Ferrucci family gifts $1.5 million toward Italian studies

The gift will be invested in research and course materials for faculty and students pursuing Italian studies. Unsplash

Pack your bags and say “buon viaggio” because Chapman University’s Italian studies department is set to expand after a $1.5 million donation.

Chapman recently announced the Ferrucci family’s gift of $1.5 million that will form the Ferrucci Institute for Italian Experience and Research. As part of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the program will fund Italian research and course materials on Italy for faculty and students.

“The Ferrucci Institute will develop and cultivate an intellectual community united by the goal of exploring the resources of Italy and connecting them to research,” Federico Pacchioni, the director of the Ferrucci Institute, wrote in a statement to The Panther.

Pacchioni also explained that the institute will offer new learning and research opportunities, campus events and internships in relation to Italian studies. 

“This network and its consequential projects across disciplines will lead to new curricular opportunities, faculty-student research, creative collaborations, campus events and internships,” Pacchioni wrote. “The institute will serve as Chapman's own bridge to Italy, benefiting departments and programs across campus wherever a productive relationship with the country is possible.”

The Ferrucci Institute will also expand the Italian study abroad programs at Chapman. The institute will create new courses and learning opportunities in the coutry.

“The Ferrucci Institute will provide intellectual and networking support to develop already-existing travel courses to Italy, also in terms of linking with individuals and groups already active there,” Pacchioni wrote. 

University President Daniele Struppa — who was born in Milano, Italy — wrote in an email to The Panther that the creation of the institute allows for a unique opportunity for students to engage in academic research while experiencing Italian culture.

“This program is based on the understanding of the importance of bringing together what is traditional academic research, with a unique emphasis on experience,” Struppa wrote. 

Struppa explained that studying in Italy is more beneficial to students than solely learning at Chapman because they can grasp the long history and rich culture of Italy better if they are in the country itself.

Struppa also wrote that learning about cultures is one of the best ways for students to be global citizens.

“Few things promote global citizenship more than the understanding of different cultures,” Struppa wrote. “The Ferrucci Institute is devoted exactly to one such culture and to its deeper understanding.”

Jennifer Keene, the dean of Wilkinson College, said that the institute will further Wilkinson’s learning goals.

“The Ferrucci Institute connects beautifully to several Wilkinson College strategic initiatives, including fostering interdisciplinarity (and) creating experiential learning opportunities for students through innovative travel courses,” Keene wrote in an email to The Panther.

The Ferrucci family’s gift is part of Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University, the largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history with a goal of raising $500 million by 2028. Struppa announced the campaign during his 2023 State of the University Address on Feb. 10. 

The Ferrucci family’s donation brings the campaign to more than $320 million. 

“(The Ferrucci family’s) gift is advancing excellence for us, supporting interdisciplinary work and fueling our efforts forward and all the great work that Dr. Pacchioni has been doing in that area,” said Matt Parlow, Chapman’s executive vice president and chief advancement officer and the head of the Inspire Campaign. 

Parlow also explained that the Ferrucci family’s gift is the second of 12 gifts that the campaign will spotlight. 

Gabriel Ferrucci, a former businessman, and his wife Maria started supporting Chapman after Gabriel learned about the significant amount of funding for Italian Studies programs at the university.

“When we made the announcement in February that we were going public with our comprehensive campaign, we said that we would highlight 12 gifts that highlighted not just the gift itself and the donor, but their relationship to Chapman and really the area of strength and excellence that it was bolstering,” Parlow said. “(The Ferrucci family’s gift) is (one) that we wanted to highlight because of the special family that made the gift and the important work that it’s furthering from a teaching, research and programmatic standpoint.”