University of Denver receives $1.5 million gift for Italian program
New chair to be named for Denver philanthropist Anna Maglione-Sie

DENVER- The University of Denver (DU) has received a $1.5 million gift from the Denver-based Anna and John J. Sie Foundation to establish an endowed chair in one of the fastest-growing language programs at the University. The Anna Maglione-Sie Endowed Chair in Italian Culture will allow DU to further enhance a program that has seen a 64 percent increase in enrollment in the past five years. The chair will honor contributions Anna Maglione-Sie has made to the University, the Italian culture and the local community.

Maglione-Sie came to the United States from Italy in the 1950s. She and her husband John moved to Colorado in 1984 when he took a position with Tele-Communications, Inc. After raising five children, she became active in the community through the foundation she co-founded.

"For the past two years, more DU students have chosen Italy over other international destinations when deciding where to continue their education abroad," said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe. "The generous gift from Anna and John Sie will allow us to increase the number of study abroad opportunities for our students in Italy, and improve an important language program at a time when there is clearly more interest in studying the country's rich history."

The University of Denver's Cherrington Global Scholars Program offers students 150 study abroad programs in 54 countries on six continents. Among the ten program options in Italy, students can choose to study through DU's Bologna Center at the University of Bologna, which is led by University faculty.

The 2000 census reported more than 200,000 Italians in Colorado, which was 4.7 percent of the state's population at the time. Italian community groups in Denver include the Colorado Italian American Organization (CIAO), Order Sons of Italy in America, National Italian American Foundation and DU Amici, a community organization committed to the promotion and support of education exchange between DU and Italian students and faculty.

"As a poor immigrant from Italy, I am now living the American dream," says Maglione-Sie. "Through this Italian Chair I am so pleased to be able contribute to US-Italian relations for the peoples of both countries. I hope that this gift encourages more students to enroll in the Italian program at DU and that it inspires other donors to contribute to the University's division of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS)." This is the first endowed chair in the Department of Languages and Literatures and one of the most significant endowed faculty positions at the University in AHSS.

As a member of CIAO, Maglione-Sie helps organize Denver's annual Italian Festival. CIAO's purpose is to preserve Italian culture and heritage by introducing the Italian language to Colorado schools and by expanding the cultural ties between the United States and Italy.

Assistant Professor Roberta Waldbaum will hold the initial Anna Maglione-Sie Endowed Professorship. Waldbaum was appointed to assistant professor in Languages and Literatures in 1996 after receiving her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Denver. Waldbaum, who also has a master's degree in Italian, is co-director of the DU-Bologna International Center for Civic Engagement. She also is very active in Denver's Italian community.

Currently the Italian program, behind Spanish and French, is the most popular language of study pursued by students at DU. For the winter 2008 quarter 157 students are enrolled in Italian and 42 of those are students are pursuing majors and minors in Italian. In addition to the extensive language immersion and study abroad opportunities through the Italian Program, DU students can receive credit or a stipend by teaching in Denver schools through the Ital Internship. The Ital program is an outreach to five Denver-area schools where students teach Italian to elementary, middle and high school students.

The Anna Maglione-Sie Endowed Chair in Italian Culture will be established and funded through the University's permanent endowment. Anna and John Sie will help review proposals for the program and participate in selecting future chair holders.