A Fribourg reunion for Providence College alumni
Seven alumni spent three days in Switzerland in September 2025 celebrating the 50th anniversary of their year abroad at the University of Fribourg through Providence-in-Europe, PC’s original study abroad program.
They were joined by nine graduates of other colleges — Fairfield University, Miami University of Ohio, Newton College of the Sacred Heart, Rosary College of Chicago, the University of Rhode Island, and the University of Fribourg — who spent the 1975-1976 academic year with them.
Events included a dinner at the Cafe du Gothard, a farm-to-table luncheon at the Ferme du Biolley, and a full-day reenactment of the original guided tour offered upon their arrival in 1975. The tour included a private bus trip to Gruyere, a visit to the Maison Cailler chocolate museum, and a stop at the beautiful Abbaye d’Hauterive monastery.
Taking part were Bob Burke ’77, Jeannine Falino ’78, Stephen Famiglietti ’77, Marion Hague ’77, Jonathan Kaplan ’77, Paul Langhammer ’77, and Michael Nassaney ’77. Also joining them was Langhammer’s wife, Tricia Leddy, who attended the Fribourg program the same year through URI.
“Above all, the reunion was a gathering of friends who have stayed in touch for 50 years and who continue to have a strong bond due to their shared experience of spending a junior year abroad before it became de rigueur,” said Hague, who lives in Warwick, Rhode Island, and had a 30-year career with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
“Consider: We had no internet and there were no cell phones,” Hague said. “We had each other — a bunch of 20-somethings who were far away from home and who relied on friendships. And those friendships continue to this day.”
Nassaney, of South Haven, Michigan, professor emeritus of anthropology at Western Michigan University, said the year in Fribourg changed his life.
“I had the opportunity to see the places, monuments, churches, and works of art that I had learned about in the classroom,” Nassaney said. “I took classes in archaeology and worked on a dig at a Stone Age site in the summer of 1976. All of this took place with other students who I connected with for life. Providence-in-Europe was the best part of my studies at PC.”
Providence-in-Europe was established in 1968 with 16 students and a resident director at the University of Fribourg.
