Although the number of student visas fell in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty wanted the nation’s welcome mat for foreign students to remain firmly in place.

"We believe the best advertisement for America is America," she said. "There is no better way to learn about the United States than to live and study and work with Americans. The loss of this opportunity for even a single student is a loss we are not prepared to bear."

In 2006, the United States issued more than 591,000 F-, M- and J-type student visas worldwide, at last surpassing the post-September 11 decline. But the U.S. Consulate General in Florence, Italy, believed it could do better, and it rolled out the welcome mat in a new way, with a Study USA college fair.

The Consulate General made the fair the centerpiece of its participation in the Province of Florence's prestigious Genio Fiorentino cultural series, which celebrates Florentine innovation and tradition. The fair arose from talks between the President of the Province of Florence, Matteo Renzi, and Consul General Nora Dempsey. Renzi, a 2007 Voluntary Visitor Program participant, explained that his visitor program experience made him eager to find more ways to encourage Italian students to seek out U.S. study experiences.

Florence's consular district hosts 10,000 American students every year, the highest concentration of American college students outside the United States. But in the four years since the reopening of the consulate's nonimmigrant visa section in October 2003, only 8,000 people applied for visas to study in the United States or go on an exchange.

Responding, Consul General Dempsey proposed the college fair, a long-time goal of the consulate, and she and Renzi christened the fair Andare Oltre — Go Beyond. In preparation, Commercial Specialist Barbara Lapini spearheaded the university search campaign, approaching the 45 U.S. universities with programs in the consular district and recruiting non-U.S. schools. Also involved were the consulate's public affairs, executive, administrative, American citizens services and NIV sections. In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Rome, the U.S. Consulate in Milan, local interns and numerous student volunteers provided substantial support on the day of the fair.

Helping Hand

A generous 25,000-euro contribution from the Province of Florence transformed the fair into a memorable, interactive experience. The province also crafted an advertising campaign that made the fair one of the Genio series' most popular events. By pointing to Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci, whose first name appeared on the map as "America" in 1507, the province’s Web site invited students to also discover America. More than 1,000 Italians and Americans visited the site.

The fair took place on the street in front of the consulate, facing the Arno River. There, 30 booths promoted 26 American universities, two of which had flown representatives in from the United States. There was also a Fulbright stand and a booth where the NIV section used a flat-screen plasma television to display a presentation on the visa application process. The booth was mobbed with eager students throughout the fair. U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald P. Spogli spoke at the opening ceremony, alongside President Renzi and Consul General Dempsey.

Journalists and television crews captured the day’s events, and there were glowing articles in newspapers over the days to come. A two-hour talk show that subsequently aired on Italian television also outlined information for Italians interested in studying in the United States, offering substantial footage of the college fair. In addition, there were four seminars with experts explaining aspects of studying abroad, from taking the English-language test to student orientation.

Cultural highlights of the fair were the performances of the Florence Dance Company, the Puccini Music Festival and the Duke's Men of Yale, an a cappella choir from Yale University.

Brian C. Winans is vice consul, Kathryn Rakich is executive assistant to the consul general and Sarah Beck is a consular assistant at the U.S. Consulate General in Florence.

PHOTOGRAPHS: CRISTIANA ERA