Andrew C. Ciofaro, a veteran newspaper reporter who founded the journalism program at Loyola University in Maryland and ran a study abroad education company in the United States, died of unknown causes at Moscow City Hospital No. 67 on March 7. He passed away at the age of 89.
The former Towson resident had lived in Russia for the past five years with his wife of many years, neuroscientist Dr. Olga Timofeeva.
“Professor Cioffalo inspired my passion for journalism. He encouraged me to take a leadership role in my university newspaper, and he encouraged me to become an independent writer who holds people and institutions in power accountable.” “It taught me the importance of news organizations,” wrote Triff Alatzas, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Sun. Email.
Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin M. Atticus was also a student of Professor Cioffalo.
“He was a rare combination of practitioner and visionary,” Atticus wrote in an email. “His friendship, humor, and leadership were everywhere, and his lifelong commitment to experimental education was profound.”
Andrew Carmine Ciofaro, the son of Andrew C. Ciofaro Sr., a tile maker and craftsman, and his wife Frances, a retail store manager, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Salesian High School in Staten Island. .
Professor Ciafaro holds a BA in English and Philosophy from Brooklyn College and a MA in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
He began his newspaper career in 1955 as an editorial assistant for the New York Daily News and, after graduating from Columbia University, was appointed editor-in-chief of Manhattan East, New York City’s weekly community newspaper. He was a former Brooklyn Eagle contributor.
From 1962 to 1969, he was an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia Journalism. He is an editorial consultant for Circus Magazine. Senior writer at a custom book publisher. Editor-in-chief of Clyde Magazine, a general magazine for men. And he was also a radio news writer for the old New York Herald Tribune.
Professor Ciafaro was a lecturer in journalism at Brooklyn College from 1962 to 1972 and director of development at the New York Institute of Technology.
From 1970 to 1976, he served as director of university relations and development at Bronx Community College. During his time there, he founded University Heights Development Corp., a university housing initiative that renovates off-campus dormitories as senior housing.
In 1981, he was an editor and writer at McGraw Hill, where he wrote the newsletter “This Month In Telecommunications.”
Professor Cioffalo was hired by Loyola in 1983 to establish its current communications department.
“Andy Cioffalo is a dynamic and innovative member of Loyola University’s School of Communication, where he founded the Journalism and Editorial Track,” said John E. McIntyre, former copy desk chief and associate editor at The Sun. he wrote in an email.
“He was deeply involved in the creation of the Book Editing Track and the founding of the student-run publishing company Apprentice House Press,” wrote McIntyre, who served as an adjunct professor and taught editing at Loyola for more than 20 years. There is. “I was twice invited to his summer program in Cali, Marche, Italy. Undergraduate students spent four weeks conducting interviews, writing articles, taking photographs, and creating online content. was a great encouragement to students and faculty.”
Professor Cioffalo had a talent for recruiting students.
“Andy single-handedly changed the trajectory of my life and career,” Atticus wrote. “Toward the end of my freshman year, I was leaving music class thinking about majoring in music, when the elevator doors opened and Andy was there.
“After two short conversations, Andy convinced me to give journalism and publishing a try. I did it. Now, 30 years later, I am working with Apprentice House, the very publisher Andy had envisioned. Press, which provides students with book industry experience and a career based in communication.”
“He has a legacy of mentoring many aspiring journalists over the years, and I feel fortunate that our paths have crossed,” Alatzas wrote.
Founding the Cali Program in International Reporting in 2002, since 2005 Professor Cioffalo has served as Director of the International Institute for Media Education (ieiMedia LLC). The institute operates the Cali program as an independent organization, including a partnership with Marquette University. Temple University and Gonzaga University.
In partnership with San Francisco State University, Iowa State University, James Madison University, Jamestown University, California State University Fullerton, Guangxi Normal University, and Hebrew University, the institute includes universities in Italy, Northern Ireland, China, Spain, Experimental projects in Israel and Turkey are also included. University.
After 30 years at Loyola, he retired in 2013 and moved to Venice, Florida.
Reflecting on his tenure in a 2023 Sun op-ed, Professor Cioffalo wrote:
“Why don’t we do something different today? Of course we will. I want to work with students to intelligently address the issues facing journalism today. “It has never been so terminal,” he wrote.
“But also, there has never been a platform to which we have had to adapt without losing the meaning of journalism for our society. We live in a filmed world. What’s even more difficult is that in a mind-altered society, we can’t distinguish between the real world and the fantasy world. If there’s an audience out there, we’ll find it. It has to be nurtured.”
When Professor Cioffaro was not writing, teaching, or lecturing, he enjoyed traveling. He was also a frequent contributor to The Sun and other newspapers.
“He loved Italy and cooking and eating, and he was a great cook himself,” said his daughter Terry Ciofaro of Champaign, Illinois. “He was also a baritone tenor, and he loved to sing.”
Last month, in a blog post, Professor Cioffalo pondered the lede, or opening paragraph, of his obituary and wrote several potential entries.
His headline was “Old and productive — gone today” and he wrote:
“Professor. Emeritus Professor Andrew Ciofaro, who energetically ran an American study abroad education company even in his 90s, passed away today at the age of 98, living quietly in Moscow, Russia due to financial misfortune.”
Under the second heading, “He could have been someone,” he had written: “The proud young man who was once called ‘the greatest writer’ by Larry Pinkham, a respected professor in his graduate journalism class at Columbia University, died today at the age of 98.” MOSCOW, Russia — Living up to those expectations It never happened. But Professor Andrew Cioffaro pivoted to his innovative career in journalism education and helping others realize their own faded dreams. ”
Plans for worship to be held in the Loyola campus chapel are incomplete.
In addition to his wife, Dr. Timofeeva, and daughter, he is survived by a son, David Andrew Chofalo of Roland Park; stepdaughter, Jennifer Lynn Tosh of Roland Park; a brother, Thomas Cioffalo of Ramsey, N.J.; and four grandchildren. Linda Stivak’s previous marriage to Judith Dobler ended in divorce.
