Dr. Geoff Bakewell, professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Rhodes College, has been appointed inaugural holder of the Brian D. Joseph Endowed Chair in Classics at the College Year in Athens. His three-year (visiting) term begins Sept. 1, 2026.
College Year in Athens is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to the history and civilization of Greece and the East Mediterranean region. Established in 1962, it was the first study abroad program in Greece for English-speaking undergraduates.
As holder of the chair, Bakewell will teach one course per semester and collaborate with College Year in Athens faculty on curricular and pedagogical matters, combining teaching and research. At Rhodes, he has directed Search, the college’s signature interdisciplinary humanities program, and the Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning.
Bakewell’s scholarship emphasizes deeply contextualized readings of Athenian literature and philosophy. His work includes translations of several plays, more than 25 articles and book chapters, and an acclaimed monograph, Aeschylus′ Suppliant Women: The Tragedy of Immigration.
Bakewell holds a doctorate from Brown University and bachelor’s degree from Yale University and has received several accolades, including a Fulbright and a teaching award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. He has taught previously in Athens at the American School of Classical Studies.