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Scott Townsend visits Thessaloniki for the "Social Capital" exhibition

mbibou — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 21:00:00 +0000

The Dukakis Center will host an exhibition of design work by Scott Townsend, Professor of Graphic Design at North Carolina State University, at the French Institute of Thessaloniki, Salle Allatini-Dasault, from June 21 till July 13, 2017, with the inauguration to take place on Tuesday, June 27, at 5 pm. The exhibition will coincide with an innovative summer service learning project pairing students from ACT, under the direction of Dr. Maria Patsarika, and from NC State, who are traveling in Greece with Professor Townsend.

The rationale behind the Center’s involvement in and sponsorship of these projects is three-fold.

First, Professor Townsend is one of a few colleagues from NC State with whom members of the ACT community have been interfacing, with a view toward forging long-term study abroad relationships with different departments at the University. An international service learning partnership looks to be in the offing as one of the tangible outcomes of the exhibition and service learning project. A virtual iteration of the collaboration is already scheduled to take place during the Fall 2017 semester at both institutions.

Second, both projects will enable the Dukakis Center to enhance its foothold in the field of community and urban policy. Professor Townsend’s work focuses on "creative community and social innovation through design," which falls clearly within the mandate of the Dukakis Center. The College of Design at NC State is similarly of interest to the Dukakis Center for its role in the North Carolina Innovation Center. Furthermore, community policy is one of the focus areas of the Dukakis Center at Northeastern University. These linkages will prove useful as the Dukakis Center collaborates in various Resilient cities projects underway at the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Finally, the exhibition allows the Dukakis Center to broaden its local partnership in event management with the French Institute of Thessaloniki. The IFT, after its French acronym, is well known in Thessaloniki for its cultural programming. The IFT co-hosted a Dukakis Lecture with renowned French journalist Jean Quatremer in November 2015. Professor Townsend’s exhibition will be an attraction at three concerts scheduled to take place at the IFT, on June 21, 22, and 26. These concerts promise to attract large Francophone audiences which may not otherwise be acquainted with the activities of the Dukakis Center.
The exhibition and service learning project are the final Dukakis Center activities of the 2016-17 academic year.

Event: "Social Capital," work by Scott Townsend, North Carolina State University
Exhibition inauguration: Tuesday, June 27, 5 PM
Venue: French Institute of Thessaloniki, Salle Allatini-Dassault
Opening hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 5 – 9 pm, June 21 – July 13

For further information please contact the Dukakis Center by email at dukakis-center@act.edu.

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AMICAL Conference at ACT

mbibou — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 21:00:00 +0000

The Bissell Library proudly hosted the annual AMICAL (American International Consortium of Academic Libraries) conference 2017 at the Bissell Library, this year from 17-20 May with the theme: Centering on learning: Partnerships and professional development among librarians, faculty and technologists. 141 delegates from American University Libraries outside the US came from 20 counties.

The two outstanding invited speakers were:

Prof Christine Bruce, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Brisbane Australia talked on: Building information land learning experiences through partnerships.

Kristen Eshleman, Director of Digital Innovation from Davidson College US talked on: Stronger together: More than incremental change.

The keynotes as well as more talks and panel presentations were recorded and can be now watched from the AMICAL Consortium website
Prof Christine Bruce who is a top theorist on Information Literacy in the world also offered a morning seminar to all our Library staff across the school and advised our Information Literacy strategy across the institution. She has now been interviewed by major Greek media outlets with the hope to influence national policy in promoting reading, learning and libraries.

We had amazing feedback and it has been a fantastic learning, sharing and networking opportunity.

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John Koenig discusses the Cyprus question

mbibou — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 11:22:17 +0000

"Masterclass", "Testimonial". These are the words the came to mind to those listening to John Koenig speak about the most current round of diplomatic talks on the so-called Cyprus question. The setting: Daios Hotel in downtown Thessaloniki (located on the site of the old US Consulate General of Thessaloniki). Some sixty denizens of the city had assembled to hear a former adopted son, John Koenig, recount his experience as US Ambassador to Cyprus. The experience was illuminating.

Recently-retired after a 31-year career in the Foreign Service, Koenig had just recently returned to Thessaloniki with his Greek-American wife Natalie after a fourteen-year absence. The purpose of his visit, ostensibly, was to deliver a Dukakis Lecture and to meet with other members of the Center's Honorary Advisory Board.

Koenig's career had carried him from Southeast Asia to the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. By chance as much as anything a Europeanist, his two tours in Cyprus and two in Greece (including three years from 2000-2003 as Consul General of Thessaloniki) make him unique in the history of American diplomacy for his accumulation of local and regional expertise.

Earlier in the day Ambassador Koenig had sat with students at ACT to talk about his experience as the #2 US diplomat at NATO. Now the topic was one that was most dear to his heart of diplomat's hearts: a resolution to the division of the island of Cyprus into two major, protagonist sides, one Greek, the other Turkish.

The graveyard of diplomats, as the island is known to insiders, Cyprus was the place of Koenig's greatest personal successes and most disheartening professional setbacks. The endgame in the current talks is in site, Koenig explained, all that is needed is the final effort. Will it happen?

Ambassador Koenig staged his return to Thessaloniki at a banner moment in the history of the Dukakis Center. Commemorating five years since the old Dukakis Chair had been transformed into an academic center, and celebrating a burgeoning local partnership with the evening's co-hosts, the Navarino Network, the Center was organizing the 150th public lecture in the renowned series of Dukakis Lectures. (Incidentally, Ambassador Koenig first made an appearance in the Dukakis series in October 2000 at a round table dedicated to the then-upcoming US Presidential election.)

On the evidence of this early spring evening on the Thessaloniki waterfront, the Koenigs will return. Sooner, rather than later.

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Professor Effie Cochran awarded Greek Diaspora Fellowship to work with ACT

mbibou — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 12:43:24 +0000

Effie Papatzikou Cochran, Professor in the English Department of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, was awarded a Niarchos Greek Diaspora Fellowship to travel to Greece and work with the American College of Thessaloniki's English Programs, training English faculty in enhancing student language skills through the application of "X-Word Grammar."

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ACT Career Week 2017

mbibou — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:03:31 +0000

In the first week of March, 2017, the Career Office of the American College of Thessaloniki organized the 2nd Career Week, hosting 36 events in 4 days and attracting 570 attendees.

During the career week students and alumni had the opportunity to attend workshops, discuss with field experts and join company presentations and interviews. The first results for the students were imminent, as within the next week we had the first job offers!

The career week was supported by all ACT Academic Divisions, the Bissell Library, the Student Government and Radio ACTive, our on-campus radio station, all significantly contributing to its success.

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Israeli-Greek Cooperation in the New East Mediterranean

mbibou — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:16:39 +0000

a lecture by Professor Aristotle Tziampiris

On Wednesday March 15th, 2017, from 10:30 to 12 noon, Dr. Aristotle Tziampiris, Professor and Chair at the Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus and an Anatolia College alumnus (Class of 1988) presented at the ACT Audio-Visual Room a lecture titled: “Israeli-Greek Cooperation in the New East Mediterranean”.

It was an event organized by the ACT, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences with the support of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and it was well attended by Anatolia College and ACT colleagues and a good number of ACT and Study Abroad students.

The lecture offered a unique and stimulating perspective into the topic and it was followed up by a thought-provoking discussion.

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MITEF 2017 - An Entrepreneurship Hub success

mbibou — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 12:55:08 +0000

Another success for the Entrepreneurship Hub of the Anatolia School of Business followed the presentation of MITEF Greece startup Competition 2017, held at the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) on December 5, 2016, at the Bissell ACT Library. MIT Enterprise Forum Greece announced the 25 semifinalist teams shortlisted to proceed to the next round of MITEF Greece Startup Competition, one of which graduated from VentureGarden of Thessaloniki and the second was one of the winning teams of John and Mary Pappajohn Business Plan Award Competition 2015.

Specifically, the first group is QBRIQ - Mobile App Service Checking Customer Reward Trataro - graduated from the 5th round of VentureGarden and the second, 3easyR - Web app for easier reading on the internet from people with learning difficulties - winner in the Annual Entrepreneurship Competition of John and Mary Pappajohn Business Plan Award Competition 2015 organized by the Entrepreneurship Hub of the Anatolia School of Business.

Because the event was co-organized by MITEF Greece Startup Competition, Anatolia School of Business and VentureGarden participants had the opportunity to learn about the competition. For the next three months, the semifinalists will attend an intensive mentoring program and will have the opportunity to improve their business skills, acquire appropriate knowledge and the ability to have access to a network with successful mentors and entrepreneurs in Greece and abroad.

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ACT open as usual on Monday, January 9

mbibou — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 19:30:30 +0000

We would like to inform all students and faculty that ACT will be open as usual tomorrow, Monday, January 9.

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How do senses and emotions influence investment decisions

mbibou — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 13:51:41 +0000

The Anatolia School of Business at ACT joined forces with NN and 3K Investment Partners in order to organize a unique event on Behavioral Finance, which combined the experience of all partners.

The event successfully took place on November 30, 2016, at the Bissell Library at ACT, in front of a wide range of participants of various ages and from various industries. At first, ACT's instructor George Anastasiadis shared his long-term experience on national and regional economics, focusing on the conflict between national and global macroeconomic goals that sustain the global crisis. The second speaker, Theo Lizardos Chief Sales support 3K IP delivered a highly interesting speech on behavioral parameters and how these influence people's choices. He concluded that usually people and investors do not always act rationally, due to social factors. An interesting discussion followed, based on participants' interest on both global crisis and behavioral influence, moderated by Dr. Nikos Hourvouliades, Head of the Anatolia School of Business. The event concluded with a reception that kept discussion active and renewed interest for another similar event in the future.

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MITEF Greece Startup Competition 2017 in Thessaloniki

mbibou — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 13:25:38 +0000

The participation and the great interest (more than 130 participants) featured the opening of the MITEF Greece Startup Competition 2017 in Thessaloniki held at the Bissell Library of the American College of Thessaloniki, on December 5, 2016. The event was co-organized by MITEF Greece, Anatolia School of Business and Venture Garden. Dr.Panos Vlahos, President of Anatolia College, made the opening speech emphasizing on the special support that Anatolia College offers on the current forms of Entrepreneurship based on its innovative programs. During this special event, the participants had the unique opportunity to listen to Dr. Nikolaos Mavridis, Founder and Director of Interactive Robots and Media Lab, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who presented Interactive Robots and Media Lab and shared interesting insights on the latest developments in robotics and its usefulness in improving the future quality of human life in the fields of medicine, industry, entertainment, education, etc. Following, Mr. Vassilis Papakonstantinou, Chaiman of MITEF Greece, informed the audience about the competition and Dr. Dimitris Kontarinis, Director of the Entrepreneurship Hub, Anatolia School of Business at ACT presented the four teams of Thessaloniki, EventReception.com, Elektronio Handcrafted Vehicles, ErgoSensePro and BAeTI which managed to be among the 25 semifinalist teams of the MITEF Greece Startup Competition 2016. It should be noted that two of them, Elektronio Handcrafted Vehicles and BAeTI, are VentureGarden Thessaloniki graduates.

Applications for the 3rd MITEF Greece Startup Competition are open to all eligible teams/startups till midnight December 30th, 2016. For more information regarding the MITEF Greece Startup Competition application, please advice the FAQ’s page and the Eligibility page.

For detailed information on the specific legal rules and terms of participation, please follow Rules & Terms of Participation page.

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