THESSALONIKI

A UNIVERSITY TOWN, VERY SAFE, WITH A BEAUTIFUL BOARD WALK LOOKING OUT TOWARDS THE AEGEAN SEA

Greece is a land of mythical proportions, where the siren's song draws you into its deep blue waters, where a gentle breeze through ancient ruins seems to whisper your name. Discover the land chosen by the Gods while studying at the American College of Thessaloniki.

THESSALONIKI, the largest city in Northern Greece and once a vital sea port, is today a university town, very safe, with a beautiful waterfront promenade looking out towards the Aegean Sea and across to Mount Olympus. Easily accessible, a crossroad between east and west on the ancient via Egnatia, the town has a long history that dates back to the days of Alexander the Great. A modern city of 1 million inhabitants, it features Roman aqueducts and palaces, Byzantine chapels and walls, Venetian towers, modern universities, museums, shops, cafes, restaurants and reliable transportation services. What makes it most attractive is its authenticity, the warmth of its people, its unbeatable and affordable cuisine and its great night life.

Click on the following links to find out more on Thessaloniki

General info about Thessaloniki

• www.saloniki.org/
• www.visitgreece.gr
• www.lonelyplanet.com 

Thessaloniki newspapers / news/ portals: 

• www.saloniki.org/en/magazine.htm
• www.agelioforos.gr 
• www.makthes.gr/
• www.voria.gr
• topics.cnn.com/topics/thessaloniki
• www.topix.com/gr/thessaloniki

Thessaloniki's cultural websites 

• National Theater of Northern Greece 
• Thessaloniki Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis)
• Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra
• Thessaloniki International Film Festival 

The weather in Thessaloniki

On Monday, March 5, 2012, the American College of Thessaloniki hosted a workshop on the general theme of women’s biographies, life stories, and autobiographies, organized under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service.

The workshop consisted of sessions examining the research methodology on gender and biography and on concrete historical examples from the European and South-East European contexts, as well as a panel on local history, with specific historical accounts of women’s lives in the area of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Confirmed participants included Dr. Krassimira Daskalova, Associate Professor in Modern European Cultural History at the Faculty of Philosophy, St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia; Dr. Triantafilia Kourtoumi, Senior Archivist at the Greek State Archives-Historical Archives of Macedonia; and Drs. Maria Kyriakidou, Associate Professor, and Aigli Brouskou, Adjunct Professor, both of the American College of Thessaloniki. The keynote speaker was Dr. Maria Hadjipavlou, Associate Professor in Political Science and Conflict Resolution, and Gender Studies, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cyprus.

The event took place in the context of the Dukakis Center Citizenship Forum, coordinated by Maria Kyriakidou and Anna Maria Konsta.

Address inquiries to Maria Kyriakidou at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Click here to download the program.

On Wednesday, June 22, the ACT Commencement took place in the open-air amphitheater of ACT. Mr. Nikos Pentzos, President of the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece addressed the graduates of 2011 in a touching speech that could not avoid mentioning the difficulties of our times derived mainly by the tough economic conditions. Mr. Pentzos underlined the most serious obstacles that a young entrepreneur would face in his effort to start a new business today in Greece, but he urged graduates to always stay faithful to their principles and values, no matter how difficult the road would be. “After all, what does high mean?”, he said. “How can we define success? I truly believe that it doesn’t matter how far you get, but how ‘well’ you reach your destination, wherever that is, and how you have remained true to yourselves when one day you take a look in the mirror at the end of the road”. He also referred to the emblematic moto of the 1899 graduation photo “Dare to do Right”, which is also the theme of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Anatolia College and the 30th anniversary of ACT. “Give one hundred per cent in whatever you do and be fully aware of the choices you make”, he said.

This year’s awards are the following:

• ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD: Mr. Nikolaos Pentzos ‘91
• JOHN PAPPAJOHN ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARD: Mr. Zlatin Georgiev
• PHILIP AND MARJORIE IRELAND HUMANITARIAN AND PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD: Mr. Alexandros Taxildaris
• VALEDICTORY: Mr. Ermal Vila
• ALKI KYRIAKIDOU-NESTOROS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LIBERAL ARTS: Mr. Ermal Vila
• WILLIAM W. McGREW AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HISTORY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Mr. Plamen Panov
• ELIZABETH YPHANTIS DEMETER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: Ms.  Lida Khachatryan
• STAVROS S. NIARCHOS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMPUTING: Mr. Marko Alexic
• FOTIS MINARETZIS MEMORIAL STUDENT ACTIVITIES AWARD: Ms. Sevasti Cuci
• BEST ATHLETE AWARD: Mr. Plamen Panov
• BORJAN TANEVSKI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Ms. Emilia Georgieva

Mr. Ermal Vila gave a particularly touching valedictory speech mentioning all the difficulties he faced on his way to ACT.

The "Papanikolaou Hospital Project", a pilot service learning program which began this fall, ended successfully on December 6th  for Anatolia students: Ellise Bash  (ACT), Penny Boutaris (A' Lyceum), Alexander Goropoulos (A' Lyceum), Meletis Nigdelis (A' Lyceum), Tatiana Ilia (B' Lyceum), Narin Ismail (B' Lyceum), Katerina Tori (I.B.). Students voluntarily spent 25 hours each working in the Emergency State Hospital Ward, alongside doctors and nursing staff, on days when the hospital was on duty for the whole region. Students were also required to completed 5 hours of training in first aid and to submit daily work logs in order to receive hospital certification. The program was run through the ACT International Programs Office and the U.S. Counseling Office at Anatolia.

Farewell to the 139 students from Northeastern University and the 11 chaperones that spent the Fall Semester at ACT. You have left many fond memories with us and have made good friends in Thessaloniki for when you come back.

The inaugural “Inspiration Exchange!” event took place at ACT on December 7, 2011. The event consisted of a presentation by Genevieve Laurier, President at Oxford Hub, a student generated and managed NGO that coordinates volunteering projects, training, community outreach, and research in Oxford and other cities in the UK. A lively discussion among degree candidates and study abroad students followed, with ideas for action shared and encouraged and contacts made for future cooperation.

 The “Inspiration Exchange!” series is devoted to exploring how students can make a difference in their communities and can manage and run their own social projects to bring about change. The events are coordinated by Ruth Sutton and Laura Strieth under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service.

 The series is one of the cornerstones of ACT’s experiential learning program.

 The next “Inspiration Exchange!” events will take place in the Spring 2012 semester. To be included on the IE! mailing list please contact Laura Streith at 2310 398 242 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Olympic Air has introduced a new direct flight from Thessaloniki to Tiranna, twice a week. The first flight took place on Friday December the 2nd together with a ceremony in the Makedonia Airport, where the Governor of Central Macedonia was present, together with local authorities and top executives from Olympic Air and MIG (Marfin Invesment Group).

Dr. Nikolas Hourvouliades acting both as an ACT member and the Governor's representative secured some free tickets for ACT Albanian students, together with local officials, for the first flight, as an act of cooperation on behalf of Olympic Air. Our students also received a free return ticket for Monday December the 5th, and had the opportunity to spend the weekend with their friends and family. Hopefully, this was the beginning of a successful cooperation between ACT and Olympic Air, that will serve the students and their friends to visit Thessaloniki in a more convenient and efficient way. The Region of Central Macedonia also supports this action, since there are numerous advantages for tourists and business people who want to travel between Albania and North Greece.

Sign up for a four-week academic summer program in Northern Greece at the American College of Thessaloniki (fully accredited by the North Eastern Association of Schools and Collages- NEASC).

A challenging, high quality program of study, with the structure and substance of a true American University. All courses, taught in English.

What is the Pella Project

The Pella Project is a rigorous academic program that offers you the chance to complete two summer courses and get up to 6 transferable college credits:

a) The world of Alexander the Great: a team-taught course focusing on ancient history, geography, art and architecture, rhetoric and philosophy, political theory and drama

b) Chose your second course from a list of summer course offerings (including language, social sciences, math, business, computer science etc.) A specially designed course just for the group can be also added.

It is also a travel experience you will never forget. You will explore a good part of mainland Greece, travel to Istanbul-Turkey, explore ancient sites and monuments and most of all your home base – the city of Thessaloniki. The package includes many fun planned events such as the following: city scavenger hunt, harbor boat ride, music and dinner night out, beach times, walks and hikes, organized athletic events etc.

Click here to find out more.

Brief Description

For non-PS&IR majors only.

Minor Requirements

To read a short description of the courses mentioned below, follow this link.

• Politics 201
• Politics 233
• European Studies 210

Plus three additional PS&IR electives (to be selected in consultation with a PS&IR advisor) from the list below:

• Politics 101
• History 201
• Politics 230
• History 221
• History 331
• Politics 207
• Politics 240
• Politics 304
• Politics 301
• Politics 332
• Politics 334
• Soc sc 349
• Soc sc 210
• Politics 250

*Students may take Politics 101 as both a General Education Requirement and an International Relations elective.

Note

Students may be obliged to take extra courses beyond the 40 needed to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in order to fulfill all minor requirements.

Brief Description

The Division of Business offers the opportunity to students from other majors to pursue Minors in Human Resources Management and in Internation Business. These minors are not available to Business majors.

Minor Requirements

• Management 101 - Introduction to Management
• Management 218 - International Business
• Marketing 101 - Introduction to Marketing
• Marketing 318 - Global Marketing

2 electives from the following:

• Business Administration 241 - Principles of Commercial Law
• Economics 102 - Introductory Microeconomics
• Economics 332 - International Economics
• Finance 220 - Investment and Portfolio Management
• Marketing 214 - Advertising
• Marketing 324 - E-Marketing