Annual Report 2024
Message from the President
Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees
Events in the Spotlight
Class of 2024
Enrollment
Academics and Programs
Our Students
Our Faculty
Frank J. Guarini: A Lifetime of Service and Leadership
Our Institutes
Center for Career Services
Our Alumni
In Support of JCU
Honor Roll of Donors
In Memoriam
Board of Trustees
Vision Statement
The mission of John Cabot University is to provide an educational experience firmly rooted in the American tradition of liberal arts and solidly international in orientation.The academic programs are designed to use to the fullest extent the special resources of a multicultural faculty, an international student body, and the extraordinarily rich culture and history of Rome and the surrounding region.
message from the president
“Leading the Future”
Iam delighted to present this year’s Annual Report which showcases the outstanding achievements of our dynamic institution and highlights our diverse and inclusive engagement with friends and supporters of the JCU Community.
Following the celebratory 50th Anniversary in honor of our founding, we are proud of our ongoing commitment to lead the future, reflected in our impressive growth and expansion during fiscal year 2024.
With a record enrollment of over 1,700 students in Fall 2023, and as the student number continues to increase, we are looking forward to the upcoming addition of a beautiful new building adjoining our beloved Frohring Campus. Other developments include new fast-growing majors and minors, the prestigious AACSB accreditation of the Frank J. Guarini Business School, and the ongoing academic collaboration with Milan’s Polytechnic Institute, one of the finest universities in Italy. Our Center for Graduate Studies offers post-graduate learning, research, and professional and academic development, and includes Master programs in Art History, and International Affairs.
John Cabot University’s demanding academic programs, its outstanding world-class faculty and dedicated staff, the extraordinary cultural and historical wealth of the Eternal City, the lively sprouting of clubs and organizations, and the many opportunities to experience the workplace while still in school, continue to provide our students with an outstanding environment that fosters education in the Arts and Sciences.
The University’s dedication to the success of its students is confirmed by the list of elite US universities and prestigious programs around the world that have accepted many of our students for graduate studies. The qualities of our University and its student body are equally confirmed by more than 700 international companies and organizations, which, in growing numbers, come to interview our students every semester, often offering them positions directly upon graduation.
John Cabot University reaffirms the specific mission cherished by our founders to bring students from all over the world, be it for a semester or for an entire degree program, to the Eternal City for an education centered on cross-cultural dialogue in an international environment, where all ideas are discussed freely with curiosity, interest, and respect. We stand as a shared community where students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds can thrive. It is this open and lively exploration of ideas, the soil in which young leaders are born, that has ensured from its very start the resilience and prosperity of our University.
The success of our institution depends on the commitment of our faculty, students, staff, alumni, parents, donors, and friends who enrich and improve the life of the University. As we build upon the strong foundation of the past, John Cabot University continues to grow and thrive, following a steady path to achieving new heights of excellence in the promising future ahead.
Franco Pavoncello, Ph.D. President John Cabot University
message from the chair of the jcu board of trustees
iam honored to have the role of Chairman of the JCU Board of Trustees and be part of the tremendous growth and excitement of the JCU community. Working with our board has been very rewarding and their continued support, both financially and strategically, has been instrumental in the advancement of our university.
On behalf of the entire board, I want to extend our sincere thanks to President Franco Pavoncello for his dedicated leadership. JCU has made impressive strides over its 50-year history, and it is President Pavoncello’s contributions that have played a significant role in its exponential progress. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the administration, faculty and support staff for their unwavering support and dedication to JCU’s mission.
The JCU student experience is unlike any other, and I am so proud of our global student body, increased enrollment, and academic excellence that JCU has achieved. Further, the commitment of our growing Alumni group has been very impressive. JCU’s enhanced recognition among the university community is very gratifying.
Looking ahead, I believe there is even more we can do to leverage and emphasize our strategic location as an American university in the heart of Rome. I am excited about the opportunities to collaborate with the JCU Board of Trustees and the university management team to take JCU to greater heights.
COMM. SALVATORE SALIBELLO CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
This section highlights some of the most noteworthy events that took place in the past year at John Cabot University.
412 Total EVENTS
34 Events per Month
103 Events per Semester
president’s gala
The annual President’s Gala took place at Rome’s Hotel Hassler, welcoming over 80 participants. President Franco Pavoncello highlighted the University’s accomplishments, including a record enrollment of nearly 1,800 students and upcoming initiatives like the Guarini Center for the Arts, and the MA in International Affairs.
Chair Salvatore Salibello introduced Angelica Ruspoli Visconti as the recipient of the Frank J. Guarini Medal for Leadership in Business. Angelica, a longstanding
supporter of JCU, has a background in finance and communications, notably contributing to Ferragamo’s international market expansion. In 2018 she entered the Board of Directors, and in 2022 was named Vice-Chairman of the Company.
To conclude the night, Francesco Ruspoli, alumnus (Class of 1994), President of the Alumni Association and JCU Trustee presented the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award to Rebecca Anne Proctor ’05.
From left to right: Chair of the JCU Board of Trustees Salvatore Salibello, Vice Chair Frank J. Desiderio, Honoree Angelica Ruspoli Visconti, Vice Chair Portia Anne Prebys, President of the JCU Alumni Association Francesco Ruspoli, President Franco Pavoncello.
new york gala
John Cabot University hosted the New York Gala on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the University Club in New York City. The New York Gala, which takes place annually, is an event honoring those within our community and beyond who have contributed to the University and supported academic initiatives, scholarships, and cultural programs. Over 250 guests from the worlds of business, fashion, academia, and diplomacy attended the Gala.
This year’s distinguished honoree was Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of American Express. Squeri is also a member of the Business Roundtable, where he chairs the Corporate Governance Committee, as well as The Business Council and the American Society of Corporate Executives. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The Valerie Fund, as well as the boards of both his alma maters, as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Manhattan College and a member of the Board of Governors at Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School.
Chairman of the JCU Board of Trustees Salvatore Salibello (left) and honoree Stephen J. Squeri.
ambassador’s luncheon
The Ambassador’s Luncheon took place on the Secchia Terrace, Guarini campus. The event saw the participation of 40 representatives from 36 different embassies. The event started with President Franco Pavoncello’s opening remarks.
He was followed by Carlos Santander, President of the JCU Student Government, and by Professor Michèle Favorite, Executive Director of the Graduate Studies Center, and Director of the Career Services Center.
80th anniversary of the liberation of rome
As an American university in the heart of Rome, on June 4, 2024, John Cabot University proudly hosted the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the city’s liberation. The event, organized by Rome’s first Municipality in collaboration with We the Italians and JCU, featured distinguished guests including representatives from the first Municipality of Rome, Philip Brown (Economic Counsellor, British Embassy,)
Luca Tritto (Liaison and Protocol Supervisor, U.S. Embassy,) Lydia Cogo (PD Education Outreach Coordinator, U.S. Embassy,) and Lt. Col. Simon Rushen (Canadian Embassy.) Holocaust survivor Gianni Polgar, the President of Rome’s Jewish community Victor Fadlun, and Lello Dell’Ariccia, President of Associazione Progetto Memoria, also spoke, as did JCU Professors Dario Biocca and Federigo Argentieri.
The guest speaker for this talk was Christopher Gaffney, a Professor at NYU’s Tisch Center of Hospitality, known for his work at the intersection of systems theory, risk, and the political economy of tourism. The event, opened by JCU President Franco Pavoncello and introduced by Giulia Silvia Ghia, Councilor for Culture, Education, Sports, and Youth of Rome’s I Municipality, featured Gaffney’s
lecture titled “Tourism Risk and the Rebirth of Hospitality.” The Q&A session, moderated by Professor Michèle Favorite, Executive Director of the Graduate Studies Center and Director of JCU’s Career Services Center, explored the Global Risk Index from Tourism, which assesses tourism risk through environmental, economic, societal, and political lenses.
educating in paradise
l’educazione superiore americana in italia
The event was part of the Festival della Cultura Americana 2023, which focuses on Americans in Italy, organized by Rome’s Centro Studi Americani (Center for American Studies) and the city’s main Italian and American cultural institutions. The speakers were Franco Pavoncello (President of John Cabot University), Portia Prebys
(Vice Chair of the JCU Board of Trustees and Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy), Fabrizio Ricciardelli (President of the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy), and Scott Sprenger (President of the American University of Rome).
the kushlan lecture series in environmental conservation
Undertaking conservation action, enabling adaptation, and securing resilience are opportunities and responsibilities shared by government, civil society organizations, business, and individuals. Dr. James A. Kushlan, former
senior member of the JCU Board of Trustees, established the Lecture Series in Environmental Conservation to bring together thought leaders and the University community to share insights into these increasingly existential issues.
the challenges of cop 28:
kushlan lectures in environmental conservation inaugural event
John Cabot University launched the Kushlan Lecture Series in Environmental Conservation with “The Challenges of COP 28 and Innovative Sources of Finance for the New Loss and Damage Fund.” This event, featuring expert speakers Professor Benito Mueller (Managing Director of Oxford Climate Policy and Director of the European Capacity Building Initiative) and Dr. Federica Fricano (Director of
EU Affairs in the Environment Sector and International Strategies on Sustainable Development and Climate at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security), marked the beginning of a series of enlightening lectures that delve into cuttingedge topics of environmental policy.
vanessa somers art project artspeaks lecture series
Advancing its mission of enabling encounters with the arts and the art world for the University community, the Vanessa Somers Art Project collaborated with the Department of Art History on the creation of a prestigious new lecture series at John Cabot University. The ArtSpeaks lecture series reflects the openness and forward-thinking of the Honorable Frederick Vreeland, John Cabot University Trustee, whose generous donation established the Vanessa Somers Art Project, and of his wife Sandra Zwollo Vreeland who indefatigably continues to define and support it.
ArtSpeaks brings leading academics, artists, curators, and other cultural professionals to John Cabot University. The lectures presented in 2023-2024 brought together four outstanding speakers, who explored modern and contemporary women’s approaches to working with artists and ideas, and to artistic research as a whole.
The Vanessa Somers Art Project and the Department of Art History are grateful for the inspiring, challenging, and thought-provoking questions raised by each of the speakers: Dr. Donatella Saroli, Curatorial Researcher at Rome’s MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts; Dr. Cecilia Canziani, curator, art critic, art historian and Professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti de L’Aquila; Dr. Osnat Zukerman Rechter, researcher and lecturer, co-founder and Co-director of the Yona Fischer Program in Contemporary Curatorial and Museum Studies; and Bruna Esposito, one of Italy’s most internationally celebrated artists and winner of the 1999 Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. The Vanessa Somers Art Project is fittingly named in honor of Trustee Vreeland’s late wife, an accomplished artist. The success of the inaugural ArtSpeaks lecture series affirms John Cabot University’s central role for the advanced study of the arts in Rome and internationally.
institute events
tochina summer school
The TOChina Summer School is a two-week advanced training program on contemporary China, developed in partnership with the TOChina Hub at the University of Turin and John Cabot University’s Guarini Institute for Public Affairs. It brings together emerging China-literate practitioners from around the world to
Turin and Rome, offering valuable insights from top scholars. In 2023, the program’s final three days were hosted by John Cabot University, featuring lectures on China’s evolving role in Asia, its economic adjustments, and its foreign policy, including sessions by renowned experts like Evan Feigenbaum and Michael Pettis.
The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is a global hackathon where innovators use open data from NASA and its partners to create solutions for challenges on Earth and in space. It provides a platform for problem solvers to tackle topics ranging from storytelling to space exploration by solving challenges written by NASA experts. In 2023, the Institute for Entrepreneurship at John Cabot University hosted the event for Italian participants in Rome, while also accommodating virtual participants from across Italy via Zoom.
Nasa Space App Challenge
Ocean Vuong: A Reading
The reading was part of the Creative Writing Institute’s summer events, and it saw the participation of 100 people. Ocean Vuong, recipient of the 2019
MacArthur “Genius” Grant, T.S. Eliot Prize and the Whiting Award, read pieces from his works Night Sky with Exit Wounds (2019) and Time is a Mother
faculty events
contemporary rome: living the enternal city
This conference brought together social science researchers and practitioners working on contemporary Rome to foster interdisciplinary exchanges between early career and established scholars. It focused on the city’s intense social diversities, contradictions, grassroots movements for change and justice, and its constant evolution. Topics covered included migrations, intercultural dynamics, housing, gender issues, crime, urban development, street art, activism, social media, COVID-19 legacies, tourism, informal economies, heritage management, food policies, and alternative economies. The conference was organized by John Cabot University, the British School at Rome, On Site Roma, the University of Sheffield, and the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities.
art and design exhibitions
the Department of Art and Design presented the Spring 2024 Exhibition at Palazzo Velli Expo, on Thursday, April 18th. The exhibition displayed a selection of exemplary students’ work in diverse media such as painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video, while it also hosted the English Literature Department’s Creative Writing Showcase. The event was attended by over 1,000 people including members of the wider community. In addition, The Department of Art and Design presented the Seniors Art & Design Showcase Exhibition at the Largo dei Fiorentini Art Studios during Commencement weekend. The exhibition was an opportunity for Senior students to showcase a variety of work produced over the past year to their friends, family, and peers.
graduation gala & commencement ceremony 2024
Graduation Gala 2024
the graduating seniors of the Class of 2024 were treated to an exquisite dinner at the Castello di Torcrescenza, in Rome. This elegant event was a memorable evening as we celebrated the accomplishments and milestones of our graduating students in a majestic setting. The Castello di Torcrescenza is located in the greenery of a centuries-old park adorned with natural fountains and caves. Built by Marquess Francesco Crescenzi on the site where a watchtower from 1100 once stood, the castle owes its current appearance to various expansions carried out during the Middle Ages, when the construction of a strongly fortified castle in a strategic position became necessary. Inside the complex, it is possible to admire artworks, frescoes, and historical fountains of primary artistic value. Class representative Betselot Dejene presented the awards for Staff of the Year, won by Iva Dragolova, and for Faculty of the Year, won by Isabella Clough Marinaro.The evening included remarks by JCU President Franco Pavoncello, and by the President of the Alumni Association and Trustee, Francesco Ruspoli.
On May 13, John Cabot University celebrated the Class of 2024, representing 35 countries, at a ceremony held at the Villa Aurelia on the Janiculum Hill overlooking the city of Rome. 15 students received their Master of Arts in Art History, 219 received their Bachelor of Arts, and 1 received an Associate of Arts degree. After an ecumenical invocation by His Most Eminent Highness, Frà John T. Dunlap, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, JCU President Franco Pavoncello greeted the Class of 2024. A speech by Dr. Portia Prebys followed, conveying heartfelt congratulations to the graduates on behalf of the JCU Board of Trustees. The speaker for this year’s Commencement was Marta Dassù, Senior Advisor for European Affairs at the Aspen Institute, and Editor-in-chief of Aspenia, the journal of Aspen Institute Italia.
President Pavoncello conferred the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa to Senator Francesca La Marca, who, in 2013, was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the Italian Parliament, serving in the Foreign Affairs Commission, representing the needs and goals of Italian communities in North and Central America. Finally, Class of 2024 Valedictorian Giovanni Tremontini gave his speech and then, Dean of Academic Affairs, Stefano Arnone, presented diplomas to graduates.
Commencement Ceremony 2024
commencement speaker marta dassù
Dr Marta Dassù is the Senior Advisor for European Affairs at the Aspen Institute and Editor-in-Chief of Aspenia, the journal of Aspen Institute Italia. She served as Italy’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2011 to February 2014. Dr. Dassù is a Board Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), and the European Policy Centre’s Strategic Council. Additionally, she is Vice President of the Center for American Studies in
Rome and holds board positions at IIF-JP Morgan, Gruppo Marcegaglia, and the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation. A regular contributor to the Italian daily La Repubblica, Dr. Dassù is also the author of Anglo Nostalgia: The Politics of Emotion in a Fractured West (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2019). At John Cabot University’s Commencement, she was awarded a degree in International Affairs, honoris causa.
honorary degree recipient francesca la marca
Dr. Francesca La Marca was born in Toronto, Canada, to Italian parents. Senator La Marca holds a Ph.D. in French Literature from the University of Toronto. In 2013, she was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies, representing Italian citizens in North and Central America, and serving on the Foreign Affairs Commission. Re-elected in 2018, she then won a seat in the Italian Senate in 2022, becoming the sole Senate representative for North and Central America. Throughout her tenure, Senator La Marca has championed the needs of Italians abroad,
advocating for the efficiency of consular services, strengthening the honorary consular network, and promoting Italian language and culture. She has also focused on safeguarding the elderly, encouraging youth exchanges, and fostering heritage tourism. Her contributions to supporting policies for Italians abroad, alongside other representatives of the Democratic Party, underscore her commitment to her constituents. At John Cabot University’s Commencement, she was awarded a degree in Humane Letters, honoris causa.
class of 2024
Giovanni Tremontini, the Class of 2024 Valedictorian, earned a B.A. in Economics and Finance summa cum laude, with minors in Business Administration and Mathematics.
Giovanni grew up in Torre Spaccata, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Rome. He attended the Liceo Classico Immanuel Kant, where he learned about JCU thanks to the Italy Reads program. After enrolling in an Italian university, Giovanni decided to transfer to JCU, where he got the chance to complement his academic background by adding a minor in Mathematics, gaining relevant academic exposure to highly advanced mathematical and statistical concepts.
Giovanni plans to pursue a master’s degree in applied Math at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Mathematical Economics. Eventually, he would like to get into a good Economics Ph.D. program.
15 students received their Master of Arts in Art History
219 received their Bachelor of Arts, and 1 received an Associate of Arts degree.
“I’m truly honored by this achievement, and I hope my future accomplishments will keep up with the expectations this title involves. I want to thank all the professors I met along the road for providing me with the best possible tools to succeed, both in academia and the workplace. I’ll always remember my time here with a smile on my face: I feel like John Cabot University really is one of a kind. And I hope it will expand even more, while still keeping its typical intimate yet vibrant atmosphere: it’s an experience many more people should have the right to live. Ad maiora!” Citizenship
The Class of 2024 comprises 235 students representing 35 countries. 219 students received their B.A. degrees, 1 received an A.A. degree, and 15 students received their MA in Art History.
North and South America
As an American liberal arts university located outside of the United States, JCU’s student body reflects its commitment to building an international academic community composed of both full-time degreeseeking students and visiting students, that fosters intellectual freedom and integrity. John Cabot University brings together degree-seeking students from over 75 countries, with visiting American and international
students, creating a unique student body that thrives in the vibrant city of Rome. The University’s multilingual and culturally diverse community surrounds students with opportunities to observe, learn, be innovative and creative, and build extended personal networks that will create value for their future. This University community experience prepares students as they enter a world where transnational issues present an ever-greater need for mutual understanding and civil discourse.
academics & programs
The 2023-2024 academic year brought a significant expansion in the University’s academic programs with the hiring of many new full-time tenure track faculty in various fields, including classical studies, business, quantitative analysis, art and design, and psychology. This reflects the University’s commitment to enhancing its academic offerings.
Additionally, to further its dedication to sustainability across educational programs, the University appointed Professor Michele Favorite as the Coordinator of Sustainability for Education Initiatives. This role underscores the institution’s focus on integrating sustainability into its curriculum and educational practices.
Sustainability is one of the most important themes shaping our world. John Cabot University is committed to providing its students and alumni with an enriching “sustainability journey” from the minute they step on campus until after they graduate. This affords students the opportunity of selecting a range of multidisciplinary academic course offerings as well as choosing from non-academic initiatives that include community service activities, student clubs, career opportunities and special projects. Furthermore, the Alumni Sustainability Hub is available to alumni who are involved in and passionate about sustainability.
Two recent special sustainability projects
1. The Triggering Change competition, a two-minute SDG-related pitch that students create after benefiting from expert talks by international entrepreneurs who share their best practices. Students then develop their own entrepreneurial proposals revolving around an SDG and present them in creative ways via a video. Their eco-literacy is measured before and after their pitches through an online survey. Results show marked improvements within a five-week period. External universities are invited to participate. The Fall 2024 edition will include Richmond University and Oxford Brookes University in the UK, and the University of Arkansas. Triggering Change has been recognized as an international best practice and included as a case
study in the volume Higher Education and SDG 2 (2024).
2. Attendance at the United Nations Climate Conferences (i.e. the Conference of the Parties, or COP). A small delegation of John Cabot students is selected to attend, and gains access to some of the important negotiations. Students have attended the Glasgow and Sharm El Sheikh summits. Finally, sustainability has become an important focus of the Center for Career Services, which is committed to providing “green” skills-building, networking and professional opportunities to students and alumni.
ma in art history
John Cabot University reached a milestone on May 19, 2024, when President Pavoncello presented the seventieth graduate of the University’s Master of Arts in Art History with her diploma. In a field of study where graduate programs tend to be small and competition for talented students fierce, the University’s first-ever graduate degree program, launched in 2017, has proven to be a remarkable success.
“The faculty and I knew from the start that the program would be attractive,” said Founding Director of the MA, Professor Lila Yawn, “but we never expected that by the fourth year nearly forty students would be enrolled. That’s a huge number even for a well-established Art History Master’s at a much larger university. Even better,” continued Professor Yawn, “the students who apply to the program were, and continue to be, diverse, energetic, and interesting.”
“MA alumni are now out in the world finishing PhDs at top schools, teaching college, managing museums and galleries, and working in a surprising range of art-related fields, from documentary filmmaking and art-journalism to social-media curation, art vlogging, museum development, cultural tourism, and diplomacy. One graduate is now executive director of the Calaveras County Historical Museum in California.
Another has won several major prizes for his art-historical research at the Central European University, including an important grant. Yet another is South Sudan’s
ambassador to the Republic of Ethiopia. And I could go on.”
“The MA’s success has everything to do with the Administration’s unwavering support for it and with the excellent work of JCU staff, especially the Marketing team,” added Prof. Yawn. “However, the program would never have done so well, or even lasted, if not for the supreme quality of the educational experience—the faculty really give it their all—and the immensely hard work we poured into its initial design and into refining it, step by step, over the course of seven years now. Consider that when we began to design the degree a decade ago there was no template, no model, for a graduate degree program at JCU, nor was there any other degree in the world just like the one we had in mind. That work is perhaps mostly invisible to the rest of the JCU community—we tend not to blow our own horn much; we’re too busy working with the students. For me and my colleagues on the MA Faculty, though, teaching at the graduate level and improving the program year by year has been a deeply satisfying, stimulating, often thrilling experience. It’s also very gratifying for us to see JCU on the verge of launching new MAs, with the benefit of our experience and the model we created. As those programs rise to their own successes, please stay tuned for our eightieth and ninetieth MA in Art History graduates. We can look forward to toasting them at the Villa Aurelia in May 2025 and 2026.”
trastevere m2 conference
April 2024 saw the inauguration of a new annual, international conference at John Cabot University, called “TRASTEVERE M2: Rome’s historic rione popolare across the Tiber.” A collaborative enterprise of the students, professors, and alumni of JCU’s Master of Arts in Art History, the conference examines the environmental, architectural, visual-material, and social history of Trastevere, one of Rome’s oldest, most beloved neighborhoods and John Cabot University’s long-time home. The project’s point of departure is Trastevere itself, its spaces and structures, their ornaments and irregularities, and the iconographic and archival evidence of the human experiences behind them—the stories inherent in a marble plaque, a street shrine, an irregular ground plan, or a column revealed by fallen stucco. The conference aims, on the one hand, to offer a platform for the public presentation of research by JCU Master’s students, alumni, and faculty, and, on the other, to expand and stimulate the meter-by-meter study of Trastevere in all its eras and aspects by bringing together interested researchers from the broader scholarly community.
The conference grew out of pioneering research on the history of JCU’s campuses conducted by MA students in the graduate Practicum in Art-Historical Research and Problem Solving, led by Professor Lila Yawn. Although JCU’s campuses are surrounded by remarkable historical sites, their own histories were largely unknown when the Practicum began in 2017. As with much of Trastevere, the campuses started their long lives mainly as vernacular complexes, rather than as the homes of the elites of Roman society who tend to make it into the history books.
“This void in historical scholarship offers a golden opportunity for our graduate students to break new ground through archival research on a topic that matters to them and to our whole community,” observed Professor Yawn. “What could be more moving and thrilling than to discover, for example, that the campus where students attend class every day was once a recreational center for poor girls, run by nuns, and before that a wax factory; or that the Aula Magna and library were initially designed by a star architect of the early twentieth-century who built things as far away as Buffalo and Khartoum; or that what is now the Mac lab, in the age of Caravaggio, was part of a lively osteria that belonged to the Farnese family and probably served as an outlet for wine from their estates? This information, and much, much more, is fresh from the archives, previously unknown to scholarship, and discovered by our own talented, hardworking MA students.”
In 2022, some of their findings were made public to the JCU community in the exhibition Lungara 233, designed by MA alumna Vittoria di Sabatino and installed in the antechambers of the Aula Magna. By 2023, however, the sheer quantity of research generated by students in the graduate Practicum, including material on other parts of Trastevere, had become so copious that it desperately called for a broader stage and for a regular mechanism for publication. Enter the Trastevere m2 Project, a new umbrella enterprise for research by successive cohorts of Art History Master’s students, plus an annual conference involving the international scholarly public, and a publication of the conference proceedings.
The inaugural iteration of the conference, held in the Aula Magna on April 2021, 2024, was an immense success. It featured keynote lectures by Dr. Nicola Camerlenghi, Associate Professor at Dartmouth University and a Principal of the Senior Research Team of the award-winning Interactive Nolli Map Website, and by Prof. Laura Foster of John Cabot University, who researches institutions for housing and employing the poor from the Counter-Reformation to the Eighteenth Century, including the monumental complex of San Michele a Ripa. The conference also featured twenty-one papers by current students and alumni of JCU’s Master’s in Art History, with alumni flying in from as far away as London, Amsterdam, Wisconsin, and Colorado to present their findings.
The papers included studies pertinent to Guarini Campus and the Lungara Buildings between 1550 and 1950, their architectural transformations and industrial uses; the rich history of cloth-working along via delle Fornaci (now via Garibaldi); and JCU’s Gianicolo Residence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It was a richly cross-generational event, with everyone from senior professors to first-year MA students presenting their research and BA students and professors from JCU and other universities in attendance. At a town hall at the end of the conference, participants agreed unanimously that it should become an annual event. “We want very much,” said Professor Yawn, “to give something back to Trastevere by enriching what is known of its material and social history, with emphasis on the lives of ordinary people and how they shaped and experienced their environment. In so doing, we also want very much to bring together interested scholars from Italy and other countries on a regular basis and to raise John Cabot University’s profile as a venue for art-historical research at its most innovative.”
our students
Carolina Miller
Class of 2024
Political Science Major, Legal Studies and Communications Minors
From: Brazil
My time at JCU was spent between classes, clubs, the Athletics Department, and the Admissions Office. Through my roles as Representative Officer of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and Vice President of the Organization of Latin American Cultures, I was able to cultivate community and collaborate with students towards common goals. Within the Athletics Department I was Captain of the Cheerleading team and had the opportunity to expand its program alongside the Department and our amazing coach Elena. With the Admissions Office, I was able to help incoming students learn more about the city and answer any questions regarding the University, Italian culture, and more. The JCU environment gives students the opportunities to take charge and make change, as well as gain life skills that are necessary for the professional landscape. Thanks to my peers, professors, and staff I am confident entering graduate studies and the wider work force.
Danah Fatimah Alkhafaji
Class of 2024
Humanistic Studies Major, Philosophy Minor
From: United States
Growing up abroad, John Cabot seemed like a natural fit for me. However, what I could not imagine or anticipate was the way in which JCU has allowed me to flourish, within both academia and student life. My professors have guided me throughout my academic career with grace and support, constantly pushing me to challenge myself as a student. This determination and motivation that JCU has fostered academically also allowed me to start the Arab Student Association, where the power of community and cultural appreciation has been palpable. Throughout my time as both a student and club leader, I have learned the vital role of community. From vital discussions regarding living in the diaspora, to bringing cultural celebrations to the student body, my experience with ASA has been life changing, to say the least. The overall support I have experienced at JCU is something I will cherish, as well as carry forward with me in my future endeavors.
Liliana Ferreri
Class of 2024
International Affairs Major, Legal Studies and Gender Studies Minor
From: Italy
My time at John Cabot University has been filled with enriching activities and meaningful connections. I pursued a B.A. in International Affairs with minors in Legal Studies and Gender Studies. However, it is the extracurricular activities that have had the most profound impact on me. Serving as a Resident Assistant allowed me to gain work experience within the supportive environment of the University. Working as a Community Service site leader, first at Vo.Re.Co dinners and then at TuttoBlue for the following two years, enabled me to merge my academic pursuits with my passion for volunteering. I owe a special thanks to Julia del Papa for her belief in my abilities and her exceptional management of community service, along with her wonderful office staff. Additionally, my involvement with STAND, particularly as president, has greatly enriched my life. I am confident that STAND will continue to grow and become a more significant NGO, as the current leadership team is exceptionally capable and dedicated.
student awards
Academic Awards
Academic Excellence in Art History
(The Lloyd Dodd Award)
Luca Guimaraes Fustagno
Elizabeth Thorpe
Academic Excellence in Business Administration (The Luciano Battelli Award)
Tiberia Di Maggio
Academic Excellence in Classical Studies
Matilde Lalli
Ethan James Watson
Academic Excellence in Communications and Media Studies
Vittoria Ferri
Marouso Pappas
Academic Excellence in Creative Writing
Carla Sophia Mawgain Apel
Academic Excellence in Economics
Roberta Ingenito
Giovanni Tremontini
Academic Excellence in English Literature (The Alan Christensen Award)
Grace Jennifer
Louise Cuozzo
Anthony James Casling
ENLUS Award
Mariarosaria Di Bagno
Marica Loffreda
Academic Excellence in Finance and Accounting
Gianmarco Ariola
Robert Ionuț Savu
Academic Excellence in History (The Brian Williams Award)
Erin Marie Doyle
Erick Valencia Marin
Academic Excellence in Humanistic Studies
Danah Alkhafaji
Yurim Ko
Academic Excellence in International Affairs
Victoria Scarlett Brizzi
Anita Finco
Academic Excellence in International Business
Valeria Bonannella
Elisa Stabiano
Academic Excellence in Italian Studies
Christopher James Schwarten
Academic Excellence in Journalism
Gea Villa
Academic Excellence in Legal Studies
Mariarosaria Di Bagno
Academic Excellence in Marketing
Flavia Del Prete
Sara Turati
Academic Excellence in Mathematics
Giovanni Tremontini
Academic Excellence in Media Production
Vittoria Ferri
Anastasiia Lazareva
Academic Excellence in Philosophy
Grace Jennifer Louise Cuozzo
Jessica Maria Frylmark
Academic Excellence in Political Science
Emily Grace Morrissey
Academic Excellence in Psychology
Valeria Frezza
Nicole Spaziani
Academic Excellence in Studio Art
Kristin Elizabeth Fiorvanti
The Albert Walker Fuller Prize for Op/Ed Articles
Alexander James Tsukakoshi for “Harmonizing Words”
STUDENT LIFE AWARDS
Presidential Award
Santander Carlos
Albano Francesco
Alessandro Mioni Award
Kunst Gioia
Community Service Award
Ferreri Liana
Paris Elisa
The Service to the John Cabot University
Community Award
Hassaan Saad Janane
Decena-Chinn Maiya
Sports Award
Miller Carolina
Student Professional Award
Badillo Campuzano Tatiana
Chenyu Zhou
Herndon Faynette Serena
Performing Arts Award
Meule Kaitlyn
Outstanding Senior Leader
Albano Francesco
Alkhafaji Danah
Unsung Hero
Decena-Chinn Maiya
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Alkhafaji Danah
Hassaan Saad Janane
The Outstanding Advisor to a Student Club
Del Papa Julia
Ali Salma
Castelli Paola
Lanzone Andrea Harris Pamela
Bocco Federica
JCU Spirit & Community Building
Women’s Leadership Initiative
Community Engagement
Women’s Leadership Initiative
STAND
Social Media and Digital Creativity
Business Society
Film Appreciation Club
Event of the Year
Living in the Diaspora
Jamila: Women in Art exhibit
Shark Venture
Student Organization of the Year
Arab Student Association
Art History Society
Black and African Student Association
student activities
athletics
The JCU Athletics Department had a remarkable year in 2023-2024, highlighted by several historic firsts and notable achievements. A major highlight was the inaugural Varsity Teams Retreat, which took place in Cascia, Umbria, over a 2-day weekend. This retreat provided a perfect setting for intense practice sessions and team bonding amidst beautiful surroundings.
Additionally, the Athletics Department actively participated in multiple charity events, including the Run for Autism organized by the Filippide Project, aimed at raising awareness about autism. In the fall, JCU held a raffle to raise funds for Vo.Re. Co. (a volunteer association in Trastevere), followed by the successful fundraising efforts from the Strava Challenge in Spring 2024.
Another significant milestone was the participation of JCU’s varsity teams in the International Sport Festival at Deree College, the American College of Greece. The
DWomen’s Volleyball team, in its debut year, achieved a historic second-place finish at the International Sports Festival.
In the Universities of Rome Championship, the co-ed Tennis team made headlines by winning the golden trophy in the Europa League, marking the first such victory in JCU history. Men’s Basketball and Women’s 5-on-5 Soccer teams secured second-place finishes in their respective champion leagues, a testament to their hard work and the increasing competitiveness of the championships. Beyond these competitive successes, the Athletics Department organized 13 sports trips throughout the year, including a Snow Sports weekend where students enjoyed skiing and snowboarding, rounding out a year filled with both athletic and community engagement milestones.
clubs and organizations
uring the 2023-2024 academic year, 21 active clubs and organizations hosted over 530 events and initiatives. Both semesters were characterized by exemplary leadership and community building of students by collaborating with each other to shed light on important issues and provide cultural immersions through art exhibitions, movie screenings, music trivia and dance workshops, and discussions. The Clubs organized 226 club meetings, 11 art exhibitions and galleries, 9 fundraisers and 3 donation events, 10 movie screenings, 5 dance/music trivia and workshops, 11 roundtable discussions, and over 30 cultural community events, among others.
In the Fall 2023 semester, one of the most successful events was “Living in the Diaspora,” a collaborative event between eight cultural and identity clubs, seeking to cultivate a sense of familiarity and empathy in the JCU community by emphasizing the importance of supporting each other and maintaining a connection to one’s
own tradition and culture. In Spring 2024, it is worth highlighting the Arab Student Association’s “Jamila: Women in Art,” a multimedia exhibition that celebrated women, their strength and resilience in a transformative celebration of unity within diversity.
Club leaders also took part in impactful experiences off-campus, such as STAND’s humanitarian trip to Greece with the non-profit organization INTERSOS; The Matthew’s delegation to the International Journalism Festival in Perugia and the Internazionale Festival in Ferrara; the Business Society’s trip to the European Parliament and to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. A delegation of Club Presidents was invited to speak on student leadership to LUISS university students. A total of 22 leadership cords were awarded to graduating seniors who contributed significantly to JCU student life thanks to their leadership role within a club.
cultural programs
The Cultural Programs have seen robust participation both in Fall and Spring, with a notable number of students engaging in multiple activities, highlighting the programs’ appeal and the students’ enthusiasm for cultural immersion. The consistent interest in cooking classes and meditations and the significant attendance at orientation tours and trips underscore the success of these initiatives. The number of students participating in at least one cultural activity in Fall is 536 and 250 for the Spring semester.
The trips offered ranged from classic to off-the-beaten-path itineraries, from Tuscany to Umbria, Basilicata, Puglia, Campania and the beauty of Lazio itself. Each place visited included experiential workshops, contact with local experts and culture, ensuring that even the most touristic hotspots can become home to unique adventures for our students.
The common thread of the program is the care for a comprehensive offer that leads the student not only to the discovery of places, but also to the development of new perceptions and sensitivities through the individual and collective exploration of culture. The combination of these elements creates a deep sense of discovery and
directs students to a healthy, balanced journey towards finding their passions. The activities offered include hands-on culinary experiences, live concerts, meditation sessions in Rome’s botanical garden, guided cultural tours, art workshops, visits to museums, and demonstrations of Italian craftsmanship.
“To put it simply, participating in the Cultural Programs changed the way I see my life,” wrote a Spring 2024 study abroad student. “The Tuscia weekend trip finally gave me the solution I have been seeking: how to stay in the present moment, being grateful for all that is right now. Every time I thought I took in enough from a view, we were encouraged to dig deeper. I reflected on my anxieties of the past and the future but found myself appreciating what was wonderful in that moment. Participating in the trip was a complete experience because I experienced the discovery of new places, moments of personal reflection and of the group! In fact, there was no lack of community moments such as workshop activities and unforgettable meals together. This experience made me feel my place in the world. I would recommend joining the Cultural Programs’ activities to anyone who wants to discover not only new places, but new emotions and perspectives.”
health and wellbeing
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, the Health and Wellbeing Office has been dedicated to promoting healthy behaviors and wellness through a variety of events and activities. The office collaborated with hospitals to offer special events and discounts for World Health Day in April and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and organized JCU’s annual flu shot campaign and HIV testing.
Throughout the semester, various activities were organized to raise awareness about inclusion, mental health, consent, and healthy relationships. Health and Wellbeing events included a workshop on period poverty and one on the correct use of period
products (both led by experts), practical self-defense classes, and book discussions covering topics such as mental health.
In collaboration with the student club Women’s Leadership Initiative, the Health and Wellbeing Office has undertaken a long-term project to provide period products on campus, ensuring better access for our students. The Office also continues to assist all JCU students with health-related needs and collaborates with the student affairs and academic offices.
IMMIGRATION SERVICES
The Immigration Services team assisted international students from more than 75 different countries to obtain immigration-related documentation throughout the academic year 2023/2024.
Over 290 Permit to Stay applications were requested in Fall 2023 and 72 in Spring 2024 for degree-seeking students.
More than 688 Declaration of Presence forms were submitted in Fall 2023 and 650
in Spring 2024 for visiting students.
The Immigration Services team acted as the point of reference for all international students who needed guidance concerning their immigration status in Italy.
Thanks to the JCU Immigration Services Office, over 1,700 students complied with all immigration directives as stipulated by the Italian government and E.U. law.
performing arts program
Under the supervision of a professional theatre director, the Performing Arts Company performed two successful shows in the past academic year. In Fall 2023, the Company performed the comedy Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic for two nights in JCU’s Aula Magna.
In Spring 2024, the Company moved their headquarters to a professional theater in Trastevere, Teatro Agorà, and did all their rehearsals and performances there. The product of the Spring 2024 semester were two performances of the classic musical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Both shows were sold out and were incredibly well-received by the JCU community.
Each year since its reactivation in 2022, the Performing Arts Program has brought together a group of degree-seeking, visiting, ENLUS, and MA students, culminating
in intricate productions. Beyond acting on stage, all students are welcome to participate and test their skills in improv, singing, instrument-playing, choreographing, dancing, stage managing, creating scenery, and assisting with tech, make-up and hair, and much more.
An average of 30 students take an active part in the shows each semester for an average of 120 audience members from the JCU community. Beyond putting together and performing a show, the Performing Arts Program participants gain awareness of themselves and others, confidence in public speaking, and hone their teamwork skills. By popular demand, the program is also expanding beyond theatre for the next academic year.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Residential Life team, comprised of Resident Directors and Resident Assistants, continued to support the University’s mission by creating a safe and inclusive living environment which fosters academic success, personal growth, and social responsibility.
In Fall 2023, the Resident Assistant (RA) team consisted of 16 students from different cultural backgrounds and from a variety of majors, supporting 592 residents. With our three residences mostly occupied by degree-seeking freshmen and visiting freshmen programs, RA training and scheduling was conceived to support a younger population of students requiring more close-by care and assistance. Throughout the semester, RAs organized 30 in-house events such as “Game night” and “Sip and color,” and hosted well-attended “Welcome mixers,” aimed at creating warm and nurturing social climates for their residents.
In Spring 2024, the RA team was composed of 17 students caring for 566 residents. As the Spring semester is typically made up of mostly visiting students, the RAs’ role adjusted to meet the needs of a more independent group of residents. During this
semester, 41 events were organized with the most successful being the “Tea and Talk” hosted by the Lungara RAs and the “Mid-terms pick me up” in Gianicolo. Offering critical guidance to the Resident Assistants are our Residence Directors (RDs), live-in, full-time staff members who work to promote and support the wellbeing of JCU’s residential communities, both during and outside of regular business hours. Of the five RDs, three supervised students living in residences and two focused on the Neighborhood Apartments, for a total of 843 students in Fall and 726 students in Spring. In addition, during the academic year they sponsored a total of 14 RD-led events such as “Finals week relaxation stations” (recurring), the “Circo Massimo Experience,”“A Night at the Opera – Contemporary Ballet show,” and “Plant-Based Dinner - Like it’s Veganuary but the wrong month.” At the end of the Spring 2024 semester, 10 leadership cords and 17 certificates were awarded to graduating seniors who contributed significantly to JCU student life thanks to their leadership role within residence life.
community service
Throughout the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters, the Community Service team provided essential support to partner organizations. The cornerstone of the Community Service Program is its highly skilled and experienced Student Site Leaders who lead the activities and guide the student volunteers.
Students from diverse backgrounds and various majors volunteered for approximately 2,255 hours between Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Volunteers engaged in English conversation sessions at Casa Internazionale delle Donne, conducted online English classes with students from Casa Scalabrini 634 and local Roman middle schools, served breakfasts with TuttoBlue Arte e Sociale and with Vo.Re.Co., packed and distributed dinner to guests of Vo.Re.Co.; volunteered at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center and took part in JCU’s Italy Reads program;
participated in weekly environmental cleanups around Trastevere, as well as a major cleanup in Villa Pamphili, led by the Grassroots Club. Over 150 kg of trash were collected throughout Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
Three JCU volunteers participated in the videomaking project “Bevo anche no?” with the local association Trastevere Attiva, to raise awareness of healthy social interactions that do not involve alcohol among middle school students from Istituto via Fabiola. With Trastevere Attiva’s psychologists and the 8th-grade students they created two videos addressing problems of social pressure related to alcohol to tackle the importance of assertiveness and independent decision-making.
The Community Service Office is grateful to all students who took part in the program and upheld the mission and values of John Cabot University.
2,255
Hours of community service completed by students
Fiamma Mozzetta
From JCU Student to JCU Professor
Born in Cordoba, Argentina, and raised in Rome, alumna Fiamma Mozzetta graduated from JCU in 2016 with a B.A. in History and a minor in Communications. She holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Music from Goldsmiths University. In Spring 2024, Fiamma returned to JCU as a faculty member, and joined the Communication and Media Studies Department to teach the “Popular Music and Mass Culture” course.
She is collaborating with the Italian encyclopedia Treccani writing various entries for a music encyclopedia project, and she was the Conference Lead for Encounters 2023, a yearly interdisciplinary conference organized by The Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-east England (CHASE). She is also working with JCU Professor Peter Sarram on a paper on the use and representation of Italy’s troubled past by the Italian hip-hop collective P-38.
Mattia Maglione
Co-translation of Oliver Twist
JCU alumnus and English Professor Mattia Maglione holds a double B.A. in Communications and English Literature from JCU (Class of 2017), and an M.Phil. in Children’s Literature from Trinity College, Dublin, where he is also a Ph.D. candidate.
He recently co-translated Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens into Italian with translator Livio Crescenzi. The translation is called Le Avventure di Oliver Twist (Mattioli 1885, 2023).
He also wrote the glossary section of the Italian translation of Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers (2022) for Mattioli.
In addition, he is contributing to the publication of Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens’ third novel. He is working on the glossary of names, like he did for The Pickwick Papers. These glossaries explain the possible references hidden within the names of Dickens’ characters.
Bogdan Popescu
Imperial Borderlands
Bogdan Popescu is Assistant Professor of Political Science at JCU and Visiting Researcher at the University of Oxford. He previously taught at the University of Oxford and was a postdoctoral researcher at Bocconi and Princeton. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. His research interests focus on comparative politics and historical political economy using novel data from historical sources.
John Cabot University held a presentation of Professor Bogdan Popescu’s book Imperial Borderlands (Cambridge University Press, 2023) in June 2024. The book focuses on borders such as State-making and the institutional legacies of the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires. Professor Popescu explores the role of extractive institutions in colonialism, where historical states exploited local populations for their own benefit.
Sarah Linford
Keynote Speaker at Book Presentation at the Met
Art historian, curator, and educator specializing in modern and contemporary art, Professor Sarah Linford holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a Research Doctorate from the Université Blaise Pascal in France. She taught at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome before joining JCU’s Art History Department. She recently published Force Fields: Rome and Contemporary Printmaking with Devin Kovach (Palombi Editori and Temple University Press, 2020) and contributed to Une Tradition révolutionnaire. Les Arts figuratifs de Rome à Paris 1905-1940 (Académie de France-Villa Médici, 2020).
In May 2024, she was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) presentation of the 2023-2024 illustrated edition of Atlante dell’arte contemporanea (Atlas of Contemporary Art, Giunti Editore, 2024) in New York. Edited by Daniele Radini Tedeschi and Stefania Pieralice, who head the publication’s Scientific Committee, the Atlante is the oldest-running encyclopedia of contemporary art and the only volume of its kind included in the Venice Biennale’s Padiglione del Libro, or Book Pavilion, where a selection of the world’s most authoritative recent publications on contemporary art are displayed.
frank j. guarini a lifetime of service and leadership
Frank J. Guarini, born on August 20, 1924, in Jersey City, New Jersey, celebrates his 100th birthday in 2024, marking a remarkable life of dedication to military service, law, politics, and philanthropy. The Hon. Frank J. Guarini received his education from Dartmouth College, Columbia University, and New York University School of Law, and pursued advanced studies at The Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands. During World War II, Guarini served with distinction, earning the Navy Commendation Medal and three Battle Stars. Following a successful career as an attorney, he entered politics, serving two terms in the New Jersey State Senate and seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout his public and private life, Guarini has maintained a strong commitment to education, founding centers and institutes at Dartmouth College, New York University School of Law, St. Peter’s University, New Jersey City University, and John Cabot University. He also served as Chair Emeritus of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF).
Frank J. Guarini’s contributions to John Cabot University (JCU) have been both transformative and enduring since he became a trustee in 1995. His generosity has significantly shaped the University’s growth, including the establishment in 2005 of the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs, which enhances understanding of critical global issues. In 2008, JCU honored his unwavering support by dedicating
its historic Via della Lungara location as the Frank J. Guarini Campus. Further demonstrating his commitment to education, Guarini initiated the Columbus Guarini Scholarship in 2014, pledging $1 million to support students. His financial contributions continued with a $3 million donation in 2018 to renovate and inaugurate the Caroline Critelli Guarini Campus, named after his late mother, and a $2.5 million gift to establish the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, which achieved AACSB accreditation in 2022. John Cabot University’s MA program in International Affairs, launched in the Fall Semester of 2024, was also created thanks to a generous donation by Guarini.
Guarini’s impact extends beyond physical infrastructure; his dedication to enriching JCU’s academic and cultural landscape is evident in his support for various initiatives. The Guarini Institute for Public Affairs offers a platform for discourse on global and transatlantic issues, particularly those affecting the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, his recent $500,000 donation to establish the Frank J. Guarini Art Center further underscores his commitment to enhancing the University’s cultural and academic offerings. Guarini’s legacy at JCU is marked by a blend of generous philanthropy and a deep commitment to fostering an enriched educational environment.
Inauguration of the Caroline Critelli Guarini Campus in 2018. From left to right: President Franco Pavoncello, Chair Emeritus Hon. Frank J. Guarini, Chair of the JCU Board of Trustees Salvatore Salibello, and JCU Alumni Association President, Trustee Francesco Ruspoli.
Top, left to right: Angelo Vivolo, Frank L. Fekete, Frank J. Desiderio, Salvatore Salibello, Lisa Salibello, Denise Genova, Angelo J. Genova. Front: Frank J. Guarini and Jacqueline Falk Maggi.
our institutes
institute of future and innovation studies
Founded in 2019, the Institute of Future and Innovation Studies promotes international collaboration, transdisciplinary research, and dialogue on emerging and future innovations of high societal relevance and impact in a variety of domains: scientific, technological, economic, environmental, cultural, and social.
Building on John Cabot University’s distinct humanistic and scientific traditions, the Institute achieved some extraordinary results.
In 2023 and 2024, it vigorously strengthened its global identity, visibility, recognition and impact, by participating in influential European, Transatlantic and Global fora, joining exceptional international partnerships, and maintaining an open cross-departmental approach, student involvement, and a strengthened collaboration with several JCU faculty and staff. Below is a selection of noteworthy international participation in global experts’ programs, initiatives, and events organized in the past year.
July 2023
• The Institute’s Founding Director Francesco Lapenta was invited to participate as a presenter at the Megatrends for GovTech experts’ consultation, for assessing the current and upcoming developments of GovTech in Europe. This was an event organized by GovTech Connect of the European Commission DG CONNECT aimed at fostering the digitization of the public sector and the green transition in Europe.
• Dr. Lapenta was invited to present at the 4th Vision “Future of Europe Conference” in Siena that brought together among others Romano Prodi (Former Prime Minister of Italy and former President of the European Commission), Bill Emmott (Editor of The Economist), Jan Piotrowski (Business Editor at the Economist), Fabrizia Lapecorella (Deputy Secretary-General OECD), Dr. Gerlinde Niehus (Deputy Director Defense and Security Cooperation Directorate OPS, NATO), Dr. Clara Neppel (Senior Director IEEE Europe), Hilde Vautmans (MEP), Dragos Tudorache (MEP), and Antonio Parenti (Head of the European Commission Representation in Italy).
SEPTEMBER 2023
• In September, Dr. Lapenta was on the organizing committee for a critical closed-door workshop on options for a UN New Global Deal organized by the South Centre in Geneva. The Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) coorganized this event, which brought together 25 representatives from the Global South and Europe to stimulate meaningful discussions and collaborations on ideas for the upcoming UN Pact for the Future conference.
October 2023
• In October, Dr. Lapenta was invited to present at a review meeting of the European Digital and AI Policy experts group in Brussels with several leading MEP and EC representatives: Maria Joao Rodrigues (FEPS President), Alex Agius Saliba (MEP and Vice-president of the S&D Group on Digital), Brando Benifei (MEP and Lead Rapporteur on the AI Act), Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (MEP and Rapporteur on the European Strategy for Data), Paul Nemitz (Principal Advisor on the Digital Transition for the European Commission), Lina Gálvez Muñoz (MEP and Chair of FEPS Scientific Council), and Paul Twomey (Co-Chair of Global Initiative for Digital Empowerment and former CEO at ICANN).
• The Institute hosted the seminar “Tech for Humanity: Open Standards, Trustworthy AI, and the Common Good” at the European Commission in Italy with Fiamma Goretti (Director of change.org Italia), Konstantinos Karachalios (Director of Standards and former Managing Director IEEE), Mimmo Squillace (President of UNINFO), Gianluca Misuraca, (Executive Director AI4GOV), Anna Gressel,( Caunsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP), and Dario Focarelli (General Director ANIA), with opening remarks from Tuan Nguyen, (CEO of Boston Global Forum).
• Dr. Lapenta joined the European Research Executive Agency as an Expert Reviewer for the Horizon Europe funding program, the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation.
November 2023
• In November, Dr. Lapenta was honored to give a presentation alongside Prof. Romano Prodi (former Prime Minister of Italy, and former President of the European Commission), Prof. Enrico Fardella (JCU) and Professor Wang Liming (one of the foremost legal scholars in China, Deputy to the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh National People’s Congress, Member of the NPC Committee for Finance and Economics, one of the fathers of the Chinese Civil code) at the conference “Data Driven Economies and Regulatory Approaches: EU and China in Relation and in Comparison” hosted by the faculty of Law of the University of Bologna.
• The Institute hosted the seminar “Global Challenges and the UN 2030 Sustainability Goals: Navigating a World in Crisis.” Prof. Enrico Giovannini (former Italian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) kickstarted a session with a compelling presentation by Paolo Guerrieri, Tuan Nguyen, Franco Pavoncello, Fiamma Goretti, Giorgio Rutelli, Giorgio Bartolomucci, Vittorio Calaprice, Silvia Scarpa, Alfonso Giordano, Alina Sorgner, Gianluca Galletto, Francesco Lapenta, and Giuliana Salmaso.
• In March, Dr. Lapenta was honored to present his report as a keynote speaker at a symposium organized by the UN Office in Brussels, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) EU Office in Brussels, and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), titled “Navigating through the Poly-Crisis: Towards a Global Pact for a better Future for People and Planet,” which featured opening remarks from Guy Ryder (Under-Secretary-General for Policy at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General), and Jutta Urpilainen (European Commissioner for International Partnerships). A select group of four experts, including Azita Berar Awad (Chair of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development), Paolo Guerrieri, (Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs), Arancha González Laya (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain), and Francesco Lapenta presented key findings from the report “For a New Global Deal. Preparing the Summit of the Future.”
April 2024
• In April, Dr. Lapenta was invited and contributed to the UN “Citizen Stack: Digital Public Infrastructure, Transformative Technology for Citizens” conference hosted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The conference featured keynote addresses and panel discussions by global leaders, including H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis (President of the UN General Assembly), Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, (Hon’ble Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India), and Amandeep Gill Singh (Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology).
• In the same month, Dr. Lapenta was invited to Harvard University by the Boston Global Forum to honor Dr. Alondra Nelson (former Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) with the “World Leader in AI World Society Award.” Dr. Nelson was nominated in the list of Ten People Who Shaped Science, by Nature. In 2023, she was nominated a TIME 100 member of the list of the most influential people in Artificial Intelligence and a member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. In his congratulatory comments to Dr. Nelson, Dr. Lapenta commended her award as a fundamental step in closing the gap and gender divide and recognizing the incredible achievements of women in science.
May 2024
• In May, Dr. Lapenta was honored to speak at the first UN Civil Society Conference ever held in Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya on May 9-10, 2024. The conference, attended by over 3,600 civil society representatives, provided preliminary discussions and data ahead of the upcoming UN Summit of the Future in September. The Summit was concluded powerfully by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Kenya’s President William Ruto. In his presentation, Dr. Lapenta emphasized the need to decentralize innovation in the digital and AI era for global technological transformation and sustainability. He highlighted the UN’s role in supporting developing nations to embrace sustainable industrialization and local innovation and proposed a synthetic agenda to reimagine innovation models and foster decentralized innovation around technology, digital, and AI diversity.
• In the same month, the Institute of Future and Innovation Studies and the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs at John Cabot University, in collaboration with the Center for American Studies in Rome, organized the seminar “Disinformation and Elections in the Age of AI-Generated Content.”
Dr. Francesco Lapenta with Dr. Alondra Nelson at Harvard University
Dr. Francesco Lapenta at the United Nations
guarini institute for public affairs
The past fiscal year began with a major reshuffle in the Advisory Council, resulting in ten members stepping down and another ten taking over. The main purpose was to better equip the Institute to assist the newborn MA in International Affairs, due to start in September 2024. Professor Enrico Fardella, a renowned specialist of Chinese and Asian affairs, was appointed to the position of Associate Director and Professor Federigo Argentieri was confirmed in the position of Director. The 24 events that were organized during the year covered a wide range of topics, and most of them were co-sponsored by such partner institutions as the US Embassy to Italy, Temple University Rome, the British School of Rome, Centro Studi Americani and Istituto Orientale di Napoli among others. Particularly relevant were the eight book presentations, which included the work of a JCU alumna, Anna Maria Gehnyei, who wrote an interesting, insightful and original account of her life experience as a second-generation Liberian and her successful yet problematic integration in Italy.
Other focuses of relevance were Chinese and Asian countries’ politics, including India and North Korea along with Taiwan; the conflict in the Middle East; cultural history in Ukraine and Russia, featuring Guarini adviser Angela Brintlinger, professor of Russian and Slavic studies at Ohio State University and recently included in a list of undesirable visitors by the Russian Federation, in coincidence with the publication of the book Why We Need Russian Literature; and Paul Robert Magocsi, professor of History and Politics at the University of Toronto who edited important works on Ukrainian-Jewish relations across ten centuries and the Nazi murderous brutalities of Babyn Yar (outskirts of Kyïv, late September 1941).
Student interest in the activities of the Institute has been confirmed by a good turnout at the events and regular applications for the internship, which is about to enter its 18th year of activity.
institute for entrepreneurship
The JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship provides a world-class entrepreneurial education, instilling a strong sense of social responsibility, and building an international network of researchers, practitioners, and leading innovation hubs. This annual report highlights the activities and accomplishments of the IFE during the previous academic year.
Elevator Pitch Competition
The IFE successfully organized the Elevator Pitch Competition in both Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. The competition witnessed a significant increase in participation, with over 100 students in the two semesters. Our new online voting process enables an impressive cumulative reach of over 10,000 impressions.
Guest Speaker Series
Each semester, the IFE invites guest speakers from the Italian and international entrepreneurial ecosystem. These speakers comprise startup founders, investors, serial entrepreneurs, and managers involved in corporate entrepreneurship programs or leading teams with an entrepreneurial mindset. In Fall 2023, we hosted 30 guest speakers, and in Spring 2024, 22. In Spring 2024, we launched the Horizon Lecture Series in partnership with the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, featuring a diverse array of guest speakers and engaging multiple classes and
professors in interdisciplinary discussions.
In particular, the IFE organized two significant multidisciplinary events: one on “Gangmaster and Slavery Conditions in the Agrifood Industry” in collaboration with the Departments of Political Science and International Affairs and Psychological and Social Sciences, and one on “AI and Language Processing” in partnership with the Department of Modern Languages and Literature.
Partnerships and Initiatives
The IFE actively collaborates with various incubators and student initiatives to support startups and business ideas. One notable partnership involves the NASA Space App Challenge, organized annually by NASA and the European Space Agency in Fall 2023. In addition, several JCU students were engaged in the Dock 3 program at Roma Tre University.
Academic initiatives
IFE organized a Paper Development Workshop for a Special Issue of Sinergie Italian Journal of Management, entitled “Imagining a Better World: How Are Companies Transforming Capitalism?” During the workshop, nine papers were presented, all of which have been submitted to the special issue and are currently under revision.
center for career services
The Center for Career Services (CCS) is a strategic resource aimed at fostering the professional success of John Cabot’s undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni. It serves as the bridge between academia and the world of work. From the earliest phase of their journey until well after graduation, students and alumni can tap into the many resources and services made available by the Center.
In 2024 the CCS inaugurated a series of new initiatives:
- A broader range of internship and job opportunities reflecting all academic areas of study.
- A focus on services and employment opportunities for graduate and non-Italian speaking students.
- A new important area of work on “green” jobs.
- A reorganization of career fairs to include talks with international experts, upskilling workshops and keynote speakers.
- The introduction of company visits throughout Italy.
- A program of regular staff training and upskilling.
PARTNER COMPANIES & ORGANIZATIONS
our alumni
Dear Alumni,
As President of the Alumni Association and a proud alumnus of 1994, I am thrilled to reflect upon the past year and share our progress and achievements at John Cabot University. From its inception as a two-year program affiliated with Hiram College, with a class of 31 students in 1972, JCU has evolved into a distinguished four-year liberal arts university with over 1,800 students.
We take immense pride in our alumni worldwide who have excelled in various fields and significantly contributed to JCU’s legacy. Whether they completed their degree at JCU or spent only a semester or summer session with us, we consider all our alumni vital members of our community. Since its establishment in 1995, the John Cabot Alumni Association has grown to include over 12,000 members, providing networking opportunities, career-building resources, and engaging events.
The JCU Alumni Network, our networking platform, offers a forum for members to cultivate new friendships and business relationships with those of similar interests and backgrounds. The shared experiences and memories within the unique academic context of the Eternal City continue to unite us. Our unwavering commitment is to engage and inspire our alumni and friends in their professional and personal lives through a variety of activities and support, ensuring a lasting connection with their alma mater.
Francesco Ruspoli ‘94 President of the JCU Alumni Association Member of the JCU Board of Trustees
distinguished alumni award
During the President’s Gala, held at the Hotel Hassleron September 23, Francesco Ruspoli, alumnus (Class of 1994), President of the Alumni Association and JCU Trustee, presented this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award to Rebecca Anne Proctor ’05.
The distinguished Alumni Award is conferred upon alumni who have demonstrated a steady growth of excellence in their careers and leadership within their respective fields. Award recipients exemplify John Cabot University’s values and mission of fostering intellectual tolerance, freedom, and integrity while promoting crosscultural dialogue.
Rebecca Anne Proctor graduated from John Cabot University in 2005 with a major in Art History. She obtained her M.Litt. from Christie’s London/University of Glasgow in Modern and Contemporary Art History, and then completed a double master’s
degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Conflict Resolution from the American University of Paris, and a master’s in Sociology of Conflicts from the L’Institut Catholique.
The former Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Art and Harper’s Bazaar Interiors, Rebecca’s writing has been published in The New York Times Style Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East, BBC World, and Vogue Arabia. Her book Art in Saudi Arabia: A New Creativity Economy? authored with Ali Al-Senussi, was published by Lund Humphries on November 30, 2023. In 2009 Rebecca moved to Abu Dhabi to work for an art gallery and pursue her interest in journalism. She has lived in the United Arab Emirates ever since, reporting from around the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.
alumni success stories
ANDREA FALCONIERI (’76)
Alumna Andrea Falconieri is the daughter of JCU’s first President, John V. Falconieri. Falconieri was President from 1972 to 1976. Andrea attended John Cabot from 1974 to 1976, when it was still a two-year liberal arts program known as John Cabot International College.
After John Cabot, she earned her graduate degree in Math Education from the University of Oregon. Then, she returned to Rome and was hired by Olivetti, as the company was looking for bilingual mathematicians. She got this job in the early ages of computers, and she worked there for two years, learning programming. She then went to work for Digital Equipment Corporation, where she specialized in software engineering and data architecture, and after twenty years she moved back
to the United States. About seven years ago, she retired from corporate America and consulted for small business for a few years. Since she has always loved music, she has recently started to teach music theory, song arrangements, and ukulele in music schools around Denver.
“My father’s vision with John Cabot was to create an international college that would unite students from around the world and I am happy to see how this still holds true today at what JCU has become. This is one of the most beautiful features of the John Cabot University experience. You learn how different people are, and that difference is invaluable, and it opens your mind to other thoughts and philosophies and other types of experiences. It’s an excellent preparation for thriving in this global world.”
ASCANIO BALBO DI VINADIO (’11)
Alumnus Ascanio Balbo di Vinadio graduated from JCU in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications. Ascanio is an actor, art collector, and the manager of the “Buonanotte Garibaldi” Bed & Breakfast in Rome.
After high school, he moved to Rome to study Economics but soon after that, he realized that numbers were not his calling, so he decided to move to Sydney, Australia. He lived there for one year studying English, working part-time, and attending his first acting course at The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). When he returned to Rome, he enrolled in John Cabot University’s Communications program.
“JCU’s Communications program offered a number of cinema classes, which provided knowledge and technical skills that every filmmaker, actor, and film lover
should have. People who have no interest in film should also take cinema classes, as they might help them develop their sensitivity and ability to analyze human behavior, which is very useful in everyday life, no matter who you are or what you do.”
He recently curated the book Longo. Dall’industria alle opere di Marco Angelini (De Luca Editori D’Arte, 2023). The LONGO brand, the Italian leader in the stationery business, belonged to Ascanio’s grandfather, Giorgio Longo. With this book, he wanted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his grandfather’s death by commissioning an art show at the Museum of Industrial Heritage in Bologna to artist Marco Angelini. Among the artworks of Angelini, made entirely with LONGO objects, the show presented several documents from that time.
Alumna Tatyana Kalaydjian Serraino is an Italian/Danish/Armenian Art Historian, who holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Cambridge (St John’s College) and an M.A. in Arts & Culture Management from Rome Business School. She graduated from JCU with an MA in Art History in Fall 2019. “I was intrigued by the program’s structure, the campus’ incredible location in the heart of Rome, and the international student body and faculty. In addition to strengthening my research and writing skills, JCU provided me with the unrivaled opportunity to see the artworks we were studying up close and in person.” Tatyana is the founder of About Art by Tatyana, a social media channel that makes art history accessible through YouTube documentaries, TikTok shorts, and online
courses. Running About Art by Tatyana led her to some incredible partnerships, including collaborations with the National Gallery in London, Perrotin Gallery in New York, Bottega Veneta in Milan, LEGO Art in Denmark, Netflix Queue, and most recently, the BBC. In fact, Tatyana appeared in Episode three of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour on the BBC, which was aired on BBC2 on May 26, 2024. Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour is a three-part travelogue exploring the educational trips around Europe undertaken by British aristocrats from the late 17th century through the early 19th century. The series also explores the transformative power of art in the cities of Venice, Florence, and Rome. In the episode, Tatyana meets Rob and Rylan to discuss the Counter-Reformation and its influence on art.
TATYANA KALAYDJIAN SERRAINO (’19)
alumnus and artist giggs kgole gives back to jcu
Giggs Kgole ‘24, a talented South African artist and proud alumnus of John Cabot University, is already making a meaningful contribution to his alma mater.
As a recipient of a Presidential Scholarship at JCU, Giggs’s journey was paved with determination and passion for the arts. Despite the challenges of leaving his home in Limpopo, South Africa, to study abroad, he embraced the opportunity to broaden his horizons, majoring in Art History with minors in Art and Design and Communications. His experience at JCU, surrounded by a diverse and international community, played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision and commitment to storytelling through art.
In a gesture of gratitude and to contribute to the academic community that supported him, Giggs recently donated one of his artworks to JCU. This act not only reflects his deep appreciation for the opportunities he received but also his desire to inspire and support future students. The donation is especially meaningful as it highlights his journey from a scholarship student to an accomplished artist and gallery owner. Giggs’s art, characterized by themes of home, politics, poverty, and
family, resonates with his personal experiences, making it a valuable addition to the University’s collection.
Throughout his time at JCU, Giggs not only excelled academically but also continued to make significant strides in his artistic career, having participated in over 25 exhibitions across the UK, South Africa, France, and Italy. His recent exhibit at John Cabot University, titled “Ikhaya,” which means ‘home’ in Zulu, was a testament to his commitment to exploring and sharing the intricate stories of his heritage and the human experience.
Giggs’s dedication to both his craft and his community is evident in his future plans, which include building an international art center in his home village. This project aims to create a space for art, culture, and education, bridging his international experiences with his roots in South Africa. By donating his artwork to JCU, Giggs not only honors his past but also paves the way for future generations of artists and scholars, ensuring that his legacy of giving back and fostering cultural exchange continues to thrive.
in support of jcu
fundraising results
With deep appreciation for the Board of Trustees, Alumni, parents, companies, foundations, and friends who contributed to JCU during the fiscal year 2024, we are pleased to share the fundraising results that continue to support the mission of the University.
This year, we successfully raised a total of $1,922,540.83, reflecting the unwavering commitment of our community. The distribution of contributions demonstrates a strong focus on strategic areas, with the Annual Fund accounting for $1,775,040.83, or 92.3% of the total. The New York Gala, honoring Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express, was a key driver for the Annual Fund,
TOTAL AMOUNT OF DONATIONS FISCAL YEAR 2024
$1,775,040.83
with notable contributions from our Trustees, companies and foundations. We also saw a significant increase in donations towards Facilities, which rose to $135,000.00, representing 7.0% of our total funds raised. Additionally, our efforts in Academic and Cultural Programs saw renewed support, raising $12,500.00. The generosity of our donors this year has enabled us to continue providing our students with outstanding educational opportunities and to maintain a vibrant campus community. Your support is crucial to the success of our programs and initiatives, and we are deeply grateful for your dedication to JCU.
$1,922,540.83 $135,000.00 $12,500.00
**Facilities: fund used to maintain and expand JCU campuses. 3 2 1
*Annual Fund: unrestricted fund used to fulfill the University’s needs and face unexpected challenges.
ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS
Honor Roll of Donors
John Cabot University gratefully acknowledges the following supporters, each of whom made generous gifts to JCU between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
Although we could not include pledges in this list, we remain grateful for the support of all Trustees, Alumni, parents, and friends of JCU, particularly those who have made long-term annual commitments. We are especially grateful to the supporters of the New York Gala 2024, honoring Stephen J. Squeri, who contributed to making this an exceptional fundraising year.
FOUNDERS ($100,000+)
American Express
American Express Foundation
Paula Frohring and The Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation
Frank J. Guarini and The Frank J. Guarini Foundation
Robert and Suzanne Robotti
PATRONS ($10,000+)
Stefano Acunto
Robert Leon Buly
Vivian Cardia
William A. Cavendish and HealthCap Srl
James Colucci and the Jim and Linda Colucci Fund
Frank J. Desiderio
John T. Dunlap
Frank L. Fekete, The Lucy & Eleanor S. Upton Charitable Foundation
The William Gross Charitable Foundation
Brian and Kristin (VS’05) Finkelstein
Angelo J. Genova and Genova Burns LLC
Munr Kazmir
William J. Martini and The Nicholas Martini Foundation
John C. Meditz
Amalia Mazzolin
Joseph A. Panepinto, Sr. Esq.
Panepinto Properties, Inc.
Portia A. Prebys
Salvatore and Lisa Salibello
Frederick Vreeland
Angelo Vivolo and The Francesco and Mary Giambelli Foundation, Inc.
Richard J. Wolff and Chip in for the Children, Inc.
PARTNERS ($1,000+)
AeV Architetti Studio Associato
Reza A. Arabnia ‘83 and Gecofin S.p.A
Sokol Begleri
BB Network Srl
Davino Family Foundation
Giuseppe De Santis
Lucio Ghia
ICTS Italia
James Anthony Kushlan
Thomas Larsen
Alexander Mirabella
Franco Pavoncello
Thomas Ragukonis
Francesco Ruspoli ‘94
Shallu Shandilay
Ronald Singh
T&G Travel Srl
Kem Turner ‘05
Veber Srl
JP Morgan
Liza Zaneri
Health Care Solutions
Pier Paolo Carletti
SPONSORS
($100+)
Paul Anthony, Jr.
Arora Poonam ‘89
Francesco Albano
Federigo Argentieri
Paolo Cardinali ‘94
Elena Catarozzo
Eleonora Francica ‘20
Daniil Frank ‘21
Stefano Gazziano
Paola Incisa Di Camerana ‘92
Francesco Lapenta
Andrea Lanzone
Phyllis Mirabella
Giulio Percossi ‘20
Helene Rassias-Miles
Carlos Santander ‘24
Errebian SPA
Erin Swanson ‘13
Marianna Tabolacci
SUPPORTERS (up to $100)
Clare Anderson ‘22
Davide Benzi
Azzurra Bisciardi ‘23
Donnatella Bove Parra ‘24
Katharine Campbell ‘22
Maria Ludovica Cataldi
Ivona Cikos ‘03
Andrea Cominato ‘91
Chiara Di Vito ‘20
Lauren Di Martino
Nada El Kady
Joshua Giacchè ‘14
Alexander Guttieres ‘76
Sinara Isoyan
Sofija Kaluderovic ‘22
Jazmin Kuan Veng ‘92
Josephine Mastropierro ‘22
Roberta Napodano ‘23
Filip Popov Plavsic ‘14
Paolo Marco Porzio ‘96
Morgan Sarver ‘05
Anastasiia Shmatina ‘18
Winship Todd
Laura Weinstein ‘19
IN MEMORIAM
Trustee Ruth Rabb
John Cabot University sadly announced the passing of Mrs. Ruth Rabb, a cherished and esteemed member of the Board of Trustees at John Cabot University. Ruth passed away at the age of 106 on Sunday, February 4, 2024, in New York, New York.
Ruth was a distinguished alumna of Radcliffe College and joined the JCU Board of Trustees in 2003. She brought with her a wealth of experience from her time spent in Italy, where she lived for nine years as the wife of The Honorable Maxwell Rabb, United States Ambassador to Italy. Ruth’s career was marked by her dedication to child development, drug rehabilitation, and social services. Her visionary efforts were instrumental in founding Polimoda, an affiliate of the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, in Florence, Italy. Additionally, she served on the International Advisory Board of Auburn University.
Her unwavering support and profound dedication to the JCU community have left an indelible mark. Ruth’s legacy will continue to inspire and guide us.
We extend our deepest gratitude for her many contributions and offer heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones.
Ruth Rabb with her husband, Maxwell M. Rabb, in 1985.
Board of Trustees
Comm. Salvatore Salibello, Chair
Certified Public Accountant
Vice Chairman, National Italian American Foundation New York, New York
Comm. Avv. Frank J. Desiderio, Vice Chair
Partner, Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP New York, New York
Cav. Prof. Portia Anne Prebys, Vice Chair
President, Association of American College and University Programs in Italy Curator, Centro Studi Bassaniani, Ferrara Rome, Italy
Comm. Stefano Acunto
President, Beacon Intl Group, Inc. Greenwich, Connecticut
Rosemary Alito, Esq.
Attorney at Law, K&L Gates Newark, New Jersey
Cav. Lav. A. Reza Arabnia
Chairman and CEO, Gecofin S.p.A Milan, Italy
Robert Leon Buly, M.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Weill Medical College of Cornell University Hospital for Special Surgery New York, New York
Cav. Vivian Cardia
President, Vivicar, LLC New York, New York
Mr. William A. Cavendish
President and CEO, Healthcap S.r.l. Rome, Italy
Mr. James Colucci
President and CEO, Gurkha Cigar Group Tamarac, Florida
Frà John T. Dunlap
Prince and Grand Master, Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Attorney at Law, Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller, LLP New York, New York
Mr. Frank L. Fekete
Managing Partner, Mandel, Fekete & Bloom CPAs Jersey City, New Jersey
Mrs. Kristin Frohring Kushlan Finkelstein
Founder, ShareBaby, Inc. Reisterstown, Maryland
Ms. Paula Frohring
Frohring Foundation Annapolis, Maryland
Angelo J. Genova, Esq.
Chairman and Managing Partner, Genova Burns LLC Newark, New Jersey
Avv. Prof. Lucio Ghia Ghia Law Firm Rome, Italy
Hon. Frank J. Guarini, Chair Emeritus
Attorney at Law, Guarini & Guarini
Former Member of Congress Jersey City, New Jersey
Dr. Munr Kazmir
Founder and CEO, Direct Meds
CEO, Quality Home Health Care Leonia, New Jersey
Alexandria J. Maloney, MPA
Young Alumni Trustee
President, Black Professionals in International Affairs
Baltimore, Maryland
Hon. William J. Martini
U.S. District Court Judge
Former Member of Congress Newark, New Jersey
Ms. Carol M. Maurer
Partner, Guarini and Guarini Jersey City, New Jersey
Ms. Amalia Mazzolin
Managing Partner, Mazzolin Family Limited Partnership
Chairman of the Board, Rex Carton Company, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Mr. John C. Meditz
Managing Director and Co-Founder, Horizon Kinetics, LLC
New York, New York
Mr. Steve Menzies
Founder and Chairman
Applied Underwriters, Inc.
National Corporate and Philanthropic Leader
New York, New York
Mr. Alexander Mirabella
Commissioner, Union County Board of Commissioners
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Mr. Joseph A. Panepinto, Sr.
President and CEO, Panepinto Properties, Inc.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Dr. Franco Pavoncello
President, John Cabot University
Rome, Italy
Mr. Robert Robotti
President and CIO, Robotti & Company Advisors, LLC
New York, New York
Mr. Francesco Ruspoli
Private Banker, Banca Generali
President, John Cabot University Alumni Association
Rome, Italy
Mr. Braden Smith
President, Wintrust Private Client Chicago, Illinois
Ms. Kem Turner
Project Implementation Asia Region/Funding Liaison Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome, Italy
Mr. Angelo Vivolo
Vivolo Consulting, LLC
New York, New York
Hon. Frederick Vreeland
Chairman, Noor Web
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco Rome, Italy
Frà Richard J. Wolff, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, NHSA New York, New York
Vision statement
The future is going in the direction of John Cabot University. A multicultural educational environment in a vibrant world capital, a dynamic curriculum aiming to empower students facing the challenges of an interconnected world, an international faculty dedicated to liberal arts education. By establishing a beautiful urban campus in the heart of the Eternal City, with excellent academic, residential, and communal facilities, we have had the opportunity to construct a unique center of knowledge for the global leaders of tomorrow—leaders who engage in dialogue and collaboration to build a better, more promising, and wiser world for future generations. This is where the future is going, this is where JCU has been for decades and where it will always be.
Ad maiora!
Franco Pavoncello, Ph.D. President
