Campus Notes

All roads might lead to Rome but the University of Dallas might be a good place to start.

All students at the University of Dallas, regardless of major, are encouraged to study in Rome, and over 80% of UD students choose to spend a semester on the college’s Rome Campus – usually the fall or spring semester of their sophomore year.

The college’s program was acknowledged recently by an international organization. In the “2011 Open Doors” report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the University of Dallas ranked fifth nationally among master’s institutions — and first in Texas — for the percentage of undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs for academic credit

“Our number five ranking reflects the enduring importance and success of the Rome Program in the life of University of Dallas students since its inception more than 40 years ago,” said Director of Rome and Summer Programs Rebecca Davies.  ”This ranking is even more gratifying given a common course of study for our undergraduates in Rome comprised of all required courses in our renowned Core curriculum.  Students are taught by our own faculty on our own campus in the city that was, and is, the focus of these great works of heart, mind, spirit, art and intellect.”

Rome students take Core Curriculum courses in history, theology, philosophy, literary tradition, and art history while visiting the monuments and locales associated with Greek playwrights and philosophers, Roman statesmen, Fathers of the Church, and Renaissance artists.

The students take trips led by faculty to the Bay of Naples, to Greece and to the Northern Italian cities of Venice, Florence, and Assisi. Such academic travel enhances core curriculum studies, as do weekly field trips in Rome, where students study art, architecture, history, and more at sites like the Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums, and the Galleria Borghese.

Religious life on the Rome Campus is equally important, for the majesty of the Roman Catholic Church and the model of its pious saints provide a stimulus to spiritual growth. The University’s chaplain and his staff organize regular on-campus confession and Masses, as well as retreats, Papal Audiences, church tours, and other activities that enhance the spiritual lives of UD students.

Senior education major Patricia Russo, a Cleveland, Ohio native, said it was the University’s study abroad program that made her choose to attend UD. “I explored other small Catholic schools around the country, but when I visited UD I realized that the other schools didn’t have study abroad programs that compared to UD’s Rome Program,” she said.

The IIE determines its rankings by comparing the number of students involved in study abroad programs with the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred at each institution. “Master’s Institutions” are categorized by the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as colleges and universities that generally award at least 50 master’s degrees and fewer than 20 doctoral degrees each year.