Levin Grant

Saul and Ruth Levin Educational Enrichment Grant

Thanks to the generosity of late Distinguished Professor Saul Levin and that of his family, the Department of Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (MEAMS) is pleased to announce the annual Saul and Ruth Levin Educational Enrichment Grant.

Read below to find out about eligiblity, the current application cycle, previous grant recipients, and more!

Eligibility, Timetable for Funded Experience 

Grant recipients must be full-time BU undergraduates majoring in one of three AMS tracks: 

  • Classical Civilization (aka Ancient Mediterranean Studies) 
  • Classics, Greek & Latin (aka Greek and Latin) 
  • Latin 

It doesn鈥檛 matter what year you鈥檙e in; freshmen are as eligible as seniors. Past recipients are not eligible. Past applicants who are not past recipients are definitely encouraged to apply. The funded experience must be completed before, or at the latest, soon after, graduation.

2024/25 Application Cycle:
We鈥檙e asking for proposals of up to 600 words, due date, Monday, 17-Mar, 2025, applicants to be contacted the following April (2025).

Possible and equally valid uses of the Grant (a non-exhaustive list): 

Domestic or foreign travel with a self-directed educational focus (keep a journal!) 
Research projects involving expenses of whatever sort: travel, equipment, etc. 
Off-campus study in the US or abroad 
Something else 鈥 tell us what you have in mind! This is not just about travel or study abroad. It could be an on-campus activity, or an off-campus program in the US, for instance, SALVI (North American Institute of Living Latin Studies). Or it could be study abroad, for instance, Prof. Hilary Becker鈥檚 鈥淎ncient Italy in Context鈥 course, or the College Year in Athens program, or the Duke 鈥淐entro鈥 in Rome. Lots of possibilities!

:

2024: Eliana Klein 鈥25. Courses at Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence as well as independent travel to see Etruscan and Roman archaeological sites and museum visits.
2024: Victoria Stargiotti 鈥25. Courses at Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence as well as independent travel to see Etruscan and Roman archaeological sites and museum visits.
2023: Arthur O鈥橲ullivan 鈥24. Dr. Hilary Becker鈥檚 Ancient Italy in Context course in Rome.
2023: Grace Meyers 鈥25. Dr. Hilary Becker鈥檚 Ancient Italy in Context course in Rome.
2022: James Caracciolo 鈥22. Self-guided foreign travel to archaeological sites in Italy. Interest in momumentality, memorialization, and perception.
2021: Olivia Condos 鈥21. Self-guided tour through mainland Greece in 2022 (deferred due to Covid).
2019: Mark Solomon 鈥21. College Year in Athens, summer.
2018: Emily Banach 鈥19. Dr. Hilary Becker鈥檚 Ancient Italy in Context course in Rome.
2017: Thomas Rice 鈥19. American College of Greece, Athens. Spring 2018 semester.
2016. Lyla Cerulli 鈥17, Paideia Institute鈥檚 Living Latin in Rome program (summer 2016).

How to Apply 

Submit a proposal of no more than 600 words, PDF, word doc, or similar. Your proposal must include: 

Your name and Bmail, plus date of submission 
A descriptive title 
A concise but clear explanation of the experience: what you鈥檒l do, how it relates to AMS 
An itemized breakdown of estimated costs: equipment, travel, food, etc. Applicants should not seek more than $5,000 in Grant money. The exact amount of individual Grants will depend on available funds, on the number of Grants conferred at a given time (there could be more than one), and on the nature of individual proposals. Applicants may need to con-sider additional sources of funding.
Email your proposal to tchronop@binghamton.edu by 17-March, 2025. 

Selection Criteria 

In no particular order, selection criteria include: 

  • The strength of the proposal 
  • Its pertinence to the student's major 
  • Feasibility within a stated budget 
  • Financial need (students should certainly feel free to address this) 
  • Academic excellence in the major and generally 

Documenting Expenses, Disbursal of Grant Money 

Those awarded a Levin Grant will be required to present detailed records of Grant-related expenditures before the Grant can be disbursed. Keep all receipts!* 

* In cases of demonstrated need, it may be possible to apply for an advance on the Grant; contact the dept. chair about that.

Levin Event:

Mon, 3-Feb 2025 - 4:00 pm - Old O'Connor Alumni Lounge

AMS majors, faculty, indeed, anyone and everyone interested in the Grant are cordially invited to attend a special event dedicated to the Grant and to AMS more generally; that will be Mon, 3-Feb 2025, Old O'Connor Alumni Lounge. There will be food and fun! Our special guests will be this year鈥檚 recipients, who will share their experiences with you. 

Reporting on the Experience 

Please keep in mind that all grantees are expected to attend the first such event following completion of the Levin-funded experience. That鈥檚 so they can share their stories, their impressions, their photos. Grantees will also write up their Grant-related experiences in the form of a report to be shared with the benefactors, who will also receive a thank-you note from each grantee. Report and photos will also form the basis of Levin-Grant publicity 鈥 take lots of pictures!

For more information please email Professor Chronopoulos