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Important News/Press Releases

4. NJ Italian American Heritage Institute News

• December  31, 2005: “Farewell and Congratulations to Institute Staff”
  The Institute would like to express its appreciation to three hard-working staff members who will be leaving for other opportunities in the New Year.  Executive Director of the Commission and the Institute, Mr. A. Roger Marinzoli, will be returning to his Wall Street profession in 2006.  After serving for two years, Mr. Marinzoli will be succeeded as Executive Director by Dr. Robert Freda, who serves on the Commission’s Board of Advisors.  Mr. Anthony Carabelli, who served as Associate Director since 2004, will be moving on to opportunities in the private sector.  Mr. Carabelli’s position will be replaced by a Director of the Commission and the Institute in 2006.  Ms. Gina Pezzicola, who served as Assistant Director for two years, will be pursuing professional and academic opportunities in Paris, France.  In her stead, the Commission retained the services of Ms. Nancy Jemas for 2006.  The Institute wishes its former staffers well and thanks them for their extraordinary efforts in building the Commission and the Institute.

• November 1, 2005: “Institute Collaborates on Italian Hours Program”
  Beginning in 2003, the New Jersey Institute for Italian and Italian American Heritage Studies has been collaborating with the Rutgers University Italian Studies Committee to create programs of interest relating to the Italian Heritage for the public.  Over the last two years, the Institute and the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission has supported 12 programs, including art exhibitions, musical performances, book presentations and specialty lectures.  This year, the Institute is proud to support three programs in November and December: a) November 9th Lecture on Coins of the Roman Republic by Dr. William E. Metcalf, the Curator of Coins and Medals of Yale University’s Art Gallery; b) November 15th Lecture on “Berlusconi and American Politics” by renown journalist Alexander Stile of The New York Times and La Reppublica; and c) December 1st Evening of Sicilian Music at the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University by Michelina Musolino.
  

1. October 3, 2005: “Roman Coin Exhibition Opens at Rutgers University”
   Rutgers University’s Alexander Library has opened its exhibition of "Early Coinage of the Roman Republic" from its Special Collections and University Archives.  Rutger's collection of Roman coins is remarkable for its comprehensiveness, historical value, and fine condition. The Special Collections exhibition will have three major themes: the evolution of the technical aspects of the coinage; political and social developments as reflected in the coinage; and rare and unusual coins.  This exhibition is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibition will run until December 31, 2005.  The New Jersey Institute for Italian and Italian American Heritage Studies and the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission is supporting this exhibit by co-sponsoring with the Rutgers Italian Studies Committee an introductory lecture on the topic by Yale University’s Dr. William E. Metcalf, the Curator of Coins and Medals of Yale University’s Art Gallery on November 9, 2005.
   
2. September 21, 2005: “Institute Supports Mythamorphoses Conference”
   Every two years, the Italian Graduate Student Society hosts its biennial academic conference on Italian and Italian American literature.  This year’s conference, “Mythamorphoses: Collective Myth and Italian Literature” will be held at the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University on October 21st and 22nd.  The conference presents original papers on various topics written by graduate students, which are published in the conference’s journal, La Fusta.  This year’s conference also features Dr. Millicent Marcus of Yale University, who will be presenting on “The Contemporary Anti-Mafia Film as Epitaph”, and Dr. Massimo Forte, of The Johns Hopkins University, who will be presenting on “Dante: Mythographer of Modernity.”  The New Jersey Institute for Italian and Italian American Heritage Studies and the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission is again generously supporting this conference and the publication of La Fusta.
   

• August 30, 2005: “Welcome to New Administrative Staff and Interns”
  The New Jersey Institute for Italian and Italian American Heritage Studies is pleased to welcome the Institute’s new staff members for the 2005-2006 fiscal year from Rutgers University.  This year, five new part-time student administrative assistants will be joining the Institute to assist with administrative and clerical duties.  In addition, seven of last year’s ten Commission interns will also be rejoining the effort as volunteers for programs, events and research.  These undergraduate students serve both the Institute and the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission.  The Institute is proud to announce that this is the largest number of participating students since the Institute offered the program in 2003.

• July 12, 2005: “Institute Prepares Catalog of Italian Art at Zimmerli”
  As part of the Commission’s mandate to catalog Italian resources in the State of New Jersey, the Institute staff has been assessing the permanent collections of various museums around the State.  Thus far, the Italian art collections at the museums in Newark, Rutgers and Princeton have been surveyed and a public directory is being compiled for use by teachers, students and the general public.  The first catalog to be published on the website will cover the Zimmerli Museum at Rutgers University.

• June 10, 2005: “New Programs Being Assessed at Institute”
  Several new proposals have been brought to the Institute for consideration related to Rutgers University. The first is the support of a biennial Italian graduate student conference on Italian literature, from which is compiled a publication entitled “La Fusta”.  The Institute sponsored the conference and journal publication two years ago and is reviewing the proposal.  The second major initiative is the organization of a conference in the Fall of 2006 dealing with the topic of Italian and Italian Studies programs at New Jersey’s universities.  Over the past years, pressure has been growing on the Italian Departments of New Jersey’s higher educational systems as the demand for college-level Italian resources is growing.  In addition, greater interest in Italian Studies has fostered concern that universities will not be able to meet the needs of individuals interested in pursuing Italian or Italian Studies as a major.  The conference would address these issues and create working sessions to design proposed solutions.

• May 25, 2005: “1st Internship Program Draws to a Close”
  The Institute would like to congratulate the members of the 1st Internship Program for completing their terms.  10 student volunteers were recruited from Rutgers and other universities to assist the Commission on a series of educational projects, research and public events.  The students worked between 7-10 hours a week on specific projects under the direction of Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola.  Their research projects will be continued during the 2nd Internship Program, which will begin in September of 2005.  The Commission and the Institute would like to congratulate the following individuals for their hard work and dedication to the Italian Heritage: Phil Forgione, Lorin Leone, Michael Grillo, Nadia Mule, Anisa Robo, Ray Baldino, Christina Bello, Angela Culic, Kara Pontrelli and Joseph Fionda.  Recruitment will begin in September for the new program.

• April 15, 2005: “Institute Retains Services of RU Graduate Student”
  In an effort to assist the Curriculum Development Committee’s work in creating educational materials for teachers, students and the general public, the Institute has selected one of Rutgers University top graduate students from the Department of Italian.  Mr. Lorenzo Valterza joins the Institute staff as a consultant dedicated to developing website content for the Curriculum Project.  Mr. Valterza holds a Masters in Italian from Rutgers University and has substantial experience in the academic and public school arenas.  Mr. Valterza is designing a series of major components related to the Curriculum Project, which will be available to the public over the summer.

• March 7, 2005: “Institute Supports Italian American Courses at Rutgers”
  The Institute met with Visiting Professor Peter Covino of the Rutgers University Department of Italian, in order to assess ways in which the Institute could support coursework on the Italian American experience.  Dr. Covino offers a course during this Spring semester on “The Italian American Experience”, which covers the history, sociology, culture and literature of the Italian American community.  This undergraduate course covers authors such as Louise DeSalvo and Edvige Giunta, both of whom lectured on campus during the Spring of 2004.  Projects under consideration include the support of a series of lectures by Italian American authors, poets and researchers as well as future music-related events.  For more information regarding “The Italian American Experience” course at the New Brunswick campus, please contact the Department of Italian at 732-932-7031.

• February 7, 2005: “Zimmerli Museum Plans Italian Art Exhibition in 2007”
  The Director of the Zimmerli Museum, Mr. Greg Perry, began coordinating the efforts of the Institute and the Rutgers University Departments of Italian, Italian Studies and Art History, in preparation to host an important exhibition in 2007. The Rutgers University Zimmerli Museum in New Brunswick, which is one of the top 10 largest university museums in the country (in terms of exhibition space and permanent collections), has been designing a project to bring over from Italy a series of 17th century Italian Baroque paintings from Naples.  This project began last summer and now the Zimmerli Museum has won the bid to be one of two museums in the country to host a renown collection of approximately 50 17th century paintings for the period January – April 2007.  These paintings feature artists such as Gentileschi, Giordano, Rosa and Ribera from the Golden Age of Neapolitan Art.  The Zimmerli Museum will be the only museum in the eastern half of the U.S. to display these never-before-released Italian works.  One of the featured artists, Gentileschi, is the subject of a current New York Times Bestseller historical novel. The Zimmerli hopes to generate support from the Commission and the Italian American community to sponsor this important program.

• January 6, 2005: “Institute Assesses Italian Artwork at NJ’s Museums”
  As part of its effort to develop an inventory of Italian and Italian American artwork in New Jersey’s museums, the Institute staff has begun assessing the permanent collections in the State.  Between December and January, the Institute staff has visited and met with representatives from the Voorhees Zimmerli Museum at Rutgers University and the Newark Museum.  While no permanent collection of Italian artwork is housed at the Newark Museum, the Ancient Art collections do boast a number of Roman artifacts.  In addition, the American collections have a number of Italian-born or Italian American artists, including Ezio Martinelli and Joseph Stella.  The Zimmerli Museum carries an Ancient Art collection, with Roman statuary and artifacts.  In addition, the Museum has a number of Italian oil paintings and sculptures found in its European Collections.  Once information is collected from NJ’s major museums, the Institute plans to release a catalog of Italian and Italian American artwork for educational use.
  
• December 20, 2004: “Binding the Lands Italian Poetry Book in Stock”
  The Institute received an inventory of the newly published book on contemporary Italian and Italian American poetry, “Binding the Lands: Present Day Poets, Present Day Poetry”.  This work is based on the proceedings of the Third Annual Symposium of the Italian Poetry Society of America, which was a conference held in New York on November 11-13, 1999.  The 400-page volume, published by the Italian publisher Edizioni Cadmo, was compiled and edited by Professors Alessandro Vettori and Alessandro Carrera.  Dr. Vettori, one of the leading professors of the Department of Italian at Rutgers University, received the major portion of funding for the publication of this work from the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Foundation.  The book is exclusively available for purchase from the Institute’s offices.  Please contact Associate Director Anthony Carabelli to order a copy of this limited edition work.
  
  
• November 15, 2004: “Draft Directory of Italian Organizations Ready”
  The Institute staff completed the compilation of a draft version of a contact directory for approximately 200 Italian American Organizations in the State of New Jersey.  This product supports the Commission’s effort to develop a complete database of contacts and activities for the over 400 Italian American organizations in the State.  To obtain a copy of the draft directory please contact Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola at the Institute’s offices.
  
  
• October 29, 2004: “Institute Welcomes Two Additional Interns to Staff”
  Members of the Institute welcomed to their team two Rutgers University students as new interns.  This support from the University will help the Institute in its various programs and initiatives and represents the important partnership between the Institute and Rutgers University.  The interns, Philip Furgione and Lorin Leone, who are undergraduates in their senior year at the university, will work on research projects, event planning and office support projects throughout the fall and spring semesters.   

• October 8, 2004: “Institute Rounds Up RU Student Volunteers for Congress”
  Members of the Institute conducted a presentation to all interested students at Rutgers University’s Scott Hall Auditorium regarding the upcoming October 23rd Congress.  The event attracted over 25 participants and was highlighted by over 20 students volunteering for the major state-wide event.  The members of the Institute described in detail the logistical activities and responsibilities of each volunteer and established two training dates, October 21st and 22nd to organize and disseminate specific duties for interested attendees. 

• October 1, 2004: “Institute Continues to Build Relationships with Rutgers”
  The Institute continued to improve upon its amicable partnership with Rutgers University.  Executive Director Roger Marinzoli and Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola met with Dean Barry Qualls of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Department and the Executive President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Philip Firmanski, in order to describe the Institute’s activities at Rutgers University and pending personnel matters.  In addition, Mr. Marinzoli held meetings with Greg Perry, Director of the Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, to learn of ways that the Commission can work to establish Italian art displays and other projects at the Museum.

• September 28, 2004: “Demographics Analysis Pinpoints Italians in NJ”
  The Institute’s Executive Director Roger Marinzoli created a preliminary research project detailing a demographic breakdown of Italian Americans in New Jersey.  The project, which compiled data from a variety of sources and included the 2000 US Census, provides individuals with the following statistics: a county by county and city by city breakdown of the total number and percentage of Italian Americans living in New Jersey.  Executive Director Marinzoli will display the draft research project at the 1st Annual NJ Italian American Congress on October 23rd.  The display will feature a mounted State map of New Jersey with colored pins indicating the size of that city or town’s Italian American community.  

• September 22, 2004: “Institute Hosts RU Undergraduate Gathering”
  In an effort to educate students about the Commission and its internship possibilities, the Institute held an evening gathering in Scott Hall for all undergraduate students in the Department of Italian.  Members of the Institute provided a presentation to the assembled students, sparking increased interest in the Commission and its activities.  Concluding the event was Instructor Ida Marinzoli who implored students to take advantage of the Institute as a valuable resource. 

• September 16, 2004: “Institute Gathers Italian Graduate Students”
  Members of the Institute brought together Rutgers University Graduate students in an effort to promote awareness of the Institute and receive recommendations for the internship program.  The event, which took place at the Rutgers University Student Center, showcased the efforts of the Commission over the last two years and future programs and initiatives.  The presentation was conducted by Associate Director Anthony Carabelli and Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola. 

• August 31, 2004: “Institute Hosting Rutgers University Italian Evening”
  The Institute is hosting a September “Italian Coordination Evening” at Rutgers University for the faculty and students of the Department of Italian and the Italians Studies Program.  The evening will consist of a presentation on the Institute’s activities at Rutgers University and a reception.  The Institute encourages Rutgers students and faculty to attend, in order to become aware of – and to coordinate – upcoming events and programs sponsored by the Institute during the coming academic year. Please contact Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola for more information at 732-932-0670.

• August 30, 2004: “Institute Seeking Interns for Fall Semester”
  The Institute is offering a limited number of non-paid student internships for the Fall Semester.  These internships will involved operational and research work and will require approximately 7-10 hours per week during the Fall Semester of the 2004-2005 academic year.  Students in the Rutgers University Italian Studies Program will be eligible to receive CASE internship credits towards their degree. If you are interested in an internship opportunity, please contact Assistant Director Gina Pezzicola at 732-932-0670 and forward a resume to info@iahi.rutgers.edu.  For more information, visit the website at www.njitalia.nj.gov and view the section on “Getting Involved”.

• August 23, 2004: “Institute Collaborating with Coccia Institute for Calendar”
  On August 23, the Executive Director of the NJ Italian American Heritage Institute and the Director of the Coccia Institute met to outline plans to coordinate a statewide Master Calendar of events and meetings.  Following the guidance of the Commission’s Community Advisory Council, which suggested the establishment of a “one-stop-shop” website for identifying Italian American meetings and events, the two Institute’s will begin coordinating their scheduled programs.  In addition, the NJ Italian American Heritage Institute will be seeking to post community events on its website in an effort to help NJ’s organizations avoid “same-day” scheduling by for major community events.  The objective is to use the Commission’s website as a long-term scheduling and awareness tool for all Italian American organizations.  If your organization would like the Institute to post a particular event, meeting, or gathering on the Commission website, please contact Associate Director Anthony Carabelli at 732-932-0670.

• August 9, 2004: “Institute Publishes Reprint of Newark’s Little Italy”
  Based on a continued public demand for Michael Immerso’s landmark piece “Newark’s Little Italy: The Vanished First Ward”, the Institute collaborated with Rutgers University Press to produce the 3rd paperback printing of this publication.  Immerso’s work chronicles the history of the rise and decline of one of the largest Italian communities in New Jersey through a combination of photography and historical research.  The Institute hopes that the continued circulation of this important work provides Italian Americans in all parts of New Jersey an understanding of the life and times of this once-flourishing community.  The book is available from Rutgers University Press.

• August 2, 2004: “Institute Receives Donations of Italian Books”
  Through the generosity of Mr. Francesco Napoli of Fort Lee, New Jersey, the Institute will be receiving approximately 400 books and musical records for display in its offices at Rutgers University.  The materials include older Italian texts and works on Italian history, geography and the arts.  These library materials are being loaned to the Institute for research purposes.  The Institute expects to catalog these materials by the end of the year and will publish the catalog on this website.  The Institute expresses its gratitude to the Napoli family.

• July 14, 2004: “Institute Builds Relationship w/ California Task Force”
  The Institute was contacted by California’s Italian American Commission, first formed in 1998 and reconstituted as a Task Force under Governor Schwartzenegger.  Chairman Bill Cerruti, who is also the Director of the Sacramento Italian Cultural Society, exchanged information and expressed the hope that the NJ Commission will collaborate with the California Task Force over the medium term.  The California Task Force is comprised of 15 Members, drawn from all over the State, and is in the process of promoting public policy initiatives, especially in the fields of education.  The Institute will be in communication with Mr. Cerruti over the coming months, as it works to promote the foundation of Italian American Commissions in other states.

• July 6, 2004: “Institute Designs Program for Student Internships”
  The Institute is launching a student internship program for the Fall Semester of 2004, inviting students in the state of New Jersey to participate in the Institute’s activities and research.  Students will be selected on the basis of their backgrounds, interests and willingness to volunteer approximately 7-10 hours per week during the fall and Spring Semesters of this coming academic year.  Students in the Rutgers University Italian Studies Program will be eligible to receive CASE internship credits towards their degree. In September 2004, the Institute will be advertising for the initial number of positions sought, which is expected to be expanded in the spring of 2005.  All internships will be non-paid.

• June 25, 2004: “Institute Publishes Bilingual Italian Poetry Book”
  The Institute has agreed to publish a bilingual contemporary poetry book entitled “Binding the Lands, Present Day Poets, Present Day Poetry”, edited by Dr. Alessandro Vettori of Rutgers University and Dr. Alessandro Carrera of the University of Houston.  This work features poems written by Italians and Italian Americans in both English and Italian and contains sections on poetry interpretation.  The Institute hopes that this work not only introduces works of contemporary poetry to the NJ community, but will seek to introduce it to NJ Italian language teachers as a teaching.  This work will be available in the fall from the Institute and is published by CADMO of Florence, Italy.

• May 3, 2004: “Institute to Work with Italian Cultural Center in Jersey City”
  The Institute is working to develop closer ties with Jersey City’s Italian Educational and Cultural Center (IECC), directed by Ms. Carla Mastropierro.  The mission of the IECC is to provide social services to elderly Italian and Italian American citizens, especially related to the Italian government, and to manage the Museo della Immigrazione Italiana.  The IECC also has operated an Italian language school, open to both children and adults.  As part of its expanding collaborative efforts, the Institute hopes to work with the IECC in promoting its services and to jointly foster projects promoting Italian Heritage.

• April 23, 2004: “5th Semi-Annual Board of Academic Advisors Meeting”
  The Board of Academic Advisors of the Institute (BAA), chaired by Dr. William Connell, held its’ 5th semi-annual meeting at Rutgers University.  The BAA reviewed the progress of two conferences under development: the October 29th “Age of Galileo Conference “ to be held at Rutgers University and the December 4th symposium on the “History of Italian American Discrimination in New Jersey”, to be held at Seton Hall.  The BAA endorsed the Institute’s plans to develop a student internship program and suggested that it be available statewide, since much of the research can be accomplished by telecommuting.  The BAA also reviewed the progress of the curriculum project, the development of the Casa Italiana at Rutgers University and proposed plans for the further development of the Institute’s activities.  The next meeting is scheduled for November.

• April 23, 2004: “Institute Sponsors Italian Hours Musical Program”
  As part of the Rutgers University “Italian Hours” program, a member of the Board of Academic Advisors and the Chairperson of the Italian Studies Department, Dr. Catherine Puglisi organized a musical program named “Italian Arias and Songs”.  The event was held at Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers College and featured performers from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.  The Institute provided funding for the event from private donations.

• April 21, 2004: “Commission Approves Institute Small Grants Program”
  The Commission approved the creation of a Small Grants Program (SGP) available to the New Jersey community through the Institute.  The SGP will be administered by the Board of Academic Advisors and will solicit grant proposals for the funding or co-funding of projects designed to promote Italian Heritage in the State of New Jersey.  The SGP is intended to disburse grants of $10,000 or less to eligible projects and will be reviewed on a competitive, confidential basis.  Following the Board of Academic Advisors meeting in November, which will finalize the parameters and procedures of the SGP, solicitation will begin in January 2005, for disbursement over the 2005 calendar year.

• April 12, 2004: “Institute Meets with Italian Studies Department at Rutgers” As part of its collaboration with Rutgers University, the Institute works in collaboration with the newly formed Italian Studies Department, chaired by  Dr. Catherine Puglisi.  The Institute’s staff attended the Italian Studies semi-annual meeting to discuss collaborative programs at Rutgers, which includes the building of the Casa Italiana, the Italian Hours programs and the Age of Galileo Conference in October.  The Casa Italiana is intended to house offices for the Institute, the Italian Studies Department and the Department of Italian and is expected to be finished during the summer of 2007.  The Italian Hours program consist of a series of events with Italian themes, such as musical performances, films, historical and art lectures and cuisine demonstrations.  The Institute hopes to collaborate with the Italian Studies Department in hosting a future, statewide conference that addresses the development of Italian Studies and Heritage programs at other New Jersey universities.

• March 24, 2004: “Institute Sponsors Italian Hours Lecture on Italians in NJ” As part of the Rutgers University “Italian Hours” program, the Co-Chairman of the Institute, Dr. William Connell held a public lecture on the history of Italians and Italian Americans in NJ since 1800.  The event was held at Alexander Library at Rutgers College and organized by Rutgers University’s Italian Studies Department.  The lecture included a chronological description of Italian American immigration to NJ and featured primary research developed by Dr. Connell.  The lecture was followed by a lively discussion of the perceptions of Italian Americans in NJ over the years by the public and closed with a reception.

• March 17, 2004: “Institute Supports Age of Galileo Conference at Rutgers”
  The Institute has finalized financial arrangements to support the “Age of Galileo” Conference at Rutgers University, scheduled for October 29, 2004.  The symposium is organized by the Italian Studies Committee of Rutgers University and is sponsored by the Institute, the Center for Comparative European Studies and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Dr. Catherine Puglisi, Chairperson of the Italian Studies Department and a member of the Institute’s Board of Academic Advisors, is coordinating the conference.  The conference will feature leading scholars that will explore Galileo’s influence on the arts and sciences of his day.  The conference is a culmination of a broad celebration of the life and works of Galileo during the week of October 25-October 29, which will feature a lecture by Dava Sobel, author of Galileo’s Daughter, a screening of Joseph Losey’s acclaimed 1975 film Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo, and a exhibition of rare scientific texts from the 16th and 17th centuries.

• March 10, 2004: “Institute Director Attends Knighting Ceremony at Rutgers”
  The Executive Director of the Institute, Mr. Roger Marinzoli, was invited to witness the conferment of the title of "Cavaliere" (“Knight”) upon Dr. Alessandro Vettori an assistant professor of Italian in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University.  Dr. Vettori was presented the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI) by the Italian Consul General Antonio Bandini of New York in a ceremony witnessed by Dr. Laura White, the Chairperson of the Department of Italian, other Rutgers University faculty and representatives from the Italian government.  The bestowal of knighthood is governed by Italian legislation and awarded by the President of the Republic of Italy. The knighthood is conferred upon individuals who promote the role of Italy in their country, have succeeded in their chosen profession and contribute to the positive image of the Italian community. Dr. Vettori was honored for his contributions to the spread of Italian culture and literature.  The Institute congratulates Dr. Vettori, who serves on the Institute’s Board of Academic Advisors.

• February 18, 2004: “Institute Receives Funding for Seton Hall Symposium” The Institute received donations from the NJ Italian American Heritage Foundation for a grant to the Italian Studies Institute at Seton Hall University for a day-long symposium on the history of discrimination and stereotyping against Italian Americans.  The event, scheduled for December 4, 2004, will include a documentary viewing, panel discussions (including actors, educators, politicians and writers) and an evening reception.  The grant was approved by the Board of Academic Advisors and the Commission and will be used to fund a website for the event, the transcription of the proceedings (which are intended to be published as a book) and the videotaping of the symposium (which is intended for a future documentary).  The Institute is collaborating on this event with Seton Hall University and UNICO’s National Anti-Bias Committee.

• February 2, 2004: “Institute Catalogues Italian Resources & Organizations”
  The Institute has commenced the cataloguing of Italian and Italian American resources in New Jersey, which will include a Directory of Italian American organizations.  Through the Commission’s legislative mandate, the Institute will manage a database of resources, including cultural center contacts, Italian American organization contacts and educational materials, for use by the general public.  This project will be expected to take a year to complete and will be made available via the Commission’s website at www.njitalia.nj.gov.  The Institute welcomes any information from the public that would be used to add, confirm or vet the information that is currently being accumulated.

• January 26, 2004: “Institute Holds Excess Inventory of Publications”
  The Institute currently holds an excess inventory of two books published with the financial support of the Institute: “The Italians of New Jersey”, written by Dennis J. Star, and “Italian American Writers on New Jersey”, edited by Jennifer Gillan, Maria Gillan and Edvige Giunta.  The first piece provides an introductory historical overview from the late 19th century through the 1980’s and substantial bibliographic references for researchers.  The second piece, published by Rutgers University Press, is a wonderful anthology of poetry and prose that captures the experiences and emotions of Italian Americans in NJ.  The Institute also stocks a third publication, “Heritage: Italian American Style”, written by Leon J. Radomile, which is a fun, trivia-style reference book that can be used in classrooms and family rooms alike to explore one’s depth of knowledge of the Italian Heritage.  For more information about these publications, please contact the Institute’s offices.

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