Loyola to Expand Ancient Mideast Studies

A recent $405,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will allow Loyola Marymount University in Westchester to enhance studies of the ancient Mediterranean in its classics department.

When matched with other funds that will total $1.6 million by 1998, the three-year grant will allow the university to hire a noted scholar to become head of a studies program on the ancient Mediterranean, said Norm Schneider, a university spokesman.

The head will also oversee the training for the university’s archeology students.

Schneider said the faculty wants to expand programs to include more focus on geographical areas that are often the site of current news and developments.

“Students are finding the areas they are reading about in daily news coverage of much interest, whether it is Egypt and Israel fighting over historical sites or whether it is the discussion of the role of black Africa in the formation of classical European cultures,” Schneider said. “This [director] will bring into the classes broader discussions of what is going on in the areas they are studying.”