PROJECT STATEMENT
Having applied to the Fulbright US Scholar Program for the 12191 – GR award (teaching/research) – Winter-Spring 2023 (4 months) with the support of the Ionian University, GreeceI Professor Alexis Papadopoulos informed us that he received a positive decision from the Fulbright Commission. The project proposes a partnership among the US Fulbright Program, Ionian University, Greece, and his home institution, DePaul University. The project topic refers directly to Ionian’s partnership with UNESCO thereby extending and augmenting its academic and diplomatic significance.
FOUNDATION OF THE PROJECT
About a year ago, Professor Papadopoulos was invited by Dr. Stavros Katsios of Ionian University to join his team studying threats to cultural heritage. Dr. Katsios is an authority on international economic crime and the founder of GeoLab (a research unit dedicated to Geocultural analysis). He participated in the interdisciplinary task force that produced the application for the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage and Cultural Heritage-related Activities, of which he authored a section and co-edited the whole. His most significant contribution to the effort was the model and rubric for threats and risk mitigation of threats to tangible and intangible cultural heritage (more on that later). The model and rubric will serve as one of several scaffolds for the Chair’s activities. In June 2021 our teamwork was recognized by UNESCO, with the award of the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage and Cultural Heritage-related Activities to Dr. Katsios and Ionian University (3- year duration). Once the Chair was officially established, Dr. Katsios invited Professor Papadopoulos to sit in the Steering and Scientific Committees. Dr. Katsios also invited him to work on Chair-related projects at his University for a semester (Winter-Spring 2023) and he agreed. Dr. Papadopoulos' Department at DePaul University has approved his plan for the leave and confirmed that they would be able to cover his course load.
L' ESPRESSO
