Webster Mourns Webster Athens Rector Vasilis J. Botopoulos
August 28, 2026
The Webster community mourns the passing of Webster Athens Rector and Managing Director, Professor Vasilis J. Botopoulos.
Botopoulos served Webster Athens as its inaugural rector and managing director since 2014, leading with integrity, dedication and a deep commitment to education and students. A respected academic leader, Botopoulos dedicated more than three decades to advancing American higher education in Greece.
“Vasilis has spent over a decade building something rare at Webster Athens, a campus that reflects his and Webster's own character: rigorous, warm and deeply rooted in place, time and opportunity,” said Ryan Guffey, executive vice president of Webster International.
Webster administration and leadership are working closely with the Athens campus to ensure the continuity of campus operations.
“What strikes me most is his instinct for stewardship – the sense that a university is something you’re entrusted with, not something you simply run,” Guffey added. “Webster Athens today, and everyone it has shaped, carries his imprint and we couldn't be prouder to carry it forward.”
Prior to his role at Webster Athens, Botopolous served two decades as vice president of the University of Indianapolis in the United States, as provost and as chancellor of its Athens Campus in Greece. He was an associate faculty member at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and adjunct faculty at the University of Indianapolis teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in math, statistics, operations and business.
Botopoulos served as a board member to various organizations, including the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Board of Directors and the ACBSP European Operations Executive Advisory Board, the Association of American Colleges in Greece (AACG), the Euro Mediterranean Academy of Arts and Sciences (EMAAS), the Webster University Geneva Foundation Board and the International Advisory Board of the Research Institute of European American Studies (RIEAS). He also served three times as ACBSP’s International Region president and chair of the ACBSP Council of Regional Presidents.
Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Metropolitan Church of Saint Basil in Tripoli, Arcadia, Greece, Botopoulos’ hometown. The Webster community joins Webster Athens in extending condolences to Botopoulos’ wife, daughters and all his family and loved ones.
Notes of Condolences from Around the World
From Dr. Ali Obaid Al-Yabhouni
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Vasilis Botopoulos, Rector and Managing Director of Webster University Athens.
On behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Athens, and on my own behalf, I extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and the entire Webster University community.
Professor Botopoulos will be remembered for his dedication to education, his leadership, and his valuable contribution to the academic community in Greece.
At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as with all those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.
May his soul rest in peace, and may his memory remain a source of comfort and inspiration to all who mourn his passing.
Please accept my deepest condolences and sympathies.
With sincere sympathy,
Ali
From Ambassador Ali Al Dhaheri
Dear Members of the Webster University Athens Community,
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Vasilis Botopoulos, Rector and Managing Director of Webster University Athens.
On behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Athens, and on my own behalf, I extend my sincere condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and the entire Webster University community.
Professor Botopoulos will be remembered for his dedication to education and his valuable contribution to the academic community.
During this difficult time, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones, as well as with all those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.
May his soul rest in peace, and may his memory be a source of comfort to all who mourn his passing.
Please accept my deepest condolences and sympathies.
Ali Al Dhaheri
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates
From Professor Ljupka Katana
I had the opportunity to meet Professor Vasilis Botopoulos in person in the summer of 2024, when I was invited to teach at Webster Athens (as a young Adjunct from Serbia), and before I came to the United States. I remember him as a truly kind, gracious, and welcoming person. His warmth and kindness made a lasting impression on me.
I am deeply saddened by his unexpected passing. My heartfelt condolences go to his wife and to his daughters, as well as to all of our colleagues and friends at Webster Athens.
With deepest sympathy,
Dr. Ljupka Katana
Adjunct Professor of International Relations
Webster University Tashkent
From Dr. Piotr Perczynski, Webster Lecturer
What a tragedy. I would like to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to you, to Professor Botopoulos’s family, the Webster Athens campus, and the entire Webster community. We stand together.
Kind regards,
Piotr