FLUSHING, NY – [photo:GANP/ Dimitrios Panagos]
The Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies (CBMGS) at Queens College has secured a $300,000 New York State grant in renewed funding through the support of New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, the Center’s advisory board, and the Queens College administration.
“We are deeply grateful to Senator Gianaris for his generous support of the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies”, said Queens College Interim President Elizabeth F. Hendrey, in announcing the grant. “The work of the center celebrates the rich cultural heritage of so many of our students as well as the enduring sociological and economic history of the New York City communities that their parents and grandparents have built. This support makes it possible for us to expand that focus and develop new and vital partnerships both locally and internationally for the benefit of all Queens College students”.
The grant will support scholarships for undergraduate students choosing to major or minor in Byzantine and Modern Greek studies, travel grants for City University of New York (CUNY) students applying to the Study Abroad in Greece program for the winter and summer 2027 sessions, travel grants for CUNY graduate students engaged in Byzantine and Modern Greek studies, program conferences and lectures, books, publications, and CBMGS administrative functions.
“The funding secured by Senator Gianaris marks a transformative milestone for our center and the broader Queens College community”, said Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Director Fevronia Soumakis. “By investing directly in our students’ educational experience, this grant enables us to expand academic programming and research opportunities. We thank the senator for his leadership and commitment to public higher education”.
According to the Center, previous funding secured by Gianaris made it possible for Soumakis to lead a college delegation to Greece in June to help strengthen academic and cultural partnerships with universities and government representatives. Soumakis, together with Dean of Arts and Humanities Simone Yearwood and Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies Maria DeLongoria, met with faculty and administrators from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Study in Greece program, Hellenic American University and the American College of Greece to discuss expanding academic partnerships and encouraging student and faculty exchanges.
The visit included a tour of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which underscored the important role cultural institutions play in building international relationships. The delegation also met with Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maira Myrogianni and Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eftychia Xydia to explore the value of higher education in forging closer ties with the Greek diaspora.
“Queens College’s Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies has been a mainstay of the Greek American community for decades, and I am proud to have secured funding so its mission can continue”, said Gianaris. “I look forward to many more years of success educating future generations about the importance of this history”.
The previous year’s funding allocation also supported CBMGS administrative functions and equipment needs.
