Milan Olympic Spring 2026 Program
The Milan Olympics program provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about intercultural communication and multicultural advertising at one of the world's most prominent and diverse events: the Winter Olympics in the spring 2026 semester! The program is designed primarily for Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communication majors who will be juniors or seniors by January, 2026. Students will have the rare opportunity to connect with premier advertisers in action at an international event. They will gain insights into the varied aspects of advertising and marketing as they are used to promote brands to local and global audiences simultaneously.
Students will have the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds as they can take a full load of major classes offered partially in Malibu and partially in Milan. The group will spend five weeks in Malibu at the start of the spring semester learning about advertising, marketing, intercultural communication, ethics, and more. Students can only take classes listed for the Milan spring 2026 program. They will preview plans for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and hear from advertisers in the lead up to the Winter Games in Milan. Then, they will travel to Milan for five weeks to experience the Olympics and Paralympics for themselves! In Milan, students will meet with advertisers and production teams on the ground as they bring the Olympic and Paralympic movements to the world. They will learn from global marketing professionals about how advertising, marketing, and communication is leveraged at arguably one of the world's most important events. In between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, students can spend their spring break in Milan and experience fashion week, or choose to explore beyond the city. After the Paralympic Games, the group will return to Malibu for the final weeks of the semester to debrief their experience and conclude their coursework.
The Milan 2026 program is a pilot program and as a result, it has a unique schedule and specific requirements:
- Students must be full-time students in spring 2026 (minimum 12 units)
- Students must be classified as upperclassmen (junior or senior) by spring 2026 for participation in the Milan 2026 program
- Students will need to find their own housing for the Malibu portions of the program as University housing is not available in Malibu for Milan 2026 participants
- Students that qualify for University housing in fall 2025 can reside on the Malibu campus but not for the the spring 2026 semester
- In Malibu, students will take courses and take part in unique excursions
- Understand the travel implications of this program as it relates to visa acquisition. While a visa is not required for US passport holders for this program, students will need to consider that US citizens may use the Schengen visa for 90 out of 180 days. Considering this program will spend roughly 35 days in the EU, it may impact students' travel plans in the summer of 2026 for EU-based programs (at minimum Florence, Heidelberg, Switzerland).
- Students are required to take group travel organized by Pepperdine to/from Italy (no exceptions)
Program Dates
Tentative schedule
- Semester starts in Malibu for the first few weeks of the spring 2026 semester (exact start date TBD).
- Required group travel from LAX to Milan on February 5
- Reside in Milan from Februbary 6 - 26, 2026 for the Olympic Games
- Spring break from February 26 - March 5 (University housing, food, or programming not provided during this time period. Students can travel back to the US or travel locally)
- March 5 - 15: Students return to the program to take part in the Paralympic games which may take place in Milan, Cortina, or other area(s) where events are being held
- March 15: Required group travel from Italy back to LAX
- Students continue coursework in Malibu until the end of the spring 2026 semester
Costs
Visa Information
Course Requirements and Offerings
Refer to the academics page for details on the minimum unit requirements and class pre-requisites for the program. Textbook lists will be provided by the program staff.
Faculty-in-Residence
Dr. Sarah Stone Watt
sarah.stonewatt@pepperdine.edu
Professor of Communication
Dr. Stone Watt is a professor and academic administrator at Seaver College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication: Rhetorical Studies and a certificate in legal studies from California State University, Long Beach where she was an active member of the Speech and Debate Team. Then, she earned a masters degree in Communication & Journalism from the University of Wyoming, where she coached their highly competitive debate team and served as an advocate, court observer, and hotline volunteer at the local women’s shelter. She earned a PhD in Rhetoric and Women’s Studies at The Pennsylvania State University and coached debate at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY before returning to Southern California to join the faculty at Pepperdine. Dr. Stone Watt directed the Pepperdine Waves Debate program for 10 years and helped transition the team into civic and international debate competitions. She has served as the faculty in residence for Pepperdine International Programs in Buenos Aires and London, as well as dean of the Communication Division, and Interim Associate Dean of Student and Faculty Development at Seaver College. Dr. Stone Watt teaches courses in persuasion, intercultural communication, gender, and sustainability. Her research focuses on public controversy. She enjoys helping groups understand one another better so that they can disagree productively. She and Ben Price designed Pepperdine's Olympic program to help students combine their love of marketing and advertising with an eye toward persuasion of diverse audiences. They had a wonderful time with students at the Paris 2024 Summer Games and are excited to lead students to the Winter Games in Milan!
Professor Ben Price
Adjunct Instructor of Advertising
Pepperdine Athletics Board Member
Ben Price is an accomplished marketing and advertising leader, with a strong emphasis in strategic planning and sales execution across a variety of media platforms. He is a proven team builder and mentor to industry executives from multiple disciplines and specializes in innovative solutions for successful marketing and media partnerships.
Price is currently involved with a variety of marketing projects and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
As Executive Vice President at NBC Universal, Price oversaw agency and client relationships for all national offices including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta. In addition, he specialized in finding and developing custom solutions for marketing clients that leverage the scale, engagement, and impact of the entire NBCUniversal portfolio.
Before joining NBCUniversal, Price was at Discovery Communications, where he served as President, National Advertising Sales and oversaw all sales for Discovery’s suite of US networks and digital platforms. He has also served in various national sales roles during his time at Discovery. He began his advertising career at Turner Broadcasting in 1986.
Price received his Bachelor of Science from San Diego State University and Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Price is a board member of Pepperdine’s Athletic Board, The YMCA, Pencils for Kids and the OHS Foundation. Price has been honored with industry accolades including Cablefax Mentor of the Year and thinkLA’s John Marin Memorial Award and Honorary Chair for Pencils for Kids. Price’s civic and industry commitments included board positions on the Ad Council, International Radio and Television Society, thinkLA (Advertising Club of LA) and Video Advertising Board (VAB). He is a member of Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Hollywood Radio and Television Society.
Ben and his wife Anthy Price currently reside in Westlake Village, California.