Professor Theodore J. Cachey Jr., the Albert J. and Helen M. Ravarino Family Director of Dante and Italian Studies at the University of Notre Dame, has been named the inaugural academic director of the University’s Rome Global Gateway. The appointment, effective July 1, was announced by J. Nicholas Entrikin, vice president and associate provost for internationalization.
“We are delighted that Ted has joined the Notre Dame International team,” Entrikin said. “He is a visionary, innovative academic leader who brings a wealth of experience working collaboratively across disciplines, a quality that is vital to success in his new role.”
The Rome Global Gateway, based in a newly renovated building on Via Ostilia within two blocks of the Colosseum, serves as the focal point for academic, cultural and Catholic mission-related endeavors of the University in Rome. Notre Dame’s presence in Rome dates back nearly five decades, through faculty research and student programs of the School of Architecture’s Rome Studies Program. It has expanded over the years through participation of other colleges and schools, most notably, the College of Arts and Letters.
As the gateway’s director, Cachey will work with Notre Dame colleagues — and other partners from across Italy, Europe and elsewhere — to increase the University’s engagement in the world through student programs, research, scholarly conferences and events, and a variety of outreach initiatives. He is charged with ensuring the overall quality, diversity and integrity of the programming at the facility. Through Notre Dame International, the University also maintains Global Gateways in Beijing, Dublin, Jerusalem and London.
Warren von Eschenbach, who has been serving as interim director of the Rome Global Gateway since November 2013, will continue in his role as assistant provost for Europe and director of Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway.
“Notre Dame is well on its way to building a strong presence in Europe,” according to von Eschenbach, “and because of his talent and creativity, Ted will be a key partner in ensuring that the European Global Gateways enhance the international experience of our students and extend the international reach of our faculty’s scholarship and research.”
A professor of Italian, Cachey also serves as director of Italian Studies at Notre Dame and as director of the William and Katherine Devers Program in Dante Studies. He earned his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. His primary research interests are in Italian Medieval and Renaissance literature (particularly Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio), the history of the Italian language and the literature and history of travel.
For additional information on the Rome Global Gateway, contact Cachey at tcachey@nd.edu.
For information on academic programming for all of Notre Dame’s Global Gateways, contact Robert Norton at rnorton@nd.edu. For information on Notre Dame Global Gateway facilities, contact Tom Guinan, tguinan@nd.edu.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on June 12, 2014.