Honoring the Past
The Constantine G. Karamanlis Chair in Hellenic and European Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is committed to promoting Hellenic and European studies in the US while honoring a towering figure of Greece’s recent past.
The Chair was founded at the initiative of the Konstantinos G. Karamanlis Foundation in Athens, led by Ambassador Petros Molyviatis and Minister Ahilleas G. Karamanlis, and then Dean of The Fletcher School, General John Galvin, while its endowment has been supported by many friends of Constantine Karamanlis and the Fletcher and Tufts community.
The purpose of the Chair is to promote the scholarly study of Greece, its neighborhood, and Europe at large in one of the world’s leading academic communities. While honoring the legacy of a European statesman, Constantine Karamanlis, the Chair reaffirms the bonds between Greece and the United States.
The regular rotation of the holder of the Chair ensures its constant renewal, endows it with new perspectives and subject matters, and has a multiplying effect, as outgoing professors enrich their experience and provide permanent points of contact between their home institutions and Fletcher.
Shaping the Future
The Constantine G. Karamanlis Chair in Hellenic and European Studies brings academic scholars to The Fletcher School and the Tufts University community, encouraging a renewed focus on modern Greece, Southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the European Union, and the crucial role these regions play in world politics. The Chair’s endowment provides a basis for scholars to teach the lessons of Greece and Europe through history and culture as well as economics and politics.
While supporting new research aimed at addressing the ongoing conflicts in Southeastern Europe, the Chair also forges a strong bond between the Boston area European and Greek communities and members of academia whose interests lie in current Greek and European issues. Through this bond, many opportunities will arise to deconstruct negative stereotypes, overcome obstacles to cooperation, and create innovative ways to move forward, inspiring a more compassionate and peaceful global security.
An Instrument of Positive Change
As funding efforts expand, the endowed Constantine Karamanlis Chair will form the core component of the planned Center for Hellenic and European Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, providing:
- a 1-2 year position for a distinguished scholar
- courses for graduate students at Fletcher and for undergraduates at Tufts University
- lectures for the community at large on Greece, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and the European Union
- a Working Paper Series in Hellenic and European Studies
- roundtable discussions, debates, and conferences
- advanced research