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About ACT
Who we are
ACT, the tertiary division of Anatolia College, is accredited in the United States by NECHE (New England Commission of Higher Education). In addition to ACT having full NECHE accreditation, the undergraduate programs delivered at ACT are also validated in the EU through The Open University.
ACT's comprehensive curriculum offers a variety of programs taught in English which lead to the following degrees:
- BS in Business Administration (with 4 concentrations)
- BS in Business Computing
- BS in Computer Science
- BA in Political Science & International Relations
- BS in Biological Sciences
- BS in Psychology
- BA in English & New Media (with 2 concentrations)
- BS in Aviation Management with Pilot Studies (in partnership with Egnatia Aviation)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- MS in Hospitality & Tourism Management
- MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Certificate programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate level are also available, for those who wish to advance their knowledge and acquire new skills by attending a selection of courses.
Combined degree programs in collaboration with renowned US & EU educational institutions give students the opportunity to begin their studies at ACT and continue abroad:
- BS in Business Administration
with Kogod Business School of Business at the American University in Washington, USA - Dual Degrees in Engineering
with Washington University of St Louis, USA - Bachelor of Business Administration in Management (with specialization)
awarded by NorthWood University (USA) and Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland - Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Tourism Management
with César Ritz Colleges, Switzerland - BS in Marine Sciences
with the University of New England, ME, USA
ACT has been the school of choice for over 3000 American students, as it holds partnerships with major US institutions. These students, alongside others from across the Balkans, Europe, and the world create a vibrant academic community that brings life to a truly diverse, multicultural environment.
ACT awards a significant number of scholarships each year, thanks to an extensive need and merit-based financial aid program.
Our history
Founded in 1886 by American Protestant missionaries in Asia Minor, Anatolia relocated to Thessaloniki in 1924.
In inspiration, mission, governance, and programs, ACT resembles the traditional New England colleges upon which it has been modeled.
Founded by American Protestant missionaries, Anatolia was originally located in Asia Minor and evolved from a seminary in Constantinople, which began in 1840. The school was closed during the Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922 and ceased to have a viable mission in Asia Minor when Turkey's minority communities were uprooted under the peace treaties concluding that war.
In 1924, Anatolia relocated to Thessaloniki, where the greatest part of the refugee influx from Asia Minor had settled. In the mid-1930s, the school moved to its present location on a fortyfive acre campus a few miles from the center of the city.
Our mission, vision, and core values
Our Mission
ACT provides a high quality, tertiary level, multidisciplinary, skill-based and student-centered educational experience, in an innovative and flexible learning environment that is responsive to student needs and to a diverse and inclusive student body. Drawing on the principles of the American liberal arts educational philosophy and our Greek heritage, we foster depth and breadth of knowledge, grounded on theory, scholarly research, and intellectual freedom.
Our faculty members are passionate about teaching, value close relationships with our students and strive to instill in them the desire to pursue academic and professional excellence as well as personal enrichment.
Paramount to our mission is our institution’s contribution to society while cultivating students' democratic and civic awareness, enhancing a sense of individual and social responsibility, and creating a spirit of esteem for others, social institutions, and the environment.
Coupled with graduate programs that sustain and develop our strong ties with industry and community partners, we offer relevant, flexible and engaging professional training opportunities provided by field experts which enhance the participants’ skills-based life-long learning.
Our Vision
ACT aspires to be an institution of choice for students seeking the highest levels of personal, intellectual, and professional attainment. We want to be known as a renowned international institution that contributes to a sustainable society and produces well-rounded, principled, and open-minded citizens of the world.
Our Core Values
We are committed to:
• Academic & Professional Excellence
… offering a transformational learning environment via a rigorous and relevant curriculum where service and experiential learning are essential to acquiring breadth and depth of domain knowledge.
• Critical Thinking
… in addition to domain mastery, inculcating critical inquiry and reflection for generating and evaluating knowledge.
• Personal Enrichment
… a dedication to personal development of the whole person by caring for the mind, body, and spirit of the person
• Respect & Responsibility
… cultivating democratic and civic awareness while enhancing a sense of individual and social responsibility, and creating a spirit of esteem for others, social institutions, and the environment
• Appreciation of Diversity
… increasing student’s understanding of the world and embracing the variety of backgrounds and life experiences within our community. Encouraging diversity, open-mindedness, academic freedom, and equal opportunity.
Why ACT
- Challenging, high quality study programs
Advanced studies with the style and substance of a true American University. - World-class facilities
A 45-acre campus encompassing the 4,500m2 Bissell Library, one of the most sophisticated private facilities of its kind in Southeast Europe, and the Stavros S. Niarchos Technology Center, which gives students access to the latest tools in information technology. - A diverse, multicultural environment
Where students are encouraged to grow, develop and enhance their interpersonal skills.
Our student body
- USA
- Serbia
- Bulgaria
- Albania
- FYROM
- Austria
- Germany
- Romania
- Ukraine
- Georgia
- Sweden
- Brazil
- Zimbabwe
- Iceland
- Armenia
- Learning in ACTion
An active approach to academic learning that engages students & faculty and immerses them in a rich hands-on community experience that offers real-world problem-solving skills. - Experienced and highly qualified faculty
Our faculty is international, with professors with degrees from leading universities in the U.S., U.K. and Greece, and substantial work experience in their respective fields. - Small classroom sizes
An average class consists of 16 students. This means that coursework can be tailored to class needs and each student’s contribution is acknowledged, particularly in discussion settings, with plenty of opportunities for personalized attention. - Mentoring services
All students have an assigned advisor to counsel them on their academic needs and guide them throughout their studies. - Career services
ACT caters to students even after they graduate, offering assistance to help them pursue their careers.
Governance Board
ACT Oversight Committee Members
Markos Papageorgiou, Chair
Since 2001, Mr. Markos Papageorgiou has served as President and Managing Director of MABIZ SA, the sole feedstuff producing industry for Mink farms in Southeast Europe. He is also a shareholder in Bosman Mink Farm SA, which operates five mink farms in Greece, and Vendavel Energy SA, a company active in the development and operation of wind farms and alternative energy sources in Greece with a portfolio in excess of 100 Mw. Additionally, Mr. Papageorgiou has considerable interests in shipping as well as commercial and residential property management companies in Europe and North America. Through his membership on the Board of Directors of the Papageorgiou Foundation, a charitable institution with donations in excess of $30 million over the past 10 years, he continues his family’s tradition of philanthropy and social responsibility in the fields of health, education, and religion. Mr. Papageoriou is an alternate member of the Board of Directors of Papageorgiou Hospital of Thessaloniki, a member of several cultural associations, former president of the Siatista Gymnastics Club for 10 years, and has served as president of the Kozani Nautical Club since 1998. Mr. Papageorgiou received his B.A. in Business Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Lambros Anagnostopoulos
Lambros G. Anagnostopoulos led the 2011 recapitalization and serves as CEO of the London Stock Exchange (AIM)-listed SECURE Property Development and Investment Plc (SPDI), an income-producing property company currently active in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Ukraine. In 2007, he founded SECURE Investments, a private equity platform investing in property projects in the same region. In 2000, he set up LAMDA Development, a real estate developer listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, where he served as CEO and Director from the company’s inception until June 2006. In parallel, he was party to setting up GRIVALIA (then EFG Properties), the leading Greek REIT, listed on the ASE, where he served as the Vice-Chairman of the board until 2007. In the 1990’s Mr. Anagnostopoulos was an executive of the Latsis Group, based in Geneva, Switzerland, where, among others, he was director of the Group’s business planning. Between 1988 and 1992, Mr. Anagnostopoulos worked as a management consultant with Pugh-Roberts Associates, a division of PA Consulting Group, in the USA and Great Britain. He is a graduate in naval architecture, marine and mechanical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (1986) and received post-graduate degrees in shipping at MIT (1988) and in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management (1989).
Dimos Arhodidis
Dimosthenis (Dimos) Arhodidis (‘87), General Manager and member of the Executive Board of Eurobank, was appointed Head of Global Markets & Wealth Management in February 2015 and Head of Wealth Management (Private Banking Greece, Eurobank Private Bank Luxembourg SA and Eurobank Asset Management SA) in 2013. He joined Eurobank in 2001 as Head of Global Markets Sales and was appointed Head of Group Private Banking in 2008. His banking career started at Bankers Trust London in 1997. After the acquisition of Bankers Trust by Deutsche Bank, he worked in the Structured Credit Derivatives Group of Deutsche Bank London. He has also worked for strategy consulting firm Monitor Company on projects in the U.S.A., U.A.E. and Greece in 1995-96. Dimos received the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Business Economics (Ph.D. and MBA) from Harvard University and Harvard Business School on a full fellowship. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hamilton College where he received a double major in Economics and Mathematics. He received honors in both fields leading to his admission to the Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) Academic Honor Society for excellent academic performance. He also spent a year as a visiting student at the London School of Economics.
Yannis Assael
Dr. Yannis Assael (‘08) is a Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind working on Artificial Intelligence, he is featured in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” distinguished scientists of Europe. In 2013, he graduated from the University of Macedonia and with full scholarships, he did an MSc at the University of Oxford, where he finished first in his year, an MRes at Imperial College London, and in 2016, he went back to Oxford for a DPhil (PhD). Within the first year of his doctorate, a series of research breakthroughs and entrepreneurial activities led him to join Google DeepMind. Today, his research in Artificial Intelligence focuses on projects for contributing and expanding the greater good, ranging from medical applications to culture.
Gregory Galopoulos
Greg Gallopoulos is Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of General Dynamics Corporation, a diversified defense and aerospace company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. Before joining General Dynamics in 2008, Mr. Gallopoulos served as national managing partner of Jenner & Block LLP, an AmLaw 100 law firm. He is a member of the American Bar Association, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the International Bar Association. He is a trustee of WETA, Inc., a director of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a trustee of The Supreme Court Historical Society, a trustee of the Foundation for International Law, and board member of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Mr. Gallopoulos holds a JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School (1984) and an AB with the highest honors from the University of Michigan (1981).
Anna Greka
Anna Greka (‘93) is a physician-scientist who serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Greka leads a program focused on defining fundamental mechanisms of disrupted cellular homeostasis that drive kidney, metabolic and degenerative disorders across the lifespan. Dr. Greka is the recipient of many honors including the Seldin-Smith Award for Pioneering Research from the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Dr. Greka was Anatolia High School Commencement Speaker in 2018 and she annually sponsors an Anatolia student each summer to study in her lab in Boston.
Vasilis Kafatos
Vassilis Kafatos (‘86) is a Partner of Deloitte in charge of Strategy. He is the Clients & Industries Leader for Greece and Chairman of the Deloitte Alexander Competency Center. He has extensive consulting experience in various sectors of the economy. He has supervised major projects in the fields of corporate & digital strategy, business model transformation, financial restructuring, mergers & acquisitions and operational excellence. In addition to the Board of Trustees of Anatolia College, he serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American - Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and as an Executive Committee member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece. He holds a degree in Economic Science from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, an MBA in Corporate Strategy from the University of Texas at Austin and postgraduate diplomas in Business Leadership from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne.
Charis Plakantonaki
Charis Plakantonaki (’97) is the Chief Strategy Officer at Star Bulk Carriers Corp., the largest dry bulk shipping company listed today on the NASDAQ. Previously she worked forseven years at Thenamaris (Ships Management) Inc., a leading global operator of oceangoing vessels, first as Strategic Projects Manager and subsequently as Head of Corporate Communications. Prior to Thenamaris, she was a Senior Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, and before that she has worked at the multinational FMCG company DIAGEO and at the Organizing Committee of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic & Paralympic Games. She holds an MBA from INSEAD (2003) and a BS in International & European Economics & Politics from the University of Macedonia (2001), where she graduated as valedictorian. Since 2001, Charis is a Board member of her family’s business which is active in real estate development and solar energy investments in Greece.
Disclaimer statement
ACT - The American College of Thessaloniki has no political, governmental or religious affiliation. ACT values a diverse college community. ACT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, age, or disability in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its educational policies and programs, or in the recruitment and employment of its faculty and staff.