March 28, 2006, Staten Island, NY…Wagner College’s DaVinci Society will be having its Spring Luncheon on Monday, April 10, 2006 from 12:00PM-2:00PM in the Wagner Union’s Faculty Dining Room. Wagner President, Dr. Richard Guarasci, and former Staten Island Borough President, Hon. Ralph J. Lamberti, will co-chair the event.
The event will spotlight six Honor Program Seniors who are the recipients of the DaVinci Society's "City-as-Text" Travel Scholarship. The scholarship provides these students with the opportunity to travel to Venice, Italy for a week of study and immersion in Italian Culture with Dr. Miles Groth Wagner College’s Honors Program Director.
“It will be my pleasure again in my sixth year as faculty host to accompany six of Wagner's outstanding graduates to Italy in the ‘City-As-Text’ experience, sponsored by the DaVinci Society at Wagner College,” said Dr. Groth.
“I had the idea for such a capstone experience for our Honors students more than seven years ago,” Groth said. “With the support of Louis DeLuca, Wagner alum and adjunct instructor in our Education Department, we encouraged Wagner President Richard Guarasci to establish an Italian-American philanthropic group on campus.” Louis DeLuca is also charter member of the DaVinci Society.
“Working with the Hon. Ralph Lamberti, former Staten Island Borough President, the DaVinci Society came into being and now supports a variety of cultural initiatives in addition to the ‘City-As-Text,” Groth continued. “All of the programs recognize and pay tribute to the contributions of Staten Island’s Italian-Americans Wagner and the local community. We are greatly appreciative for their support to the graduating seniors who will see first-hand the beauty of Venice, ‘La Serenissima,’ and Florence.”
The trip takes place May 21-29, 2006. Most of the time will be spent in Venice with a day’s excursion to Florence. As is the case every year, this year's travel scholarship recipients will return to campus in the fall during Italian Heritage month to recount their experiences.
This year’s recipients are: Jessica Wiech ’06, Egg Harbor Township, NJ; Laura Pike ’06, South Portland, ME; Jessica Friswell ’06, Natick, MA; Tracy Dickinson ’06, Staten Island, NY; Elisabeth Cardiello ’06, Staten Island, NY; and Megan Brandt-Meyer ’06, Freeport, ME.
The Society will also honor Julia Barchitta, Dean of Learning Communities, for her dedication to the DaVinci Society's Programming, especially its Viva Italia - Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Held each year in October, Viva Italia is a month long Wagner program designed to celebrate and embrace the Italian Culture through exhibits, lectures and performances.
To learn more information about the DaVinci Society, please contact Betty McComiskey at 718-420-4014 or email emccomis@wagner.edu.
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