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�䳧������’s ÁNDALE Latino Research Training Program is a finalist for the 2025 Examples of Excelencia, the nation’s only data-driven effort to spotlight programs with proven impact on Latino and other post-traditional student success. Short for Advancing Nutrition Development through Alliance for Education and Leadership, ÁNDALE  — which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture —prepares underrepresented undergraduates for graduate school or the workforce through a 10-week research and training experience. Students study Latino nutrition and disease prevention, receive professional development and conduct faculty-mentored research. As a finalist, ÁNDALE is recognized among a select group nationwide for intentional, sustainable practices that expand access to higher education while cultivating talent to strengthen the nation’s future workforce. 

Chamber Choir shines at international festival  

Four ɫ��ɫ translators have received the Flaiano Prize for Italian Studies for their English translation of “The Natural History of a Neapolitan Miracle: The Secret of San Gennaro’s Blood” by Francesco Paolo de Ceglia. The honor, presented in Pescara, Italy, recognizes outstanding works promoting Italian culture abroad. Recipients were Clorinda Donato, director of the Clorinda Donato Center  and  professor of Italian and French; Manuel Romero, the center’s associate director; Alessandra Balzani, instructional program coordinator and lecturer; and Jaclyn Taylor, lecturer in Italian. Balzani and Taylor accepted the award on behalf of the team during the June 28 ceremony. It is also notable that three of the four translators — Romero, Balzani and Taylor — are graduates of �䳧������’s Italian Studies MA program, the only such graduate program in the CSU system. 

Craig R. Smith, emeritus director of �䳧������’s Center for First Amendment Studies, has released his 25th book, “First Ladies: Enduring Infidelities, Strokes and Assassinations,” a sweeping look at America’s first ladies from Martha Washington to Melania Trump. The work examines the challenges these women faced while shaping a role not defined in the Constitution. Organized into seven historical eras, the book explores how first ladies established lasting traditions while delving into little‑known stories, including a first lady accused of manslaughter in her youth and another who served as acting president for six months. A former speech writer for President Gerald Ford, Smith is a prolific and acclaimed political writer.