A Public Lecture titled “With Knowledge Under Siege Globally, How May Canada Act As A Lighthouse?”

A Public Lecture titled “With Knowledge Under Siege Globally, How May Canada Act As A Lighthouse?” was held by the Canadian University Alumni in Greece, on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, from 14:00 to 15:00

The session was moderated by Gregory T. Papanikos, President of the Athens Institute.

The lecture was delivered by Dr. Marc Spooner, Professor at the University of Regina, Canada.

Professor Spooner’s lecture explored the pressing challenges facing higher education globally, including threats to academic freedom, underfunding, restrictions on tenure, and the rise of performance-based funding. Highlighting Canada’s uniquely unionized higher education system, he discussed how Canadian faculty associations may serve as a lighthouse, defending the aspirational ideals of the university in times of increasing global authoritarianism.

Following the main presentation, interventions were made by:

• Kenneth Christie, Head, Politics & International Affairs Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Royal Roads University, Canada.
• Reinhard Reitzenstein, Professor, Director of Sculpture Program, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
• Deric Shannon, Professor, Oxford College, Emory University, USA.
• Timothy Congdon, Chair, Institute of International Monetary Research, UK.

These contributions enriched the discussion by offering valuable international perspectives and deepening the dialogue on global challenges in higher education.