The financial crisis of 2015, when National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) be literally up in the air due to financial gaps that cannot be covered, just like the country. Internal “fronts”, pillars and ideologies that hindered development National Technical University (NTPU). national tragedy. Pace who plunged into mourning Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)mourning 12 of his students.

It is easier for a high-ranking leader to sum up honestly – or maybe tiredly and, why not, at times despondently – when his term of office comes to an end. And being a rector is not an easy position, especially in one of the three iconic universities. Of course, many claim it, because … “I prefer to be the rector of the one and only University of Athens than one of the many deputy ministers or even ministers of the government,” as he once admitted. ink” academic and former civil servant. EKPA’s Thanos Dimopoulos, NTUA’s Andreas Butouvis and AUTH’s Nikos Papaioannou are ending their terms as rectors this year and confess “K” the most difficult moments they passed, having the reins of government of the historical universities of the country.

“I remember that at the beginning of our term as rector in 2015, we took over the university in the midst of a severe economic crisis in our country. Administrative staff was available and there was a stagnation in research funding from the European Union. To understand the urgency of the situation, let me say that every year EKPA’s research programs attract between 5,000 and 8,000 researchers who are young scientists. Let us not lose sight of the fact that their employment contributes to reducing unemployment among young scientists and stopping their leakage abroad.” Mr. Dimopoulos is watching at K today.. “We felt like the university was going to explode on us,” he adds. “Today, the situation has returned to normal, although there are problems that Greek universities face, especially large ones, such as bureaucracy or individual incidents, such as the occupation, that fall into the spotlight. However, this is not the essence of EKPA, which has taken steps towards extraversion. We have created two undergraduate programs in a foreign language in English, and an important step to strengthen our professors and students in the European family is the creation in 2019, together with other universities from 10 countries of the CIVIS European University. It brings together a community of over 384,000 students and 55,000 academics and research staff. With European funds, CIVIS is creating a truly unique European Intercollegiate Campus, where students, academics, researchers and staff move and collaborate as freely as they would in their home institution.”

“My most important experience during my tenure as rector of the National Technical University concerns the management of fronts. There are fronts that you open as a rector, but there are also fronts that open, expectedly or not, on their own. For a positive result in the fight against them, strategy and tactics are needed. Failure to manage fronts can be devastating to the chancellor and dangerous to the institution.” – says Mr. Buduvis “K”.. “The rector is tested as an institution and as a person from the first moment, and the result of the crash test is decisive for the continuation. I’ve faced a lot of pressure that always has a specific origin in terms of leadership, targeting and especially expression. I mean extreme sentiments, sectarian student origins, especially minorities, but disordered and herdish. As well as violence and extreme crime by groups living together in the “a” area and others. The battle on this front has borne fruit, in cooperation with the state. As an example, I will mention the restoration of the Gini building in the historic Patision complex and the elimination of the infamous student dormitory at the Zografu University of Technology. Restoring the smooth running of NTUA’s governing collegiate bodies, especially the Senate, is no longer a requirement. Yes, the university has anchors and ideologies and “acquired” ones, but I can tell by making “cash” that they have been defeated with small and large battles “on the field”. But mainly because it was realized that they hindered the development of the university and that any relative tolerance or indifference paid dearly. The antidote to these factors are steps – leaps forward – extraversion and decisive reform movements aimed at significant progress in education and research. Multifaceted testing, psychological and physical fatigue, great dilemmas, risks, conflicts, “fighting” with the state for chronic deficits and difficulties of cooperation are compensated by any good results. Behind a significant result lies an invisible collective ant labor. While a thousand good results can be wiped out in terms of impressions by a bad event or a spectacularly ugly photograph, reflecting the result is the greatest reward, especially when there is benefit from the recipient students,” he adds. .

“At the administration level, there were many difficult moments because I wanted to break eggs in many areas, such as security and zero tolerance for bullying of minorities and non-students. Minority groups at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki have limited their activities. All opinions are certainly respected, but we do not allow violence, the destruction of state property and the abolition of the academic function of the institution.” says Nikos Papaioannu. “You ask me if these phenomena are not gangrene for the institution. Of course, if we let them expand, find a field of action, they will end up with gangrene,” he adds.

“Many problems arise because of decades of status quo attitudes that do not help change anything. But let me focus on the tragedy of Tempe. AUTH has lost 12 of its students. This is a tragedy that a university student, a parent cannot comprehend and survive … “.