The Makropyrios was one of the finest universities in the Federation in the 23rd century. In the mid-23rd century, Dr. Georges Mordreaux conducted research and taught at the university, one of his many students was Spock of Vulcan. (TOS novel: The Entropy Effect)
Esteemed political scientist Dr. Emanuel Tagore, the Federation's first ambassador to the Klingon Empire, was also a scholar at the Makropyrios. Dr. Tagore was an acquaintance of Sarek of Vulcan, which afforded Spock the opportunity to have discussions with him, though he was never enrolled in the doctor's classes. (TOS - Worlds Apart novel: The Final Reflection)
- The name of the institution means “great fire” in Greek, and presumably refers to the torch of knowledge. In The Final Reflection it is noted that the Makropyrios has over two million students. Presumably this refers to the entire university system, including satellite campuses, associated research institutes, and virtual study programs.