As part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester, Arnold Lisio ’56, ’61M (MD) and Anne Moore Lisio, MD, have given $1.75 million to establish a new endowed visiting professor/postdoctoral scholar fund within the University of Rochester’s School of Arts & Sciences and the Humanities Center. This gift builds on the couple’s longstanding support of the humanities, Italian studies, and modern languages and cultures at the University. It also strengthens the University’s role as a home for innovative, inclusive, and global humanistic scholarship.
“This gift beautifully reflects Arnold and Anne’s vision and the University’s enduring commitment to humanistic inquiry rooted in Italy’s rich cultural tradition as well as that emanating from the larger Mediterranean basin region,” says University Provost Nicole Sampson. “Thanks to their generosity, we now have vital new resources to bring leading scholars to campus—deepening our students’ engagement with global ideas and strengthening our academic community.”
The Arnold Lisio and Anne Moore Lisio Endowed Visiting Professor/Scholar Fund will specifically support visiting appointments of distinguished writers, scholars, or artists whose work centers on Italian and Mediterranean cultures, languages, and literatures, or on a broad range of humanistic disciplines in their relation to these areas. In addition to the endowed fund, the couple has also given $250,000 to allow the visitorship to begin right away, rather than waiting for the endowment to generate income.
Lisio’s love of Italy began in childhood, inspired by stories from his Italian-American mother and Italian father, who was born in Italy and one of 11 children. Although he didn’t travel to Italy until his late twenties, the couple has since visited dozens of times, both independently and with the University. Lisio has spent years studying Italian and continues to dedicate time each week to advancing his fluency.
“Anne and I strongly believe that the humanities are an essential part of education,” says Lisio. “That belief has motivated our philanthropy—and this latest gift in particular—as we want students and others at the University to have opportunities to study a culture where beauty, art, religion, and history are part of daily life.”
Adds Moore Lisio, “Our goal has always been to enrich the lives of students and faculty through meaningful engagement with Italian culture. We hope this gift will inspire new conversations and scholarship in the humanities at the University and beyond.”
The Lisios’ gift will support a wide range of programming that brings new energy and global perspectives to campus. Plans include hosting distinguished experts for yearlong residencies to teach, conduct research, and share their work through lectures and performances; inviting internationally recognized public intellectuals for shorter-term visits to lead courses and seminars; and supporting emerging scholars early in their academic careers.
Visiting scholars may come from Italy, the United States, or anywhere in the world, representing fields such as art history, literature, philosophy, or political thought, as long as their work maintains a meaningful focus on Italian culture. Scholars whose research places Italy in broader contexts—such as the Mediterranean basin, continental Europe, or non-European cultures—are especially encouraged. Courses and public events associated with these appointments will benefit both the Italian program and the humanities across the University.
“This type of support is more vital now than ever,” says Peter Christensen, the Arthur Satz Professor of the Humanities and the Ani and Mark Gabrellian Director of the Humanities Center. “It will bring fresh voices and new perspectives to our campus, helping students and faculty in the humanities engage with the wider world. We are deeply grateful to the Lisios for continuing to cultivate humanistic inquiry.”
Adds Donatella Stocchi-Perucchio, the Lisio Professor of Italian Studies: “For many years, the Lisios have strengthened and championed our Italian studies program. Italian culture’s deeply interdisciplinary nature—rooted in the legacy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance—offers boundless opportunities for exploration. I’m tremendously grateful for their generosity, engagement, and belief in the importance of global learning.”
For nearly two decades, the Lisios have supported Italian studies at the University. Their gifts include the Lisio Distinguished Professorship in Italian Studies (2021), held by Stocchi-Perucchio; the endowment of the Italian studies program (2017), which guarantees ongoing opportunities for immersive learning in Italy; and the Dorothy and Anthony Lisio Prize (2006), which honors outstanding undergraduates in the field. They’ve also supported learning abroad through the Arezzo Program, the San Martino Archeological Field School, the Roman Structures Program, and a summer-long learning program on the island of Procida.
Over time, the couple’s connection to the University has continued to deepen. “Arnie spent nine years at the University—from college through medical school—and that time meant so much to him,” says Moore Lisio. “It’s been rewarding for us both to see how the University continues to grow, and we’re proud to give back to a place that has shaped its life and ours together.”
The Lisios have continued to support these types of programs at the University. “The humanities remind us of who we are—they help us understand the past and bring perspective to the present, especially in an age of AI and rapid technological change. Our love of Italy, its history, and its culture inspired us to support this new program, as a continuation of our support for University programs that foster reflection, dialogue, and a deeper appreciation of human experience.”
Arnold Lisio, who retired in 2013 from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, also served on the faculty of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons for many years. Beginning in 1961, he taught and mentored generations of medical students. Lisio earned both his bachelor’s and medical degrees at the University of Rochester, attending on full scholarships.
Anne Moore Lisio, a retired medical oncologist, is a graduate of Smith College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. She served as director of the Iris Cantor Breast Cancer Survivorship Program at NewYork‑Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center—where she is now a professor emeritus. She has dedicated her career to advancing research, clinical care, and education in the treatment and survivorship of breast cancer. The couple married in 1969.
The Lisios are also members of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society, and the Wilson Society, which honors and celebrates philanthropic individuals who have established life-income plans or named the University as a beneficiary of their estate.
Philanthropy and engagement are critical to the future success of the University. Learn how you can support For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. To make a difference across arts, sciences, and the humanities, contact Ashley Smith, executive director of Advancement for the School of Arts & Sciences.
—Kristine Kappel Thompson, January 2026