Founded in 2023, Chapman University’s Ferrucci Institute for Italian Experience and Research strives to inspire and advance a wide disciplinary spectrum of teaching and research initiatives exploring Italy’s more universal educational and intellectual potentials, both in its peninsular and diasporic contexts. To accomplish this goal, the Ferrucci Institute provides mentorship and funds for scholarly and creative activities that unveil the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary relevance of Italy’s story and fabric. Furthermore, the Ferrucci Institute coordinates opportunities for curricular innovation and experiential learning and leads cultural programming for the academic and broader community.

Ferrucci Institute’s academic production is shared regularly throughout the year through the Windows to Italy and the Italian Perspective series. The work of the Ferrucci Institute is to embody and disseminate a new humanistic and interdisciplinary paradigm for Italian Studies, a field instrumental in illuminating the country’s identity in the global space. Partaking in this process are students, educators, leaders in the arts, business, and sciences, and members of the community who bridge generational and cultural divides.