FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Natalie Wulderk
202-939-3117
nwulderk@niaf.org

– The Foundation works closely with the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission –

(Washington, D.C. – December 11, 2018) – The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) congratulates the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission on its celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Fulbright Program. The Embassy of Italy will host the Fulbright Commission 70th Anniversary Celebrations on December 11th, in Washington D.C. NIAF is honored to participate in this event and to continue its collaboration with the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission.

NIAF Board Co-Chair Patricia de Stacy Harrison said, “The relationship between Italy and the United States is a special one; so is the relationship between the Fulbright Program and the National Italian American Foundation. We are honored to be a part of Fulbright’s longstanding tradition of excellence in education and cultural exchange.”

With the financial support of NIAF donors, the Foundation collaborates with the Fulbright Program and the Fondazione Giovanni e Francesca Falcone to fund and award the Fulbright-Fondazione Falcone-NIAF Scholarship in Criminology. The program provides funding for research in criminology: one American student to conduct research in Palermo, Sicily, and one Italian student to conduct research at a university in the United States for six to nine months. This award aims to promote the exchange of the values of the rule of law among the current generation and to combat the presence of the mafia culture in Italy.

NIAF also supports the Fulbright-NIAF-Georgetown Research Lectureship in Education, which funds an Italian grade-school teacher or university lecturer to research early childhood teaching methodologies and special needs. Grant recipients teach and conduct research at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development for an academic semester.

Ilaria Navarra, a primary school teacher and an alumna of this program, will speak about her experience and the value of the Fulbright Program tonight at the Fulbright Commission 70th Anniversary Celebrations.

NIAF Board Vice Chair of Cultural Affairs Anita Bevacqua McBride said, “The ties between Italy and America are deep and abiding. I am honored to be a member of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board with oversight of the U.S.-Italy Fulbright program—a vital component of the U.S.-bilateral relationship with Italy and recognized as a model of international education exchange.”

In June, NIAF was honored to accept an award from the Italian Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission during the Fulbright Program in Italy’s 70th Anniversary Celebration in Rome, Italy. The U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission presents this award to organizations or individuals who have contributed to enriching and enlarging the Fulbright Program in Italy, as well as those who have promoted Italian education in the United States.

NIAF Board Co-Chair Gabriel A. Battista said, “NIAF is honored to take part in the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations in Washington D.C., and we are happy to have maintained our fruitful partnership together in promoting education opportunities in Italy and the United States.”

McBride and Ambassador of Italy to the United States Armando Varricchio will provide welcoming remarks at tonight’s Fulbright Commission 70th Anniversary Celebrations at the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the Italian American heritage and culture. To learn more about the Foundation and become a member, please visit www.niaf.org.