Ministry of Education: Five questions and answers about the partnerships between Greek and American universities

With five questions and answers, the Ministry of Education proceeds with clarifications regarding the partnerships between Greek and American Universities as representatives of 30 leading American Universities visit Greece.

Detailed questions and answers from the Ministry of Education

1. What are the benefits of the internationalization of HEIs?

– For our students: By co-creating study programs and co-teaching with foreign professors, our students gain access to world-renowned universities without having to emigrate, with all that this implies financially and personally for their families. Also, the new legal framework has clear benefits for our students who wish to gain experiences abroad, as it facilitates the establishment of partnerships, such as for example the EKPA agreement with Yale for free attendance of courses (counting towards obtaining a degree) for postgraduate and doctoral students.

– For our professors and researchers: They benefit from the creation of academic and research partnerships, gaining access to high-level expertise and resources such as laboratories and libraries. The establishment of joint research centers with foreign universities expands the possibilities of our professors and researchers in new innovative fields, such as Precision Medicine or Environmental Health. Such partnerships can lead to closer collaborations, increasing the number of joint academic publications and the increase in the number of cross-references of our professors and researchers. Also, the creation of joint research centers, combined with the program of the Recovery and Resilience Fund for visiting professors and researchers, will contribute to the attraction of both Greek scientists who excel abroad and foreign scientists, curbing the scourge of brain drain.

– For our Universities: They will benefit at all levels, including a significant inflow of revenue from overseas students – it is estimated, for example, that the tuition revenue from just one English-language undergraduate medical program is up to €4m per course. These revenues can be used to upgrade infrastructure, such as the construction/renovation of student residences, sports facilities, libraries, and laboratories. In terms of prestige and international visibility, our universities are gaining their rightful place on the international academic map, as evidenced by partnerships with leading institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia.

– For our country: The benefits are multiple both at the economic and geopolitical level. Economically, the influx of foreign students to Greece is a source of income – and not only during the tourist season. Geopolitically, Education and Culture are two of the most important components in our country’s diplomatic arsenal, and the practical deepening of cooperative relations with the world leaders of science and intellectuals will contribute to the further international strengthening of our country and friendly relations with others peoples.

2. What is the goal of establishing the International Education Center of New York’s Columbia University in Athens?

The President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger announced the establishment of an International Education Center of Columbia University of New York in Athens, in the context of the visit of representatives from 30 leading US Universities to Greece for their participation in the Summit “Beacon 2022: Hellenic-American Cooperation in the field of Higher Education/Pharos Summit 2022: Greek-US Collaboration in Higher Education”.

The aim of the Center is to enrich the teaching, scientific and research work that is developing in our country, in osmosis with the Greek HEIs and the Greek university community. The Center will host lectures and teachings from Columbia professors and is expected to welcome its first students in 2023.

This is the culmination of an intensive effort that began at the end of 2019 and was announced on the first day of the mission of 30 American HEIs to our country, in the context of the initiative developed by the Ministry of Education and Minister Niki Kerameos already in 2019 for the greater extroversion of of higher education and Greek universities.

3. To whom is the new collaboration between EKPA and Yale addressed?

This cooperation foresees the exchange of students from the two institutions and the attendance of tuition-free courses. It is therefore addressed to postgraduate and doctoral students of EKPA, who, in the framework of the new collaboration, will be able to attend courses lasting one semester or one year in the sciences and the polytechnic, medical, environmental science schools of Yale, which will be counted in the obtaining their degree. This particular collaboration is a model for the creation of new partnerships that will bring tangible benefits to the students of our country, opening up new horizons and opportunities, especially for those who until now are unable to pay the exorbitant tuition fees of such a leading international university. Also, this partnership will promote the attraction of outstanding students from Yale, helping to strengthen the country as a global education hub. Finally, with the start of the new academic year, the Environmental Health graduate program of EKPA will be co-taught by professors from Yale University.

4. Why is it the right time for 30 American Universities to come to Greece?

Because the Greek government has placed the internationalization of Greek higher education at the top of its reform agenda.

Because the Ministry of Education has taken bold legislative initiatives to facilitate the creation of foreign language programs, international partnerships, joint and double degrees, summer and winter programs, joint research centers, among others.

Because these partnerships are combined with extensive funding that the Ministry of Education has secured for the country’s HEIs.

Because we are at an all-time high in relations between the two countries, with strong political will on both sides to promote stronger and deeper collaborations between our universities.

Because, in the last three years, this new direction has been enthusiastically embraced by the universities of Greece and the USA.

5. Which Universities visited our country and what does their visit include?

From the institutions participating in this program, representatives from the following 30 will visit our country at the beginning of November, as part of an official visit to expand and deepen their collaborations with Greek HEIs:

1. California Polytechnic State University

2. Carnegie Mellon University

3. Columbia University

4. George Mason University

5. Harvard University

6. Indiana University

7. Johns Hopkins University

8. Joliet Junior College

9. Lehigh University

10. Michigan State University

11. Ohio Northern University

12. Princeton University

13. Roger Williams University

14. Rutgers University

15. Stockton University

16. Tufts University

17. University of Alabama

18. University of California, Berkeley

19. University of Cincinnati

20. University of Delaware

21. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

22. University of Kentucky

23. University of South Alabama

24. University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering

25. University of Texas – Health Science Center

26. Wayne State University

27. Widener University

28. William & Mary

29. Yale University

30. York College of Pennsylvania

During the stay of the representatives of the American Institutions in our country – lasting one week – they visit, in groups, all the Greek Universities in order to further strengthen collaborations not only with HEIs in large urban centers, but also with regional HEIs. During their stay, they participate in specialized seminars and meetings with Greek university institutions, while official receptions will be held in their honor. The aim of the project is the overall promotion of the country and its Universities as a leading academic destination of global scope that offers both the pursuit of high-level studies and the conduct of innovative research.

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