Members of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) are calling on the organisation to provide $91,500 in funding to help restore and maintain La Trobe University’s Greek Studies program for the next three years.
A resolution is set to be presented at the Community’s upcoming Annual General Meeting, seeking financial support for the university program, which proponents say is the only higher education Greek Studies program currently operating at a Victorian university.
The resolution argues that maintaining Greek language and cultural studies at university level is important to the continuation of Greek language education and the academic presence of Greek in Australia.
It calls on the GOCMV to provide the $91,500 proposed by La Trobe University following discussions with the Pharos Alliance.
The resolution also proposes that the Community work with La Trobe University, relevant government agencies, the university’s Greek Studies program, the Pharos Alliance and other stakeholders to develop a long-term plan for the program’s sustainability.
The motion cites the longstanding relationship between the La Trobe Greek Studies program and the GOCMV, as well as the Community’s role in promoting and maintaining Greek language education across Victoria.
It also refers to the recent successful claim for additional compensation following the compulsory acquisition of the Community’s privately owned property on Greenaway Street in Bulleen, congratulating the GOCMV Board on the outcome.
The resolution will be moved by former GOCMV Board member Theodoros Markou and seconded by Dr Christos N. Fifis, Honorary Research Fellow in La Trobe University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The resolution states that the proposed funding would support the reinstatement and continuation of the Greek Studies program for three years, while further collaboration would seek to secure its long-term future.
Neos Kosmos will seek comment from the GOCMV Board on the proposed resolution and funding request for the Greek Studies program.
