Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies

Established in 1979, the Program in Hellenic Studies aims to strengthen scholarship, teaching and research in all aspects of Byzantine and Modern Greek civilization, while exploring their relations to the classical tradition and the Late Antique world.

The Program operates with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund, which was established by the generosity of Stanley J. Seeger '52 in order to "advance the understanding of the culture of ancient Greece and its influence...and to stimulate creative expression and thought in and about modern Greece."

Governance and Goals

An interdepartmental Executive Committee on Hellenic Studies administers the income from the Fund and reports to the Seeger Trustees. Additional support is provided by endowments and grants by Princeton alumni and friends of Hellenic Studies, as well as Greek foundations and agencies.  The Program is under the general direction of the Council of the Humanities and is also connected to the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.

Providing a forum and a supportive network for Hellenists, scholars, creative writers, and artists from around the world, the Program promotes excellence in the humanities, the creative arts, and the social sciences.  In particular, the Program actively pursues collaborative projects linking Princeton faculty and students with their counterparts at Greek, American and other academic and cultural institutions overseas.

One of the principal goals of the Program in Hellenic Studies is to integrate the study of postclassical Greece into the intellectual life of the University. To this end, the Program supports faculty positions on joint appointments with Princeton departments and offers a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum, as well as graduate opportunities in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. Also, the Program sponsors a series of fellowship programs, scholarly exchanges with Greece, conferences, cultural activities, library acquisitions, and publications.

History

For much of the twentieth century, Princeton University has played a leading role among American institutions in the development of Greek studies, including Modern Greek studies, Byzantine studies, and classical studies in literature, history, archaeology, and philosophy. The Program in Hellenic Studies continues to build on the strong intellectual tradition established by such Princeton scholars as Howard Crosby Butler, Charles Rufus Morey, Edward Capps, Oliver Strunk, Georges Florovsky, Gregory Vlastos, Kurt Weitzmann, Kenneth Levy, W. Robert Connor, Robert Fagles, and Edmund Keeley.