The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service of the American College of Thesaloniki will host the fifth ACT/SEESOX Salonica Seminar during the summer of 2013.

The Seminar is convened by Dr. Othon Anastasakis, Director of the European Studies Centre and South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX), St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and consists of a series of advanced undergraduate lectures on European integration and Aegean and Balkan affairs by scholars affiliated with SEESOX.

Politics 360 “From European Union to European Eurozone Crisis: Challenges, Perspectives and the Greek Case”

The principal objective of this seminar is to provide an advanced overview of the development, institutions, policies and international relations of the European Union (EU), one of the key players in present-day global affairs. A particular attention will be paid to challenges of deepening and widening of the European Union, to the EU’s ever expanding role in neighbouring regions and countries such as the Western Balkans, Turkey and the Mediterranean as well as its place in the processes and institutions of global governance. The seminar will pay special attention to the present euro-zone crisis and the position of Greece at the epicentre of this crisis.

College and university students from the US can earn three transferable credits for the seminar. A limited number of half-tuition awards are available for qualified applicants interested in enrolling formally in the course.

The dates for the seminar are June 19-July 22, 2013. For more information see here, or contact Ms Roula Lebetli at 30 2310 398 389.

The Institutions

South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX) is part of the European Studies

Centre, St Antony’s College, Oxford and focuses on the interdisciplinary study of the relationship between European integration and the politics, economics and societies of the region, including Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. Drawing on the academic excellence of the University of Oxford and an international network of associates, it conducts academic and policy relevant research on the multifaceted transformations of the region in the 21st century. It follows closely conflict and post-conflict situations and analyzes the historical and intellectual influences which have shaped perceptions and actions in the region.

The American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) provides a top quality tertiary-level, multidisciplinary, student-centered, educational experience in Greece by:

• Offering American-style higher education in the areas of business, humanities, social sciences and information technology to a diverse student body originating primarily from Europe and North America, with an emphasis on innovative learning that prioritizes critical inquiry, information literacy, and breadth and depth of knowledge of both local and global phenomena, with English as the principal language of instruction;

• Cultivating the personal and ethical growth of well-rounded and principled individuals with expanded intellectual horizons, a heightened sense of citizenship, and the need for social contribution;

• Contributing meaningfully to the wider communities of Greece and Southeast Europe through its educational, cultural, professional, and service activities, hence projecting the societal responsibilities of the institution and enhancing international understanding and friendship.

The vision of ACT is to be the premier, internationally-oriented, English-language college of tertiary education in the Balkan region serving to promote both innovative learning and humanitarian values.

The mission of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service is to provide a dynamic contemporary student-centered civic education, with a view toward inspiring young people to become involved in public affairs; train youth for leadership roles in regional and international affairs; and contribute meaningfully through academic instruction, applied research, and professional outreach to cooperation and peaceful co-existence in Greece, Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the larger Euro-Atlantic community.

Learn more about our Study Abroad programs, please click here.

In a crowded Town Hall meeting, organized by the Tourism Association of Molyvos, on March 27, 2013, the MBA program, Anatolia School of Business presented the Strategic Marketing Plan and Rebranding recommendations for Molyvos/Mithimna and, by extension, the island of Lesvos. The project was completed by a select team of 5 MBA students, Elke Veenendaal, Irini Tserepi, Aleks Buda, Margaux Pauwels and Giorgos Kartaltzis, as part of an advanced marketing  course in the MBA program, led by the MBA Marketing professor,Mr. Mousiades.  The project was initiated by Dan and Helen Lindsay who were also the major sponsors of the ‘Molyvos project’ and coordinated by  Dr. Sevasti Kessapidou, MBA Director.

 Molyvos has in recent years experienced a substantial decline in tourism and the realization has brought together members of the community to form a Non-Profit Council, Tourism Association of Molyvos,  to advance tourism in the area.  The MBA team analyzed the causes of the tourism decline and presented viable alternatives to reverse  the decline, including targeting varied vertical “niche” tourism segments, changes appropriate to the area’s tourism “product”, its sales channels, its image and overall brand identity, and its promotional efforts.  The recommended branding proposition for Molyvos/Mithimna  has generated the most positive feedback and received extensive coverage in the local media.

The CCIS annual conferences provide members, prospective members, and host institutions colleagues from abroad, the opportunity to discuss issues and current events in the field of international education.

Angelos Chaniotis was born in Athens and received his undergraduate education at the University of Athens. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Ancient History from the University of Heidelberg in 1984, followed by study of law at the University of Bonn from 1985 to 1986.  In 1992, he received his Habilitation in Ancient History from the University of Heidelberg. He has held teaching and research positions at the University of Heidelberg, New York University, the University of Oxford, and the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He has written and edited numerous books, articles, and book contributions on subjects ranging from war, memory, identity, emotions, the communicative aspects of rituals and the strategies of persuasion in the ancient world.

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Bicycles carrying kilos of fish….rock concerts…. the world’s biggest sandwich…art made out of packaged food, NGO network building……. 2^nd hand designer clothing……. online platforms for volunteering solutions……taxis and potatoes…..ethical hairdressing salons…… professional internships….

Youtube playlist? Coffee shop eavesdropping? Twitter madness?

No, all of the above and much more were practical solutions proposed by ACT students to meet the needs of two local non-profit organizations during the event “Big changes start with small solutions”.   

On Wednesday March 6^th  (in advance of International Women’s Day), the Inspiration Exchange team, in collaboration with the ACT Careers Service convened a workshop designed to create practical solutions to local NGOs’ needs by harnessing the power of students’ creativity, business-oriented minds and social responsibility ethos. Over 65 people attended the event and by generating initiatives in groups, the whole became greater than the sum of its parts.  Ideas built on thoughts which combined with sparks of inspiration, which through coaching and brainstorming,  bounced off  each other to develop and coalesce into real ways to solve problems.  The event demonstrated that any idea, however ‘out of the box’ or unfeasible it may seem, can become  a realistic way forward when it is shared, considered and worked on cooperatively .

‘Big changes start with small solutions’ consisted of input from three local non-profit organizations run by women: Desmos, Thessaloniki Women’s Shelter and Volunteer4Greece who presented some of the specific needs of their organizations, which the workshop participants then came up with solutions for.

The organizations are all Thessaloniki based NGOs, established in response to the growing need for civil society input to social and economic problems with a growing awareness and willingness of the public to give their time and energy pro bono.

Desmos is a volunteer run group that provides a platform for linking surplus goods with people in need, the Women’s Shelter offers psychological, legal and practical assistance for abused women and Volunteer4 Greece is an online platform for linking volunteers with posts.

The ideas generated will be developed by the organizations and put into practice.  ACT, via the Careers and Business Liaison office, through Civil Society and Communications classes and in collaboration with Business and marketing courses, will sustain this work started at the event, and continue to work with the NGOs towards sustainable progress.

 The Inspiration Exchange is an initiative of the Dukakis Center for Humanitarian and Public Service.  ‘Big Changes’ was a joint Inspiration Exchange and ACT Careers Office event, coordinated by the ACT Service Learning Coordinator-Laura Streith, Civil Society Instructor-Ruth Sutton and the Careers & Business Liaison Officer - Adriane Thrash.

On Wednesday, February 20, the Dukakis Center hosted a small delegation of journalists and civil society leaders from Kosovo for an informal round table discussion on the state of Kosovar five years after the declaration of statehood. The speakers included Fliaka Surroi, Ilir Deda, Armend Muja, and Berat Rukiqi, who appeared courtesy of Eliamep and Kipred, leading think tanks in Athens and Pristina, respectively.

The event was attended by some 20 Kosovar students from ACT. Juniors Ibrahim Murati and Edona Toplica hosted the delegation on a tour through Thessaloniki and to campus before the round table session began.

Other Kosovar delegations met with students at the University of Macedonia and the Hellenic International University, before traveling to Athens for similar discussion sessions.

A small number of ACT students and alumni are working on a research project with Ioannis Armakolas of Eliamep and the University of Macedonia to determine views of Greece in the media of neighboring countries in Southeast Europe.

Dimitris Katsoudas, former Secretary General of European Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke at ACT on Monday, March 11, under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service, on the topcic of "Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: How Greece can Recover.

Dr. Katsoudas, who enjoyed a long career in various ministerial capacities during New Democrqacy administrations in the 1980s. 90s, and 2000s, reflected on the long term origins of Greece's sovereign debt crisis, focusing on the shared burden of Greek leaders and EU institutions. While the policies and practices of the former are mostly to blame for the onset of the crisis -- which is a political crisis, he emphasized -- Katsoudas also argued that the austerity measures prescribed and imposed by the EU and its partners in the Troika have done little else but exacerbate the problem.

What is needed, according to Katsoudas, is tax reform, state streamlining, and market liberalization, all of which will require considerable political will. The EU faces a general crisis which goes beyond the Greek problem, which will require equally difficult and definitive reforms on the level of European institutions. Time is of the essence.

The Grundvig grant application deadline is the 30^th April 2013 and potential applicants can check with their national agency for the eligibility criteria (see pdf). The grant is for inhabitants of EU member countries (unfortunately not for persons living in Greece).

"Big Changes Start with Small Solutions"

An Ideas Workshop for International Women's Day

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

17:00 – 19:30 pm

Bissell Library, ACT