A new chapter for ACU’s global presence
ACU’s Rome Campus is evolving from a primarily study-abroad location into a mission-led global hub for education, research and partnerships.
Located at the heart of the Catholic world and within a major European academic and diplomatic ecosystem, Rome gives ACU a distinctive position to advance our mission and global engagement.
The strategy focuses on impact, credibility and purpose.
The strategy positions Rome as a place where ACU can:
This approach strengthens ACU’s global profile while ensuring the campus operates sustainably and delivers real value to students, staff and partners.
The Rome Campus strategy will be implemented in three phases.
| Phase | Focus | What it means |
|---|---|---|
|
Horizon 1 |
Foundations |
Stabilising operations and establishing credibility |
|
Horizon 2 |
Pilots |
Expanding education, research and partnerships |
|
Horizon 3 |
Scale |
Building sustainable global impact |
Each horizon only proceeds once leadership alignment and delivery readiness are confirmed. This ensures growth is evidence-based and carefully paced.
The first horizon focuses on getting the fundamentals right.
Key priorities include:
For most staff, the Rome strategy will not require immediate change.
Instead, the focus is on building strong foundations first, with opportunities to participate in future initiatives emerging gradually.
By the end of the first horizon, ACU aims to have:
ACU’s Rome Campus is evolving into a mission-led, multi-disciplinary hub for education, research and partnerships. T
he strategy focuses on strengthening Rome as a place where ACU can deliver distinctive global learning experiences, support mission-aligned research, and build international partnerships aligned with our Catholic mission.
This will happen gradually and in stages.
Rome gives ACU a unique voice. The campus sits at the centre of the Catholic world and within a major European academic and diplomatic ecosystem.
This creates opportunities for:
The strategy will be delivered in three horizons (or phases).
Each horizon only proceeds once readiness and leadership alignment are confirmed. This ensures the campus grows in a disciplined and sustainable way.
Horizon 1 focuses on establishing strong foundations, including:
The Virtual Centre for Human Flourishing will provide a mechanism to highlight our strengths and elevate the great work already occurring and surfacing new opportunities for collaboration.
It will support interdisciplinary work exploring themes related to human dignity and flourishing, drawing on ACU’s strengths in areas such as theology, psychology, ethics, philosophy, education, nursing and social sciences.
The Virtual Centre for Human Flourishing will begin in a foundational stage in Horizon 1.
Not immediately. Whilst we are adding a Semester 1 offering to the study abroad calendar, and sequencing pilots, we are not launching any other new activity in Horizon 1.
Most of our people will not see immediate changes to their work.
Over time, opportunities may emerge for academics and researchers to engage with Rome through:
These opportunities will be developed gradually and in consultation with faculties.
Faculties will engage with Rome in stages. Initial activity may include:
Professional staff will support the strategy primarily through sequencing and delivery readiness.
This may include areas such as:
In Horizon 1, success will be measured by whether the campus has:
Later horizons will focus more on partnerships, research impact and global engagement.
The strategy is led through collaboration across the university, with key roles including:
Updates will be shared through:
As the strategy progresses and new opportunities arise, further information will be shared with relevant teams.
For Rome Campus academic enquiries, contact Professor Darius von Guttner, Academic Director, Rome, and Campus Dean, Canberra Campus at darius.vonguttner@acu.edu.au.
For operational enquiries, please contact Claudio Betti, Director, Rome Campus at Claudio.Betti@acu.edu.au or Marina Kavalirek, Deputy Director, Rome at Marina.Kavalirek@acu.edu.au.
For any other enquiries contact Richard Dobek, Pro-Vice Chancellor Global at pvc.global@acu.edu.au.
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