Where do we come from?

We've already talked about diversity at SAIS Bologna in several posts. It was at the heart of our weekly quiz last week. Prof. Mahrukh Doctor discussed it in her post and her video yesterday.

So how diverse is SAIS Bologna?

Diversity comes in many forms. Today we thought we would focus on geographic diversity.

Having students from around the world enriches our program in many ways: they bring different points of view and experiences to the classroom and the Center; students learn by associating with individuals from other parts of the world; our program in international relations becomes truly global thanks to the multiplicity of ethnicities, nationalities, languages and cultures.

Here is a map showing where the 204 students who enrolled at SAIS Bologna for 2010-11 come from. (We have included MA, MAIA, Ph.D and MIPP candidates.) You will see 34 different geographic origins. If you click on the pointers, you will see how many students hail from that location.

(You can zoom in or out of the map by clicking on the "+" or "-" signs below the arrows.)


View SAIS Bologna Current Students in a larger map

We've also discussed the importance of alumni in this blog. Alumni help ensure the future of SAIS Bologna by spreading the word, supporting the Center financially and helping recruit students. Alumni are also an important resource for students scouting for careers.

As of last July, we had 6,511 alumni from 110 different countries. About half of them (3,232) are from the United States, with the rest (3,279) from 109 other nations.

On this map, you'll see where these alumni come from:


View SAIS Bologna Countries in a larger map

Note that SAIS Bologna has seen some important geopolitical changes around the world since it was founded in 1955. The redrawing of national borders can wreak havoc with map makers and data collectors. In this case, how do we classify graduates who came from (then) Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR or Serbia-Montenegro? We have tried to note as much on this map.

(As any student of international relations will tell you, there will always be disagreements over nationalities,  national boundaries and country names. I have no intention of offending any readers or alumni with these maps; any errors are mine. The maps are meant to illustrate the geographic diversity that has characterized SAIS Bologna from the start. But we would welcome any relevant comments.)

I'd like to thank Adnan Muminovic, one of the followers of this blog, for suggesting the idea of these maps.

Tomorrow: Weekly quiz!

Nelson Graves