For the first time in NIU’s history, the university will welcome eight internationally-known speakers during a two-day interdisciplinary colloquium on “The Mind and Spirit of Ancient Greece.”

Dimitri Liakos, colloquium project director, said the students of the graduate colloquium committee worked religiously to plan the weekend of April 24 and 25. He said most of the funds were made available by the Graduate Colloquium Committee.

Liakos said this is the first multidisciplinary colloquium at NIU involving many separate fields. He said the participating scholars are all experts in their fields. They represent various disciplines including history, art history, archaeology, architectural history, classics, religion, folk culture and literature.

Lori Hoadley, Planning Committee Co-chairman, said the colloquium will begin Friday at 4 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building, Room 102. She said refreshments will be served beginning at 4 p.m., provided by ALPHA: Friends of Antiquity, and the first speaker will begin at 4:30 p.m.

oadley said the two-day seminar will begin with a joint presentation given by Liakos, Nicholas Yalouris and the seven other distinguished speakers. They are Louise Berge, Matthew W. Dickie, Elizabeth R. Gebhard, Fotios Litsas and Leonidas Marinakos. These speakers will provide their own lectures beginning Saturday morning.

Beginning at 8 a.m., free registration, information, coffee and donuts will be provided for all participants in the Music Building, Lecture Hall 173. The first speaker will begin at 8:45 a.m., and the rest of the speakers will continue in succession the rest of the day. There will be a lunch break, refreshments at 3 p.m. and a break at 4:30 p.m.

At 6 p.m. in the Sky Room of the NIU Holmes Student Center, there will be a reception and cash bar. Beginning at 7 p.m. there will be an optional Greek Banquet, with a fee.

Other colloquium sponsors are ALPHA: Friends of Antiquity, CAB’s Speakers Committee, Black Studies Center, International and Special Programs and eight academic departments of NIU.