Dr. Olga Ragusa, Lorenzo Da Ponte Professor Emerita of Italian and Comparative literature at Columbia University, is one of the most important scholars of modern Italian culture and literature today. The author of many books and articles whose topics range from the 1700s to the present, she has written on Goldoni, Alfieri, Manzoni, Verga, Pirandello, Gadda, Prezzolini, and Pasolini, among others. In 2004, Professor Ragusa gave a generous donation to the Italian program at IUB, which she values for its quality and productivity. This award is for graduate students in Italian who have demonstrated a remarkable scholarly ability in their courses as well as in their degree examinations.