Rome Commencement Marks 14th Anniversary for St. John’s

University to Confer Master’s Degrees to Students in Business, Liberal Studies

St. John’s University, marking its 14th anniversary in Italy, will host their Commencement Exercises on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at Scuola Ufficiali Carabinieri on via Aurelia 511 in Rome. Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s, will confer Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and Master of Business Administration degrees to this year’s Class of 2009.

At the ceremony, St. John’s University will recognize:

• Dott. Sergio Balbinot, Managing Director, Assicurazioni Generali, S.p.A., who will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Commercial Science. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A., is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste.

“As we close the book on our 14th academic year in Rome, I can’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come as a global university in such a short period of time,” said Rev. Harrington, C.M. “St. John’s is proud to continue its outstanding relationship with the Italian people while offering American-style master’s degree programs that give our students a distinct advantage of receiving a quality education on a global stage.”

In attendance at the commencement will be several members of the St. John’s University Rome Campus Executive Committee and community.

In October 2008, St. John’s dedicated and blessed its new location in Rome, a 4-story, 75,000 square foot structure that houses 13 classrooms, 200 resident beds, a chapel, courtyard and administrative offices. It is owned by the Vincentian community of priests and brothers, the same faith-based community which founded St. John’s in 1870 in the spirit and beliefs of St. Vincent de Paul.

Photos and a press release will be available after the event. For more information, please contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations, at (718) 990-6185 or at sciannad@stjohns.edu. Italian media may contact the St. John’s Rome Campus at (06) 393 842.