MSU Early App Travel Grant: Students of Montclair State Univeristy are eligable for an Early Application Travel Grant from ieiMedia. Learn more on our Montclair State Univierty travel grant page. The first step is to apply by October 31, 2025
Fast Facts
DATES: May 25 - June 12, 2026
GENERAL LOCATION: Bologna, Italy
ENROLLMENT CAPACITY: 16
FOCUS: International PR and Marketing
PROJECT COST: $5,845 + airfare
ACADEMIC CREDIT: Optional 3 units, $450
INCLUDES: Travel insurance; housing; welcome and farewell dinners; reporting trips and excursions to visit sites and meet with representatives in the communities. Academic credit is optional. DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE.
International Public Relations and Marketing
In International PR and Marketing, students will capitalize on Bologna’s location in Italy, to explore the concept of Public Relations on a global scale.
Instruction and Academic Credit
Instruction will come from a combination of traditional classroom teachings and field experience, with the program’s overall goal to be one centered in experiential learning. Lectures will be from ieiMedia faculty and outside industry professionals from around the world.
Students have the option to earn three(3) credits of upper-division journalism or public relations elective for The Bologna Project. The credits will be issued by the University of Jamestown. The team at ieiMedia will work students to ensure credits are transferred to their home university. The cost is $150/credit – the academic credit is $450 for The Bologna Project (See the FACT SHEET at the top of the page for Program Cost).
Students
The program is open to English-speaking college students and recent graduates from any school. Most of our students are journalism, creative writing or communications majors; those majoring in other subjects such as public relations, marketing and advertising are welcome as well. Experience working for a college or professional publication is helpful but not required. The program is open to English-speaking students and recent graduates from around the world.Students from many universities have participated in past ieiMedia programs, including:
American University, Arizona State University, Baylor University, California State University Fullerton, California State University Long Beach, Carleton University, Colorado State University, Cornell University, Georgia College and State University, Georgetown University, Humboldt State University, Indiana University, Iowa State University, Ithaca College, James Madison University, Louisiana State University, Montclair State University, New York University, Rider University, Rutgers University, Ryerson University, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, State University of New York at New Paltz, Syracuse University, Temple University, Truman State University, UCLA, University of Arizona, University of British Columbia, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Kennesaw State University, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Northern Iowa, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Virginia Tech, and Washington and Lee University. We’ve also had students from Japan, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad participate.
Graduate Students
Graduate students are also invited to apply. We’d be happy to talk with you about supervising an independent project that would qualify for graduate credit at your school – or to offer this experience as a graduate internship.
Faculty Director
Kathryn Lancioni is a lecturer in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. She is an award-winning, internationally recognized expert in the field of communications, recently named as one of PR News’ “People of the Year.” She has also received a Stevie Award for her work as an advisor and mentor to female founders. Her expertise lies in the intersection of communication, leadership, and gender. Ms. Lancioni has a unique appreciation and understanding of the PR industry and its dynamic landscape working as a journalist, public relations executive, communications strategist, and college professor. She has worked for some of the world’s leading PR agencies such as Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber-Shandwick and with numerous global corporations such as Deloitte, IBM, NCR, UPS, and Smtih+Nephew. In 2006, she launched Presenting Perfection, a communications consultancy. Ms. Lancioni has served on the faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State University, Seton Hall University, St. John Fisher College, and William Paterson University, has guest lectured at various universities, and has been the featured speaker at many international conferences. She is the author of three books, host of the Gut Punch Podcast and a regular contributor to Forbes, as well as a member of The Forbes Business Council.
Faculty
Mark Rotella
Mark Rotella is the Director of the Joseph and Elda Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Montclair State University. In addition, Rotella also serves as thesis advisor in the MFA Program at Columbia University.
Earning his B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Columbia University in 1992, Rotella became the Senior Editor at Publishers Weekly, where he worked for nearly twenty years. He is also a former Board Member at National Books Critics Circle from 2015 to 2018.
Rotella’s first book, Stolen Figs: And Other Adventures in Calabria (2004), recounts his travels to Calabria, the region in southern Italy from which his grandparents immigrated. His second book, Amore: The Story of Italian American Song (2010), tells of the era in American popular music during the mid-20th century dominated by Italian-American singers such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. He also wrote the introduction for the 2006 reissue of Carlo Levi’s classic 1945 memoir, Christ Stopped at Eboli.
He has published nearly four dozen articles in a wide array of outlets including The New York Times, New York Times Book Review, La Voce di New York, The L.A. Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vanity Fair, Saveur Magazine, and NPR.org and has appeared on National Public Radio outlets across the U.S. (on flagship shows such as All Things Considered and the Leonard Lopate Show), CBS’s The Insider, Entertainment Tonight, and ABC News.
In August 2020, Rotella was appointed Director of the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America.
View complete faculty biographies on Our Professors under Current Faculty.
APPLICATION, PAYMENTS, AND WAITLISTS
APPLICATION DEADLINE: We are accepting applications for summer 2026 as long as spots remain available. Please review our application instructions and reach out to admissions@ieimedia.com if you have any questions. We are here to support you through the application process and are so excited to learn more about your interest in studying abroad with ieiMedia! If you have questions about applying, you can also start a conversation with us by clicking the Get Started button. Please refer to the Application Deadline Details for more information.
PAYMENT DEADLINES: see Payment, Cancelation and Refund Policy for information on deposit deadlines and amounts.
ENROLLMENT CAPACITY AND WAITLISTS: ieiMedia projects have a defined capacity limitation for applicants. Since there is a limited number of applicants who can attend, you can only be guaranteed a spot when you (1) have paid your Application Fee and (2) made payments on time according to the Costs and Payment Schedule. If a program has reached capacity OR you have not met the requirements for enrollments, you will be placed on the waitlist until requirements are met and capacity is available.
ACADEMIC CREDIT
Academic credits can be earned for this ieiMedia Project. Requesting course credit is optional. This course offers an option to earn upper-division journalism elective credits. The cost for academic credit is $150/credit. Students choosing this option must indicate so in their application. After applying, student will find procedures in our Student Portal to request academic credit through our school of record, University of Jamestown. NOTE: Students on a quarter system will be able to transfer as four(4) or eight(8) credits at no additional fee for ieiMedia courses that are listed as three(3) or six(6) credits respectively. Transfer credit ultimately depends on a student's home university. Please check with your university for procedures to follow when transferring credits to your institution.
Application Details, Travel Advisory, Financial Aid
Application Deadline Details
We are accepting applications for summer 2026 as long as spots remain available. Please review our application instructions and reach out to admissions@ieimedia.com if you have any questions. We are here to support you through the application process and are so excited to learn more about your interest in studying abroad with ieiMedia!
If you do not have the necessary access to submit your application, please reach out to admissions@ieimedia.com to speak with an advisor.
Get started now to reserve your place or contact the ieiMedia Director of Admissions at: admissions@ieimedia.com
Travel Advisory
ieiMedia will be monitoring The US Department of State Travel Advisories and will provide status updates to those who sign up for the project regarding important information.
Financial Aid
Students studying abroad for the summer term have limited financial aid options, but Pell grant recipients are encouraged to apply and receive our help in applying for a Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship which can award up to $5,000. Check with your school’s financial aid office and your study abroad offices to find out if other assistance is available. For more information on financial aid, get started by connecting with us here.
QUESTIONS? Contact the ieiMedia Director of Admissions at admissions@ieimedia.com You can also schedule an ieiMedia advising session.
Past information session recordings and slides can be viewed here.