Huntington University students enjoy a taste of Italy
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Huntington, Ind.-During Huntington University's January Term, many students take advantage of trips offered by departments or professors. In 2007, one group of students took the two-and-a-half week period to taste a little bit of Italy and specifically the country's rich art culture. The group consisted of 29 students, two faculty members and three non-student adults. Over the course of their trip, the group visited Venice, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Rome, gaining an art history understanding of the historical art and architecture located in these timeless cities. While visiting these locations, the group visited such landmarks as St. Mark's Cathedral, the Guggenheim Museum, and St. Peter's Basilica which is home to the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
"Being a history major, I was partial to the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum," said junior Naomi Woods of Hillsdale, Mich. "It was beautiful, picturesque and fulfilling."
Rebecca Coffman, professor of art, and Ken Hopper, assistant professor of art, designed the trip so that students would learn to appreciate the different art styles, and as Coffman said, "to recognize the importance of artistic and creative expression throughout history."
Junior Melissa Shepard told herself last year that before she graduated she would go on a trip, and two weeks later, she received the e-mail regarding the Italy trip. After her Italy experience, Shepard encourages other Huntington students to break out of the bubble.
"When in anyone's life will they be able to get away with their peers and push themselves outside our HU bubble?" said Shepard, an entrepreneurship/small business major from Brooklyn, Mich. "The friendships and experiences will be a memory that I will never forget and when I look back on college as I grow older, I will always have Italy as a climax to my experience in college."
Huntington University's January Term 2007 offered eight off-campus and 25 on-campus classes spanning two-and-a-half weeks, giving students a chance to delve into a single subject in-depth. January Term began on Jan. 8 and ended Jan. 24.
