Sustainability, Cultural Exchange, and the Humanistic Tradition
A Journal That Reflects the Breadth of International Education
The ninth issue of Beyond — the peer-reviewed journal of ISI Florence and Umbra Institute — brings together scholarly essays, alumni reflections, and practitioner insights under a unifying thread: the transformative power of study abroad. From sustainability science to East-West relations to disability awareness, the issue demonstrates how international education reaches well beyond the classroom.
Sustainability at the Center of Study Abroad
One of the issue’s cornerstone pieces is a scholarly dialogue among three sustainability experts — Michael A. Di Giovine, Paul Sylvester, and Bradley Flamm — examining carbon offsets and the path to neutrality in higher education study abroad. Sustainability has long been a priority for ISI Abroad: Umbra Institute in Perugia, led by Director Zachary Nowak (Harvard PhD), has made it a defining focus over the past decade, including hosting an international food studies conference every other year.
East-West Relations and Intercultural Scholarship
Beyond Issue 9 continues ISI Abroad’s commitment to East-West dialogue. A standout contribution comes from art historians Francesco Vossilla and Zhang Zheng-Ying, whose article traces the Asian missions of two Florentine Dominican missionaries in the early modern period. Their work grew directly out of the first-ever Italy-Philippines conference hosted by a study abroad program, held at Palazzo Rucellai in October 2025. Also featured is a speech by Virgilio A. Reyes Jr., former Filipino Ambassador to Italy, on the longstanding ties between Italy and the Philippines.
Medical Humanism, Disability Awareness, and European Partnerships
Dr. Spyridon S. Kogkas of Imagine Heritage (Athens) contributes an essay on medical humanism, arguing for a holistic approach to therapy rooted in Florence’s heritage and Greek ethical traditions. His work connects to the international disability awareness conference Open Minds, Open Doors, held at Palazzo Strozzi in February 2025 — an event that also inspired an article by ISI Florence colleagues Nina Peci and Serena Giorgi on how society can better include and learn from people with disabilities.
Alumni Voices and the Lasting Impact of a Semester Abroad
Three additional contributions round out the issue by centering student and alumni perspectives. Claire Chisholm gathers testimonials from ISI Florence alumni on the lasting effects of their time in Italy. Catherine Nardi — a University of Maryland-ISI Florence alumna and recent Fulbright recipient — shares post-COVID research findings on food policy and sustainability from her second Italian residency. Finally, Rutgers student Dahria Charadnichenka interviews art historian Linda Falcone, a leading figure in the Advancing Women Artists movement, on why the humanities matter for building a more humane society.
Why Beyond Matters for International Education Research
Issue 9 of Beyond is not simply a record of activities — it is evidence that rigorous academic inquiry and transformative lived experience are not opposites. For students, faculty, and administrators working in international education, it offers models of how programs can meaningfully engage with sustainability, cultural exchange, and the humanistic tradition.
