Felician President Strengthens Relationships With Italian Universities

President Dr. Anne Prisco exemplifies The Felician Way—a value system, a culture, and a way of doing things—and is leading the University’s commitment to community, growth, innovation, respect, and humanity. This past week, Dr. Prisco traveled to Italy to pursue and expand Felician’s relationships with a consortium of 16 Italian Universities called the Italian Culture on the Net (ICoN), University of Pisa, John Cabot University, and the private high school Istituto Visconti. The efforts she led on this trip displayed the true meaning of The Felician Way as she spearheaded initiatives to connect Felician to the international community. She said that “now more than ever we need a global perspective to understand people other than ourselves.”

As a first-generation American born to Italian immigrants, Dr. Prisco has become a leader in the efforts to connect the Italian American community to Italy. Her passion to infuse a globalized perspective into the culture at Felician University has come to fruition as a result of her many proactive efforts.

In her recent trip to Italy, Dr. Prisco met with ICoN and University of Pisa members to further develop the programs and resources they offer to both Felician and Italian students. Discussions ensued regarding how to involve multiple departments in the participation of these programs and plans to offer dual degree and master’s programs were explored as well.

Because the University of Pisa offers some programs taught in English, such as Business, Economics, and Computer Science, plans for collaborating with these two departments and instituting dual programs for next spring are underway. Dr. Prisco said that like Felician, University of Pisa is “very interested in sending students to Felician University to study next spring and incorporate internship opportunities.”

Dr. Prisco also met with met with Franco Pavoncello, John Cabot University’s president. The University is an American university based in Rome, and because all of their programs are taught in English, plans for collaborating interdepartmentally were discussed. During the approximate week-long trip to Italy, Dr. Prisco also met with Louisa Simone, the president of Istituto Visconti, a private high school in Rome. She and Simone are currently looking to build a relationship that can connect Visconti and Felician students and offer rich educational opportunities.

Dr. Prisco is excited and hopeful for Felician students to experience all that international travel and study have to offer. To connect with others and bridge the barriers lying between the different people of the world is an indispensable opportunity and one of the primary goals and values comprising The Felician Way.

“I hope that as a community we recognize the need to understand people of different cultures and backgrounds. My vision is that we forge these kinds of partnerships around the world and create a bigger community that has a global identity,” Dr. Prisco said.

About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in arts & sciences, business, nursing, and education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com. To learn more about Felician University please visit www.felician.edu.