MISSION STATEMENT

Mission Statement

St. John International University (SJIU) is an American institution of higher learning devoted to the education of and service to a global audience of students absorbed by and engaged in the study of a sustainable future. The University’s curriculum in business, architecture, and the arts is distinctly focused on the societal imperative of placing "people, planet, and profits" in harmonious balance.

SJIU dedicates its resources and energies to providing students with the professional knowledge and skills, along with the learning environment and experiences, essential to the preparation of global citizens. Our graduates will be successful and influential in shaping, leading, and serving the communities in which they will live, work, and prosper.

The University’s cultivation of a superior academic community of teaching, research, and service defines and animates SJIU’s main campus in Vinovo (Torino), Italy, as it does our educational centers hosted at partner universities and organizations around the world.

Institutional Purpose

In harmony with the distinct Mission of St. John International University (SJIU), our institution is dedicated to fulfilling the educational obligations associated with five specific purposes:

• SJIU embraces an international audience of students and will afford them a superior course of study that is American by design, both in the standards employed and the credentials awarded;
• Through our core activities of teaching, research, and service, SJIU engages all students in the active exploration of the horizons and richness of the concepts and implications of global sustainability, including the imperatives of placing "people, planet, and profits" in careful balance;
• SJIU provides a learning environment that is distinctive for its intentional and thoughtful fusion of a rigorous American curriculum with the scholarly, cultural and linguistic diversity abundant in an international living-learning environment;
• In the process of fostering the mastery of new disciplinary knowledge and skills, as well as the nurturing of habits of mind, sound judgment, and professional practice, SJIU instills in students a commitment to the higher callings of social responsibility and ethical decision-making; and
• SJIU extends its educational Mission beyond the delivery of traditional degree granting, diploma, and professional certificate programs by welcoming shorter-term audiences, including Study Abroad students, into our community.

The University’s History

Saint John International University (SJIU) was conceived in 2005 and founded in 2007 by Mrs. Lorenzina Zampedri, an educator and businesswoman, who, previous to the founding of SJIU, established and operated five Italian colleges authorized and accredited by the country’s Ministry of Education. Shortly after the University’s founding, SJIU’s campus was moved to Vinovo (suburban Torino) in the picturesque Piemonte region of northern Italy. At the center of the Vinovo campus is the Castello Della Rovere, an exquisitely restored iconic 16th century castle that provides faculty and students with an unparalleled setting for teaching and learning. In addition to the Vinovo campus, SJIU maintains administrative offices in Concord, New Hampshire (USA), the capitol city of the state from which the University received its legislative charter in 2009.

In March of 2008, prior to receiving its charter, the University was granted approval by the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission (NHPEC) to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. SJIU is the first and only American university in Italy authorized and approved to grant graduate degrees.

At the graduate (master’s) level, SJIU distinguishes itself by specializing in architecture, business, and the arts. The University offers both a Master’s in Architecture (M.Arch.) and a Master’s in Sustainable Design (MSD); a Master of Business Administration (MBA), customized to serve the professional needs of managers in a range of business sectors, as well as government, NGOs, and other non-profit entities; and the Master of Arts in International Arts Administration (MIAA).

Undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree programs are offered in architecture, art history, business, environmental studies, and film studies. The unifying theme of the University and its curriculum is that of "sustainability". Embedded in all graduate and undergraduate coursework, as well as in internship experiences across all disciplines, this thematic focus compels students to consider and confront the timely and timeless challenges, implications, and rewards of balancing the concerns of "people, planet, and profits". The University hosts an active Study Abroad program throughout the calendar year, including Fall semester, Spring semester, and Summer sessions. As an American university, all instruction at SJIU is delivered in English.