Seven Visiting Professors From Italy Spend Week Collaborating With College of Business Faculty

FAU’s College of Business is hosting seven faculty members from Istituto Superior Carlo Dell’ Acqua in Milan, Italy. The professors are part of the European Union’s Erasmus+ Job Mobility program, which allows them to shadow other faculty members, attend classes and observe best practices at universities outside their home country.

The mobility previously was limited to countries only within the EU, but it now has been extended to other countries and continents. FAU is participating at the invitation of the Italian Consulate in Miami.

“FAU is one of the first universities in the U.S and the first university in Florida to accept and build a plan for global professional learning, as far as we know,” said Joseph Compomizzi, Ph.D., FAU’s faculty lead on the initiative. “As we understand, FAU was also chosen because of the prestige of our business programs, faculty and student-centered orientation.”

Under the initiative, visiting faculty members Laura Maria Luisa Landonio, Donatella Capoblanco, Vitorria Zingaro, Paolo Prina, Maddalena Cimmino, Marinella Castini and Adriana Gallo will meet with FAU’s College of Business faculty during their weeklong visit. They will learn more about academic disciplines, teaching methods and research and the industries represented in management, marketing and business communications, according to Compomizzi.

In addition, the visiting faculty will observe faculty-student interaction and learn about services the college and university provide to faculty and students in terms of research, job preparedness, academic advising and campus facilities, Compomizzi said.

Zingaro said the three objectives from the trip are: improve their English skills for business; improve their business language; and create a database of professionals that can help with future internships and other programs. Each of the professors has a specific schedule during the week, tailored to their areas of interest, including Hospitality and Tourism,  Management, Marketing and Business Communications.

“Our teaching style is more academic and traditional,” Zingaro said. “We’re learning about experimental teaching methods.” 

A representative for the Italian consulate, interim FAU President Stacy Volnick, Ph.D., Dean Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., professors and other dignitaries greeted the visiting professors during a reception on Sunday.

“We are very excited to work with Erasmus, and we share their goals of promoting learning mobility, as well as cooperation, equality, inclusion, equity excellence, creativity and innovation,” Volnick said. 

She noted that the initiative to collaborate was coordinated by the College of Business, but it also is a campus-wide initiative that includes input from the College of Arts and Letters and other departments.

“In my experience, international studies, travel and exchanges are some of the key ways we can learn to do business and learn to do commerce—but also learn about our shared heritage and the different things that make us all have a shared common humanity,” Gropper said.

Eva Alvino, vice consul for the Italian Consulate in Miami, praised the longstanding relationship between FAU and the consulate. She shared her excitement about the new partnership between FAU and Erasmus and spoke about her time as a student in the Erasmus program, wishing the visiting faculty a similar horizon-broadening experience.

When they return home, the professors will provide feedback on their trip and share what they have learned with colleagues.

“The technology here, I’m completely fascinated,” Gallo said. “This is just the beginning of a big future.”

-FAU-