American University of Rome

About

The American University of Rome (AUR) is a private American university in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1969, making it the oldest American-accredited university in Italy, and it offers undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study abroad programs to English-speaking students from around the globe. The university has over 900 students representing more than 60 nationalities. The university campus is located near the center of Rome on the Janiculum hill in the Monteverde Vecchio neighborhood. The language of instruction is English.

AUR has its origins soon after World War II. David Colin, an American journalist in Italy prior to and during the war, settled in Rome. While American students and professors visited Rome, Colin helped foster cultural exchanges between Americans and their Italian counterparts. Over time, informal discussions at his home became more formalized, turning into structured lectures and classes. His wife, Joan Carpenter, assisted Colin with this undertaking. George Tesoro, an Italian who left Italy in 1940 in protest against Mussolini's fascist regime, began to collaborate with Colin. As the program grew, The American University in Rome became reality when AUR was incorporated in 1969 in the District of Columbia with its academic headquarters located in Rome, Italy.

Upon incorporation, Tesoro served as chairman until 1983, when Joseph D. Ventura, then vice chair, succeeded him. During Ventura's time as chairman, the board of trustees became a degree-granting institution from the District of Columbia in 1986. In 1987, a member of the board, Dr. Margaret Giannini, a professional in the scientific and medical research field, became board chair and served until 2003. Under her 16 years of leadership, the university grew in its student and faculty numbers, curriculum offerings, and financial and management systems. Dr. Giannini initiated AUR's first accreditation with the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools in 1992 and planted the seeds for Middle States accreditation. After operating from different locations in central Rome for almost 25 years, AUR moved to its current campus in 1993.

The campus is located on top of the Janiculum, Rome's highest hill, offering views of the city. Most of its buildings are located on Via Pietro Roselli adjacent to a portion of the Aurelian Wall. The campus was extended in early 2018 to include an Art Studio, exhibition space and classrooms on via Angelo Masina. This building is adjacent to, and shares garden space with, the American Academy in Rome. The main campus includes two gardens centered around the main A and B buildings, the Evans Hall Library, and the Auriana Auditorium. The main teaching block (Building B) is part of a Barnabite monastery. In 2025, the university announced a major expansion and renewal of its campus.

The American University of Rome is governed a board of trustees, president, and a senate. The highest governing body, the board of trustees, is responsible for overseeing the university and maintaining its academic and financial health and welfare. The board of trustees includes Joseph Gulino, an international securities lawyer and managing partner at DRRT. Among other duties, the board appoints the president and has final approval of changes to the curriculum proposed by the AUR Senate (the body which, forms and amends academic policies and includes a student government representative). The current president of the university is Dr. Scott Sprenger who assumed the position in July 2020, taking over from Dr. Richard Hodges OBE, who was named President Emeritus & Professor Emeritus upon completing his tenure. AUR is a member of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities and The American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL).

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.