SISTER CITIES Local leaders tout link to Italy

It's 'a win-win partnership' for the cities and universities, YSU's provost said.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown and Salerno, Italy, have much to gain from the partnership of the two cities and their universities, local leaders said at a Youngstown State University reception.
"It's good for our city to be involved with educational programs in other countries," said city Councilwoman Carol Rimedio-Righetti, D-4th. "We can help each other learn about economic development."
Rimedio-Righetti was the sponsor of a Feb. 18 council resolution declaring Youngstown and Salerno to be sister cities. As part of the arrangement, YSU and the University of Salerno will also be sister universities.
The sizes of the two cities and of the two universities are similar, she added.
Similarities
Both cities have suffered significant job losses because of loss of local industries, said Flora DiRenzo-Schneider of North Lima, who coordinated Thursday's reception launching the partnership, which was attended by about 125 people at the university's McDonough Museum of Art.
"We need to be a part of an international study,'' which involves bringing students and public officials closer together, Rimedio-Righetti said.
"Coming from Italian descent, I'm very proud of my nationality. We do have a large percentage of Italians in the Mahoning Valley. I think they are happy to see that things are moving ahead and that our nationality is getting a positive look, instead of negativity," she said.
"It's going to be the kind of partnership that has real positive outcomes for the staff, faculty and students of Youngstown State University and the community," said Tony Atwater, YSU provost. The partnership is unusual in that it involves both the cities and their universities, he added.
Mutual interests
"I expect the projects to focus on faculty and student exchange opportunities," Atwater said of the partnership between the universities. Mutual academic fields of interest are art, languages, music, archaeology, business and engineering, he said.
The partnership offers "very good promise for being a win-win proposition for both cities and both universities," Atwater said.
"It's an exchange between two cultures -- the Italian and the American. This allows the opportunity for young people, especially, to exchange ideas," said Gianni Mezzani, an accountant from Rome, Italy, who attended the reception. Mezzani is a tourist in the United States and is staying with a Girard resident.
Rome is about 130 miles from Salerno.
milliken@vindy.com