UWindsor Annual Report 2007/2008

In 2005, Dino De Poli of Italy’s Cassamarca Foundation committed $1.2 million to the University of Windsor to strengthen and support the University’s Italian Studies program. Two tenure-track professors have been hired in the department largely as a result of the gift.

In response to Di Poli’s commitment, leaders in the city's Italian-Canadian community pledged to raise an additional $2 million in donations to support an endowed chair in Italian Studies to ensure that the program continues in perpetuity.

“The Italian Studies Program is working hard to offer a degree that is attuned to the needs of our students in an ever-changing world, and to the rigor of an academic institution,” said Italian Studies Professor Antonio Rossini. “With a new outlook on language teaching, and a loyalty to the tradition of Italian art and culture, the program strives to enhance the academic experience of its students and to facilitate their encounter with the rich culture it represents.”

“In today’s global reality it is mandatory to have an understanding and appreciation of other cultures and languages,” said Raffaele Meo, the campaign’s fundraising chair. “A viable Italian languages program, supported by government, business, labour and the community, is essential to ensuring that learning tools and building blocks are put in place today for the benefit of future generations.”

With the leadership of an endowed chair, UWindsor’s Italian Studies program would rank as a leading program of its kind in Canada.