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Administration & Staff

Our Dedicated Administration and Staff

On behalf of the administrative team, welcome to our website. Over the past fifteen years, the Umbra Institute of Arcadia University has earned a strong reputation as a leader in innovative and immersive study abroad programs in Italy. Our expert and dedicated instructors, academically-motivated student body, passionate and experienced student services staff, and the welcoming community of Perugia are all cornerstones of our Institute’s success. We are extremely proud of the safe and rewarding experience we offer our students and welcome you to explore our many outstanding learning activities in the classroom, with the local community, and throughout Italy. Please feel free to call, e-mail, or stop in and visit if you have any questions regarding our programs.
                                                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                                           Elgin Eckert, Director of Academic Programs

  • Elgin Eckert, Ph.D.

    Elgin Eckert, Ph.D.

    Director of Academic Programs

    Elgin K. Eckert is Academic Director and Professor of Italian Literature, History, and Media Studies at the Umbra Institute.
    She got her undergraduate degree at CUNY-Brooklyn College and has been at the Umbra Institute since 2010. Her research
    interests include cultural memory in Italian literature and the representations of organized crime in film and on the small
    screen. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on those subjects and is co-editor of the book Representing
    Italian Food (Bloomsbury, 2016).

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  • Elisa Ascione, Ph.D.

    Elisa Ascione, Ph.D.

    Coordinator of the Food & Sustainability Studies Program

    Elisa Ascione is the Coordinator of the Food & Sustainability Studies Program at the Umbra Institute. Elisa teaches the
    courses “Sustainable Food Production in Italy: Local Traditions and Global Transformations”, “The Anthropology of Food
    and Eating: Understanding Self and Others”, and “The History and Culture of Food in Italy”. She has received a BA in
    Cultural Anthropology and an MA in Refugee Studies from the University of East London, UK, and a Ph.D. in
    Anthropology and Ethnology from Università degli Studi di Perugia. Elisa has conducted research and published on the
    intersection of migration, class and gender in employment in Italy, and on food and cultural heritage.

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  • Alessandro Varazi

    Alessandro Varazi

    Housing Coordinator

    Housing Coordinator

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  • Laura Fronduti, Laurea

    Laura Fronduti, Laurea

    Student Services Coordinator

    Student Services Co-coordinator

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  • Jacopo Bernardini, Ph.D.

    Jacopo Bernardini, Ph.D.

    Academic Programs Assistant

    Jacopo Bernardini is the Academic Programs Assistant at the Umbra Institute, where he has worked since October 2018. Previously, he worked for six years as a Postdoctoral Researcher of Sociology and Methodology of Social Research at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Perugia. He has published several academic articles and books on Age and Life Cycle, Transition to Adulthood, Generational Conflicts, and the Information Age.

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  • Ashley Webb

    Ashley Webb

    U.S. University Relations & Marketing Development

    U.S. University Relations & Marketing Development

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  • Chris Callas

    Chris Callas

    Arcadia University Program Manager

    Arcadia University Program Manager

    [email protected]

    Email
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