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HISTORY OF THE JOHN D. CALANDRA
ITALIAN AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF
QUEENS COLLEGE
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Senator John D. Calandra, Public Servant and Advocate for Italian Americans In a career devoted to public service, Senator John D. Calandra served his community with distinction and compassion from 1965 until his death in 1986. Senator Calandra believed that individuals, rich and poor, should have equal opportunity and access to higher education. He committed much of his life to insuring a quality public education for all. Never forgetting his ethnic heritage, Senator Calandra was a staunch advocate for the rights of Italian Americans. As chairman of the Italian American Legislative Caucus, the Senator worked with elected representatives in the New York State Senate and Assembly to establish the Italian American Institute to Foster Higher Education in 1979. Because of his years of service to the Institute’s birth and development, Governor Mario M. Cuomo signed a bill into law in 1987 renaming the Institute in the Senator’s honor, thus preserving the memory of his many efforts as a champion for social justice. Senator Calandra’s legacy and commitment live on, not only
in the work carried out by the Institute that bears his name, but by the
family he created and nourished with his wife Joann. Mrs. Calandra shares her husband’s
commitment to public service and helped to engender those values in their
children. Their son, John,
continues this advocacy work. In
1996, John J. Calandra was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of The
City University of New York.
Trustee Calandra has become a well respected civic and community
leader. He is extremely involved
in the issues affecting our society and, in particular, public higher
education. Following in his
father’s pioneering footsteps, he has been “Principal for a Day” at Public
Schools 14 and 71 in the northeast Bronx, and in 1995, received the “Friend
of P.S. 14 Award” when he served as Commencement Day speaker. His father received this very same
honor for his commitment and support of public education. 1979-1980 Birth of the Italian American Institute to Foster Higher Education; Rev. Fr. Nicholas Russo, Ph.D. Appointed Executive Director The birth of the Institute was a direct response to several key factors that took place within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. During the 1960’s and ‘70’s there was a significant increase in the number of students of diverse ethnic groups entering CUNY. Similar to other groups, Italian American students and faculty entered the university in increasing numbers only to find that the system was not prepared to meet their academic needs and learning styles. Italian faculty and students galvanized under the leadership of Dr. Richard Bossone, then President of The Association of Italian American faculty of CUNY began to meet, collect data and to express their concerns to then Chancellor Robert Kibbee. Concerned that Chancellor Kibbee was not fully addressing their primary concerns, centering around perceived issues of discrimination, a joint document published by the Association of Italian American faculty and the Italian American Center for Urban Affairs, Italian Americans: The Neglected Minority in The City University of New York, turned up the pressure on CUNY to address stated concerns. Although Chancellor Kibbee designated Italian Americans as an affirmative action category at CUNY on December 9th, many advocates continued to press this issue. Under the leadership of New York State Senator John D. Calandra, then head of the Italian American Legislative Caucus, a series of legislative hearings were conducted and as a result, a new report was published which made specific recommendations that an Institute for Italian Americans be established at CUNY to provide the academic community with guidance, cultural, and international services. Senator Calandra had laid the ground work for the proposed Italian American Institute to Foster Higher Education to address the problems uncovered by the hearings. Assemblymen Frank Barbara, Michael Pesce, and Guy Velella along with Senators Anthony Gazzara and John Marchi joined Senator Calandra in his fight for the creation of an Institute. Ultimately, funding to create the Institute was a result of Senator John Marchi’s shepherding through the Finance Committee. Thus, on September 13, 1979, the Italian American Institute to Foster Higher Education was incorporated as a not-for profit corporation and Rev. Fr. Nicholas Russo, Ph.D. was appointed as Executive Director. In addition to serving as a center for sociological, political, and historical reference, the objectives of the Institute were to provide a central clearing house to disseminate information of interest to all Italophiles; to coordinate a counseling program with special emphasis on career guidance; to develop a research institute to study the Italian American experience in an urban academic community; to encourage Italian American students to participate in student government; to create a library, resources, media center and informational programs pertaining to the Italian American experience; and to establish a Speakers Bureau for CUNY. In November 1979 the directors of three divisions of the Institute had been appointed: Ida Corvino Miletich as Director of Academic Affairs; Natale Cipollina as Director of Community Affairs; and Anita Ferdenzi as Director of Student Affairs and the Institute began its operations. Joseph V. Scelsa was appointed as Director of Counseling within the Institute’s Student Affairs Division, and charged with assisting CUNY in the development of a counseling program for Italian American students on the senior college campuses. The year ended with ambitious plans for the future. However, in March 1980, with the death of Fr. Russo, the newly created Institute’s agenda suffered a major setback. Ms. Anita Ferdenzi was named Acting Coordinator of the Institute while a search to fill the position of Executive Director was undertaken and every attempt to insure that the Institute would be funded again were made. However, such efforts were unsuccessful. 1981-1983 A Time of Transition, Mr. Louis Cenci named Executive
Director The Institute would eventually receive funding again on April 1,1981. Essentially, plans remained the same as they had been in 1979-1980. The problem at that time was the interruption of funding which stopped the Institute from pursuing its objectives. The appointment of Mr. Louis Cenci as Executive Director
with Julieta Cuttita as Executive Assistant came during a difficult time in
the history of the Institute.
Several programs gained momentum, such as the counseling program which
placed counselors into select high schools and colleges. During this period Pasquale Perretta,
Director of Academic Affairs
focused on: research, curriculum development, planning conferences, and
creating a media center and library.
The Institute published seven reports during this time including the
most notable, A Demographic Study of Italian American College Students
Attending The City University of New York (1982), by Lawrence V.
Castiglione, Ph.D. In spite of
achieving accomplishments under Mr. Cenci’s leadership, financial exigencies
in the New York State budget caused the Institute to close it’s doors in 1983
due to a loss in funding. 1984 Institute Reorganized; Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D. Selected
as Executive Director 1984 can be described as the beginning of the Institute’s “new era.” Senator Calandra, concerned about the Institute’s direction, suggested that the Institute be reorganized with Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D. as Executive Director. Dr. Scelsa’s leadership in conceptualizing and implementing the campus based counseling program for the Institute was already recognized. His nomination as Executive Director proved to be the right selection at the right time. Dr. Scelsa accepted the challenge but made several requests which he felt were crucial for the future of the Institute. First, that CUNY accept the Italian American Institute as an official component of the University; second, that the original structure with a Board of Directors be eliminated; third, that the new Institute be placed at the Graduate School and University Center; and fourth, that the Institute report directly to the Chancellor. Dr. Scelsa believed that only as an official part of CUNY would the Institute achieve the institutional stability needed to survive financially and programmatically. Furthermore, Dr. Scelsa believed that affiliation with the CUNY Graduate Center would enhance the Institute’s prestige and further its research efforts. While Dr. Scelsa’s requests were not fully realized, his leadership transformed the Institute from a fragile organization to a productive entity of CUNY, thus marking a new era of optimism and strength for the Institute. 1985
Career Center; Media Programs and Advisory Council Established This was an exciting year with the advent of several new
initiatives that helped the Institute to communicate and implement it’s
multifaceted mission. A Career
Counseling Center located at the CUNY Office of Admissions Services, provided
direct counseling services for college students and a city-wide high school
outreach program. A second new
initiative in media and public relations consisted of a pilot television
program, ITALICS: The Italian
American Video Magazine Television Show, in cooperation with
CUNY/TV. ITALICS,
produced and directed by William D. Schempp, continues to document a range of
cultural, political and artistic programs, especially during October, as part
of the celebration for Italian Heritage and Culture Month. The initial segment featured an
interview with William D. Fugazy, President of the Coalition of Italian
American Associations. Finally,
the Italian American faculty, in consultation with the Institute, created the
Italian American Faculty and Staff Advisory Council which became an advisory
board to the Institute. This
council adopted an advocacy role to increase the numbers of Italian American
faculty across CUNY. 1986 Bittersweet Year, Senator John D. Calandra Dies;
Chancellor Joseph Murphy Reaffirms Italian Americans as an Affirmative Action
Category at CUNY Senator Calandra provided the political leadership and senatorial strength needed by the Institute to progress and develop. His sudden death on January 20th was, therefore, viewed as a great loss for the Institute and the entire Italian American community. In the Fall of 1986 the Institute held a very successful conference entitled, “The Italian American Educator: A Tradition of Excellence,” with opening remarks given by then Chancellor Joseph Murphy. On December 9th, the tenth anniversary of Chancellor Kibbee’s historic decree establishing Italian Americans as an affirmative action category at CUNY, Chancellor Murphy reaffirmed Kibbee’s decision thus ending what initially began as a sad year on a positive note. 1987 Gambino Report Published; Institute Renamed after
Senator John D. Calandra During this academic year, the Institute’s Faculty Fellow, Professor Richard Gambino, Ph.D. conducted a year long study which led to his research report entitled, Italian American Studies and Italian Americans at The City University of New York: Report and Recommendations. Gambino’s report reiterated the continuing problems of CUNY’s Italian American faculty, students, and the Calandra Institute itself, including the need to address the “egregious” under representation of Italian Americans among faculty and administrators across CUNY. A key finding by Gambino was that nearly a decade after Affirmative Action status was granted to Italian Americans at CUNY, their representation among faculty remained exactly the same, 5%. Following the publication of the report, the Coalition of Italo American Associations and the Commission for Social Justice of the Order Sons of Italy in America, together with three representatives from the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators (Senator Guy J. Velella, Assemblyman Eric Vitaliano, and Peter Vallone, Majority Leader-NYC Council), met with Chancellor Murphy to discuss the 87 recommendations contained in the Gambino report. On July 17th the name of the Institute was officially changed to the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute by an act of the New York State Legislature, signed by Governor Mario Cuomo in honor of the late Senator. 1988 First Meeting of the Italian Studies Advisory Council; Institute Co-Sponsors Major Conference; Establishment of the Italian American Legal Defense& Higher Education Fund, Inc. The Institute hosted the first meeting of the Italian Studies Advisory Council for CUNY, chaired by Professor Mario Fratti from Hunter College. The goal of this council was to work with the Institute to promote Italian cultural and language programs in CUNY. Another principal event was the annual American Italian Historical Association Conference co-sponsored with the Institute entitled, “Italian Americans in Transition.” More than one hundred presenters from Italy, the United States, and South America participated; then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, was the keynote speaker. Sadly, despite the positive accomplishments in progress, CUNY’s failure to augment affirmative action for Italian American faculty, as well as the lack of action in resolving specific claims of discrimination, caused Italian American faculty to realize that legal action was becoming more likely. As a result, members of the faculty and staff formed the Italian American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund, Inc. (IALDHEF) which was incorporated on August 4th. The primary purpose of the fund is to “defend Italian Americans when their rights and opportunities are denied”. Philip Foglia, Esq. incorporated the IALDHEF and offered to serve as counsel for the fund and Professor Anthony Giangrasso was the first President and Chairman of the Board. 1990
Scelsa & Milione Report Alarming High School
Dropout Rates; AMICI: The
Italian Mentoring Project Established; Class Action Labor Complaint Filed
by IALDHEF In the spirit of advancement in education for Italian American youth, the Institute held an important conference on April 30th entitled “The Education of Italian American Youth.” Based on research conducted by Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D. and Vincenzo Milione, Ph.D., the dropout rate of Italian American public high school students was found to be the third largest in New York City, behind Latinos and African Americans. At the conference Dr. Scelsa recommended solutions to ameliorate the attrition of Italian American high school youth, i.e., individual and group guidance, mentoring programs, and workshops targeted for parents. The chairperson of the conference was Matilda Raffa Cuomo, First Lady of New York State and Founder/Chairperson of the New York State Mentoring Program (NYSMP). Ms. Cuomo announced a joint collaboration between NYSMP and the Institute which Speaker Peter Vallone named as AMICI: The Italian American Mentoring Project in efforts to address the serious high school dropout rate documented by Doctors Scelsa and Milione. Housed within the Counseling unit at the Institute, AMICI trained community volunteers to assist junior high and high school students with tutoring, guidance and academic support. AMICI ran successfully through 1995 when Governor Cuomo’s term in office came to an end as did NYSMP. On July 27th , the U.S. Department of Labor received a class action Complaint of Discrimination in Employment from the IALDHEF alleging that The City University of New York had discriminated against Italian Americans on the basis of their national origin. 1991 CUNY Trustees Approve Columbus:CUNY/Italy Exchange Program; Reference Directory of Italian American Scholars and Professionals in Colleges Published; Committee on Urban Higher Public Education Submits Report Calling for Change A major academic accomplishment of this year was the official establishment of the Columbus: CUNY/Italy Exchange Program. This program received formal approval of the CUNY Board of Trustees on June 24th and several Italian universities signed the agreement: Catania, L’Aquila, Naples, Siena, Trento and Turin. The curriculum is aimed at preparing CUNY students with knowledge and skills regarding the European Economic Community as well as the global economy. Ms. Joan Migliori was appointed as Assistant Director of the Columbus: CUNY/Italy Exchange Program and assists students with developing individualized programs of study in Italy and CUNY that enhance academic interests and language abilities. Another significant milestone was the publication of a reference directory which identified Italian American scholars. Known as The Scholars Research Project, Dr. Vincenzo Milione, then Assistant Director of Research and Education collected a national resource of information concerning Italian American professionals. The Institute published the data in the form of a professional reference directory entitled, Italian American Scholars and Professionals in Universities and Colleges. A major grant from the Coalition of Italo American Organizations along with grants from the Order Sons of Italy and the IALDHEF made publication of this directory possible. On September 12th the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators and The Committee on Urban Public Higher Education presented their findings along with Conference President Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, Assemblyman Thomas Catapano, Senator Guy Velella, City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, the Order Sons of Italy, the Commission for Social Justice and the Coalition of Italo American Associations. According to Judge Dominic Massaro, Chairperson of the Committee, this report was significant because it addressed the perception that “overt discrimination against this particular ethnic group is both widespread and systemic.” The report recommended that: (1) CUNY provide availability data to produce a utilization analysis for affirmative action; (2) CUNY establish a Ph.D. program in Italian Studies; and (3) CUNY elevate the status of the Institute. Concomitantly, the Italian American community began rendering support for the Institute’s research efforts and this strength would prove essential for the great crisis that was about to emerge. 1992 Institute Develops New Counseling Model; CUNY Attempts to Dismantle Institute Resulting in Scelsa vs. CUNY; Preliminary Injunction Issued by Judge Constance Baker Motley Despite the impending crisis, which the leadership at the Institute had begun to perceive, the Institute’s work in student development and cultural affairs proceeded. It is important to note the pioneering work accomplished by members of the counseling staff in developing multicultural counseling paradigms, that embraced ethnic identity and diversity issues long before counselor training programs implemented such studies. Counselors under the direction of Nancy Lippa Ziehler, then Assistant Director for Counseling, were involved in developing a comprehensive counseling model entitled, Overcoming Obstacles: An Enhancement Model for Italian Americans. Dr. Scelsa, Ms. Ziehler and colleagues presented the model at the national convention of the American Association for Counseling and Development and delineated research based obstacles that Italian American students experience in achieving success in higher education (Scelsa & Milione, 1990; Scelsa, 1991; Carielli, 1992). The model, still in use today, highlighted specialized counseling programs created to address these issues; including career counseling, college planning, campus tours, a career connection network for informational interviewing, and lessons designed to promote ethnic pride through exposure to successful role models. Beyond work with students, parents were provided workshops by Dr. Maria La Russo to enhance their youngsters’ academic success. Parents were also encouraged to participate in the many cultural events and educational forums hosted by the Institute to raise their awareness concerning the importance of higher education. Unfortunately, plans to disassemble and divide the Calandra Institute were underway. Although strong Italian American community organizations and the Institute were garnering political support in opposition to a restructuring and relocation, CUNY was determined to go forward. After repeated unsuccessful requests to then Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds by the Italian American community and public officials to halt these plans, Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa and the IALDHEF then filed a civil rights lawsuit in Federal Court on September 9th alleging retaliation and discrimination against Italian Americans. It was then that United States Southern District Court Judge, Constance Baker Motley, issued a temporary restraining order followed by a preliminary injunction barring CUNY from acting on its plan and from discriminating against Italian Americans. CUNY’s plan would have redirected the Calandra Institute away from its original mission as designed by the Italian American legislators in 1978 following their report entitled, A History of Italian American Discrimination at CUNY. 1994 Civil Rights for Italian Americans; Calandra Institute Under Aegis of Queens College as Research Institute; First National Conference on Italian American Studies; Robert Dombroski, Ph.D. Named Distinguished Professor of Italian Studies
On January 7th the Italian American community and The City University of New York signed a Federal Court approved settlement which ended their lawsuit and the twenty year struggle to obtain civil rights for Italian Americans. CUNY agreed to perform a utilization analysis for Italian Americans by January 1995. The Institute would stay at its mid-Manhattan location. However, it would be administratively and academically affiliated with Queens College and have status as a Research Institute. In addition, a Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies would be appointed to the doctoral faculty at the Graduate School. Lastly, CUNY would submit to binding arbitration with the individual complaintants who signed on with the IALDHEF’s class action complaint at the Department of Labor in June 1990. On October 17th a heartwarming and gracious welcome was offered to the Institute by Dr. Stephen M. Curtis, Acting President of Queens College, in the official joining of the Institute with other ethnic and area studies at Queens. Dr. Curtis cited the Institute’s many successful programs targeted to students in the areas of counseling, mentoring, international student exchange and cultural activities to foster ethnic awareness. The president stressed the college’s commitment to engage in a search for a Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies. During the spring semester, the Institute sponsored a
national conference on Italian American studies. The purpose was to provide a forum for scholars to
assess the changing nature of Italian American studies which has evolved over
the years as an interdisciplinary field. This two day event brought together scholars and
practitioners from a variety of disciplines including a special guest lecture
by Professor Jerre Mangione, author of Mount Allegro and La Storia.
Also in the spring, Robert Dombroski, Ph.D., was appointed to The College of Staten Island and the Graduate School and University Center as Distinguished Professor of Italian Studies. In this role he formalized changes in the pre-existing program in Comparative Literature, enabling students to follow a doctoral program designed to develop specific competence in all periods of Italian literature and in Italian linguistics. The program emphasizes situating Italian authors and movements in relation to parallel histories and cultural institutions and includes comprehensive study of traditional and contemporary methods of theory and criticism. 1995 The Institute Designated as a University Research
Institute; Philip V. Cannistraro, Ph.D. Named Distinguished Professor of
Italian American Studies; Doctoral Program in History/Modern Italian History
Offered at Graduate School & University Center; “Una Storia
Segreta:The Secret Story” Exhibit is Unveiled On September 27th, the Board of Trustees of CUNY officially announced the designation of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute as a university institute, under the aegis of Queens College, devoted to organized research on the Italian American experience. This designation represented a significant accomplishment as it has become the first of its kind and scope to be devoted to research, instruction, community support, and counseling involving the Italian American student and community in higher education. In this role, the Institute exists to insure that the experiences of Italian Americans past, present, and future be documented and preserved. Philip V. Cannistraro, Ph.D. was appointed to Queens College as Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies. In this new capacity, he works to legitimize and strengthen Italian American Studies as an academic field worthy of scholarly research and study. To this end, he developed a major in Modern Italian History through the doctoral program in History at the CUNY Graduate Center. This program offers students an opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of Italy from the 18th century to present. Throughout the years, Ms. Maria Fosco, then Assistant Director for Resource and Community Programs, coordinated a range of cultural and educational programs including the compelling exhibit entitled, “Una Storia Segreta” which brought to life a painful and heretofore unknown chapter in the history of Italian Americans who resided in California during World War II. The provocative and moving exhibit created by Lawrence Di Stasi, Ph.D. of Berkeley, California, portrays the extent of government efforts to restrict the rights and liberties of those of Italian heritage during WWII. 1996 Premiere of The Italian American Review:A Social
Science Journal; Institute Develops Two Unique Internship Programs; Three
Outstanding Italian Americans Named to CUNY Board of Trustees
New initiatives included the premiere edition of The Italian American Review: A Social Science Journal (IAR). The journal publishes articles in the social sciences, including history, sociology, anthropology and political science, and embraces such areas as politics, labor, ethnicity, urban studies, political thought and women’s studies. The premiere issue was dedicated to the memory of John La Corte who first published a tabloid version of the IAR. The IAR is a peer reviewed journal with Vincenzo Milione, Ph.D., Supervising Editor and Philip V. Cannistraro, Ph.D., Editor. The Institute implemented two internship programs that are worthy of mention. Vincenzo Milione, Ph.D., Director of Research and Education, developed an internship for undergraduate students which provides hands-on experience in computer applications for academic credit. In addition, Nancy Lippa Ziehler, Associate Director for Counseling, developed a special initiative for graduate students enrolled in counseling programs. The internship provides counselors-in-training with supervision, culturally sensitive work experience and college credit while helping the Institute provide additional career services at the Center. During this year, the Institute was pleased to learn that three outstanding Italian American leaders were appointed to the CUNY Board of Trustees. John J. Calandra, Esq., Ronald J. Marino, Esq., and Anne A. Paolucci, Ph.D. were confirmed by the New York State Senate as Trustees of The City University of New York. Trustees Calandra and Paolucci were appointed by Governor George Pataki and Trustee Marino was appointed by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. 1997 Institute Sponsors “The Lost World of Italian American Radicalism” International Conference; Cammett Library Collection Bequeathed to Institute Through the eyes and voices of Italian American scholars, writers, activists, “The Lost World of Italian American Radicalism” was rediscovered, remembered and reclaimed at an international conference. The two day conference included sessions on Italian American labor, politics and culture, highlighting key events, strikes, unions and their leaders in various industries. A high point of the conference was the presentation of the Vito Marcantonio Award to Ralph Fasanella, people’s artist and activist. Over three hundred participants attended the conference. John Cammett, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, John Jay College, CUNY, and internationally renowned Gramschi scholar bequeathed his personal library collection to the Institute. The collection is comprised of Italian texts on politics, history, sociology, economics, labor, and the cultural development of Italy. The Cammett collection also includes texts and journals in English that address the Italian experience in America. 1998 Institute Co-Sponsors 31st American Italian
Historical Association Conference; Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa Promoted to Dean of
the Institute The 31st annual American Italian Historical Association Conference entitled, “Italian American Politics: Local, Global/Cultural, Personal” was held at Hunter College in New York City. The conference chairs used the term “politics” in a broad, interdisciplinary manner, and provided a range of programs, workshops, films, special events and literary readings. The conference included notable speakers from various parts of the United States and Italy. The keynote speaker, Professor Emilio Franzina from the University of Verona, provided a comprehensive overview of the status of Italian American Studies in Italy. For his work as an administrator and exceptional educational leadership, Queens College officially announced the promotion of Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa from Executive Director to Dean of the Institute. This appointment was significant at CUNY as it demonstrated the commitment of Queens College and the university to the Institute and Italian American Studies. 1999 Institute Celebrates 20th Anniversary; Institute Sponsors Exhibition, The
Italians of New York: Five Centuries of Struggle and Achievement
On May 20th, the Institute celebrated it’s twenty year history at The City University of New York. To mark this momentous occasion, an anniversary gala was held in the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Mr. Richard Grace, Executive Secretary of The Coalition of Italian American Associations served as Dinner Chair, while Dean Joseph V. Scelsa highlighted the many accomplishments and struggles of the past two decades. A special sculpture entitled La Bellissima America was created by the artist Patrick Morelli and presented to four recipients whose support for the Institute throughout the years was unwavering: The Calandra Family, John J. Calandra accepting for ongoing commitment to the Italian American Community; The Coalition of Italo American Associations, Inc., President William Dennis Fugazy accepting for steadfast advocacy on behalf of the Institute; The New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators, President George Onorato accepting for their continuous and enduring support of the Institute; and Queens College, President Allen Lee Sessoms accepting for commitment to the mission of the Institute. On October 11th a special ceremony coordinated by The Calandra Institute celebrated the formal opening of the much anticipated exhibition, The Italians of New York: Five Centuries of Struggle and Achievement was held at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan. The exhibition sponsored by the Calandra Institute was curated by Philip V. Cannistraro, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies, the exhibit was the first of its kind to record the full sweep of the Italian experience in New York City, and highlighted the contributions of Italians to the economic, political, cultural, and social development of New York. Objects of everyday life and print material that illustrated the lives and work of Italian laborers and artisans, political and labor leaders, intellectuals, social reformers, educators and artists were displayed. Many of the items were family treasures gathered over a two year period. Each item, whether from notable individuals or ordinary citizens told a story of sacrifice and success. The three major patrons of the exhibition were Mr. Joseph Grano, President of Paine Webber; Mr. Paul David Pope, grandson of Generoso Pope; and the New York Conference of Italian American Legislators. In addition, there was an array of cultural and educational
activities specifically designed to complement the exhibit, i.e., public
programs, seminars, slide-discussion presentations, demonstrations and
events. The response from the record number of individuals who visited the
New York Historical Society was overwhelmingly positive and many visitors
expressed feelings of “appreciation” that the story of the Italian American
experience in New York “had finally been told.”
The landmark exhibit and related public programs is a credit to the dedicated efforts of Prof. Cannnistraro and Geoffrey Claroni, Assistant Director for Community Programs of the Calandra Institute.
2000
Dean Joseph V. Scelsa named Acting Vice President of
Queens College; Institute Leadership Changes Hands; Institute Moves to
Expanded Facilities and Offers Credit Bearing Courses; Two Faculty Fellows
Appointed During the 2000-2001 academic year there were several administrative changes. Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, was appointed and promoted to Acting Vice President of Institutional Development at Queens College. In his new role, while on leave from the Institute Dr. Scelsa oversees the work of all eight centers and institutes at Queens College, including the Calandra Institute. Dr. Philip V. Cannistraro was named Acting Executive Director and Maria Fosco as Director of Administration and Community Programs. One of the most important contributions accomplished during this year was the Institute’s transition to its new and expanded facilities on the entire 17th and half of the 18th floor of 25 West 43rd street. With the enhanced space, the Institute implemented its plans to build a library, an archival center, an exhibition space, lecture hall, and additional classrooms. For the first time, the Institute was now afforded the opportunity to hold classes for college credit both at Queens College and the Institute’s Manhattan headquarters. This year the Institute was also pleased to announce that
Dr. Edvige Coleman, Professor of Italian at York College was appointed
Calandra Fellow. Dr Coleman developed preliminary plans to establish a
faculty exchange program between CUNY and several Italian Universities and
the first of its kind to incorporate Universities located in the Southern
regions of Italy. Professor Gerald Meyer was also appointed Faculty Fellow and
worked on developing a Guide to New York City’s Italian American
Historical Sites. 2001 Italian American Museum is Chartered; The Honorable Peter Vallone Generously Supports Initiatives for Italian Heritage Curriculum; Institute Assists Italian Exchange Scholars Assigned to Teach in New York City Schools; Institute Counselors Provide Trauma Counseling After the September 11th Attack Plans for an Italian American Museum were made official by the New York State Board of Regents on June 12th. The charter inaugurated the museum’s mission as dedicated to highlighting the struggles and achievements of Italians and their heirs to American culture and way of life, by collecting, preserving, and interpreting tangible objects and reminiscences. Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, Founding Trustee of the Board of Directors, will serve that the Museum’s first President and Mr. Joseph J. Grano Jr. will serve as Chairman of the Board. Other distinguished Trustees and Board Members include: Philip F. Foglia, Maria T. Fosco, Robert Ciofalo, Massimo Di Fabio, and Ralph A. Tedesco. The Italian American Museum will temporarily reside at the Calandra Institutue until a permanent location is selected. At a special meeting held at City Hall, New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone generously pledged $25,000 to implement initiatives for an Italian heritage and culture curriculum in the New York City public schools. The need for curriculum development in Italian heritage was voiced over a decade ago. A curriculum guide was initially proposed at the first meeting of the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators (NYCIASL) held in Albany, New York in 1991. The guide, with the support of Matilda Raffa Cuomo was published in the New York State Education Department in 1992. Entitled Italian Americans-Looking Back-Moving Forward, assists teachers of grades K-12 with lessons to insure that all students throughout the city and state are made aware of the Italian experience in America. The Fall semester culminated with the Institute helping to address a critical teacher shortage in the New York City public school system. Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy expanded the Board of Education’s international recruitment efforts to include candidates from Italy. The Institute played a key role in the program by serving as a liaison and support capacity throughout the process. Vincenzo Milione, Ph.D. the Institute’s Director of Research and Education, traveled to Italy to assist the Board of Education with the interview and recruitment process of 19 exchange scholars. Institute Counselor Laura Scalone, C.S.W., offered assistance with their introduction to New York City, as well as on-going support and advocacy for the group. Finally, as a result of the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy, Nancy Lippa Ziehler, Ph.D., Associate Director of Counseling and two Institute counselors responded to the request of CUNY’s Central Office to provide trauma counseling to students who witnessed the WTC attack. In addition, Dr. Ziehler led the Institute’s mobile crisis unit to provide trauma/grief counseling to employees of down-town companies and city agencies, as well as wives of Queens firefighters victimized by the horrific events. 2002 Italian American Museum Transitional Residence Officially Opens at
Calandra Institute. [Return to the Who We Are page.] |
