5X is celebrating 50 years of educational partnership with one of Italy’s most historically rich cities for design, arts and culture. What first began in 1972 with a small group of Kent State architecture students and faculty traveling to Florence, Italy, for a few weeks has blossomed into one of the most prestigious education-abroad programs in the country.
Fabrizio Ricciardelli, Ph.D., director of the 5X Florence Center, shared in the international magazine The Florentine the unique value that the Kent State Florence education-abroad program provides to students.
“Florence continues to give Kent State students the opportunity to study in an international environment, grow as individuals and professionals, explore alternatives and collect memories they will cherish forever,” Ricciardelli . “Being here in Florence means touching history. I always teach on-site when possible. Wherever we go with students, we have the chance to discuss works of art, masterpieces and history sources.”
Kent State students visit the Lazzaretto Nuovo, one of two "quarantine islands" established by the Republic of Venice in the 15th century in an attempt to slow the spread of the plague.
Kent State provides 200 education-abroad programs in more than 60 countries. The Kent State Florence program in particular offers more than 90 courses. Currently, approximately 1,000 Kent State students across all disciplines visit Florence each year through the program offered by the Office of Global Education.
In addition, Kent State is the only four-year university in the country to receive the prestigious 2022 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.
Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., vice president for global education at Kent State, also shared with The Florentine future goals for the education-abroad program.
“We have created a world-class study-abroad program in Florence over the past five decades, but we are not content to rest upon our success,” Fantoni said in the article. “As we celebrate 50 years of study abroad at our flagship program in Florence, Italy, we have set our sights upon an ambitious goal – building the largest endowment in university history: the Kent State Global Education Endowment. At Kent State, we believe that exploring new places is vital to the greater understanding of the world around us. We know that an international experience is one of the most direct and effective ways to change the life of a student for the better.”
Kent State Florence also is featured in the Fall-Winter 2022-2023 issue of Kent State Magazine.