By Dominic Candeloro
Fra Noi, for Italian Americans
February 2002

Italian American studies are experiencing a boomlet that  can become a 
full-fledged revolution if the IA public understands and what is going on and 
responds quickly and enthusiastically.  I refer to Joey Stella's article about 
UNICO's endowed professorships and Frank Cannata's letter to Fra Noi sharing 
the credit with OSIA and other organizations. This is BIG and it could put 
Italian Americans over the top in their quest to preserve Italian AMERICAN 
culture.

Here's how it works.  Colleges and universities are the  major repositories
for learning.  With the explosion of information in our society there is a
lot of competition for what gets researched and taught.  How can Italian
American culture (spanning just 200 years and including a small percentage
of the population of the US) find a place in this chaos?

It is a time-honored practice for wealthy individuals, motivated groups, and
the government to influence university research and teaching by donating
large sums of money to create endowed professorships dedicated to a field of
special interest to the donor.  For example, a million dollars donated as an
endowment (never to be spent) at a 5% dividend would generate $50,000 per
year.  That $50,000 would be used by the university independently to hire
personnel to carry on the research and teaching of Italian American studies
in perpetuity.  That's right, at least one person could research, write, and
teach the next generation of scholars who could carry on the process
FOREVER.  While there are some details like inflation that have to be
addressed down the line, that's it!

In addition to money, though, we need understanding, moral support by the
larger community, AND patronage by the younger generation of IA students.

Listed below is a brief profile of the IA programs that have come to my
attention.  I welcome additions and corrections.

SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island has a very active program led by Fred
Gardaphe'  and Mary Jo Bona who teach IA history and literature to hundreds
of students each year.  The new Alfonse D'Amato endowed chair of IA studies
will soon be added to this program.

The John D.  Calandra Institute led by Joseph Scelsa has been functioning in
the CUNY system for the past 15 years, providing course work and counseling.
Queens College Professor Philip Cannistraro devotes full time to teaching,
writing and has produced a remarkable exhibit on the history of Italians in
New York.

Hebert Lehman College in the CUNY system has a program led by Anthony
LaRuffa that offers an IA studies major.

The Emiliana Noether Endowed Chair of Italians studies at the University of
Connecticut is held by John Davis and organizers have enhanced the program
with the Aldo De Domincis graduate fellowship specifically in Italian
AMERICAN studies.

At Holy Cross University Father Vincent Lampomarda has been teaching Italian
American studies for many years and Seton Hall University has the Geraldine
Motta Chair of Italian studies.  William Connell focuses on Italian studies
that include a course on Italian American history.

At John Carroll University, near Cleveland, the Bishop Anthony M. Pilla IA
studies program is led by Santa Crasciani whose courses focus on history,
literature, religion, and women writers.

The New Jersey legislature has recently passed a bill to fund a small
program to promote teaching about Italian American culture. Montclair State
University in New Jersey is in the process of raising some $1.25 million to
support an endowed chair.

In California, Cal State at Chico, Long Beach, and Northridge  have Italian
American Studies programs.   Eugenio Frongia teaches everything from Dante
to the Renaissance to film to Italian American history.  At Long Beach Carlo
Chiarenza holds the Graziadio Chair for Italian studies focuses on modern
Italian history within and outside of Europe.  The chair is currently
endowed at $1.2 million.  The Northride endowment supports the work of
students planning to teach Italian at the K-12 level.

The Italian Studies program at Florida Atlantic University, chaired by
Anthony Tamburri focuses on comparative literature and multi-ethnic
approaches.

Of course, great works continues to be done at the Immigration History
Research Center by Rudolph Vecoli.  Archives are the life blood of research
and the new center includes extensive Italian American holdings.  The
University has determined to endow a professorship in Vecoli's name and
there is a plan to appoint a curator of Italian American materials.

I've left out dozens of universities at which Italianists do IA studies in
addition to their main work.  There are some issues about the distinction
between "Italians Studies" and "Italian AMERICAN" studies. But you get the
idea:  We have a good start.  If  IA leaders and the rank and file would
follow the lead of UNICO and aggressively continue to expand the endowed
chair campaign, in the future our past will be secure.