MCLL Teachers’ Academy provides valuable professional development for teachers of Spanish

MCLL Teachers' Academy

From that moment, everything quickly moved into motion as Dr. Gordo Peláez agreed with the idea and offered art history as a start to teach new vocabulary and create new lessons in Spanish. He was joined by Hernández. Castillo wrote a proposal outlining the necessity of a program and sent it to then Dean Jiménez-Sandoval. The rest was history as the Teachers’ Academy was approved and housed under MCLL.

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New Faces: MCLL welcomes Dr. Andrea Polegato

Dr. Andrea Polegato

We are excited to welcome Dr. Andrea Polegato, who will be joining as an Assistant Professor of Italian Studies. Dr. Andrea Polegato earned his BA in History of Political Philosophy from the University of Padua, Italy and his Ph.D. in Italian Literature from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2015.

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Portuguese institute opens Fall Lecture Series with ‘Azores and the Central Valley’

As a natural stop for trans-Atlantic voyages, it was commonplace for the Portuguese population of the Azores to spread around the world. They began arriving in California on whaling ships before the gold rush and continue to migrate to this day. Many Azorians maintain close connections to their ancestral home and thousands return to visit each year.

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Fresno State institute bridges Portuguese and Central Valley cultures

Diniz Borges, Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute director; Vasco Alves Cordeiro, president of the Government of the Azores; Dr. Joseph I. Castro, president of Fresno State; Dr. Michelle DenBeste, dean of the College of Social Sciences; Dr.Michael Thomas, interim associate dean of theJordan College of Agricultural Sciences & Technology; Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.

“The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute is founded on love,” said Dr. Saul Jimenez, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “Love for a language that is unique, a culture that brings people together, and the hope to keep both this language and culture alive in a California that celebrates its diversity and rich Portuguese heritage.”

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Mario Arias, Student of Distinction

Mario Alberto Arias Esquivel

Teaching Spanish to others is more than just a job for Mario Alberto Arias Esquivel. He described the process as sharing a piece of himself, his culture, and giving his students a second soul.

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Panel to focus on Portuguese-American legacy of agriculture in the Valley

Ranch in Tulare County

In celebration of Portuguese Immigrant Week, the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute will hold a “Portuguese-Americans in Valley Agriculture: Family, Heritage, Community and Commitment” lecture at 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 13th in the lecture hall of the Agricultural Science building, Room 109.

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Transformative two-year grant to promote Portuguese legacy in Valley

Dr. Vasco Rato, FLAD president, director Miguel Vaz, Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro, Rep. Jim Costa, Rep. Devin Nunes, Rep. David Valadao, and other University officials, students, and faculty for a reception and gift announcement at 11 a.m. Nov. 5 in the Smittcamp Alumni House.

The Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), based in Lisbon, Portugal, gave $130,000 to launch two initiatives in the newly created Portuguese Beyond Borders Center at Fresno State. The grant will be split two ways with $100,000 funding the Portuguese-American Oral History Project and $30,000 to fund a speaker series. “FLAD is extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity […]

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New Faces: Two new professors join Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures

NewFacesMCLL

The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State is the largest college on campus, encompassing nine departments, and the Armenian Studies Program. Each year, new faculty are brought on to elevate the academic offerings here at Fresno State. These new faculty members bring innovative research, diverse fields of study and technical expertise to our college, inspiring new […]

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