E. John Rumpakis, a member of Leadership 100 and prominent businessman, helped establish the Hellenic Studies Program at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. A long-standing supporter of the school, he donated $250,000 to initiate the program last July. The mission of the new program is to strengthen the relationship between the Portland region “and the people, culture and businesses of Greece and the Greek Diaspora” with classes in language, history, culture and current affairs and internships, study abroad opportunities, lectures and performances by visiting scholars, authors and artists.

Twice elected Oregon’s “Realtor of the Year”, he previously provided annual scholarships for Portland State Business majors interested in the field of real estate and recently assisted the university in recruiting a conflict resolution scholar with expertise in the conflict between Greek and Turkish residents of Cyprus.

The Hellenic Studies program, which will offer a minor in Modern Greek language and literature and culture eventually hope to establish a major and a certificate. The program will collaborate with other PSU programs such as Italian studies, Judaic studies and the Middle East Study center and collaborate with Greek universities. “My vision is for this to be more than Greece for Greeks, he said. “We should be building bridges and relationships, not just with Greece, but with its neighboring countries and cultures throughout the Mediterranean and the world.”