Loredana Polezzi has been named the Alfonse M. D’Amato Endowed Chair in Italian American and Italian Studies, positioned in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of European Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

The D’Amato Chair, established in 2008, was made possible by a fundraising effort led by then Stony Brook University Council Chair and current Stony Brook Foundation Board member Richard Nasti, along with former SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Mario Mignone. The Chair is the first endowed chair in the College of Arts and Sciences.