Paolo A. Giordano, professor emeritus in UCF’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, passed away Nov. 24, 2025. He was a distinguished scholar, visionary leader, generous mentor and cherished member of the UCF academic community whose impact on Italian studies will be felt for generations.
Giordano joined UCF in 2004 and served the university until his retirement in May 2018, including a decade as chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures from 2004 to 2014. After retiring, he remained involved with the university community and taught a class for the Burnett Honors College as Professor Emeritus in Spring 2020. During his tenure, he strengthened academic programs, supported faculty and student success, and expanded the visibility of Italian and Italian American studies within the college and beyond. After only three years at UCF, he was appointed the inaugural Dr. Neil Euliano Endowed Chair in Italian Studies, a testament to the immediate and profound impact of his scholarship and leadership.
Chiara Mazzucchelli, Giordano’s colleague and successor as the Euliano chair, says Giordano was “a fair leader, a passionate teacher, and a deeply committed mentor who left a lasting imprint on our department and on my own professional life. His wisdom, generosity of spirit, sense of humor, and friendship will always stay with me.”
In recognition of his distinguished record of teaching, research and service, Giordano was awarded emeritus status by UCF in 2019. The title is reserved for retired faculty who have achieved eminence during their time at UCF and made lasting contributions to the university and broader community.
Born in Italy and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Giordano’s life was shaped by migration, language and culture, experiences that informed both his teaching and his research. His scholarly interests spanned Italian immigration literature, the Italian Renaissance and 20th-century Italian literature. He was a pioneer in the study of the Italian diaspora, bringing sustained attention to Italian writers in the United States, including Joseph Tusiani, Giovanni Cecchetti and Paolo Valesio. His essays and articles appeared widely in Italian and American journals, and his work helped define Italian American studies as a vital field of inquiry.
In the 1980s, when most scholarly journals were produced by large academic presses, he helped found Italiana, a journal that remains in publication today. He later co-founded Bordighera Press, which became an essential platform for scholarship and creative work in Italian and Italian American studies and is now home to the journal. Through this work, Giordano championed emerging voices and ensured important cultural and scholarly contributions reached a wider audience.
Above all, Giordano was a devoted teacher. Known for his passion, intellectual rigor and warmth, he inspired countless students at UCF and at institutions across the United States and abroad. Many of his undergraduate students went on to teach Italian at the high school and college levels, carrying forward his commitment to language, culture and humanistic inquiry.
His leadership extended beyond UCF. Prior to joining the university, Giordano served as director and academic dean of Loyola University’s Rome campus and later as chair of Loyola University’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. He also held leadership roles in the American Association of Teachers of Italian, serving as vice president and president and contributing to the organization’s mission for decades.
Giordano’s work was recognized nationally and internationally. In addition to his distinguished professorship at UCF, he received the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Teachers of Italian, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southern Connecticut State University and the honor of Cavaliere, Stella della Solidarietà Italiana from the Italian government. The city of Bordighera, Italy, recognized him with the Parmurelu d’oru (Golden Palm) for lifetime achievement.
Giordano is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Rosa Bellino Giordano, and their two daughters, Michele and Stefanie, and their families.