GS diplomas to remain in English

While General Studies Student Council members and some GS student leaders have been pushing for Latin diplomas, GS dean Peter Awn announced in an email Tuesday that the diplomas would remain in English.

Columbia College and Columbia Law School both give Latin diplomas to their graduates, and GS is one of 13 Columbia schools that distribute them in English.

"It is my belief that a Latin diploma does not represent appropriately a college that was founded in 1947 and that embodies a cutting-edge approach to undergraduate education in the United States," Awn wrote in the email. "While our full integration into the Columbia undergraduate community is a goal we all share, in this case, I believe our difference from Columbia College is a strength, not a weakness. In addition, I find it difficult to grasp why any student would want a diploma written in a language that he or she could not understand."

Awn also added that offering a Latin diploma would "create numerous logistical complication and expenses that seem excessive in a time of fiscal constraint." He said that this was not the deciding factor, but an important one to consider.

"I think it is important to note that, while the language in which the GS diploma is written may differ from that of Columbia College’s diploma, the text and design of the two diplomas are the same, as well as their significance in the world outside of Columbia," Awn concluded.