Ο Θεσμός της Χορηγίας, Αρωγός των Πανεπιστημίων

Abstract

University sponsorship plays an integral role in supporting leading academic
institutions as centers for learning and academic excellence.
Support of universities, however, can more broadly, also benefit society
as a whole by providing the means of overcoming the current financial
crisis. Various sponsorship and funding models help universities in
Europe and the USA, achieve their goals – some of which are also successfully
practiced by universities in Greece. Around the world, state/
governmental funding (provided, for instance, through the operation
of Research Councils) remains essential for the majority of universities;
particularly in supporting “blue sky research” or “curiosity-driven
science” which often leads to ground-breaking, pioneering new applications.
Universities are, however, also building close links with the
market, not only through various models of corporate sponsorship, but
also by encouraging entrepreneurship within the university system itself.
University “spin-off” companies are turning innovative research
and/or the provision of services into a competitive advantage: generating
significant revenue that can then be re-directed into cutting-edge
research. If such sponsorship models mainly benefit fields such as finance,
science and technology, however, this leaves a field of particular
importance in the sidelines: the humanities. A field which, especially in
today’s rapidly shifting world, is of paramount significance if we are to
build, in the Platonic sense, a global society permeated by the values
of humanism. In this respect, the support provided to universities by
charities, foundations and trusts is instrumental, bringing the notion of
sponsorship closer to the ancient Greek practice of χορηγεία which promotes
the common good. In the case of Greece such organizations have
focused for decades on promoting the study of Greek history and letters
on an international level; among them, the A. G. Leventis Foundation has supported academic achievement in the field of Hellenic Studies in leading universities world-wide. But where does this leave Greek Universities today? Numerous funding models are successfully used to support research in various fields in Greece – but what is needed is a climate of change within the university system itself, which will allow our academic institutions to excel, free of the influence of party-politics, and attract broader sponsorship, not least from the great Greek Diaspora which has always rallied in times of crisis. Such a focus on education will truly allow us to move forward, and to prosper, benefiting individuals and society as a whole.