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Velas Tours
an incoming tour operator based in Greece with 34 years experience in both, tours and holidays
velastours.com
an incoming tour operator based in Greece with 34 years experience in both, tours and holidays
velastours.com
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CELEBRATION OF HELLENISMANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CELEBRATION OF HELLENISM Tampa, FL. Another very successful Educational Forum celebrating our Hellenic culture was held on March 2-3, 2007 on the campus of the University of South Florida. It was the 12th such annual event of the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture (AFGLC), an organization that is dedicated to promoting Hellenic values in the United States. The Forum consisted of lectures, panel discussions, folk dancing exhibitions, and a special occasion during which two distinguished Hellenes. Established in 1992 by a group of concerned Hellenes and Philhellenes with headquarters in Tampa, Florida, AFGLC is a public, non-profit educational organization that strives to establish local AFGLC chapters throughout the United States. The chapters work with Hellenic benefactors and local institutions of higher learning to set up “Interdisciplinary Centers of Hellenic Studies” (ICHS) at these schools. The Centers, through their unique academic programs, preserve and promote Hellenism in the United States, educate college students about the monumental contributions of the ancient Greek thinkers to Western civilization, and promote the Hellenic spirit in their communities. The two honorees, Dr. Constantine Papadakis and Mr. John Baglaneas, were honored at a special public affair and dinner at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tampa, with University of South Florida and AFGLC officials in attendance. Professor Papadakis, the dynamic President of Drexel University Philadelphia and the motivating force behind its remarkable growth, and Mr. Baglaneas, the Editor and Managing Director of the Greek American newspaper Hellenic Voice and a great supporter of Hellenism as evidenced in pages of his newspaper, were presented special citations by Dr. John Balis, Acting President of AFGLC, in recognition of their tireless contributions in the service of the Hellenic Spirit. The central theme of the two-day Educational Forum of AFGLC was “Hellenic Models of Excellence: Their Modern Relevance.” It proved to be very rich in content and was attended by many academics, university students and interested persons from the Tampa Bay area. The President of USF, Prof. Judy L. Genshaft; the University’s Provost, Prof. Renu Khator; the Dean of Arts & Sciences, Prof. John Skvoretz; and the Senior Vice President for USF Health, Prof. Abdul S. Rao addressed the assembled participants, highlighting the importance of AFGLC and ICHS at USF, which is directed by Prof. James F. Strange, Distinguished University Professor. Dr. Richard Janko, the G. F. Else Collegiate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a recognized authority on Homer, Linear B script, and Aegean Bronze Age archeology, delivered the annual lecture on Hellenism “Homer: Epic Poetry and the Homeric Question.” Several distinguished scholars from universities across the U.S. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; Towson University in Maryland; University of South Florida, Tampa; Ohio State University, Columbus; University of Missouri, St. Louis; Drexel University, Philadelphia; and Loyola University of Chicago) presented, in an engaging manner, research papers that elaborated on the central theme of the Forum and were drawn from the inexhaustible paradigms of models from Ancient Greece, Byzantium and Modern Greece that have shaped our knowledge today. The sessions proved to be most informative and entertaining, and lead to stimulating discussions between the audience and the presenters. The Hellenic Society at USF contributed to the success of the Forum with wonderful food and exiting dances from several countries along the route of Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C. One of the issues addressed at the Forum was the mission of establishing AFGLC chapters in university cities and regions throughout the nation, which in turn work to set up ICHS programs. The Interdisciplinary concept makes possible the organization of Hellenic Studies with a relatively modest endowment of five professorships in Greek history, Greek culture, Greek language, Byzantine Studies and Orthodox Religion, as well as Greek philosophy. This approach allows students of any Major to include courses that will educate them on the importance and relevance of the 5,000 year-long Hellenic heritage to their fields of study. Each ICHS needs five donors, who contribute a minimum of $100,000 each to make a Center a reality. The Centers are able to take advantage of the many teaching and library resources available in each of the colleges or universities. Working together with the local chapter and AFGLC Headquarters, a Center is established by contract with the college or university, so that its existence is guaranteed in perpetuity, along with each professorship, which will bear the name of its benefactor. Interested persons can learn more about establishing AFGLC chapters by contacting the Acting President, Dr. Balis, either via e-mail at: jbalis1@tampabay.rr.com or by telephone, at: 813-962-0708. The next annual AFGLC Educational Forum is scheduled for the first week of March, 2008. For more information, visit its website at: www.afglc.org.
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