Rutgers selected to host Italian studies institute
Archived article from Sep 2, 2002
By Rochelle Runas
Rutgers has been selected as the site of the new Institute of Italian and Italian American Heritage Studies, the academic home of a state initiative designed to illuminate and build upon the strong cultural heritage of Italians and Italian-Americans in New Jersey.
Officials from the state Italian American Heritage Commission and the university signed an agreement Aug. 15 recognizing Rutgers as the host site of the institute. Established by legislation enacted in January 2002, the commission is in, but not of, the N.J. Department of Education. The commission's goal is to educate the public on the rich culture, history, heritage and contributions of Italians and Italian-Americans in New Jersey — where 18 percent of the population is of Italian descent — and throughout the United States and the world.
Planned activities include educational programs, workshops, publications and seminars.
The initiative will provide opportunities for collaboration among educational institutions, from primary grades through university level, and will give Rutgers faculty members, as well as faculty from the state colleges, an opportunity to develop courses and cultural projects related to Italian culture, history and heritage.
"Rutgers was honored to be chosen as the institute's academic home," said Joseph J. Seneca, university vice president for academic affairs. "Besides our first-rate Italian department, which has prepared many of the state's teachers of Italian language and culture, the university has extraordinary strength in a number of areas related to the institute's work — art history, literature, music, history, political science, women's studies, sociology and film studies. Our faculty is eager to participate in this important initiative, which promises exciting cross-disciplinary collaboration while furthering the university's mission of promoting knowledge and disseminating scholarship to the citizens of New Jersey."
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