Platsis Symposium

The Platsis Symposium is a forum on Classical and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Annual symposia discuss the Greek legacy from the Minoan civilization of Crete, Classical and Hellenistic Greece and the Byzantine Empire through the Modern Greek period beginning with Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821, exploring the pursuit of excellence, moderation, idealism, self-knowledge, rationalism, curiosity, freedom, individual responsibility and personal responsibility to community.

The program ended in 2014.

The Platsis Symposium is sponsored by the Arthur and Mary Platsis Endowment in collaboration with the C.P. Cavafy Professorship in Modern Greek and the University of Michigan Department of Classical Studies.

George Platsis endowed $250,000 (USD) in remembrance of his parents, Arthur and Mary Platsis, both from Crete. After service with the 32nd Michigan Infantry in World War I, Arthur Platsis was head chef at the American Legion Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan that cared for veterans recovering from poison gas attacks. Mary Platsis had volunteered for the American Red Cross and founded a post-World War II group to ship clothes to Crete and the orphanages of Kandanos and Sougia, her grandfather's village, under the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. In addition to funding the annual University of Michigan symposia, the Arthur and Mary Platsis Endowment awards prizes to graduate and undergraduate students for original work relating to Greek culture.

...
Wikipedia