History and Archive

November 1964: Dickinson’s first study-abroad program is established

The faculty of Dickinson College votes to establish a Program for International Studies in Bologna, Italy, to be inaugurated in the fall of the following year. The program is established with the cooperation of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Political Science Department of the University of Bologna. This is Dickinson’s first study-abroad program.

Professor K. Robert Nilsson is instrumental in the establishment of the Bologna Program. He studied at Johns Hopkins SAIS Master Program in Bologna during the academic year 1959-60, and was impressed by his own experience in the city and by the opportunities it offered not only on an academic level, but also for cultural enrichment.

“Bologna is a sensible choice for many reasons” he tells the Dickinsonian, “[This city] allows the students to avail themselves of some of the best informed speakers and outstanding authorities on the institutions of Europe. By affiliating with Johns Hopkins, students will be able to attend lectures [...] that are not available anywhere else.”

Fall 1965: the Program is inaugurated

On August 19, 1965, sixteen students sail to Italy on the S.S. Castel Felice from New York City, accompanied by Professor Nilsson, who serves as first Director of the Bologna Program.

Most of them live with local Italian families, while others are housed with Italian students in “pensioni” (boarding houses). Upon their arrival, students take 5 weeks of intensive Italian language classes, taught by Francesco Guccini (a famous Italian singer-songwriter).

During the academic year in Bologna, students take courses in International Relations, European Parliamentary institutions, Politics in developing areas and European Institutions. While courses are taught by Dickinson Professors, the students use the library, classrooms and other facilities of Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Spring 1966

President Howard Rubendall and President of the board of trustees Samuel W. Witwer travel to Bologna and visit the newly opened program.

Fall 1968

The academic curriculum is expanded to include a course on the Italian Political system.

1976

A course on the city of Bologna is added to the curriculum. “This course”, says Professor and Director George Rhyne, “gives the students the chance to understand ‘the close reciprocal ties between the individual and the community’”.

1978

The Program leaves Johns Hopkins SAIS and relocates to its own rented center located in via Augusto Righi. Marco Biagi, a distinguished labour lawyer and instructor at various Italian universities, starts working at Dickinson as Adjunct Professor of European Labour Law and Politics at the Bologna Center, and later becomes legal counsel of the Bologna Program.

1980

The Program acquires legal recognition under Italian law, and is recognized as an independent Fondazione.

During the 80’s, as student enrollments for the Bologna Program steadily increase, the living arrangements switch from home stays and “pensioni” to student apartments.

May 1980: 15th anniversary of the Program is celebrated

The Bologna Program celebrates its 15th anniversary with a special series of events in the city. President Sam A. Banks and Professors George Rhyne and Charles Jarvis visit Bologna and join the celebrations. Professor Nilsson and Dr. Banks are also interviewed by Il Resto del Carlino, an Italian local newspaper, which runs an article on the anniversary and another one on the Program itself.

1981: the Program changes location

The Program moves to its present rented office in via Marsala 2, in the heart of the city center. Students help move books and materials via bike carts.

Fall 1987: Agreement with the University of Bologna is signed

President A. Lee Flitschler signs a first cooperation agreement between Dickinson College and the University of Bologna.

Fall 1990: The Italian track is created

The Italian program becomes increasingly popular at Dickinson College, allowing for the creation of a new interdisciplinary major in Italian Studies. As a result, a year-long Italian immersion track for Italian majors is added to the traditional program in Bologna.

Students participating in the Italian track take some courses taught entirely in Italian, and at least one course at the University of Bologna during their second semester abroad. In addition, they are required to do an internship with an Italian organization.

1995: Amici del Dickinson is established

Professor Marco Biagi organizes “Amici del Dickinson” (Friends of Dickinson), a group that facilitates the students’ fuller integration into Italian society by organizing cultural events and trips. The aim of the association is to promote knowledge of the activities and the role of the Bologna Program within the city of Bologna (and more generally in Italy). o encourage contacts between the cultures, to realize cultural initiatives, help the students gain a wider international education during their stay in Bologna.

Over the years, Amici del Dickinson sponsors a series of local educational trips and events, such as pasta-making classes, visits to the offices of Il resto del Carlino, an Italian newspaper based in Bologna, and to La Mancina, a wine making establishment located a half hour away in the hills north of Bologna.

1996: the Host family dinners begin

Program Associate Clarissa Pagni begins establishing connections with Bolognese families who invite Dickinson students to dinner and involve them in other family activities. The “host family dinners” quickly become (and still are nowadays) one of the most popular inter-cultural activities among the students.

April 1998

A student, Matt Poynton, dies in an accident in Bologna. A commemorative plaque in honour of Matt is installed at the entrance of the Dickinson Center. The plaque reads “In memory of a good friend, Matt Poynton, from the Bologna Class of 1197-98”.

August 1999

Professor Nilsson, founder of the Bologna program, dies at the age of 71. The Bologna Center is renamed “K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies” in his honor.

2002

Professor Marco Biagi is killed in Bologna by the New Red Brigades, an Italian terrorist group. The Dickinson student scholarship is renamed “Marco Biagi Scholarship” to honor his memory.

2005: The fund for the Poland trips is created

Helen Piszek Nelson and Erik Nelson, parents of Dickinson Alumn John Nelson, establish the Edward & Olga Piszek Fund for Polish Studies. Thanks to their generous donation, starting from 2005, Dickinson students studying abroad in Italy, Germany and Russia have the opportunity to participate in a weeklong tour to Poland during Spring Break.

During the Poland trip, students usually visit Warsaw and Krakow, attend lectures by instructors from the Jagiellonian University, and visit the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau - invaluable experiences that help the students gain new perspectives about European history and culture.

2006: the first Intercultural Seminar is organized

The Intercultural seminar is offered for the first time and is integrated into the already existing internship program. This course, organized by Professor Mark Ruhl and Professor Pagni, combines readings, discussions, guest lectures, and internship experiences to deepen the students’ understanding of Italian culture. While in the past the internship component used to be credit-no credit, this newly introduced course is given a letter grade.

Fall 2007

The Dickinson Collegium, the college’s chamber choir directed by Professor Emeritus of Music Blake Wilson, tours Siena, Pienza, Florence and Bologna.

May 2009: the first Biagi Lectures takes place

On May 4, 2009, the first annual Marco Biagi Memorial lecture is held. The event is sponsored by Dickinson College and Amici del Dickinson. The guest speaker on this occasion is US senator (ret.) Larry Pressler, who offered a lecture on “The role of congress in US Foreign policy”.

Fall 2010

The Bologna Program starts offering a one-semester (Fall or Spring) option. This immediately results in a very heterogeneous student body, with students majoring in over ten specializations (going from the traditional Political Science/International Relations and Italian Studies, to Health Studies, Archaeology, Art History, Music, American Studies, History, Sociology, etc.).

Fall 2014

Johns Hopkins SAIS and the Bologna Program sign an agreement whereby Dickinson offers language elementary classes to spouses of SAIS students during Fall semester and in the Spring, while Dickinson students can take upper level Italian language classes at SAIS.

April 2016: the 50th anniversary of the Program is celebrated

The K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies celebrates its 50th Anniversary. A reception is hosted at Cappella Farnese on April 13th, in collaboration with Comune di Bologna Università di Bologna.

Fall 2017

A separate Italian Studies Program is approved by the College, and a search for a Resident Director is launched. A pilot “Italian Studies Program” is implemented this year into the Bologna Program as a trial before the official launch in Fall 2018.

Fall 2018: the Italian Studies Program is inaugurated

A separate Italian Studies Program is created with the aim to create a full-immersion language and cultural experience for Italian majors and minors. Professor Bruno Grazioli joins the Bologna-based team and becomes the first and permanent Italian Studies Director.

The Italian Studies Programs offers a curriculum of courses all in Italian ranging from Art History, The Development of Scientific Thought, Sustainable Food, Social Activism in Italy etc. Students participating in the program live in apartments with a student from the University of Bologna or with Italian host families, and are involved in cultural activities such as volunteering at local organizations.

Fall 2019

After almost 35 years working for the Bologna Program, Associate Director Clarissa Pagni retires. Professor Pagni taught Italian at the Dickinson Center from 1985 until 2018, and coordinated the internship program since 2005. In addition to her role as Italian instructor, Pagni was responsible for many administrative duties, including supporting and working alongside the rotating directors of the Bologna Program, hiring and managing faculty, organizing and coordinating cultural events and the Italian host family exchange, and managing student housing and renting contracts.