The George L. Graziadio Chair of Italian Studies at California State University, Long Beach was the first endowed chair established within the CSULB College of Liberal Arts. Efforts to endow a chair solely dedicated to Italian Studies began with the surrounding Italian community of The Greater Los Angeles/Orange County areas of Southern California.  This collaboration and a generous donation from George and Reva Graziadio led to the establishment of the program itself as well as the Center for Italian Studies, named in honor of Mr. George L. Graziadio.

Since 2001 the Center has promoted the diffusion of Italian language, culture, and civilization through a variety of cultural events related to Italian and Italian-American Studies. Additionally, the Center offers a number of scholarships to study in Italy and regularly organizes workshops on Italian teaching. Its program of events, which gives students the unique opportunity to be exposed to Italian language and culture in its various facets outside the classroom, is often shaped in collaboration with Italian and Italian American institutions and organizations in the Southern California area.  The Center and Program have also succeeded in establishing a subject matter program in Italian that enables students to acquire the single subject teaching credential in Italian.  CSULB is the only program in the State offering this credential.  Subject matter programs in other languages allow students to acquire high levels of subject matter competence through MA degrees.  Unfortunately, this is not yet the case for Italian

According to UNESCO, 60% of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy, a country whose heritage and creative spirit continues to fuel the most innovative advances in the arts, sciences and humanities. Knowing Italian allows you to understand, appreciate, and analyze this treasury of human expression, so, indeed, Italian at CSULB is as essential as is Spanish, German and French. Graduates of the program are uniquely positioned to find jobs in public service, business, consulting, academia, the arts and communications.

Many of us have been looking forward to enrolling in an MA program in Italian Studies upon completion of our BA degrees.  We had heard that the MA program was approved, slated to begin in Fall 2011, only to discover a few weeks ago that it has been stalled.  We, the students of Italian Studies, wish to make decision-makers aware of that fact that the Masters Degree Program in Italian serves the purpose of the State of California through its ability to enhance our future careers and professions, cultivate our personal growth and ensure CSULB’s future as a center for advanced language, literature, cultural and international studies. 

Tell CSULB decision-makers that you are in support of students' demands to:

1. Reconsider and continue with the planned implementation of a Masters Degree Program at CSULB in Italian Studies without further delays and have it be offered to students for Fall of 2011;

2. Offer courses in Italian Studies to graduate students in levels 500 and above for the eventual goal of graduating with an MA in Italian Studies.