From Bloomington to the World

This exhibit highlights the history of the Indiana University Summer Language Workshop, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this summer. Launched in 1951 at the height of the Cold War, the Russian Workshop was created to meet an urgent national need for language instruction. What began as a focused initiative quickly evolved into one of the nation’s premier intensive language programs—renowned for its excellence in Russian and its expansion into other less commonly taught languages. Over its 75-year history, the Workshop has provided language training to more than 10,000 students in approximately 50 languages. The exhibit features archival documents, publicity materials, photographs, artifacts, and oral history interviews with former directors, instructors, and alumni that illustrate the development and success of the Workshop.