01/09/2008 - Spotlight on JMU's European Union Program and the Palazzo Capponi in Florence

Participants of the JMU's European Union Policy Studies Program, launched in September 2007, are studying and living in the Palazzo Capponi, located in the Santo Spirito district of Florence. The first 17 students in the new program are studying in Florence during the European Union's 50th anniversary. The new program is housed within the 16th century 14,000-square-foot palace owned by Pio Istituto de' Bardi (The Bardi Institute), an 18th century philanthropic organization that provides educational opportunities in the Florence community. James Madison University recently renovated space in the palazzo to provide offices, classrooms and computer labs and apartments for students and faculty fellows.

To see the palazzo before and after renovations, click here.

The one-year, 33-credit-hour graduate program is unique in its focus, said Dr. Lee Sternberger, executive director of James Madison University's office of international programs. "I have not seen another program like it in the U.S., where American and international students from varying disciplines — technology, law, government, humanities — will study in Europe and focus on the European Union's policies," Sternberger said.

To learn more about the European Union Policy Studies Program, click here.