When Richard Ronzetti ’82, MBA ’86 was a student at Harvard, he studied government and economics. But it was his love of art and architecture that inspired him to give to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) to support internships for doctoral students traveling to study at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
“I’m excited that my gift will help graduate students access the rich trove of resources that the Uffizi offers,” says Ronzetti, global head of investment management at Marathon Asset Management.
Having received financial aid when he attended Harvard College, Ronzetti is gratified to be able to help alleviate economic pressures on graduate students. “Having this kind of support relieves students of additional stresses and lets them focus entirely on their academic work,” he says.
The internship provides funding for students to travel to Florence for the summer or for an academic year to work at the Uffizi, where they can pursue new research that enriches their dissertations while taking advantage of professional development opportunities.
“There is a dearth of support for the appreciation and study of classical art and the great cultural achievements that they represent,” says Ronzetti, who, along with his wife, Elise, has many family ties to Italy and has spent a lot of time touring the country’s museums. “I want to be able to support, from afar, the promotion and sustaining of interest in art and architecture.”
He was particularly pleased to hear about the work of internship recipient Morgan Ng, a doctoral student of architectural history and theory who helped digitize a catalog of prints and drawings at the Uffizi as a research associate for Project Euploos.
“I like the idea that we can use the power of technology to promote dissemination of art to students all over the world,” says Ronzetti. “I’m excited to see that, in some way, I’ve been able to contribute to the modernization of the study of art.”
Choose Harvard today with a gift to the Graduate School Fund.
This story first appeared in Colloquy, the alumni magazine for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.