Published in: NATIONAL HERALD (NEW YORK) June 12-13, 1999

During our long academic career in United States, we have been intrigued, by an unexplained paradox concerning the Greek-American community. American Hellenes have done well in business, the professions, academia and politics, to name but a few areas of endeavor, within our competitive society. However, there is a glaring lack of achievement, in an area of profound significance, for the survival and well being of American Hellenism into the 21st century. We do not have, even a single, Greek-American University, in United States, despite our magnificent Heritage and our keen appreciation of the paramount value of education.

Thus, although United States has been hailed as the Athens of the 20th and 21st centuries, there is no institution of higher learning to fulfill the role, of an intellectual fountain for Hellenism, of an invaluable nursery for leaders and a source of inspiration, pride and unity, for Americans of Greek ancestry. With the fall of Communism, Hellenic ideals have come into a sharp focus and Democracy is touted with new vigor, as the best system of Government, yet, American Hellenes do not have a University, they can call their own, in order to establish a critical mass of Greek-American and Philhellene Academicians, who could educate their young and could develop influential Research Institutes working on behalf of Hellenism.

We find this utterly incredible and difficult to believe. In his Book, entitled "Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy" (1991), the famous Yale Professor Donald Kagan, reminds us, that only in Athens with 250,000 population and in United States, with over 250 million people so far, has Democracy lasted as much as two hundred years. However, as Greek-Americans, we have never brought Athens to the United States. This task is long overdue, especially with the new century, just around the corner.

At this point, a brief review of the relevant achievements of Jewish-Americans, is both, timely and instructive. Fifty one years ago, they developed Brandeis University in Waltham Mass. and endeavored to make it "the Harvard of the Jews." Brandeis, attracted a host of famous intellectuals, such as Herbert Marcuse, Leonard Bernstein, Max Lerner and others. However, in the subsequent decades, partially through the efforts of Brandeis, the success of Jewish Americans, was so dramatic, that Brandeis did not actually become the Harvard of the Jews.

Harvard itself became their Harvard, together with Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, UCLA, and other elite Colleges, where Jews, who are only 2.5 per cent of the population, represent about 20 per cent of students and faculty.

Thus, the Jewish-Americans today, are in effect the academic establishment in United States. Brandeis University, was indeed the end of their beginning. This is a powerful precedent for our community. We do need a first class University, in order to mobilize, Hellenic and Philhellenic Brain-Power in America.

An elite University will be a powerful engine for educating a multitude of Greek-American young and for achieving a critical mass of Academicians, who are now scattered at prestigious Universities. In addition to our two University Presidents (Drexel and Temple) anecdotal evidence indicates, that there are about 1500 Greek-American professors at American Universities.

We believe, that an ultramodern University of our own, will generate, with a force of nature, motivation and enthusiasm, among our students and intelligentsia and will make a solid contribution, in achieving a revival of our Community and in securing its survival, into the 21st century.

We suspect, that under proper conditions, many of our distinguished Professors from MIT, Harvard, Yale, Tufts, Boston University, the University of California system and others, will indeed gravitate like droplets of mercury, into a well endowed Greek-American University, which will offer excellent opportunities for teaching and research.

We envisage a marvelous institution, with buildings of classical or neo-classical style, developing progressively, for teaching and research in: Physics, Engineering, Biology, Religion, Philosophy, Economics, Law, the Social Sciences, Journalism, History, Classics, Modern Hellenic Studies, Political Science, Business, Computer Science, Management, and Health Sciences. Additionally, this high power University could foster several Research Institutes such as: Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies, Institute for National Security Affairs, Institute of Democracy and International Policy Studies and others.

This University will be a magnet for intellectual activity not only for Greek-Americans, but for people of Greece and five million of Diaspora Hellenes. Wealthy, Athenians, Greek-Americans and other European Greeks, could contribute to a hefty endowment for such a historic and meaningful undertaking. An elite Greek-American University in United States, will quickly generate a galaxy of Philhellene supporters and will unleash a cornucopia of opportunities for our young and for the image of Hellenism.

Here are a few tangible benefits:

a) Will facilitate career development for our young from America, Canada, Australia, Cyprus and from Greece itself and will eventually develop into an incubator, for the production of leaders for 21st century Hellenism, in America and abroad.

As an aside, it is an unproductive and wasteful enterprise, that 50,000 Greek students are enrolled into second and third class Universities in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and as far away as Pakistan. Instead, they should be educated at a superb Greek-American University, which in effect, could prepare the next generation of leaders for the Greek nation.

b) Will attract huge Hellenic and Philhellenic Academic talent within a single institution, devoted to teaching and to advanced Nobel Prize level research, through a critical mass of Brain-Power, working in the frontiers of science, right here, in America.

c) Will develop into a blue-print for revitalizing the ailing Universities in Greece, through vigorous exchange of Students and Faculty, akin to the extremely fruitful bi-directional traffic between America and Israel, which is largely responsible for the latter's astonishing exploits in science and technology. Such exchanges will also alleviate the curse of antagonism and hostility, between Greek and Greek-American Professors and will narrow the gap, between Omogenia and Greek society.

d) Will foster establishment of badly needed prestigious Hellenic Research Institutes, which will include "Policy Planning Groups" participating in the foreign policy-making network in America. The goal of existing groups is to develop recommendations, or explicit policies, designed to resolve foreign problems, which are passed on to the government for adoption and implementation. Furthermore, through books, journals, policy statements, seminars, press releases and lectures, such groups can shape the climate of opinion in our nation's capital and the rest of the country.

IN SUMMARY: Establishment of an elite Greek-American University in United States, is long overdue, and represents a worthy and acute challenge, for our thriving community. We need to bring together two precious resources: the fifty wealthiest Greek-Americans, plus, many wealthy Hellenes from Greece itself, and our remarkable scientific talent, which is scattered at prominent Universities in America.

Finally, we are compelled to ask a crucial question: how is it possible, that the Greek-Americans, inheritors of an awesome heritage (the root of Western Civilization and Democratic system of Government), with enormous collective wealth and brain-power to boot, have been unable so far, to create an outstanding University, which they can call their own? We urgently need a Hellenic Brandeis.

Sources:

M. C. Geokas, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.*
(Em) Professor of Medicine and Biological Chemistry
UC, Davis

A. T. Papathanasis, Ph.D.**
Professor of Political Economy
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, CT.

*/**/President and Vice-President respectively
Demokritos Society of America - A THINK TANK - devoted to issues of Hellenism.