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Whether representatives of foreign universities should enter the general assemblies of Greek universities or not is the hot point in the new bill of the Ministry of Education. The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy ELIAMEP decided to organize a series of discussions with antitheses given the opposing public discourses which unleashed the government reforms. The first "collision" of this kind was held between the lecturer at the Medical School of the Athens University Haralambos Mutsopulos and the Secretary for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education and lecturer at the Polytechnic University Vassilis Papazoglou. In their opinion, foreign lecturers should take part in universities governing. The opposite is the opinion of the Dean of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Yannis Milopoulous and the lecturer of Constitutional Law at the University of Athens George Sotirelis. The four lecturers backed their positions with arguments in a lively debate. The audience composed of both their colleagues and concerned citizens joined with comments and observations.

The formula of including students in the university governing and decision making processes proved unsuccessful. It laid the foundations of ways of thinking and action promoting favour-based non-academic acts, said Professor Mutsopoulous who presented his arguments in support of foreign lecturers’ involvement in university dean’s offices. He gave several examples of kinship assignments of lecturers and positions opened on the base of party membership. "There are 700 full-time lecturers at the University of Athens and 104 of them are children, sons-in-law and daughters of lecturers. Very few of them are very capable. The rest were assigned by playing tricks and following non-transparent procedures," said the professor. He gave another example of corruption with a lecturer who has become one because he was a deputy minister. Later he has become associate professor despite he lacked the required skills. "Nine new positions for professors were announced in the recent years. There were great applicants from foreign and Greek universities. Only two of the positions were occupied by applicants of exceptional qualities." Mr. Mutsopoulos gave an example of how distorted was the students’ involvement in the election of Dean and how student unions made arrangements even whether a lecturer would read or not. The administrative board should be responsible for managing the proceeds, the property of the university. It should plan the development of the university for the next year and should approve the annual budget. It should also determine the dean. The administrative board should not involve many members – not more than seven people most of which external members. They would connect the university with the needs of society. They should not be representatives of organizations which would exclude partisan influences. Students should have a representative to vote on matters affecting them but not having a say in choosing the dean. We should announce a dean vacancy internationally in order lecturers from across Europe, Yanena, Alexandroupoli to apply. And if the job is not done well the administrative board would dismiss the assigned.

I do not believe that the university governing body will be able to cope with pathogenic Greek universities if it involves external lecturers, said Professor Milopoulous who is against the entry of foreign lecturers in university governance. "We all are of the opinion that there are problems in universities and changes are needed. But we rush from one extreme - to involve students in universities’ government and to elect the Dean, to another - to seek foreign lecturers to govern the universities," said the Dean of the University of Thessaloniki. He said the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki had five main problems. The most serious one was that there was no infrastructure and they were forced to read lectures in rented rooms around the city. According to him, Greek universities opened some decades ago could not compete with U.S. universities opened more than hundred years ago. Mr. Milopoulous said that universities in the country were poorly funded. The budget for the University of Thessaloniki had been reduced by 33% this year and freshmen had increased by 50% due to transfers. "I think the biggest problem is that there is no control and supervision over the administrative bodies of universities. I expect mostly external collaborators to be included in such supervisory and controlling services," suggested Mr. Milopoulous.

Vassilis Papazoglou stressed the need for universities to become extrovert and allow foreign lecturers to bring new ideas. He said they would help overcoming the internal strife, but could also bring an important administrative experience in the Greek governing boards of universities through proper selection of personnel. In his presentation, the Secretary of the Ministry of Education stressed that external members would lead to improvements in education and scientific research which the experience of European universities had already proven. The state should hereinafter trust funds management to the universities themselves which would have to account for the money spent. So, the deans  should be capable managers and good governors, not only distinguished professors recognized for their academic work.

"I fear that individuals would enter the university without rules and principles just to profit here and now," said constitutional law professor George Sotirelis. He said that good results could be achieved even with these laws.