Salisbury, MD – When Ellery Stamp and Caroline Daly walk across the stage at Spring Commencement in just a few weeks, they will leave behind a Salisbury University they changed during their four years as students in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business.
In summer 2023, the two friends shared a great adventure, studying marketing at the Instituto Lorenzo d’Medici (LdM) in Florence, Italy. They were the latest in a long line of SU students studying abroad there over many years without SU’s having any formal relationship with the famous Florentine study center.
Thanks to their advocacy, they will be the last to have to go on their own.
SU President Carolyn Lepre recently signed a memorandum of understanding with LdM President Carla Guarducci that will simplify the process for more SU students to study abroad in the heart of the Tuscany region. The agreement will make it easier for SU students to apply their financial aid to their study abroad program in Italy and will help faculty members better advise them on how the courses that they take at LdM can count toward their SU degrees.
“With my major in marketing, I knew I wanted to take a class that would help strengthen my knowledge of marketing, as well as give me the cultural aspect while studying away in a foreign country,” said Stamp, of Pittsford, NY. “I was able to interact and create lifelong relationships with peers, professors and business owners that I never would have had the ability to make without studying abroad.”
While LdM has a strong curriculum of business courses that attract students from prestigious business schools throughout the U.S., the LdM curriculum is best known for its courses in the arts, history and literature. Its specialty certificate programs in design, art restoration and fashion, among other fine arts, are world renowned.
Of course, study abroad is also about the experiential learning that happens all throughout the experience.
“The opportunity to study abroad has taught me that I love to travel, be spontaneous, try new things and adapt to the cultures around me,” said Daly, of Annapolis. “I am so lucky that I was able to study abroad with one of my best friends. We traveled every weekend, ate the best food and learned so much in our wine marketing class. Our eyes were opened to the societies around us.”
Stamp enjoyed the travel they were able to do on the weekends: “I was able to travel to Paris, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, and explore all of Florence. It was amazing to make connections with fellow students from the United States that came to study abroad in Florence.”
Through the new agreement, SU students will have the opportunity to study abroad at LdM during winter, spring, summer and fall terms.
“Italy has always been a sought-after destination for SU students to study abroad,” said Dr. Brian Stiegler, SU assistant provost for international education. “Thanks to the leadership of Caroline and Ellery, SU will be able to facilitate such adventures in learning to more students.”
Registration is open for the 2026 winter term and beyond. For more information, visit the SU study abroad portal at http://studyabroad.salisbury.edu and type “Lorenzo d’Medici” in the search bar.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.
