The Academy of Athens, Greece’s leading intellectual institution, has elected SCSU Political Science Professor Emeritus John O. Iatrides as a corresponding member among Greek scholars abroad. He was appointed to the Academy’s Third Section of Ethical and Social Sciences in the field of Political Science and International Politics.
The Academy praised Iatrides for his contributions to the study of modern Greece. “His research, particularly on the Greek Civil War and the post-war political landscape, has become a key reference for understanding these critical periods,” a statement in Greek from the Academy said, adding, “Professor Iatrides has played a decisive role in shaping contemporary research on Greece, influencing generations of young scholars and enhancing the international profile of Greek studies.”
“The Academy honors an internationally respected scholar, committed to scientific dialogue and to fostering consensus and positive-sum approaches in political science,” the Academy’s statement said.
During his years at Southern, Iatrides was also a professor who was dedicated to his students’ well-being and success. In 2024, alumnus Jim Walsh, ’69, paid tribute to Iatrides and his impact on Walsh’s life in an op-ed, published in the Connecticut Post, “The Southern CT professor who helped ‘me to be a better person and a better citizen.'” In the op-ed, Walsh describes how he became a freshman at Southern in 1962 and says, “Being given a path to a college education was life-changing and from my first semester onward, Professor Iatrides was an important guide on that path.” Another alumna, also a former student of Iatrides’, wrote that he “shaped my life and I am eternally grateful for that gift from him.”
Colleagues also laud Iatrides for his scholarship, professionalism, and teaching skill. Political Science Professor Emeritus Arthur Paulson said, “I was fortunate to have him as a mentor and colleague. His influence was essential in building a collegial and productive Department of Political Science. Of as much importance to me, I was happy to call him my friend, and I am very pleased to see this recognition of his career.” Political Science Professor Patricia Olney said, “While in our Political Science Department, John Iatrides represented my ideal of the qualities that embody a great political analyst, particularly of strategic security issues.” She added, “Southern was very fortunate to have him on board. There are few International Relations professors of his caliber at any institution.”
Born in Thessaloniki, Iatrides studied in Greece, the Netherlands, and the United States. He served with the Hellenic National Defense General Staff as a NATO liaison officer from 1955 to 1956 and later worked in the prime minister’s press office.
Iatrides has taught contemporary Greek politics at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, New York University, and the University of the Aegean, and is professor emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University, where he served on the faculty from 1962-2002. From 1980 to 2004, he served as executive director of the Modern Greek Studies Association and editor of its MGSA Bulletin.
His publications include Balkan Triangle: Birth and Decline of an Alliance Across Ideological Boundaries (1968), Revolt in Athens: The Greek Communist ‘Second Round,’ 1944-1945 (1972), and Ambassador MacVeagh Reports, Greece 1933-1947 (1980), as well as numerous essays on the Greek wartime resistance, civil war, and U.S.-Greek relations. He is also co-author and editor of volumes such as Greece in the 1940s: A Nation in Crisis (1981), Studies in the History of the Greek Civil War (1987), and The Aegean Sea after the Cold War: Security and Law of the Sea Issues (2000).
The Academy of Athens conducts research in a wide range of fields, including agriculture, industry, shipping, and the national economy.
