10th Year Anniversary Celebration

M.A. in Political Science, European Union Policy Studies
 
EUPS 10th Anniversary Celebration

While it is easy to focus on what is yet to be done, anniversaries offer a wonderful opportunity to celebrate just how far we’ve come and commemorate each other and our successes.  The JMU EUPS 10 Year Anniversary Celebration is May 4-7, 2017. We all alums back to the Palazzo and Santo Spirito--places we have all had the privilege of calling home—to celebrate this occasion with us. Florence has left an indelible mark on our lives, and there is no better chance than EUPS’s 10th birthday to come back, eat some pasta, drink some wine, and toast to the next 10, 20, and 100 years of the James Madison University’s M.A. program in political science.

Liz Hammer (’14), Abby Ware (’14), Aimee Cipicchio (’08) and I, with help from fellow alumni and staff, are creating a fantastic program to celebrate this momentous occasion. As we prepare for this great event, please tweet, post, and comment on your favorite social media platform using #EUPStop10 to start a conversation on all your favorite memories – top ten sights, top ten trips, top ten pastas! We will be using these posts to create a slideshow to run during our Gala on the Saturday night of the celebration! Here is an overview of this weekend that you will not want to miss.

Thursday, May 4th, we welcome you to Palazzo Capponi with a lovely aperitivo and all the information for the weekend – locations, times, and anything further we can provide.  This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow alumni and make plans to attend the subsequent additional events.

Friday, May 5th, we have organized six separate events, including museumtourscity tours, and a cooking class.  You are also more than welcome to arrange your own amusements, but we thought scheduling these events might take some of the stress out of international travel. After a day of fun in the sun and Florence, we have arranged to have our favorite Europeans, Alexandre Stutzmann and Silvio Gonzato, to come and provider an insiders’ update on the state of the EU.  After this informal discussion, we will be organizing another aperitivo in a stunning location, more than just a room with a view, to dive back into the heart of all we loved about Florence.

Saturday, May 6th, will be a much lighter day of events – allowing you to reconnect with all your favorite haunts. Maybe start with a bagel at Mama’s or lunch at Casalinga?  We have organized an excursion to Cantina Antinori and a wine tasting followed by lunch in the city. Saturday will cap with the Gala Dinner and celebration, where we hope to provide a quintessential Italian location complete with live music, nostalgic Florentine cuisine, and a commemoration of the EUPS program recognizing those who have made it possible – including all your favorite memories and photos shared with #EUPStop10!

Sunday, May 7th will host a light breakfast at Palazzo Capponi and say a fond farewell to all our new friends and old, and a joyous buon viaggio to all those who are continuing their European Tour post-Florence.  Since you’ve already made the trip across the pond, may as well prolong and enjoy it! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any comments, concerns or questions. We are more than happy to recommend accommodation around Florence; keep in mind that you can also stay at the Palazzo for a great rate. Remember – if we don’t get 20 alumni to register before November 18th, we will have to cancel the event.

You can Register Here for the first of many EUPS anniversaries.

We hope to see you all there to celebrate and remind ourselves of the importance of the EUPS Program, Florence, and JMU in the journey of our lives.

Written by Elizabeth Duda (M.A. 2011)

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Published: Monday, October 31, 2016

Last Updated: Thursday, November 2, 2023

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