This year John Cabot University enrolled a record breaking number of new degree seeking students. A total of 113 new degree seekers and 284 study abroad students make up the diverse and interesting group of new students who enjoyed this Fall’s orientation.
The new students embody a global learning community. According to JCU’s Admissions Office approximately 50 percent of the new students are from United States, 25 percent are from Italy and 25 percent from countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Haiti and Malaysia.
Mary Merva, JCU’s dean of academic affairs, values the diversity at the university and reminds students that they are not divided by the labels - degree seeking, study abroad, American, European. Instead, she said, JCU is made up of students working to discover themselves and the world.
JCU’s role as an American University in Italy was ever-present during orientation week. There were four different orientations going on at the same time: one for new degree-seeking students, one for study abroad students, one for the English Language for University Studies (E.N.L.U.S.) students and one for families.
Orientation at JCU has larger role than many universities. Not only do new students have to become familiar with the campus, administration, faculty and other students, buy they also have to be introduced to Rome and the city’s different lifestyle
One of the new challenges during this year’s orientation was familiarizing new students with both campuses. The solution was to have students check-in at both the Guarini and the Tiber campus. Once checked-in the students were directed to different activities at each campus, which included 19 workshops, such as the Permit to Stay and Housing workshops, as well as guided tours of Trastevere and Ancient Rome.
Many of the activities offered were facilitated by returning degree-seeking students, who took on the role of student ambassadors. Made up of 21 students, this group helped orientation run smoothly by taking on a number of different jobs. They were stationed at the information desks at both campuses.
They helped out with workshops. They even ushered students around during the rotation.
Hannah Wolkwitz, who helped organize the airport pick up and inform new students of all the activities and sports at JCU, said she decided to volunteer because she wanted to network. “I decided to be a student ambassador to meet all the new degree seeking and study abroad students, of course,” she said.
In addition to the formal orientation, there were also many informal social gatherings arranged to introduce the new students to each other, the student ambassadors and the faculty and administration. These events included the Italian breakfast offered every morning during orientation, the new degree seeking student dinner, the welcome barbeque and the Meet and Greet at Friends café.
Everyone worked together to make this
orientation as comfortable as possible for the new students, said Pilar
Murguia, the student services coordinator. “You really felt the spirit of JCU
at this Orientation,” she added.
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