Another year has begun in the world of CIMBA. New students, new professors, new staff, and new experiences that bring people from all over the United States

This week has been quite eventful as CIMBA hosted its bi-annual Advisor's Conference. With over 30 advisors and staff, Paderno del Grappa and Asolo have seen quite their fair share of foreigners at this time of year. The Advisors participated in various orientations that gave them a personal glimpse into the CIMBA experience.   Faculty members gave an insightful panel comparing their teaching experiences in Italy to those back home and students led a panel to share how CIMBA has opened their eyes to a whole new world they didn't know existed.   On the last evening of the conference, a wonderful formal dinner event at Hotel Fior in Castelfranco made it extra special for the advisors and students alike. Together we experienced the classic Italian "cent" consisting of appetizers, a four course meal, many different kinds of wine, and dessert.

In this issue, CIMBA introduces a new Iowa staff member, insights into the life of a professor, and a perspective on the Venice Panel that occurred in mid-October. The favorite Al's Book Club will return next month.

Please keep in touch and let us hear from you so we know what is going on in your life!

Happy Halloween!

People. Places. Ideas. These three words sum up the factors that, in my view, make the CIMBA undergraduate program remarkable and unique.

People. The program's founder, Dr. Al Ringleb, has created a learning environment that enhances students' personal growth and provides limitless opportunities for discovery. "Dr. Al," as CIMBA students affectionately refer to him, is equally at ease talking about the latest trends in biofeedback, leading class discussions on business law, and comparing recent vintages of Italian wine.

The undergraduate program has outstanding staff support in Iowa City and Paderno del Grappa. Here in Italy, Campus Coordinator Anna Fiumicetti and Office Assistant Silvia Ziliotto run the front office. Assisting Anna and Silvia are four Undergraduate Campus Life Coordinators who are also studying in the MBA program in nearby Asolo. From the day of our arrival on campus, these staff members welcomed the faculty and students and helped and supported everyone as we made the transition to life in Italy.

For me, one of the pleasures of joining the CIMBA undergraduate faculty this semester has been the opportunity to get to know colleagues from the United States as well as those based here in Italy. Similarly, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with a diverse group of students from CUIS institutions. These students are a high-performing, cohesive group. They have demonstrated great resourcefulness in maximizing their learning opportunities. For example, taking advantage of budget airfares and excellent train connections, students have planned and organized several of their own excursions. Within Italy, students have visited Florence, Milan, Rome, Verona, and, of course, Venice. Add in side trips to Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden (to name a few), and it is no exaggeration to say that Europe as a whole serves as CIMBA's classroom.

Places. From classroom facilities to faculty office space, the Istituto Filippin campus is a wonderful place for professor to teach and students to learn. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Dolomite mountain range, Paderno del Grappa and the surrounding towns and villages are charming communities with a welcoming, small-town feel.

In fall 2011 we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather: above-average temperatures under blue skies with only a couple of rainy days. The 2011 vintage is shaping up to be a fine one in Italy, a fact that I confirmed by traveling to nearby Valdobbiadene. Home to Bisol, Col Vetoraz, and other world-class Prosecco producers, this village boasts vineyards whose breathtaking vistas are comparable to those in California's Napa Valley or Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Early on, I accomplished another of my semester goals by joining colleagues and friends to climb Mount Grappa on a beautiful Saturday in September. Needless to say I was very glad I worked with a personal trainer for three months prior to leaving for Italy.

Ideas. CIMBA is a community of ideas. Some of those ideas are formulated and shaped in the classroom setting itself. Informed by our experiences in Italy, students and faculty have a unique opportunity to explore business and cultural issues from an international perspective. Additional programs, including CAP ("CIMBA Advantage Program") and LEAP ("Learn. Enrich. Achieve. Perform"), contribute to the community of ideas. I have seen first hand how these programs have transformed and enriched the lives of CIMBA students in a very short period of time.

Personally and professionally, a high point of the semester for me was a panel discussion organized by our colleague Dominic Standish. A panel of experts presented various views on the impact of tourism on Venice. Students in my international marketing class attended the panel and used it as a springboard for a case study writing assignment. As a follow-up to the panel, Dr. Standish and I attended the Battle of Ideas conference in London on October 29 and 30.

This controversial topic was debated by a panel on Tuesday 11 October 2001 in the De Marchi Room of CIMBA's undergraduate campus in Paderno del Grappa. The debate was sponsored by the Institute of Ideas in cooperation with CIMBA. Entrepreneur Alan Miller, who is a representative of the Institute of Ideas Organising Committee, travelled from New York to introduce the debate. A high profile panel of five speakers and a chairperson was selected from Venice, London and the Venice region according to their work related to Venice and tourism. Peter Smith, the director of tourism at St. Mary's University College London, chaired the debate. Each speaker gave a five minute introduction before opportunities for questions and comments from the audience of 75 people.

Vicenzo Casali, an architect in Venice and vice-president of the Venetian social forum '40xVenezia', began by explaining three photographs he displayed illustrating some of the problems tourism has created for Venetians. He criticised the huge advertising hoardings on St Mark's square covering restoration work and encouraging people to visit an outlet store. Another picture showed how it is difficult for Venetians to walk fast with so many tourists in the city. Finally, Casali displayed a photograph of seven cruise ships in the centre of Venice on the same day. Nathalie Salas, a marketing consultant and hotel developer from the Veneto region, suggested that tourism could be better spread out away from Venice's central islands. Tourists could be encouraged to visit wildlife and farm animals on outer islands and offered educational media to engage with Venice's attractions beyond the city centre.

Jane Da Mosto, the scientific advisor to The Venice in Peril Fund, explained that Venice and its lagoon have been shaped by human intervention. She suggested that the lagoon and the city were a unitary and symbiotic system during the Venetian Republic until 1797. But this has now been lost, partly due to tourism, and the lagoon is regarded as an inconvenience or just something to be crossed by damaging cruise ships, tankers and cargo vessels. Jane argued for a reconsideration of Venice's economic models and new leadership to change cultural priorities.

Alessandro Tedesco was born in Venice and lived there for twenty-five years. He is now a business consultant in the hotel and tourism sector in Venice and elsewhere. Alessandro described his work developing sustainable hotels on islands outside the centre of Venice and encouraging different kinds of visitors to the city through his involvement in bringing the America's Cup event to the city.
 

Lastly, I suggested that tourism is more of an opportunity than a threat. Yet tourism is often experienced as a problem in Venice due to the long term lack of infrastructure development. To improve the city for tourists, residents, students and others, I outlined a ten-point plan to modernise various aspects of the city. This plan is set out in more detail in my forthcoming book Venice in Environmental Peril? Myth and Reality,which will be published in the USA by UPA in 2012.The introductions were followed by lively questions and comments from the public and undergraduate and MBA students. Although the speakers responded to many of the questions, some were left unanswered. Peter Smith concluded that the discussion had made good progress, but should be regarded as the start of debating these issues publicly. We look forward to further debates like this.

Dominic Standish, CIMBA/Iowa University Lecturer