University students are taking their professors abroad with them in a new education abroad program offered for the first time this spring.

Seventeen students and two professors departed for Athens, Greece earlier this month as part of the University's first program to that country, beginning on a 12-week venture which incorporates classes on modern Greek language and history, as well as a variety of field trips and a four-day excursion to Crete.

Because of its 3,000 years of continuous history, "Greece is a living laboratory," said Eugene Borza, a professor of ancient history who initiated plans for the program 17 years ago. The Athens program was designed "to broaden the outlook of Penn State students by exposing them to a foreign culture," he said.

Students will benefit from the program's unique use of University faculty because they will not have to adapt to alternative academic styles, said Chris Johnstone, associate professor of speech communications and an organizer of the program. Leading the program this year are Tony Lentz, assistant professor of speech communications, and Barry Goldfarb, assistant professor of classics.

Two faculty members will lead the program each spring, Johnstone said, adding that professors from the departments of classics, exercise science, history, philosophy and speech communication are involved in the program.

The Athens program is open to students of all majors but is especially well-suited for those interested in classical studies, Johnstone said.

Johnstone called the program "the epitome of good education" because it is an "on-site extended tutorial." Instead of merely learning about ancient places and events, students will be able to observe them firsthand in and around Athens, he said.

Students enrolled in the program must take either History 100 or Classics 45 before departing for Athens, said Joe Ruane, an assistant in the Office of Education Abroad Programs. They are also required to attend an orientation program to familiarize them with the living environment in Greece, he added.

Students interested in studying abroad should have an overall grade-point average of at least 2.5 and must satisfy all prerequisites for the particular program, Ruane said. Applications for the various programs must be submitted about one year in advance, he said, noting that the deadline to apply for the Spring 1990 Athens program is March 6.