Our Gown Spotlight features Dr. Federico Pacchioni, Musco Endowed Chair in Italian Studies and Founding Director of the Ferrucci Institute at Chapman. A native of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, he completed his undergraduate studies partly in Italy and partly in the United States. His early interests in education and his studies in literature and film led to a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2010. After holding posts at the University of Connecticut-Storrs and the Italian Immersion School of Middlebury College in Vermont, he accepted the Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Endowed Chair in Italian Studies at Chapman University in 2012, attracted by the prospect of creating an Italian Studies program at “such a dynamic institution.”

Over the years, Federico collaborated with the leadership of Chapman and the Italian community of Orange County to launch the Ferrucci Institute for Italian Experience and Research, made possible by a gift from the Ferrucci family in 2023. Here, together with colleagues from several departments and disciplines, he endeavors to facilitate educational experiences and to promote a broader understanding of Italy’s intellectual and creative potential, through both scholarship and artistic production.

During the academic year, Federico teaches courses on Italian language and culture in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, interdisciplinary humanistic courses in the University Honors Program, and classes about Italian cinema in Dodge College. During breaks, he leads Chapman students in travel courses across the Italian peninsula and hosts events open to the public in collaboration with the Leatherby Libraries and the Musco Center for the Arts. These events are often an opportunity to bring together the university and the larger community to celebrate a lifelong dedication to learning and explore the cultural, scientific, and artistic treasures of Italy. Dr. Federico Pacchioni is a unique and welcome asset to Chapman University, its students and the community!