LOS ANGELES – The Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) was honored to welcome Ambassador of Greece to the United States Alexandra Papadopoulou for the 2022 Zoe Caloyera Distinguished Lecture and Recognition Award.

The Center presented the Ambassador with a Recognition Award on November 12 for her life-long commitment and contributions to public life and service in Greece and abroad, values essential to the university’s educational mission for engaged global citizenship.

The Center’s Director Dr. Christina Bogdanou and Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Dean Robbin Crabtree welcomed the honoree to LMU on behalf of the University President Tim Law Snyder and Vice-Provost for Global-Local Affairs Roberta Espinoza.

The Ambassador talked about her early family life as a great contributor to her dedication to public service. Greek family values about the importance of education and the pursuit of personal excellence in one’s chosen field of activity were emphasized by the Ambassador. She talked about the invaluable contribution of women in society both in Greece and globally as well as the importance for equal rights and opportunities. Papadopoulou praised the Greek state for upholding gender equality in Greece at a time that we see erosions in hard-won women’s rights around the globe. The Ambassador also talked about the relationship between the U.S. and Greece as one of mutual respect and close collaboration. She praised the Greek-American diaspora for their close ties to Greece and maintaining Greek identity and core values and ideals for the next generations.

Ambassador Papadopoulou was appointed as Ambassador of Greece to the U.S. in February 2020. Prior to that, she served as Head of the Diplomatic Cabinet of the Greek Prime Minister, Permanent Representative of Greece to the EU, Director General for European Affairs in charge of the Greek Presidency of the EU in 2014, Head of the Greek Liaison Office in Skopje, and Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations. She also served as Head of the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo. Ambassador Papadopoulou holds a Law Degree from the University of Athens and a Master’s Degree in International Relations & International Law from the University of Pennsylvania where she studies as a Fulbright Scholar.

The award was presented by Dr. Nasreen Babu-Khan, the founder of the Zoe Caloyera Distinguished Lecture and Recognition Award Fund in honor of her grandmother Zoe Caloyera, the matriarch of the Caloyeras family who immigrated with her husband Basil P. Caloyeras to the U.S. in the 1960s.

This annual event brings to the LMU campus outstanding individuals in the fields of art, culture, science, and public life relevant to the ongoing work of the Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies. It is made possible through the generous support and commitment of Drs. Nasreen Babu-Khan and Howard Lehrhoff to Hellenic Studies and the Southern California Greek-American community.

The Basil P. Caloyeras Center was established 45 years ago. It offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum in Modern Greek Studies open to all LMU students. Courses are taught on Modern Greek history and contemporary politics, the Greek Orthodox tradition and spirituality, Modern Greek language and culture, literature, theater, and film. Throughout the academic year, the Center sponsors and organizes lectures, readings, film screenings, concerts, symposia, and exhibitions on topics of interest to the University and the community at large. The Caloyeras Center is recognized by the University for its contribution to the global education and global citizenship mission and for enriching the University Core Curriculum and its several study abroad opportunities.

The Basil P. Caloyeras Center is currently expanding its curriculum beyond the humanities in order to offer students the opportunity to study Greece through the interdisciplinary lens of contemporary politics and international relations topics, peace and justice issues, urban and environmental sustainability studies, public health, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Several scholarships to study in Greece are available to students annually.

The signature program Center organizes the Odyssey Program, a four-week travel-and-study opportunity every summer. The program begins in Athens where students visit the Acropolis, museums of ancient and modern art, attend performances, and walk around the city in order to experience the modern life of one of the most vibrant European capitals. The program then takes residence at the Anargyrios School on the Aegean island of Spetses, famous for its revolutionary war history, distinctive architecture, stately historic mansions, and beautiful beaches for its core academic program. Students have the opportunity to study Greek culture and society while fully immersed in Greek life. The Odyssey trip concludes with a week-long cultural tour around Greece where students visit sites of cultural and historical significance such as Olympia, Sparta, Epidavros, Corinth, Nemea, Nafplio, Mistras, Monemvasia, Delphi, and Meteora.

For more information about the Center and its work, visit https://bellarmine.lmu.edu/moderngreek/.