A Global Gateway
The College of Charleston is not merely a geographic location; it is a gateway to a wider world of knowledge and experience. The celebrations of both the College’s and Charleston’s anniversaries inspire us to look beyond the city limits and establish the College’s first year-round overseas living-learning community in Spoleto, Italy. Spoleto is an ancient city of 40,000 ideally located in the central Umbrian region and is easily accessible by train to both Rome (just over an hour) and Florence (just over 3 hours).
CofC has a unique and historically important relationship with our sister city of Spoleto, Italy. In addition to the renowned summer arts festivals that take place in each city over the summer, the College has an important partner in Charleston Sister Cities International, an organization that “globally promotes the Charleston region and enhances our community’s international understanding” through a range of initiatives, including education and cultural exchange.
At a moment when many colleges and universities are establishing a meaningful presence abroad, the College of Charleston lacks a dedicated living-learning facility overseas for our students. It is important, then, for the College to capitalize on its unique identity to create this extraordinary opportunity for our students and for the enduring prestige of the College as a whole.
Securing this presence abroad could serve as an engine for philanthropic and institutional growth by:
- Generating significant and ongoing publicity
- Serving as a consistent recruitment tool and talking point
- Creating dynamic pathways for alumni and donors to get involved
- Providing faculty with professional development opportunities to create courses that take advantage of Spoleto’s and Italy’s unique culture, resources, and geography
- Offering a range of unique experiential learning opportunity for over 100 students per year
