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—administered by Brooklyn College’s Department of Classics in partnership with the CUNY Graduate Center—compresses 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 The Latin/Greek Institute at the City University of New York, 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. “As an alumnus, I know firsthand that the institute made both my academic and professional life possible—as it has for almost 3,000 others,” Rubin reflects. “No matter how much I work to support and advance the LGI, it’s a debt of gratitude I don’t think I’ll ever fully repay.” Drawing from the Brooklyn College and Graduate Center archives and augmented by the contributions of faculty and alumni, Rubin’s book traces the institute’s journey from its prehistory—the establishment of the college’s first classics department—to 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’s impact? Read our Q&A with Rubin, held during the institute’s milestone 50th anniversary.
