, although not all classes taken by the DF students will be for them alone. They will mix with upper level students in Italian, allowing them to integrate more fully into the student body. Notes Professor Amy Kleine, who teaches the Freshman Forum, “It takes courage to begin one’s college career in a foreign country, rather than in the US. They really do bring a ‘fresh’ perspective, and I look forward to working with them.”

SUF staff and faculty are particularly excited about the upcoming semester: Syracuse University in Florence is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a four-day celebration in October, which will include events at the Villa Rossa, Palazzo Vecchio, and the American Consulate in Florence. Says Deimling, "We have many alumni coming from past years of the program, and receive more enquiries daily. It will be an unforgettable experience."