''Oggi - e' un successo sia per il Governo italiano, sia per le comunita' italiana d'America'

10|11|11 - Yesterday evening, at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, the President of the College Board, former Governor Gaston Caperton, announced the re-instatement of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program in Italian Language and Culture, beginning in the 2011-12 academic year. Thanks to the hard work of the Italian Embassy and the advocacy of proud Italian-Americans, the program is now fully funded," said Caperton. "This is a great day for the Italian language, the Italian people and all of us who are enraptured by the culture of Italy and its beautiful language."

Present at the ceremony and joining in the announcement were Vincenzo Scotti, Italy's Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata. Amb. Terzi said that the reinstatement of the AP Italian marked a success for the Italian Government, which contributed financially to the program, but also for the Italian American community, sia per le comunita' italiana d'America'' Also present at the event was Margaret Cuomo, daughter of former New York Governor, Mario M. Cuomo, and a sister of Andrew M. Cuomo, the governor-elect. Ms. Cuomo chairs the Italian Language Foundation, which was established for the earlier fund-raising campaign.

The press release from the College Board lists the Italian American organization that contributed financially to the reinstatement campaign. Although the amount provided by each organization was not officially released, significant funding was provided by the National Italian American Foundation and the Columbus Citizen Foundation and the Order Sons of Italy.

|CiaoAmerica.net|