The Chair of Modern Greek Studies of the University of Amsterdam is one of the few such chairs that still exist in Western Europe. Thus, in cooperation with the “Dutch Society for Greek Studies» (Nederlands Genootschap voor Nieugriekse Studies – NGNS), the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation has proposed to fund the operation of the Chair, which will be called “Marilena Laskaridis Chair of Modern Greek Studies”. The official announcement will hopefully be made by the University in the spring of 2017 and will continue under the new name as of the January 1, 2018.
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university of the Netherlands with over 30,000 students. Established in 1632, it is the third oldest university of Holland and the first among the Dutch universities (50th position) in the university ranking list worldwide for the year 2014 to 2015, while in the European ranking it ranks 15th. It offers a number of undergraduate level courses and a range of postgraduate courses taught in English.
The University buildings are scattered harmoniously within the urban fabric of the city center, among the canals of the “Venice of the North”.
The Meeting Hall of the University Administration. Here were held the meetings of the powerful Dutch East India Company founded in 1602. It was the first multinational company in the world and the first company that issued shares. The Company had almost governmental powers, including the ability to conduct war, to negotiate conditions, to issue currency, and establish colonies. Since 1800, the territories of the Company became the Dutch East Indies and expanded during the 19th century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago, and in the twentieth century have shaped Indonesia.
