Community members gather to celebrate 30 years of Greek Studies at UMSL

by Steve Walentik | Sep 30, 2024

More than 250 people attended the Sept. 22 event commemorating the history of the professorship and its impact preserving and promoting Greek culture and identity in the St. Louis region.

St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page (right) presents Michael Cosmopoulos with a proclamation commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Greek Studies Professorship at UMSL

St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page (right) presents Michael Cosmopoulos with a proclamation commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Hellenic Government-Karakas Family Foundation Professorship in Greek Studies at UMSL during an event on Sept. 22 in the Millennium Student Center. (Photos courtesy of Michael Cosmopoulos)

More than 250 people, including many members of the local Greek community along with St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page, turned out on Sept. 22 at the Millennium Student Center to join in celebrating 30 years of Greek Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

The event marked the anniversary of the endowed Hellenic Government-Karakas Family Foundation Professorship in Greek Studies, established in 1994 with funding support from the government of Greece, the state of Missouri and the local Greek community.

Provost Steven J. Berberich welcomes guests to a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Greek Studies at UMSL.

Attendees were treated to the premiere of a new documentary titled “American Odyssey: The Greeks of St. Louis,” from filmmaker Tom Bellos and produced by Michael Cosmopoulos, who has served as the Hellenic Government-Karakas Family Foundation Professor of Greek Studies since 2001. The event also served as the public launch of a digital exhibit on the history of the St. Louis Greek community, created by Cosmopoulos with support from Lara Kelland, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Museum Studies and Community History, and the Digital Humanities Lab.

Guests also dined on Greek food, took in a performance by the Kyklos Hellenic Dancers of St. Louis and had a chance to preview two soon-to-be-published books authored by historian Nikos Poulopoulos, “History of the Greek Community of St. Louis” and “G.I. Greeks.”

“We had a great turnout,” Cosmopoulos said. “There has always been a close connection between the Greek community and the professorship, and that has translated into significant support of the university by the community. They got a chance to see the results of various projects about them that have been brewing for a number of years.”

UMSL’s professorship was one of the first chairs of Greek Studies established in the United States. The mission is to focus, develop and sustain research, teaching and public education on Hellenism, with particular emphasis on the impact of Hellenic civilization on contemporary society.

Attendees of the 30th anniversary celebration of Greek Studies at UMSL sit in the Century Rooms of the Millennium Student Center listening to one of the speakers

More than 250 people attended the celebration in the Century Rooms of the Millennium Student Center.

It has delivered on that promise, teaching more than 6,000 students and holding more than 150 public events over the past three decades in addition to the long history of research Cosmopoulos has generated through his work on archaeological excavations, most notably the Iklaina Archaeological Project in southwestern Greece. Earlier this year, Cosmopoulos was inducted into the Academy of Athens as the Chair of Bronze Age Archaeology and last year into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Cosmopoulos had served as a professor at the University of Manitoba and had, as one of his responsibilities, worked to preserve the identity of the Greek community there. So, the opportunity to take over the professorship at UMSL was in line with his skills, and it also brought him back to St. Louis, where he had earned his doctorate at Washington University in St. Louis.

“This is my passion,” Cosmopoulos said. “I’ve been very passionate about Greece, Greek culture, Greek identity. Greek culture is not isolated in a tiny corner of Europe, but it is a culture that spans thousands of years and five continents.

The Kyklos Hellenic Dancers of St. Louis perform during a celebration of 30 years of Greek Studies at UMSL

The Kyklos Hellenic Dancers of St. Louis perform in the Millennium Student Center during the celebration.

“Having been, myself, a member of a Greek diaspora and having my children grow up as Greek Americans, I realized very personally how it hits very close to home, how important it is to preserve one’s ethnic and cultural identity in this melting pot that is our culture in the United States. This country has been made by immigrants, and it’s important that they preserve the memory of who they are. Memory is important for our identity.”

In addition to the professorship in Greek Studies, UMSL is home to the Nicholas and Theodora Matsakis Hellenic Culture Center. It helps connect scholars, students and community members with the culture and history of Greece, both locally and internationally. The center has been a valuable resource for information on politics, business, education and travel.

More information about the professorship and its programs can be found at www.greekstudies.org.