MEDIA STATEMENT
Monday, February 7, 2000

EIGHT UNIVERSITIES BENEFIT FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATION

Eleven prestigious Cassamarca Foundation Lectureships to promote 
Italian language and culture have been awarded to universities across 
Australia.


In April last year, the Cassamarca Foundation, based in Treviso, Italy,
committed nearly three million Australian dollars to fund eleven
lectureships (Level B) for three years (2000-2002) to promote the 
study of Italian language and culture. The University of Western 
Australia administers the grants working with an Australian Project
Committee, chaired by Dr Loretta Baldassar.


The awards are the first since the Foundation's commitment made last 
year to boost Italian Studies in Australian universities. Selection 
committee chairman, Professor David Moss, said the lectureships had 
been awarded to various departments of universities including joint 
arrangements across fields of study.

Universities to benefit are: Flinders; Griffith; Melbourne jointly in 
the Department of French and Italian Studies; Monash jointly in the 
Department of History and Italian Studies, and another in the Department 
of Italian Studies; South Australia; Sunshine Coast; Sydney in the 
Department of History and in the Department of Italian; The University 
of Western Australia jointly in the Departments of History and 
Anthropology and another in the Department of Italian.

"The awards have been distributed by field of study with seven in 
language and literature; one in language and cultural studies, one in 
Renaissance literature and history, two in migration studies,"Professor 
Moss said.

"In the Committee's view, the outcome accommodates as far as 
possible the diversity of the eligible applications. We are very aware 
that the limited number of lectureships to be awarded meant many 
worthy applications could not be successful."

Professor Moss said the quality and number of applications made it 
clear how much work is being done to sustain Italian Studies at a 
time when many universities are seemingly indifferent to the area.

"Appreciation of the very great generosity of the Cassamarca 
Foundation in offering the lectureships should be accompanied by 
the Committee's regret that it could not make awards to all applicants 
deserving of support."
 
He said evaluation of the annual progress reports from successful
applicants was a condition of the continuation of funding for the 
second and third years of the award.
 
Applications were received from departments based in 19 universities. 
The distribution by state is: New South Wales (2), Queensland (2), South
Australia (2), Victoria (3), and Western Australia (2).
 
MEDIA REFERENCE:
Professor David Moss 
Dr Loretta Baldassar 
Colin Campbell-Fraser