President's Message

I am happy to welcome you to our web site, here at The American University of Rome (AUR). On behalf of our students, faculty, staff and members of the Board of Trustees, I invite you to examine it closely. You will find much information to give you an introduction to our university and its programs.

The American University of Rome (AUR) was founded in 1969 on the premise that Rome itself is an ideal classroom. Today, AUR offers six Bachelor degrees and two Associate degrees, including majors in four liberal arts disciplines (Art History, International Relations, Italian Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies) and two pre-professional programs (Communication - our most popular major - and Business Administration.) In addition, AUR hosts study-abroad students from American colleges and universities for year-long, semester and summer programs.

Our university blends the best of two worlds. We focus on the best of the American practical know-how, technological capability and career preparation, while at the same time giving due weight to the European and Italian classical tradition of the humanities.

AUR is home to a highly diverse student body representing over thirty countries. Our students study in small, interactive classes with a faculty dedicated to student learning. At the same time, AUR students enjoy the myriad benefits of life in this uniquely stimulating city. Many students find that their total experience here has been life transforming.

Do not hesitate to contact the Office of the President at +39 06 5833 0919 (ext 209), or to email us at president@aur.edu. I welcome your questions, your comments and your ideas. It will be my pleasure to greet you in person when you visit our campus.

About Dr. Robert A. Marino

Robert A. Marino was appointed Provost of The American University of Rome in the Spring of 2002. Under his leadership Academic Affairs has been transformed: a distinguished core faculty was hired, academic departmental structures were created, extensive curriculum renewal occurred and a shared faculty governance was adopted with unanimous faculty approval. Dr. Marino took over as Interim President following the resignation of President Robert H. Evans, for health reasons, in the Spring of 2005.

Born in Italy of American and Italian parents, Robert Marino spent his early years in Positano, Italy, before immigrating to the US in 1955. He continued his education in New York City and took his undergraduate degree at the City College of New York in 1964 and his PhD, in physics, at Brown University in 1969. Joining the faculty of Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1970, Dr. Marino was appointed Professor of Physics in 1982. His administrative appointments at Hunter/CUNY included Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Acting Dean of the Division of Sciences and Mathematics and Assistant Dean for Research, Planning and Facilities. In his last position at Hunter/CUNY, he headed the Office of the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition to his thirty-two years at the City University of New York, Dr. Marino held year-long senior research positions at Block Engineering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Geneva.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Dr. Marino has authored or co-authored thirty publications and edited one book length proceedings in magnetic resonance / materials science. His major research contribution was pioneering the application of Nitrogen-14 Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance Spectroscopy to structure and bonding studies in molecular and ionic solids. He discovered and named multiple-pulse sequences that lead to significant sensitivity enhancement, enabling practical applications in explosives detection and humanitarian de-mining.

Dr. Marino has taught physics courses at all levels, from Basic Concepts of Physics for non-science undergraduate majors to graduate level Solid State Physics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. He has held a sustained interest in exploiting the introductory physics laboratory experience for the general education of liberal arts undergraduates. He supervised numerous research B.A. and M.A. theses, and two Ph.D. dissertations.

Dr. Marino resides with his wife, Carol, in the Trastevere area of Rome. They have two adult children living in the New York metropolitan area.