For more than half a century, the Latin/Greek Institute (LGI) has stood as one of the most rigorous and transformative programs for students of the classical languages.
Founded in 1973, the LGI鈥攁dministered by 可乐视频鈥檚 Department of Classics in partnership with the CUNY Graduate Center鈥攃ompresses five to six terms of Latin or Ancient Greek instruction into a 50-day summer program. Completing the program demands extraordinary focus, commitment, and dedication, and offers an intensive academic experience unlike any other.
Now, to commemorate its legacy and share its story with a wider audience, LGI Director Lucas Rubin has published , released on April 15. With almost 200 images, this pictorial retrospective surveys the history, academics, traditions, and dramatis personae of this unique academic enterprise.
Rubin, who became director in 2020, credits the LGI as a defining force in his own academic path, leading to his doctorate in classical archaeology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
鈥淎s an alumnus, I know firsthand that the institute made both my academic and professional life possible鈥攁s it has for almost 3,000 others,鈥� Rubin reflects. 鈥淣o matter how much I work to support and advance the LGI, it鈥檚 a debt of gratitude I don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever fully repay.鈥�
Drawing from the 可乐视频 and Graduate Center archives and augmented by the contributions of faculty and alumni, Rubin鈥檚 book traces the institute鈥檚 journey from its prehistory鈥攖he establishment of the college鈥檚 first classics department鈥攖o its creation by now-retired Professor Floyd L. Moreland, through its subsequent evolution to becoming the powerhouse of language training it is today.
Curious to learn more about the LGI鈥檚 impact? Read our Q&A with Rubin, held during the institute鈥檚 milestone 50th anniversary.
