A letter from the Director: John Pack

The dream I have to build an endowment for the Aegean Center has long been forming in my mind. I have managed to operate the Center on tuitions alone since my tenure began in 1984. I have seen the Center endure through many different crises and fluctuations of world politics. We maintained an enrollment during the Gulf War, the Yugoslavian crisis and through the 9-11 disaster.

The school has changed through the years and the students who apply and attend the Aegean Center have changed as well with the times. The youth of the '80s were willing to live without electricity and wait two weeks for an exchange of letters home. Now students cannot imagine other than the instantaneous communication of email and Skype. As the world has quickened its pace we have kept in step. With our classes in digital photography, computers, digital imaging for art history slides, high speed email and internet at the Center we are thoroughly members of the 21st Century. Though many of us mourn the loss of our simpler lives we realize that life does not stand still. We are not an anachronistic program resisting all current world trends. Yet we hold the Socratic method of teaching firmly before us, understand the value of traditional methods and keep the classical ideals as our firm foundation. We see our program and educational philosophy being more necessary today than ever before.

Greece has changed since the inception of the school in 1966 and its introduction into the EU has had an effect on the cost of running our program. The dollar seems to be on a continuous slide down and the rise of fuel prices will change the transportation economy. I find that I must now seek to find an endowment to ensure the future of the school. I hope to make the Aegean Center a 100% tuition scholarship program, as the Cooper Union in New York is run. I feel this will equalize student's opportunities to attend, student's from all countries and all walks of life. We are getting more and more applications from India and South America as well as the U.K. and Eastern European countries. These students are anxious to attend the Center and learn about the western ideal birthed in Greece.

I feel a great sadness when I cannot help a deserving student who is having financial difficulties because we must make our quota of full tuitions. I had a wonderful application from a young woman from Bangladesh who wanted to learn and take back her knowledge to her village to help the children there. We could not give her the necessary funds to join us. Currently I give as many scholarships as the school can afford. We have a wonderful benefactor who helps make this possible and his contributions have preserved us and strengthened our commitment to help deserving students return for a second semester. I now want to raise money for a full endowment. My goal is 3 million dollars, a modest sum for most educational organizations. My experience managing the Center with our limited funds along with the deep commitment of faculty and friends of the Center will make the endowment work wonders. We will be able to broaden our student profile, to enlarge on our commitment to the finest and most potent educational experience and to ride through whatever rough weather the fates throw at us in the future. We can make this possible with your help.

We have a good start this year with two sizable contributions. For more information about the Aegean Center Endowment and contributing to the fund please contact John Pack at: john@aegeancenter.org, by phone: 30 (for Greece) 22840-23287, or by post: John Pack, The Aegean Center, Paros 84400, Kyklades, Greece.

Following are our federal tax I.D. and DUNS numbers:

Federal Non-Profit Tax Number: 51 032 4414
D-U-N-S Number 49-988-1246

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy

The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, Inc. admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its admission policies, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.