UTD Summer in Switzerland

The faculty-led program, "UTD Summer in Switzerland," will take place this year between June 30 and July 27 at Franklin University of Switzerland (FUS) in Lugano, Switzerland. FUS in Lugano is located in the Ticino Canton, which is the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. FUS, however, is an American university on Swiss soil. This year, 23 students have chosen to enroll in "Renaissance and Baroque Rome," "Sociology of Religion - the Vatican," and/or "Beginning Italian" for this program. UTD Summer in Switzerland student participants have enrolled in two of three of these courses for the second summer session.

The program gives students an experience studying in Europe and exposes them to the cultures of two different countries. Switzerland and Italy. In fact, the students will study in Switzerland, but they will take a day trip to Milan. And the program ends with a three-day, three-night stay in Rome near the Vatican!

We have lofty ambitions for this year's program, and we want to continue to provide the optimal overseas program for UTD students. The reality, though, is that these kinds of educational experiences for UTD students require substantial financial support. Simply put, excursions, like those we will take from Lugano to Milan and Rome, for example, cost money. We need to cover costs of transportation, lodging and entry fees for sites like the Duomo and Last Supper exhibit in Milan as well as the Vatican in Rome.

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Therefore, we ask that you support UTD Summer in Switzerland. Your support will help us achieve a positive and fulfilling educational experience for 23 UTD students who have chosen this as their summer program for 2018.

Students from last year's inaugural program had these things to say:

"The UTD Summer in Switzerland program allowed me to explore topics related to where I was living. I took classes in the local language, Italian, and on policy communication with a focus on European policy. Lugano served as my transportation hub on the weekends, allowing me to explore Switzerland, Italy, and even Morocco. Every morning I woke up to the view of mountains and would go to class over looking the Lake Lugano and Monte San Salvatore. This program prepared me for the next half of my summer, researching and comparing the policies surrounding Texan and European energy systems in Rome, utilizing both the classes I had taken during the summer." Morganne Blaylock, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2019

"Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The time I got to spend in Lugano was like a dream. I was able to fully immerse myself in the beautiful landscape, culture, and language by living in the city. I learned about the art of the Italian Renaissance every morning in class and then traveled and saw it with my own eyes each weekend. The experience was truly life changing, and I'm so glad others can have the opportunity to share it, too." Caroline Groppe, B.A. Literary Studies (minor in art history), Class of 2021

"I'm really glad I had the chance to travel to Lugano on a UTD faculty led program. It was amazing to learn about Italian Renaissance art in the classroom and then go out and experience the art in person in famous Renaissance Italian cities like Milan and Florence, which were conveniently a short train ride away from Lugano. As I graduate from UT Dallas, I will always value the friends and memories I made during my time with the Summer in Switzerland program." Sanaa Tejani, B.S. Biological Sciences, Class of 2018