Università Cattolica International Program: An Adaptive, Expanding Approach

An inside look into how Lea Dominique Senn helped transform Università Cattolica’s International Curriculum from eight English-language business courses into a global program serving hundreds of students each semester

By: Isabella Canale, Adela Cucu, Lindsay Majerczak, Anna Olson, Claudia Szmyd

Image from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Università Cattolica’s International Program has gained plenty of recognition over the years under Lea Dominique Senn who serves as the Associate Director of International Education at Cattolica. Senn has made the international program into an evolving curriculum based on changing needs.

Senn got started in this career in the US, where she says she “…used to work for the ISEP Study Abroad and Exchange Program in Washington, D.C. and so that’s how I got started in the field.”

She noted that during the year 2004, Università Cattolica joined the ISEP network and she was approached to “..work for them and to help them expand and develop their international programs, to increase the number of international students that the university could actually recruit and draw, because there were very few at the time.”

Ever since then, Senn has been working at Cattolica, structuring the international program which is now thriving with over 400 international students every semester.

When Senn first arrived at Università Cattolica, the International Curriculum looked very different from what it is today. At the time, Cattolica offered a small number of graduate degree programs taught in English, and there were no undergraduate courses available in English.

Senn’s responsibility consisted of building what would become Cattolica’s International Curriculum program. Senn created content and coursework in the English language in order to expand Cattolica’s network of partners with other universities around the world. She explained that English was the “common denominator” for study abroad programs globally, and “If you want to be active internationally, you have to offer coursework in English.”

As Senn highlights, the international curriculum “got started in 2008, with eight courses in business and approximately 20 to 25 international students enrolled.” From there, the program grew rapidly. What began as a small initiative has grown into an expanding international program.

In terms of coursework, Cattolica has managed to adapt its coursework offerings based on student demands and interests. During the early 2010s, courses in art history and cinema were very popular among international students. During this time, Cattolica had plenty of courses in literature, but demand in these areas has currently declined.

In response, Cattolica monitors the demand for courses students are requesting to better align with changing student preferences. Senn says that courses in “fashion, food-related studies, media, and business have become much more popular today.”

The international program at Cattolica offers a unique experience for each student. This impactful journey allows students to navigate and create their own lifestyle here and make personal memories that last.

Each individual part of this opportunity has the freedom to choose how they want to spend their time here for the exchange. Whether that is academically focused, travel focused, a focus on becoming more immersed in the culture, or all of the above, the choice is up to the student.

Senn says it best, “Generally, it’s positive, but every student is different. A lot of what they take out of the study abroad experience depends on their own position — what they are expecting out of it and how they manage it.” The study abroad experience is put into the hands of the exchange students, and they get to choose their attitudes towards it.

The ones who step more out of their comfort zones are often the ones who change and grow the most. Senn explains, “We see students who come in with the approach that they’re just here to study. They’re not really interested in having an immersive experience… Then there are others who from day one are like, ‘You know what? I’m here to do something different from what I would have done if I had stayed home,’ and they’re the ones who grow the most.”

From the words of many international students, studying abroad continues to impact their lives even years after they went. Through Cattolica’s academics, traveling and unfamiliar settings, studying abroad has students coming out better than how they came in.

As Senn emphasizes, “The only way to really understand who you are is when you put yourself in circumstances that you’re uncomfortable with.”

As the international program grows, maintaining quality has become a main concern. Along with the surplus of students, the ability to uphold and continue an immersive experience for international students is key when upholding a positive experience, and overall the future of the program.

“The objective is to keep doing what we’re doing because it’s working,” Senn said, “One of the concerns we have is that as we get more and more students, we want to make sure the quality of services follows.”

In addition to maintaining the program’s positive direction, international services have discussed the possibility of expanding access to coursework from the university degree programs that international students can take. These courses can allow for a more intensive experience that aligns more with the Italian university while also continuing to be a part of the international program.

“One goal is finding ways to simplify access to other coursework from degree programs,” Senn said.

Senn expressed particular interest in expanding into the degree coursework at Cattolica, which could allow future international students to become even more immersed in the university experience.

“We’re hoping to keep opening that up. Instead of just growing the international curriculum package itself,” Senn said, “I think we’ve kind of reached the limit of how many courses we can add there, we want to work with the university to simplify access to these other degree courses.”

Looking ahead, the international program aims to further integrate the international students into the university community by creating an overall more authentic experience. Increasing access to coursework and allowing international students to work side by side with Italian students should support this.

“Students can take classes not just with other international students, but also with Italian students, and have more of an authentic Italian university experience,” Senn said. “We’re also hoping that process helps the rest of the university become more internationally aware.”

Unlike many study abroad providers that operate their own overseas centers, ISEP relies on partner universities to provide services directly to students. Senn explained that this creates a more immersive experience because students are fully integrated into the host institution.

At Cattolica, the international environment is especially diverse, welcoming students from many different countries rather than focusing solely on American students. However, adapting to international students required significant institutional changes.

Drawing from her previous experience placing U.S. students in universities across Italy, France, and Switzerland, Senn helped Cattolica better understand the level of support American students and universities expected abroad.

“Erasmus students, for example, are often a bit more left to figure things out on their own. That’s kind of considered part of the university experience in Europe,” Senn said. “But with international students, because of culture differences and everything else, it’s unreasonable to expect students to figure things out the same way locals would.”

Because Cattolica is a city campus without on-site housing, the university had to develop services such as orientation programs, meal plans, academic advising, and student support in order to meet international standards, and as a result, help students adjust to life abroad.

“Students also change over the years — what they expect changes too,” she said. “So it’s an ongoing process of adapting and keeping up with changing expectations and trends.”