69 Professors of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who received the title of Professor Emeritus in 2023, were honoured at a special event on Tuesday 2 April 2024, in the Ceremonial Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

In his address, the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Professor Charalambos Fidas, referred to the title of “Emeritus”, stressing that for a professor it is the culmination of a long career in academia. Referring to the professors emeritus, he stressed that their presence was and remains of vital importance for the university, describing them as the intellectual capital of the Aristotle University.

The Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki did not fail to mention the unfulfilled gap that, every year, the retirement of dozens of Professors leaves in the human resources and academic units, as, as he said, “year after year, they “bleed” more and more intensely”.

“And as we all know, this gap has not been fully covered by the Greek state, at least for the last fifteen years. Several directions and specializations in our curricula are in danger of becoming “inactive” due to understaffing in teaching and research staff, he said and stressed that several of these specializations continue and survive thanks to the philanthropy of many peer professors who offer their services selflessly and their students who follow in their footsteps.

In his speech, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Philology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Emilios Mavroudis, underlined how two pseudo-Platonic terms (definitions), of παιδεία and παίδευσις, are developed.

Afterwards, the award ceremony for the Professors Emeritus took place.