One of the first areas in which Marianthi Simou, in collaboration with her advisors and with the substantial assistance of Nikos Vernikos-Eugenidis, was to have the Foundation immediately begin fulfilling its mission throughthe provision of scholarships to young Greeks. This decision was based on a thorough study of the state of technical education in Greece, the identification of its weaknesses, and the assessment of its needs. The technical education system at that time was faltering, mainly due to a lack of qualified teaching staff for technical courses and the almost complete absence of suitable textbooks for the students.
Purpose of the Scholarships and the Selection Process for Scholarship Recipients
The provision of scholarships to young Greeks to study at technical schools in Greece or abroad was aimed primarily at providing the scholarship recipients with as comprehensive a technical education as possible, but also to develop teaching staff for the technical schools already in existence in Greece. The Foundation’s Board of Directors was the sole authority responsible for determining, on a case-by-case basis, the number of scholarship recipients, the field of study, the duration of the scholarship, the monthly amount, and the general terms and conditions for awarding it. Scholarship recipients were selected in two ways: either through a competitive selection process or without one, in which case the Commission established the objective criteria for evaluating the candidates. The scholarships were awarded for studies either abroad or within the country.
The First Scholarship Recipients
1956–1966
The first scholarships for study abroad were announced by the Foundation immediately after the publication in the Government Gazette of Royal Decree on the Establishment of the Eugenides Foundation and ratifying its Administrative and Management Regulations in February 1956. This rapid announcement was made possible thanks to the thorough preparatory work carried out by Marianthi Simou and her advisors.
In addition to the decision to award scholarships, the Foundation’s administration had to resolve a number of pressing issues related to the program’s success. First, it was necessary to evaluate the technical schools operating in our country at that time, most of which were private, in order to select those that met the requirements for providing a satisfactory education. Prospective scholarship recipients would be sought from these schools. It was also necessary to identify abroad the schools that would accept the scholarship recipients, a task by no means easy, given that the provision of technical education in Europe and America differed radically from that in Greece.
The Foundation assigned the scholarship recipients to universities abroad based on the field of study in which they would be pursuing further education. There were two main specialties: themechanical technicianand theelectrician.
Before the scholarship recipients departed from Greece, the Foundation had arranged for their enrollment in the schools, their accommodation in suitable housing, and the monitoring of their studies by a representative from the school where they would be attending classes. In cases where the scholars’ knowledge of the language of the country they were to visit was not sufficient to follow the courses, the scholarship recipients attended classes at intensive language schools for two months, where instruction focused primarily on learning technical terminology.
The scholarship recipients submittedannual reportsto the Foundation, in which they described the progress of their education, the teaching programs, the difficulties they encountered, their progress, and their assessments of how the laboratory courses were taught. These reports are valuable accounts for understanding the philosophy behind the provision of technical education in the technologically advanced countries of Europe and for explaining the contribution of the graduates of these schools to the industrialdevelopment of their countries, as well as Evgenios Evgenidis’s vision regarding the need to develop technical education in our country so that it can catch up with European standards.
The scholars' relationship with the Foundation during their studies was not merely formal, but close. The scholarship recipients corresponded with Marianthi Simou in their own handwriting and the texts of these letters show that, in addition to matters related to their studies, they also discussed everyday human problems and joys. Simo replied to all these letters with affection.
Of the Foundation’s 29 scholarship recipients studying abroad through 1966, 27 completed their studies and returned to Greece. They all worked in factories, companies, government agencies, organizations, and schools. The scholarship recipients' positive contribution to the projects for which they were hired proved that the Foundation had made the right choice in selecting them. Scholarship recipients were free to choose their employment with employers, without any restrictions imposed by the terms of the scholarship. This confirms the unconditional, selfless love that Evgenios Evgenidis and Marianthi Simos have for their hometown.
1967–1986
The need for fewer scholarships
Between 1967 and 1986, the scholarship program lost momentum, largely because technical and vocational education in Greece had improved dramatically, teachers at technical and vocational schools were specially trained, the Foundation had already authored and published 175 textbooks for vocational and technical high schools between 1978 and 1985, while from 1957 to 1978 it had met all the textbook needs of the Lower and Intermediate Technical Schools and the New-Style Technical Schools with a total of 130 books.
1987–present
In 1987, the year marking the 150th anniversary of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Nikos Vernikos-Eugenides, the successor to Marianthi Simou, by decision of the Governing Committee, offered scholarships for a decade to outstanding graduates or deserving Greek NTUA graduates who lacked sufficient financial resources. The Senate selected the scholarship recipients based on nominations from the departments. These scholarships are still being awarded today and already number more than 440.
The Foundation’s Governing Committee, on the initiative of Nikos Vernikos-Eugenides, has been offering scholarships since 1989 to officers of the Coast Guardfor graduate studies abroad. These scholarships, which continue to this day and now number more than 70, have contributed—and continue to contribute—to the development of highly trained Coast Guard officers, capable of successfully addressing the challenges of international shipping and representing Greece with distinction.
Finally, from 1992 to 2016, scholarships were awarded for master’s and doctoral studies at universities in Greece and abroad.