Ten students from the LUISS School of Government, accompanied by the General Manager of the University, Giovanni Lo Storto, flew to Kosovo on scheduled military flights the morning of July 1, 2014 to visit the NATO Kosovo Force and meet its commander, the general of the Italian division, Salvatore Farina, for a lesson on the field regarding the role of defense in an extremely important international situation.
The LUISS group, after landing in Pristina, was taken by bus to the base, Film City, where several meetings took place with the military leaders of the Alliance and representatives of the European Union.
This initiative is the first phase of an unprecedented collaboration, between the LUISS School of Government and the Italian Joint Chiefs of Staff, which will offer students a great opportunity to acquire specific expertise in the area of defense. A rewarding exchange of knowledge and experience between the two parties, with the possibility for officials to do a master at the School of Government, and for LUISS students to become directly involved in the activities of the armed forces, or to contribute through their research.
"This opening up on the part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the mission in Kosovo is unprecedented," declared the General Manager of LUISS, Giovanni Lo Storto. "It fits into the track we have set out here at the university, where we work every day to help our students gain experience and practical knowledge, through contact with post-university realities: companies, institutions, organizations and now also the armed forces."
"It’s an opportunity,” emphasized Admiral Donato Marzano, Head of the General Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who went to Kosovo with the students, “that will help them understand how the armed forces work at the national and international level and how they interact with civil society from an inter-force and interagency perspective. The Ministry of Defense has long been open to working with several universities in various areas to promote mutual understanding between the future leaders of public/private entities and the armed forces."
The ten students who took part in the initiative came from three different master’s programs at the LUISS School of Government, one in International Public Affairs, directed by Sergio Fabbrini, one in European Studies, directed by Giovanni Orsina, and one in Parliament and Public Policies, directed by Nicola Lupo.
"I wrote my bachelor’s degree thesis on Kosovo and now, having the opportunity to go to the field is fantastic!" said Licia Gallo, a student doing the master in Parliament and Public Policies. "I will be able to visit places, meet people and understand dynamics that I've only read about in books: I really can’t wait.”