Stony Brook University

10/30/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 12:39

Fedi Receives Inaugural Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island Award

From left: Italian American Heritage Society (IAHS) of Long Island Operations Director Lou Bernardi, IAHS Executive Board Member Silvia Davi, Center for Italian Studies Director Andrea Fedi, and IAHS Executive Director Chris Vaccaro.

Andrea Fedi, director of Stony Brook University's Center for Italian Studies and associate professor in the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, was selected as an inaugural honoree of an Italian American Heritage Society of Long Islandaward for his contributions to teaching and preserving Italian heritage on Long Island.

Fedi received the award at an October 21 celebration at the Larkfield Manor in East Northport. He alsoreceived a citation from the US House of Representatives, signed by Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, recognizing his demonstration of exemplary dedication to the preservation of Italian heritage, and his tireless efforts and passion for ensuring that the rich culture, history and traditions of Italian Americans continue to be celebrated and passed down through generations.

From the congratulatory letter: "Your dedication to Italian students and the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University is commendable. We need more caring educators like you to keep our heritage and culture alive."

Fedi has been a faculty member at Stony Brook since 1994, and his academic journey has spanned multiple departments, including European Languages, Cultural Studies, Comparative Literature, and, most recently, Languages and Cultural Studies. He has held numerous leadership positions - from 1994 to 2010, he served as the Language Coordinator of the Italian program, chaired the Curriculum Committee of the School of Professional Development from 2002 to 2013, and then led the Council of the same school from 2013 to 2016.

Fedi was the faculty director of the Arts, Culture, and Humanities Undergraduate College from 2011 to 2012 and then of the Global Studies Undergraduate College from 2013 to 2016. From 2014 to 2017, he directed the Language Learning and Research Center. More recently, he served as undergraduate director in the interdepartmental program in Globalization Studies and International Relations from 2019 to 2024, and briefly was interim director of the Institute for Globalization Studies in 2022.

He is the author of Mercurio, an advanced Italian language textbook published by Yale University Press, the co-editor of a collection of essays on Jesuit missionary Paolo Segneri, and the translator of a forthcoming book on stoicism. His research interests are diverse, with published articles on travel to Italy, Italian literature, and Machiavellianism.