Modern Greek Program Chronology of Progress

  • 1975 Project Paideia launched; the Greek-American community and Ohio State begin fundraising for Program of Modern Greek.
  • 1976 Fundraising goal met; professorship designated and full sequence of language courses established; Valerie A. Caires appointed professor.
  • 1977 Kimon Friar appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor.
  • 1979 Exxon Education Foundation grant received.
  • 1981 Vassilis Lambropoulos appointed professor.
  • 1984 Minor in Modern Greek introduced.
  • 1985 Program hosts Symposium of the Modern Greek Studies Association.
  • 1987 Gregory Jusdanis appointed professor.
  • 1988 Major in Modern Greek introduced; Thomas E. Leontis Annual Lectureship inaugurated; Program organizes "Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies: The Next Wave," the first conference of graduate students and recent Ph.D.’s in these fields (1990, 1992 and 1994).
  • 1990 Program launches "After Greece: Constructions of the Hellenic," a regular, on-going Seminar of faculty and graduate students
  • 1991 Master’s degree in Modern Greek introduced.
  • 1993 Artemis Leontis appointed Adjunct Professor.
  • 1994 The OSU College of Humanities and the University of Thessaloniki School of Philosophy sign an official agreement for faculty exchange.
  • 1995 Program organizes conference-workshop "Descent from the Acropolis: Practicing Hellenism Today."
  • 1996 Program organizes conference-workshop "Whither the Neohellenic?"
  • 1996 Modern Greek Program merges with Classics to form the new Department of Classics
  • 1997 Program co-organizes conference "Agon" with the international journal of political and social theory Thesis Eleven.
  • 2000 Yiorgos Anagnostou appointed professor.
  • 2001 Anthony Kaldellis appointed professor.
  • 2002 Program organizes workshop "The End of 'White' Ethnicities?"
  • 2005 Program organizes conference "New Voices in Modern Greek Studies".
  • 2015 Project Ohio Hellenic Paideia launched; the Greek American community begin fundraising for an Endowed Professorship in Modern Greek.
  • 2020 Fundraising goal met. Yiorgos Anagnostou appointed the Miltiadis Marinakis Professor of Modern Greek language and culture.
  • 2021 Christopher Brown appointed Professor of Teaching.