A recent report by the Modern Language Association listed the University of Georgia’s Latin program as the largest in the nation.
Classical language studies date back to UGA’s founding, when Latin and Greek were required for admission, according to a UGA Media Relations press release. The long-lasting program has drawn commitment from both faculty, administrators and a variety of students.
UGA’s Classics program was helmed by James W. Alexander from 1948 to 1980. During that time, it became one of the first to introduce classics-in-translation courses, allowing more students to study classical culture and literature without studying Greek or Latin, the release said.
Alexander also brought in students and expanded the program by consistently reaching out to middle and high school teachers. The department also established a study abroad program in Rome in the 1970s, one of UGA’s two founding study abroad programs.
Richard A. LaFleur headed the program from 1980 to 2001 and built upon Alexander’s work. His time saw the establishment of the Georgia Classical Association and its publication, the GCA newsletter. The faculty expanded, offering minors as well as majors in Latin, Greek and Classical culture, and Georgia Classics Summer Institute was created. During LaFleur’s time, UGA’s Latin enrollments became the largest among all U.S. colleges and universities, according to the release.
“Teaching for four decades at UGA was a joy, and I had the privilege of working with motivated students, creative faculty and highly supportive deans in Franklin College,” LaFleur said in the release. “Together, we built our Latin program into what has been, for many years, the largest among all colleges and universities in the country.”
LeFleur also designed the NEH-funded National Latin Institute, chaired the Classical Association of the Middle West and South Committee for the Promotion of Latin and served as president of the American Classical League.
Mario Erasmo currently heads the Classics department and has maintained its large size by continuing to expand Latin and Classics offerings, the release said. The department leads all Classics programs nationwide with three faculty-supervised study abroad programs that take over 60 students to Europe each summer.
“The faculty are focused on student success, in keeping with the department’s motto, ‘Preparing you for what comes next,’” Erasmo said in the release.
The MLA report is the “longest-running comprehensive analysis of the study of world languages at U.S. colleges and universities,” according to the release. It includes undergraduate and graduate course enrollments for languages other than English in fall 2021 for 2,455 degree-granting colleges and universities in the U.S.
