Inside this issue:

WolfTracks
Volume 5, Issue 4
The American University of Rome Alumni & Friends Newsletter Fall 2008
Photo for the BBC by alumna Anastasia Safarian
Inside this issue:
* US Presidential Election Watch
*Cortney Healy’s
Postcards from Morocco
* New Faces on Campus

UNIVERSITY OF
ROME
WolfTracksTHE AMERICAN
Dear Alumni and AUR friends,
Welcome to this fall 2008 edition of
our Newsletter.
It’s been a full, exciting semester.
AUR registered a record new student
enrollment this fall, watched the US
presidential elections closely on Nov.
4th, received approval to offer new
BA degrees in Archeology and
Classical Heritage and in Film and
Digital Media, launched a minor in
Italian Business Environment, held
seminars, restructured the Admissions
office, played basketball and soccer,
and received lots of updates from
former students from all over the
world.
As we prepare for the season’s
holidays and for the spring term we
welcome as ever your feedback,
stories and updates.
Happy Holidays!
The WolfTracks Team
In this Issue:
AUR as global election center 3
New Film & Digital Media BA 5
AUR gets Podcasted 6
Racism in Italy Conference 9
New Faces of AUR 11
Courtney Healy’s
Postcards from Morocco 13
AUR Alumni Voices 15
Professors in the News 19
AUR Celebrates 40 years
of Service since 1969
2009
Next year marks the ruby anniversary of The American University of
Rome. Since its inception in 1969, The American University of Rome
has worked to help transform the lives of thousands of young men and
women.

AUR
Election Night
Polling Statistics
Pictured: AUR Alumna Audra Kachonik gets
interviewed by current TV.
Obama
McCain
Nader
November 2008: AUR was global election center
throughout election night on November 4, broadcasting both
on live TV and on the internet in partnership with Emmy awardwinning
Current TV, the first fully integrated web and TV
platform, viewed in the US, UK and Italy on SKY Television.
A Current TV crew set up a live Skype broadcast in the
AUR Computer Lab, and spent all night on Campus, together
with the AUR community. Students, staff, alumni and friends
came to take part in the broadcast, which was aired on SKY’s
channel 130. They were able to voice their opinions on the US
presidential elections live to a global audience in several link
ups with the Current TV studio.
The election watch continued until the early hours of the
following morning and was animated by a barbecue,
refreshments, and quizzes.
AUR was proud to have been at the forefront of
communication technology and recognized as a truly
international education center.
September 2008 - AUR alumni based in Rome
had a chance to meet the university’s Trustees
at an evening reception held at the Majestic
Hotel on September 25. Trustees were
gathered in Rome for the annual Board
meeting and were very interested to hear
from former students what they are currently
doing and what keeps them in Rome.
Alumni attending the reception were Amy
Schoenberg (Class of 2004), Arianna
D’Amico (Class of 2002), Giovanna
Cucciniello (Class of 1996), Kelsea Brennan
(Class of 2008), Klaus Heiss (Class of
2008), Luca De Meo (Class of 1992), Romy
Suarez (Class of 2007) and her sister
Corlyle (Class of 2007), Sara Edmonson
(Class of 2002) and her sister Lauren (Class
of 2006).

NEW DEGREE PROGRAM:
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN
ARCHEOLOGY AND CLASSICAL HERITAGE
This very distinctive program offers students a
unique opportunity to combine the study of
archeology with heritage management in the
context of the city of Rome. Students will
receive a thorough liberal arts education as
well as preparation for the workplace.
AUR's Department of Arts and Humanities has announced
the launch of a new BA Degree in Archeology and
Classical Heritage program, effective spring 2009.
In addition to traditional courses in Ancient
History and Classics, students have the
possibility to excavate archeological sites,
explore the ethical concerns of preservation
and restoration as well as the management
and marketing of the heritage recovered.
Students will not only benefit from the
archeology that is around the city of Rome
itself but will also have the opportunity to
study cultures from all over the world and
take part in projects stretching from Ghana to northern
Britain.
AUR launches new program in
THE ITALIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
September 2008: The Italian Studies Department and the
Business Studies Department collaborated to create a new
minor at AUR which was launched in September. This
program of “The Italian Business Environment” serves
students majoring in both departments as well as students in
communication, international relations or other fields. Prof.
Kathleen Fitzsimmons commented on the program: “This
program was designed as a collaboration between the two
departments with a number of goals in mind: to help recruit
more degree-seeking students, to add value to the Italian
Studies degree offered at AUR, and to differentiate AUR
graduates from other Italian majors, once they get out there
in the real world.”
Many non-Italian AUR students decide that they wish to
remain in Italy after graduation and this program, together
with AUR’s internship program, prepares them for careers
that they can begin in Italy. It provides a rich selection of
courses for students to choose from match their needs. Prof.
Catherine Ramsey Portolano, Chair of the Italian Studies
Department made this remark about the new minor: “This
collaboration with the Business Studies Department brings
together the two fields of Italian Studies and Business for
students who would like a specialization in these two areas.
We are excited about the joint venture and look forward to
offering AUR students a new opportunity.”
For more information please contact the Admissions Office
(ext 260), or either the Department of Business Studies (ext
700) or that of Italian Studies (ext 307).

PIctured: Sofia Marmorstein’s
winning photo for the Tate Gallery
AUR student
commercial a finalist in
UN’s HungerBytes!
Contest
A photograph by AUR Communication student Sofia Marmorstein was selected by the
Tate Modern Gallery to appear in the exhibition photobook, Street or Studio: An Urban
History of Photography. Street or Studio is an ongoing online exhibition for the Tate
Modern. Ms. Marmorstein was one of 100 to be selected for the exhibit out of thousands
of submissions. Her image will also be shown in a slideshow in the gallery for the
remainder of the exhibition and archived on Tate Online as part of the exhibition's
website. http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/streetandstudio/flickr.shtm
Podcast episodes written, produced, and recorded by Spring 2008 AUR students as
part of Professor Elizabeth Geoghegan's Writing Across The Media Class in collaboration
with Rome Review can be listened to on www.romereview.com.
The podcasts includean episode exploring "Italian Superstitions" by Anna Griffis and
Jennifer Sharps, another on "Smoking In Rome" by students Donald Bond, Cristiana Ladki
and Bryce Andrew, and one examining "Forbidden Pleasures" by students Sofia
Marmorstein, Rita Viola, and Jontelle Leyson.
Founder and Director, Prof. Tim Allen, created Rome Review to cultivate a virtual
community of English speakers in Rome. It is a free online resource aimed at making Rome
less mysterious to non-Romans. The podcasts were so successful that Professors Allen and
Geoghegan intend to continue offering AUR students the opportunity to collaborate with
Rome Review.
An episode featuring Alejandra Fabris, Stefania Mui and Aleksandra Petrova's look
at "The Roman Culture Scene: Alternative Art Environments" was published at the end of
October. Stay tuned!
An AUR student-produced commercial
from Prof. Kristen Palana’s Spring '08
Intro to the TV Commercial class was
selected as a top 5 finalist in an
international commercial competition
called "HungerBytes!", held by the UN.
The creators of the 47 second
commercial, titled "Just Because We
Can't See It" are Senior Sandra Goffin,
2008 Graduate Rosi Mosca-Herrera and
Study Abroad student Shawn Cohen. To
read more about the competition and to
see their video, please visit:
WWW.WFP.ORG/HUNGERBYTES
The grand prize winning video was the
one that was viewed the most by
October 16. The AUR students film
came in second with 120,000 views.
The winning video entitled “Time is
running out” was made by a group of
three American students from Auburn
University.
www.aur.edu

Studying abroad, AUR student
Valentina Nesci reports on The
Emory Exchange
Ghana Grant Renewed
The Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has renewed
AUR's Ghana Archæological Survey Grant for 2008-9.
As part of AUR's ongoing Ghana program, Prof. James
Walston and Prof. Giuseppe Fort from Rome's Università
Popolare (UPTER) applied for funds to survey three
archeological heritage sites in Ghana in cooperation
with the University of Legon in Accra. In August last
year, Prof. Fort and Dr. Maja Gori (UPTER) and Prof,
Jens Koehler (AUR) visited Krobo Mountain, the river
port of Akuse and the remains of the Danish slave castle
at Ningo in Eastern Ghana. They were accompanied by
Prof. Kodjo Gavua head of Legon's Dept of
Archæology and Dr.William Gblerkpor who is running
Legon's Krobo dig.
In January, the head of AUR's Dept of Arts and
Humanities, Prof. Valerie Higgins took part in the Krobo
dig with AUR students. The renewed grant will allow
AUR and UPTER to continue the cooperation with Legon
when students and faculty from all three institutions will
continue the survey in January.
Communications Major/
Marketing minor Valentina Nesci
provided a lively update on her
first weeks at this prestigious
university in Atlanta, GA. In an
email to professor Fitzsimmons
she said: “Emory is absolutely
wonderful, thank you for giving
me the opportunity to come here!
Everything is going well.”
Valentina was the winner of The
Emory Exchange, an honors
program open to AUR Provost’s
List students of all majors, for Fall
2008.
The Emory Exchange provides AUR students with the opportunity to
study for a semester at Emory University/Goizueta Business School,
the No. 4 ranked undergraduate business program in the U.S. In
addition, students can take courses at Emory College of Arts and
Sciences. Valentina said “I have had the opportunity to talk and
become friends with people of different cultures - even Italians I
would never have met in Rome! Since there are five exchange
students from Bocconi and one from Torino, we Italians are actually
the largest group! We even organized an Italian dinner and cooked
for more than 40 people.” Each semester, one or two students are
chosen to represent AUR. While paying AUR tuition, they study in
state of the art classrooms, with renowned faculty on the beautiful
Emory campus. “It is interesting that the culture of Emory is actually
very similar to AUR so you don't even feel disoriented being here.
Once you get adjusted to the jet lag it’s fine!”
Anyone interested in participating in this program or other fun and
exciting study abroad opportunities offered by AUR, please contact:
Kathleen Fitzsimmons at k.fitzsimmons@aur.edu.
Students Tour International Institutions in Geneva
November 2008: A group of students went to Geneva with Dr. James Walston and Dr. Paolo Crocchiolo November 20-23.
Their visit consisted of a presentation by Dr. Lorenzo Savioli at the World Health Organization. Dr. Savioli works for the
Center for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Additionally, the students enjoyed two presentations at the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding the plight of refugees in the Caucuses and the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Finally, the students visited the International Red Cross and the International Olympic Committee. In all, the group
spent 3 blustery days in Geneva and had a great time touring a city known for its role in the international community.

Rome, September 16 - Dr. Robert Marino, President of The
American University of Rome (AUR), announced today the
enrollment of new degree-seeking students at the University
increased by 15% this fall, compared to the same period last
year. This represents a record enrollment of new AUR
students who came to Rome from 23 different countries
around the world, with most coming from the United States
and Italy.
The American University of Rome also welcomed a Study-
Abroad class from universities and colleges across the United
States and Europe, with several affiliates sending a record
number of students.
President Marino has announced a major reorganization
for the University with the creation of an administrative
department of Enrollment Services.
Combining the offices of admissions, registration, and
financial aid and encouraging them to work closely with
the Associate Provost for Research and Assessment,
Andrew Thompson, the Director for First Year Program,
Diane Hyett, and Director of Student Life, Jamie Lynch,
will benefit the University’s future enrollments.
The first step taken by the University was to promote
Registrar, Stefania Iorio to Associate Dean of Enrollment
Services and Registrar and Assistant Registrar, Zoe De
Smet to Enrollment Specialist. The next two
administrators appointed to the Enrollment Services
Department were Enrollment Specialists Hanna Suni,
previously a Student Life Coordinator for five years at
AUR and 2002 alumna, Arianna D’Amico, who moved
from working with CEA Cultural Experiences Abroad to
rejoin her alma mater where she served as Student Body
President in 2001-02.
“I am exceedingly pleased with formation of this highly qualified enrollment services staff. They all know AUR very well or have strong
academic and employment backgrounds, which will serve the University well in their enrollment services roles. Each of them is multilingual
and holds a masters’ degree from a very reputable university,” commented President Marino.
The search for other highly qualified enrollment services staff continues as the University searches for a Website manager and a US
based Admissions Counselor. Alumni are encouraged to help in the effort to recruit well qualified degree-seeking and study abroad
students to AUR by contacting us online at www.aur.edu.

Racism in Italy: Then and Now
Racism in Italy: Then and Now
Conference explores past and present
November 2008: On the 70th Anniversary of the
Italian Racial Laws the Departments of International
Relations and Italian Studies organized a conference
at The American University of Rome titled “Racism in
Italy then and now”.
The morning sessions addressed the issues behind
Fascist racism and its consequences both in Italy and
the colonies. The afternoon sessions examined
contemporary issues of racism in Italy today. Both
sessions analyzed and described the extent and
definition of racism, its justifications, its effects on the
law and law enforcement, and its social consequences.
Anna Balzarro, Manuela Caiani, Della Passarelli,
Isabella Clough Marinaro were the AUR professors
who contributed with their papers, while Professors
James Walston and Catherine Ramsey-Portolano
chaired the conference.
Other contributors were Carl Levy, Goldsmiths,
University of London, Nir Arielli, University of Leeds,
Charles Burdett, University of Bristol, Alessandro Pes,
University of Cagliari.
The Auditorium got packed when Piero Terracina, an
Auschwitz survivor from Rome, gave his moving but
lucid account of the ordeal he had suffered in the
camp. He said “Today I have been offered the
possibility to testify and I’ve taken it aware that I have
a duty towards those who no longer have a voice,
those who found the most terrible death in those
camps, mostly by gas, reduced to smoke and ashes in
crematory ovens”.
Full papers on http://www.aur.edu/news/2008/
racism.html

AUR Wants to ‘Be Like Mike’
October 2008 - The AUR Student
government hosted the first Student-
Faculty basketball game on Friday
October 3. The event was aimed at
bringing a little friendly competition into
the mix of students and faculty and
proved to be a lot of fun. AUR’s
Provost, Dr. Richard Resch played
referee for the game. Prof. Silvano Susi,
Student Life & Study Abroad Director
Jamie Lynch, Associate Dean of
Enrollment Services Stefania Iorio, all
took part in the match. The students
won by a mere 17 point lead. Faculty:
3, Students: 20. Sounds like grounds
for a re-match!

New Faces at AUR
A special
welcome
to our new
faculty
and staff
Arianna D'Amico
Arianna D'Amico is the most recent addition to the reorganized
Admissions Office, holding the position of Admissions specialist
dealing mainly with financial aid. She was born in Boston
Massachusetts and attended two years at Suffolk University before
transferring over to AUR in 2000. Arianna was President of Student
Government her senior year and graduated from AUR in 2002. In
2005 Arianna attended St. John's University where she earned a
Master in International Relations. After graduated she co-founded a
non-profit Ngo that promotes gender equality through women
empowerment. Eventually she would like to pursue a PhD. and
teach at a university level. Arianna enjoys fine wine, jazz and
bluegrass music, loves the culinary arts, enjoys baking and rides
equestrian dressage.
Éowyn Kerr
Prof. Éowyn Kerr is an Adjunct teaching the new Conservation
and Restoration: Ethics and Principles course at AUR.
A native of Santa Fe, NM, she received her undergraduate
degree in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute and an
MA with an Advanced Certification in Art Conservation from the
State University of New York at Buffalo. She has also studied
Paintings Conservation on a more international level in both
Florence and London. Éowyn is specialized in the conservation
and restoration of early Renaissance Italian panel paintings, and
her experience includes the treatment of works by Andrea del
Sarto and Jacopo Tintoretto at the North Carolina Museum of
Art as well as the restoration of Baroque ceiling paintings. She
has lived in Rome for the past 6 years, where she works as a
docent with the Context group and teaches and lectures on
international conservation practices and ethics. In 2006 Éowyn
was awarded a Samuel H. Kress Fellowship to conserve
Florentine cassoni (15th century wedding chests) for the
Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the Victoria & Albert
Museum in London.
Francesca Forgione
Francesca joined The American
University of Rome in mid October as
Chief Financial Officer, after covering
the same role for 8 years at Cardinal
Health Italy, the Italian branch of a US
healthcare company.
“I am honored to play my role in this
environment, supporting the institution
every day to strengthen its financial
effort, finding the resources and
allocating them to get the best
achievements for the academic
mission” Francesca told us. “I and my
team, Marita Luzon, Stefano Felicani
and Massimo Pantaloni, in the Finance
Office, are at your disposal for any
administrative support you may need
from us. We are here for you”.
Bart Howard
Bart Howard is a recent addition to our Admissions
team. Mr. Howard has spent the greater part of his
career in higher education at Southern Oregon
University, Linfield College, Pacific University and
Richmond University in London, England. Bart retired
from The Ford Family Foundation in June 2005 after
serving for seven years as the Director of Education and
Scholarship programs. He has held Dean and Vice-
Presidential positions in the field of student services and
has devoted himself to creating opportunities for
students to access post-secondary education and to be
successful in their academic pursuits. In his leisure time
Mr. Howard enjoys backpacking, canoeing, fishing,
international travel and reading World War II history.

Mark Graham
Professor Mark S. Graham
teachesInternational Relationscourses related
to armed conflict and conflict resolution. He
has over 14 years undergraduate and
graduate teaching experience at schools
locatedstateside and overseas
Professor Graham recently retired from active
duty as a Colonel in the United States Army
after over 27 years of service, and moved to
Rome where he has lived in for the past 16
months. He was a Judge Advocate (Army
lawyer) and is a recognized military
international and operational lawexpert who
served in four countries and deployed three
times to the Balkans. Professor Graham served
in the Office of National Drug Control Policy
in the Executive Office of the President and
Washington tours in the Missile Defense
Agency, the Joint Staff and two tours in
NATO. Professor Graham holds a Bachelor of
Arts degree and a Juris Doctorate degree
from the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds
Master of Laws Degrees from the George
Washington University (Environmental Law)
and the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's
School (Military Law).
Manuela Giordano
Manuela Giordano has joined AUR as Adjunct
Professor in the Arts & Humanities Department.
She was born and grew up in Rome. After graduating
in Classics at “La Sapienza di Roma”, she received a
Ph.D. at the University of Urbino working on the ritual
of supplication in Homer, and a Post-Doctorate at the
University of Naples “L’Orientale”, dealing with
curses (arai), oaths and blessings in ancient Greece,
and the practice of revenge. She received the Golda
Meir Fellowship at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, Israel, where she taught for three years,
conducting research on the subjects of Athenian
democracy, cultural and historical contacts between
Greece and Near Eastern civilizations. She is
presently teaching Greek Theatre as a lecturer at the
University of Calabria. She spent research periods in
Paris, Berlin, Oxford, Jerusalem, Chicago and
Cambridge, both as a student and as a visiting
scholar. Her field of research as well as her
publications include Homer, Greek tragedy, myth and
Greek religion and anthropology.
Tatiana Coutto
T.H. Steele
T.H. Steele is a new addition to the Math
department at AUR. He attended the United
States Military Academy at West Point for his
undergraduate degree, and served for four
years in the airborne brigade stationed in
Vicenza. He received his Ph. D. in mathematics
at the University of California – Santa Barbara
under the supervision of Prof. Andrew
Bruckner. Prof. Steele taught at Weber State
University in Utah for 14 years before coming
back to Italy. He also teaches doctoral students
at Universita’ degli Studi di Napoli “Federico
II” in real analysis and discrete dynamical
systems. Prof. Steele has published 23 research
articles and continues to work with colleagues
in Italy, the U.S. and the Czech Republic. He is
an avid mountaineer, and enjoys rock climbing,
hiking and biking. He lives in Rome with his
wife, a professor at Marymount International
School, and his 15 year-old daughter.
Alvaro Higueras
Alvaro Higueras is a Peruvian archaeologist
graduated in the US (Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh,
1996). He learned archaeology in Peru and had a
15-year period of excavations in Peru and Bolivia
before moving to the Old World. His research has
emphasized the study of state-level imperial polities in
the Andes, namely the Tiwanaku society in its
expansion to the Eastern slopes of the Cochabamba
valley, Bolivia. He has been an archaeology
professor in Peru, Eritrea, and then a cultural
manager in post-war Kosovo and Bosnia. He resides
in Rome where he continues working as a consultant
in cultural management, focusing mainly in the
"museum" potential of open spaces (parks and areas
with architectural remains in the city of Rome). It is
his first term as an adjunct professor at AUR. He is
teaching the course of Survey of Western Civilization
I a History course requirement of the International
Relations program.
Manuela Caiani
Tatiana Coutto is an IR Adjunct Professor
and a former researcher and associate
professor of ‘Globalization and
Governance’ at the Center for the
Studies of the Americas (CEAs) in Rio de
Janeiro, her hometown. In 2003 she
moved to Europe to pursue her Ph.D. in
Political Science at the European
University Institute (EUI), Florence. She
has published works on Brazilian political
institutions and foreign policy, as well as
on environmental protection at the
international level. Her latest work,
entitled The EU as an International Actor:
Community Institutions and Mixed
Agreements for Environmental Protection,
will be published in 2009. Her main
research interests are: international
institutions, environmental protection,
sustainable development, and the present
role of developing countries in the
international system. Tatiana Coutto is
also an e-volunteer translator (English-
Portuguese) to the Platform for
International Cooperation on
Undocumented Migrants (PICUM).
Manuela Caiani has joined AUR as International Relations Adjunct
Professor. She is research assistant at the European University Institute
for the comparative project VETO on “Processes of Radicalization in
Political Activism”, focused on right-wing extremism in Europe and USA.
She has received a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of
Florence. Her main research interests concern social movements,
political participation, political violence & terrorism, Europeanization,
and public sphere. Among her publications: “Quale Europa,
Europeizzazione, Identità e Conflitti”, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006 (with
della Porta Donatella).

Alumna Cortney Healy
sends us back fantastic
experiences and amazing
photographs from her
PeaceCorps placement in
Morocco.
The American University of Rome
WolfTracks
Via Pietro Roselli 4
00153 Rome Italy
Caught in the Souq (weekly market) during a hail storm.

Cortney Healy’s
Peace Corps Adventure
Cortney graduated with a B.A. in Art History in May 2008 and is now
applying her knowledge in the Peace Corps in Morocco, where she has
been sent for a two year term. Heather Miller has been in touch with her
and the following is a short account of her experience. Cortney’s blog can
be viewed at:http://www.limejuicetea.blogspot.com/
HM - What has impressed you most about your time in the PC in Morocco?
Berber caves (ifri) in my final site. One of my
projects is helping one of the locals here turn it
into a tourist destination.
CH - “The hospitality shown by the Moroccan people has made my
experience here a good one. During training, my CBT group (Community
Based Training) made up of 4 other PCT's(Peace Corps Trainees) was
assigned to do our training in a small Berber farming village located in the
Middle Atlas Mountains.
When we arrived the whole community was fasting for Ramadan and we
had difficulty finding bread and food for our lunch. One woman over heard
that we were in need and she brought out a fresh loaf from her house that
she had just baked and gave it to us. While a majority of inhabitants in this
village are living in poverty, the hospitality emanated has been rich in
quantity and quality. From the beginning our group felt welcomed and
protected by the community”.
HM - What has been the most challenging part of this experience?
CH - “Living out of a suitcase has been extremely challenging. During the
three month period of training I was constantly changing locations and did
not have the opportunity to settle in any one place. As trainees we were
constantly traveling from our seminar site to our training site and then
Examples of some of the carpets and
pillows made in my area.
finally to our final site. Most of my stuff was in storage at the seminar site
and I was never really sure what I had and what I had left behind.
After completion of the three month training period we were assigned to
live with our host families for a minimum of two months and then we have
the opportunity to have our own house. Only then will I be able to create
my own space and fully unpack”.
HM - What is the most important lesson you've taken away from this
experience so far?
CH – “The most important lesson that has kept me sane here is having a
positive attitude and remaining open to new experiences and opportunities.
Life as a Peace Corps volunteer is challenging and hard not only physically
but also mentally. Every day I am surprised in one way or another and my
views are always being challenged. By creating goals for myself both large
and small and taking time to enjoy simple pleasures I am able to handle the
tough days”.

Alumni in the News
Matthew Rich
(Study Abroad, 1989/1990)
Matthew is currently Director of Private Client Services at
Thomas Weisel Partners. He contacted AUR asking for
assistance in trying to reach out to his former fellow
students. Matthew has very fond memories of AUR and
would like to organize a reunion for 20 years past. If you
attended AUR in 88/89 or are in touch with alumni who did,
please contact alumni@aur.edu.
Kristin Bianculli
(Study Abroad, 2003)
Kristin has recently got her bar results and is officially a
lawyer, working in a plaintiff’s personal injury with some of
the top trial lawyers in the US.
Massimo De Lord Rinaldi
(Study Abroad, 2003/2004)
Massimo graduated from his home school in Belgium in
2005 with a BA in Business and Economics. He has
subsequently worked for Jones Lang LaSalle as a real estate
analyst and at Bank of New York Mellon for two years. He
is currently studying for the GMAT to apply to universities
for his MBA.
Constantine Bouris
(Business Studies, Class of 2006)
Constantine is currently working in Sales for Promocal, a
cement company based in Naples.
Stacy Wilson
(Communication, Class of 2006)
Stacy is living in Los Angeles, working in the film industry.
She is self-employed and works hard at making a living with
acting/writing/directing. She makes her own films and acts
in others. Incidentally she is sharing an apartment with AUR
former students Shannon Moore (2007 graduate) and
Michael Maury (2008 graduate).
Maureen Audetto
(Communication, Class of 2007)
Maureen has recently been accepted to CES Madrid for a
Master’s program in Journalism. She began her program
October 6.
Chelena Dosi Brunone
(International Relations, Class of 2007)
Chelena is currently looking for internships in Accra, Ghana.
She is applying for a Master program at La Sapienza.
Luisa Sanchez & Pasquale Napolitano
(Class of 2007)
Luisa and Pasquale, both AUR Alumni, were married in
August 2008. Pasquale has started a Master program at
the London Metropolitan University for Arts and Heritage
Management
Christopher Roberts Camus
(Communication, Class of 2008)
Chris is working as a Corporate PR Consultant for
corporations such as Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola. Also, Chris
is applying for a Master Program in Corporate
Communication at Aarhus Business School in Denmark.
Jacob Campeau & Jamie Young
(Communication, Class of 2006)
Jacob recently got married and started a Design, print
production and screen-printing company with Jamie Young
(2006 graduate) called Roman Media LLC. Things are
picking up. Jamie and Jake took part in an exhibition in
New York City and ran into Bliss Holloway (2004
Communication graduate) and Mike Quigley. (2003
Communication graduate).
Heather Higgins
(Art History, Class of 2008)
Heather is now teaching religion, literature, and art to 6th
through 8th grade students at St. Isidore School, a small
private school in California. She plans to return to school
for her teaching certification next year.
Jay Irwin
(International Relations, Class of 2008)
Jay has been accepted at Old Dominion University for a
Master’s degree in International Studies.

August 2008: Roberto D’Alberto, Class of 1996,
popped in at AUR with his family on August 5 to say
hello and visit the campus. Roberto was accompanied by
his wife Sarisha, daughter Jordan and mother-in-law
Chetty. He is originally from Pescara, where his parents
live, and currently lives in Zambia, where he runs his
own business. Roberto said he is still in touch with his old
classmate Giovanna Cucciniello (who currently teaches
English at AUR) and would like to get in touch with
another one of his former fellow students, Dong Chi,
from Korea.
Melissa Cannavo, B.A. Communication in May 2008, was awarded her Laurea
Triennale in Scienze delle Comunicazione from the Universita degli Studi di
Macerata on July 3rd.
Melissa presented her capstone thesis Children’s Television: Friend or Foe to an
examination board made up of 10 Macerata University professors and her own
advisor, AUR Prof. Magda Romano, and received a grade of 102/110. Several
Macerata professors congratulated her on her thesis.
In a public ceremony before an audience made up of other Macerata students
and their families, Prof. Maurizio Ciaschini, the President of the Facolta di
Scienze della Comunicazione, conferred upon Melissa the title of Dottore di
Scienze della Comunicazione.
Melissa is the second AUR Communication graduate to obtain the Italian
laurea triennale under the terms of the agreement between the
Communication departments at The American University of Rome and the
Università degli Studi di Macerata
November 2008 - Duncan Campbell, who was a student at AUR in 1979
and 1980, returned to campus after over 20 years to visit his daughter,
Meredith, currently a Study Abroad student at AUR. Mr. Campbell was
received by Prof. Jamie Lynch, Director of Student Life and Study Abroad,
and by Hanna Suni, Admissions Specialist, who showed him around the
premises.
“What fun it was to return to my old school AUR and have my daughter
at AUR also...looks like we have started a tradition...two generations at
AUR” – said Campbell in a thank you note to Prof. Lynch. “The University
has come a long way from Via della Mercede, 21 which was a three
bedroom apartment over a shoe store just off San Silvestro back in 1979
and 1980”.

7 Ways for
alumni to
get involved
at AUR
1. Join the AUR Alumni Network
Go to www.aur.edu/alumni/
stay_connected.html and update your
information. Of course, study abroad
students have always been a
welcomed part of the AUR family!
By alumnus Luca De Meo
It is by virtue of heritage and spirit that I find
myself, as an ‘elder graduate’ writing this
brief article seen in hindsight for the new
“WolfTracks”. Since graduation a decade
and a half ago, many things have happened.
I continued studies at other universities,
worked , got a family. My life has changed,
the world has changed three-fold, and AUR
has as well.
However, some links remained.
I could start by saying that AUR was the way I
met the woman who became my wife and the
mother of our children at an old AUR hangout,
or that AUR was my first real step into
adulthood (knowledge employed in certain
jobs and the capacity to grasp more complex
situations), or that it represented the crossroads
for many international students at the
time. If memory serves I could go on for ages
but the issues and experiences are far too
many to recap them all.
The heart of the matter is that AUR, was
simply a good American college in Rome (a
boon and revelation in that scenario) and it
was a much smaller ‘parochial’ school than
what you have access to now. The program
didn’t offer the same bonanza BUT.. we did
start the business club around that time
period, we also established the preliminary
contacts with an Italian University in Ancona,
held distinguished guest lectures and I
personally had the privilege of being one of
the first students to run in the new internship
program. AUR was already all this back
then and became something more
henceforth.
Today the academic market is
overcrowded, and study and work have
become increasingly competitive, so what
parameters define good education? What
motivates students to plumb into the
cumbersome depths of learning? It’s the
experience itself. Learning isn’t just
surviving books, it’s about finessing
cognitive skills and interacting with others,
it’s about getting to know yourself and the
world around you before you grasp the
lesson. Words like achievement, worth,
sacrifice progress and expertise take on
their true meaning and value once you
come to terms with them. Upon my recent
visit I was glad to find out that some of the
older AUR teaching staff is still there.
That’s part of the heritage, knowing that
they have contributed to forming,
teaching and educating you, and continue
to do so for others.. people devoting part
of their lives (and a lot of patience) to
providing knowledge. What I remember
most about my time at AUR is the indelible
experience itself, being moved by it.
Deep down both the visiting/exchange
and international students know the score:
learning is part of a broader journey and
not merely a destination.
2. Tell your friends, family and
acquaintances about your experience
at AUR
Spread the word about studying
abroad at AUR. If your experience
was life changing, tell your friends
about it.
3. Suggest student internships, work
placement or recruitment opportunities
with your employer
Make a difference in the lives of new
alumni and current AUR students by
helping them to gain real world
experience.
4. Start an Alumni Association in your
area
Contribute to a truly global AUR
alumni network by reforming or
starting a new Alumni Association
where you are.
5. Contribute to the WolfTracks
Newsletter
Send in your stories and photos,
memories of your time at AUR, news
of your whereabouts and
developments.
6. Play an active role in organizing
alumni events
If you have an idea about an alumni
event let us hear it about it.
7. Contribute to AUR through making
a donation
Giving back to the AUR community in
any amount you choose will contribute
to our continued success.

Shewolves open
season with 3-1
win against JCU
October 2008: Many enthusiastic fans saw
the AUR She-Wolves win their season
opener October 30th 3-1 against rivals
from John Cabot University.
Pictured: Giancarlo Cerchiara and Mara
Nisdeo celebrate their new beginnings.
Farewell to four of our wonderful staff
AUR reluctantly said Arrivederci to four of our staff members, Giancarlo Cerchiara, Mara
Nisdeo, Sascha Kugel and Anna Colasante.
Giancarlo spent four years of dedicated service as the Chief Financial Officer at AUR. In
addition to his finance duties and hard work to efficiently organize the Finance Department,
Giancarlo was universally appreciated for his open and cooperative working style with
colleagues at all levels. We will miss his personal warmth and the easy way he has to make
people welcome, and he will be remembered as an impeccably honest and open friend of AUR
Mara is an AUR Alumna and worked at AUR since her graduation with a BA in Italian
Studies in 1999. Mara was a pillar of AUR Admissions, first as Associate Director and then, from
2003, as Director. Mara said she was looking forward to moving back to the United States after
12 years in Italy. Even from the US Mara has agreed to continue an active role in alumni
relations, so we will be happy to count her as a continuing member of our family.
Sascha Kugel, also an AUR alumnus, class of 1997, a BA in Communication, left AUR after
two years of dedicated service as Admissions representatives to resume his studies in the US.
Anna Colasante joined AUR as part-time Assistant to Admissions in May 2007 and was
soon upgraded to full time Admissions Specialist in December 2007. She was an invaluable asset
in the Admissions office and ensured and excellent and smooth transition to the new Enrollment
Services operation.
Best of luck to Giancarlo, Mara, Sascha and Anna… you will be missed!
Prof. Magda Romano is new Coordinator of
Career and Internship Services
Associate Professor of Communication, Magda Romano, has been appointed AUR’s
Coordinator of Career and Internship Services.
She is responsible for working with Academic Department Chairs in arranging support and
guidance for students in the development of career goals and skills for pursuing them. She
organizes career workshops, related resume preparation, job searching and interview
techniques and will arrange for AUR’s participation in career fairs. She assists in the
development of contacts with organizations and employers who may provide opportunities and/
or internship for students and alumni. In addition she coordinates with Academic Department
Chairs the credit-bearing internship courses.
New coach Silvia Di Massimo had the team
well-prepared and confident. Laura Dana,
Kirstin Soldevilla and Elen Ustun each
scored goals in a balanced
offense.Defender Heidi Redlitz suffered an
ankle injury but is expected to return to
play this season.
Commenting on the steady progress of AUR
calcio, AUR athletic coordinator Stefano
Stoppaccioli stated “gone are the days
when league teams looked past both the
Wolves and Shewolves”.
Dr. John Kozup’s
marketing lecture
September 2008 - Dr. John Kozup,
Associate Professor at Villanova School of
Business and Director of the Center for
Marketing and Public Policy Research, has
surveyed 200 U.S. managers on their
perceptions of the Italian market. He
presented the results of his research and
discussed the implications for short term
country promotional efforts as well as
longer-term trade incentives in a marketing
and management oriented lecture titled:
"What's in An Image? Can Branding Drive
Foreign Investment to Italy?" last
September.
The talk was aimed at marketing,
international business and management
students.
For further information please contact Prof. Magda Romano at m.romano@aur.edu

Kathleen
Fitzsimmons
Business Department Chair Prof.
Kathleen Fitzsimmons was named
Joint Overseas Committee Chair of
Rome’s USA Girl Scouts, sharing
this role with former attorney Zoe
Milak. Prof. Fitzsimmons is a longtime
Girl Scout leader and
member of the Rome area GS
Management Team. This
appointment underlines Prof.
Fitzsimmons’ growing volunteer commitment to the Girl Scout organization, the
premier leadership experience for girls. The mission of Girl Scouts is to “build
girls of courage, confidence and character.”
Timothy Allen
Arts & Humanities Prof. Timothy Joseph
Allen unveiled a new website to showcase
his art in October. Features include recent
oil portraits, Roman landscape drawings, a
Figure Drawing Diary and a series of
watercolors from his 14 day rafting trip
through Grand Canyon this past August.
You can visit the website at:
http://www.americanartistinrome.com
Breda Ennis
Arts & Humanities Prof. Breda Ennis
participated in the inaugural exhibition of the
Museo delle Arti e del multimediale, in
Pietrabbondante Molise in August, on the
invitation of the museum’s curator Lino
Alvani.Prof. Ennis contributed seven pieces
to the Samnium Fluxus exhibition, two of
which will remain as part of the permanent
collection of the Museum.
Tony Villani
Communication Prof. Tony Villani’s film Prof. Tony Villani’s film A Ticket to
Hollywood: Europeans in Screenland, 1925-56 has been awarded “Best
Documentary Short” at the Independence Film Fest in Colorado, USA, the only
state wide film festival in the United States. A Ticket to Hollywood: Europeans in
Screenland, 1925-56 is an innovative and visually stimulating approach to Los
Angeles cultural history focusing on those men and women of arts and letters
whose journey to Southern California was mostly spurred by the opportunities the
motion picture industry was believed to generate.
http://www.independencefilmfest.com/press.htm. The film has been selected for
the Siena International Short Film Fest, taking place at the end of November.
Kristen Palana
Communication Prof. Kristen
Palana was recently selected to copresent
an animation course at the
first ever ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA in
Singapore to be held in December
of 2008. The course is titled,
“There Can Be Only One;
Independent Animation for the
Lonely.” In May 2008 Prof. Palana
finished production on a new
animation called Larry and Roz.
As of October 2008 it was
selected to screen in The Rome
International Film Festival (USA), International Film Festival Egypt (Egypt), The
Bushfire Film Festival (Swaziland), The Gold Lion Film Festival (Lesotho), and the
Radar Hamburg International Independent Film Festival (Germany) where it is
also nominated for the Best Art and Animation award. Kristen also recently
created web graphics for the internal WINGS2 website for the UN’s World Food
Programme as well as the corporate identity (logo and slogan) for UNLESA.
Paolo Crocchiolo
International Relations Prof. Paolo Crocchiolo’s paper entitled Il paradosso
biologico dell’omosessualità (The biological paradox of homosexuality)
appeared on the September issue of Prometeo, trimestrial magazine for Science
and History. The paper reviews the different scientific hypotheses put forward to
explain homosexuality in humans, starting from the pioneering studies of Alfred
Kinsey. Special emphasis is placed on recent research in psychobiology, in the
broader context of a neo-Darwinian evolutionary approach. The magazine is
presently available in most newspapers kiosks.

James Walston
International Relations Professor James
Walston recorded several radio and
television interviews on topical subjects
such as the political consequences of the
Wall Street collapse and the effects of
the world financial crisis on the Italian
economy (Press TV, Bloomberg News
(Rome), Radio Città Futura), the US
Presidential elections (Radio Città Futura,
Radio 24 “Viva Voce”, YouDem), the
camorra and the threats to Roberto
Saviano (Ireland’s Newstalk “Wide
Angle”), the Alitalia crisis (Press TV). On
the invitation of the Criminal Intelligence
Service of Ontario Prof. Walston
attended their Fall Conference on
“Traditional Organized Crime: Old is
New” in North Bay, Ontario and
presented a 90 minute paper titled
“Organized Crime in Italy: Tradition &
Globalization” to officers from Canadian
provincial and federal agencies and
agencies and services from the north
east US.
He presented Departmental activities at
a meeting of Tavolo 3 of the Rome City
Council Committee on Cooperation and
met with British Member of Parliament
and OSCE delegate, Bruce George to
brief him on Italian electoral laws.
Bjorn Thomassen
International Relations Department Chair
Prof. Bjorn Thomassen has collaborated
with other professors and academics
from around the world to create
International Political Anthropology, a
peer-reviewed journal providing a forum
for inter-disciplinary and comparative
scholarship addressing problems and
concerns of the contemporary political
world through the lens of anthropology.
The first issue was released in May 2008
in both English and Italian. The editors
plan to release another issue in late Fall
2008. You can visit the journal online at
www.ipa3.com. The main editors of the
journal include Prof. Thomassen, Agnes
Horvath from the Catholic University of
Milan, and Harald Wydra from
Cambridge University. Additionally, Prof.
Thomassen has enlisted the help of a
number of AUR students and alumni:
Caitlin Bagby - International Relations
major and Senior AUR student, Derrick
Fiedler – AUR Alumni currently attending
The University of Chicago, and Lyndsay
Krebs – International Relations major
and AUR graduate in December 2008.
Catherine
Ramsey-Portolano
Italian Department Acting Chair, Prof.
Ramsey-Portolano's article “Da
Fogazzaro a Gallone: L’interpretazione
‘pittorica’ dell’isteria femminile,” on
female acting styles in early Italian
cinema, was published in the Fall 2008
volume of the US Italian Studies journal
Forum Italica.
In July 2008 Prof. Ramsey-Portolano
presentedthe paper “Representation of
sexual and ethnic otherness in Cabiria’s
adult and child female figures” at the
conference “Re-envisioning the child in
Italian Cinema” held atthe University of
Exeter.
Paul Zinder and Maurizio
Marmorstein
Communication Department Chair Paul Zinder’s short
documentary Uno degli Ultimi (One of the Last) continued its
success at international film festivals in summer 2008. The film
won the Best Short Documentary Award from the 2008
Washougal International Film Festival in Washington State and
an Honorable Mention from the 2008 Est Film Festival in
Viterbo, Italy. Prof. Maurizio Marmorstein, who served as the
Producer of the film with Prof. Zinder, represented the film at
the Est Film Festival. As of October 2008, Uno degli Ultimi has
been selected to screen at 25 international film festivals and
has won three awards, including a First Prize – Juror’s Choice
Award from the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, which
was announced in January.

Fall Students Venture Out
AUR’s trip to Trequanda gives students a taste
of Tuscan wine and food culture.
November 2008 - AUR students got a
taste of Tuscan food, wine, and
landscapes on the outskirts of
Trequanda near Siena. Students
made pasta, learned how to taste
wine and ate a true Italian meal at
the vineyard/agriturismo.
Students also got a tour of the
winery, spent time with the resident
pets, and took scenic walks around
the grounds.

WolfTracks
Alumni & Friends
Newsletter
Team
Maurizia Garzia
Editor
Heather Miller
Art Direction and Design
Lyndsay Krebs
Student Assistant
Message to AUR alumni:
AUR’s 40th anniversary approaching
AUR is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009 and is planning to mark this
important milestone with several events throughout the year.
We would like to involve alumni in the celebrations and will let you know how you
can join us. Meanwhile, please continue to send more contributions to the AUR
Newsletter (alumni@aur.edu) with the subject “Wolftracks” and update your
records on the AUR website: http://www.aur.edu/alumni/stay_connected.html.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Happy Holidays!
wolftracks
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ROME
VIA PIETRO ROSELLI 4
00153 ROME ITALY
TEL +39 06 58330919
FAX +39 06 58330992
WWW.AUR.EDU