By Alex Robinson
City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) presented Queens College Center for Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies with a proclamation last week to honor the Flushing school’s Greek programs.
“Not only does the program provide academic insight on Hellenic history to its students – it also plays an unparalleled social role among its graduates,” Constantinides said. “I know that the program instills Hellenic pride and a love for the Greek-American community within its students and their families. In fact, current students are now children of past students. No other academic program provides these social and cultural values to its community.”
Queens College’s Greek studies center, which is the largest of its kind in the country, has been open for 40 years and is the only school that offers a bachelor’s degree in Greek Studies outside of Greece, Constantinides’ office said.
In addition to teaching Byzantine and Modern Greek subjects, the center also conducts research on those topics.
The Flushing college, at 65-30 Kissena Blvd, boasts more students of Greek descent than any other American college.
More than 16,000 students have been enrolled at the school’s Greek Studies center, which has offered classes in Greek identity, history and culture over the years.
Constantinides knows firsthand what the center’s programs provide as he graduated cum laude from Queens College before going on to law school.
“I’m proud to count Councilman Constantinides among our many successful graduates,” Queens College President Felix Matos Rodriguez said. “The role he plays in the local community positively impacts our students. He’s a legislator for some of them and — as the embodiment of the college’s motto, ‘We learn so that we may serve’ — a model for all.”
Founded in 1937, Queens College is the fifth oldest of CUNY’s 23 institutions. Queens College was recently recognized by the Washington Monthly for the second year in a row as the second “Best Bang for the Buck,” which ranked schools nationwide on affordability and quality of education. The school also recently made it into Forbes magazine’s best value colleges of the year, ranking number 16.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
