By Amelia Kibbe
Editor-in-Chief
The Lenna Foundation chose Osvaldo Succi, a linguist, lecturer and international relations advisor, as the 2015 Lenna Visiting Professor.
Succi, a native of São Paulo City, São Paulo, Brazil, will arrive on campus Monday and stay until Sept. 28. During his stay, Succi will present a plenary lecture titled “Globalization: The Culture of Sport in Brazil” at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 in Dresser Auditorium. He will also present at a faculty forum, as well as being the keynote speaker for the Lenna Visiting Professor dinner on Sept. 24.
The plenary lecture is open to the public as well as the campus community. Soccer is Brazil’s national pastime so that topic is very important culturally to Brazil, said Monica Mattioli, Succi’s host during his stay.
In addition to the planned lectures and speeches, Succi will visit various classrooms to talk to smaller groups of students on more specific topics, said Mattioli.
Along with visiting St. Bonaventure, Succi will visit and present at Jamestown Community College (both the Olean and Jamestown campuses). He also hopes to meet with colleagues from other local SUNY schools, Mattioli added.
According to Succi, it was Mattioli who suggested he come to Bonaventure as the Lenna Visiting Professor.
“I am one of the people responsible for International Relations at Faculdade de Tecnologia de Americana, a Technology Community College in Americana, São Paulo, Brazil,” he said. “Monica Mattioli visited us three years ago. She submitted my name for the Lenna Visiting Professor.”
He said he hopes to bring a new awareness to language and culture to students.
“I am an applied linguist who focuses on pre-service teacher training and English language teaching,” said Succi. “For me language and culture are aspects which are present in our everyday lives and require our constant attention. I hope my lectures and presentations might help students think about these aspects.”
Mattioli also stressed the importance of learning about other traditions.
It is important that SBU students be conversant in cultures and traditions beyond our own,” she said.
“Because Professor Succi has an exceptionally rich wealth of experience in bridging the cultures of Brazil with the U.S., he will be a strong resource for our students and for our faculty.”
However, along with exploring different cultures, Succi said he is excited to talk about his own.
“Brazil is a very interesting country to visit and study, so I would like to share a little bit of Brazilian Culture with them,” he said.
Mattioli said she encourages students to interact with Succi.
“He is a friendly and engaging person who will take an interest in overall campus life,” she said. “For example, mindful of Brazil’s love of soccer, he has already been connected with Coach Brdarski and will be present for some practices and to cheer on the Bonnies at a match.”
The Lenna Visiting Professorship is funded through a grant from The Lenna Foundation located in the Jamestown area. The grant is shared between St. Bonaventure University and Jamestown Community College.
