IRVING, Texas, Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The start of the new year marked the official beginning of two University of Dallas 20th anniversaries related to its unique Rome program. Since 1994, the Eugene Constantin Campus has served as the permanent home for the Catholic university's nationally recognized undergraduate study abroad program. Additionally, the university is celebrating the 20th anniversary of summer programs for high school students in Rome.

While the semester-long University of Dallas Rome Program for undergraduates enrolled its first class in 1970, the program operated from leased facilities until 1994. For the last 20 years, the Eugene Constantin Campus, which was built in the Roman countryside on a family estate, has served as the home for a program that is now one of the nation's most popular.

The Eugene Constantin Campus features a working vineyard, whose organic wines carry a label of quality from the Italian government, and olive trees, which produce organic extra-virgin olive oil. The dormitory, cafeteria and classrooms were built in the early 1990s, and the historic family villa is still used today as residences and a chapel.

"The campus' location near Rome, one of the greatest cities of the world in religious, historical and cultural terms, provides significant opportunities for our students to grow intellectually and spiritually," said Peter Hatlie, vice president, dean and director of the Rome campus.

The Eugene Constantin Campus also has been an asset for the university's growing high school summer programs, which began in 1994 with Shakespeare in Italy and have since expanded to include Latin in Rome and Arete: An Introduction to the Classics. All programs operate from the Rome campus except for Arete, which is held on the university's main campus in Irving, Texas.

Shakespeare in Italy participants study the playwright's works in the country that provides the setting for more than a quarter of his plays. Latin in Rome combines daily visits to archaeological and historical sites with intensive small-group tutorials on relevant Latin texts. Each of these programs may be taken for college credit. The priority application deadline for the programs in Rome is Feb. 3, 2014, after which applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Image with caption: "Located just kilometers from the pope's summer home in Castel Gandolfo, the Eugene Constantin Campus is nicknamed for its location in the "Due Santi" region, following a legend that the two saints, Peter and Paul, rested at a well nearby." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140123/MM51675-a

Image with caption: "Archaeological discoveries on and around campus suggest that the area was inhabited by the Romans and has been in use continuously since the Middle Ages. Prior to the University of Dallas' purchase, the property belonged to the family of Renzo Piga, a prominent businessman and political figure during and after World War II." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140123/MM51675-b

PDF with caption: "The Eugene Constantin Campus has been an asset for the university's growing high school summer programs, which began in 1994 with Shakespeare in Italy and have since expanded to include Latin in Rome and Arete: An Introduction to the Classics, which is held on the university's main campus in Irving, Texas." PDF available at: http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/ENR/FX-MM51675-20140123-1.pdf

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SOURCE University of Dallas