Archive
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Enjoying a taste of change with the Dukakis Center › A live crowdfunding event is such an exciting happening. Especially when there is dinner and wine afterwards for participants!
Last Wednesday, the Dukakis Center and FEAST Thessaloniki joined forces to host an innovative crowd-funding event at WE Thessaloniki. “A Taste of Change” was an unforgettable fun(d)raising event focusing on new social challenges. (December, 2016) Read more →
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Remembering Obama in Greece › In remembrance of President Obama, and in honor of our many Greek friends who were invited to attend his legacy speech in Athens, we publish Dukakis Center Director David Wisner’s 1988 post-election remarks, delivered at the US Consulate General of Thessaloniki (below the break).
Students, interns, and staff at ACT and the Dukakis Center had been especially active during the 2008 US general election, both in Greece and in the US. (November, 2016) Read more →
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Election Day USA: A carnival of democracy ›
Election day is nigh upon us. For close to two years candidates and political parties have been jockeying to attract the attention of the American electorate. Who will win the race to the White House? Which parties will capture majorities in the US Senate and House of Representatives? What surprises await us in state and local elections? (November, 2016) Read more →
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The Future of Democracy intern projects › The Dukakis Center is hosting an especially large cohort of undergraduate interns this fall, including a talented cohort of Study Abroad students from universities throughout the US. One of the projects they are working on is called "The Future of Democracy." (October, 2016) Read more →
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Voting in America › On Wednesday October 5, the Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service hosted a round table discussion on “Voting in America” at the U.S. Consulate General in Thessaloniki. Special guests included Michael Ertel, the Supervisor of Elections for Seminole County, Florida, Charles Stewart III, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT, Rebecca Fong, U.S. Consul General of Thessaloniki, and David Wisner, Professor of International Relations at ACT and Executive Director of the Dukakis Center. (October, 2016) Read more →
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Politics at the bistrot › Two Democratic delegates honored the Dukakis Center with their presence this past Monday evening at La Place Mignonne, a local watering hole in downtown Thessaloniki. (October, 2016) Read more →
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Alumni corner -- Katerina Rigas › After four years of intense deliberation about the subject matter of my studies at ACT, I realized that the core of International Relations is international politics and the subject matter of international politics is the struggle for power among sovereign nations. Predicated upon immediate developments, this view became rather crystallized, as the European crisis entered a new, highly dangerous phase in 2015, one that threatens its survival and questions the Union’s purpose. (September, 2016) Read more →
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Alumni corner -- Aleksandar Jovanoski › Aleksandar Jovanoski was a student at ACT from 2002 to 2006, when he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in International Relations. Among the most active students in his graduating class, Aleksandar has already enjoyed considerable success in the field of foreign affairs. Now he writes that he is poised to return to his studies, having been offered a prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the British Government. (June, 2016) Read more →
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Masterclasses, public service, and liberal education › During the Spring 2014 semester at ACT the Dukakis Center introduced the practice of inviting experienced practitioners to spend short periods of time to work on a project with select groups of students from various academic programs. The Center hosted two masterclasses that term, in film making and in photography, the latter culminating in an exhibition of environmental portraiture featuring candidate in local and European elections, under the guidance of renowned local photographer Chryssa Nikoleri. (June, 2016) Read more →
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The Dukakis Center in the news › The Dukakis Center has been present in unprecedented fashion in local and national news media this past year, particularly during the Spring 2016 semester ACT. (June, 2016) Read more →
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Dukakis Masterclass in Digital Deployment › A step-by-step guide to digital media and event management
With Pandelis Rafail, Founder, Deploy Digital (ACT class of 2013)
Training for, preparation of, and participation at a Dukakis Center event to take place on Monday evening, May 23, 7 -9 pm, at La Place mignonne (Ethnikis Aminis 4).
"Politics at the bistrot: How democratic are the Democratic primaries?" (May, 2016) Read more →
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Lansie Sylvia conducts workshop on branding and non-profit strategy › "The way an organization looks really matters."
Lansie Sylvia is a rising star in the world of non-profit branding in the United States. She works as Director of engagement at the Philadelphia-based branding agency Here’s My Chance, and visited Thessaloniki recently under the auspices of the Dukakis Center at the American College of Thessaloniki. (April, 2016) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts international conference on "Civic Engagement and the Practices of Democracy" › "What needs to change more, the citizenry, elected offices, or the political system?"
So asked Professor Gerry Stoker, of the Universities of Southampton and Canberra, in the keynote lecture to the international conference "Civic Engagement and the Practices of Democracy," held at the Met Hotel on April 18 under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service of the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT), in collaboration with the Public Opinion Research Unit of the University of Macedonia Research Institute. (April, 2016) Read more →
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The Warehouse of Souls › Nicholas Piston is a Greek-American humanitarian aid volunteer working in a refugee camp on Mytilini. He crowd-funded his trip to Greece from the US and is keeping a blog of his experiences here. Mr. Piston did a BA in International Relations at the American College of Thessaloniki in 2002-06 and then moved back to his native Philadelphia in the US. Nicholas is on Facebook. more
(April, 2016) Read more →
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Intern's corner: Francesca Montialbano › I interned at The Dukakis Center during my junior year of college. I had plans to study abroad and was able to do my required internship at The Dukakis Center for credit at my home university. During my time at The Dukakis Center I focused my research on the meaning of Public Service in both the Greek and American context; which I found to be very different. I was fortunate enough to work very closely with Dr. Wisner, who helped me grow both professionally and personally. Since my time at The Dukakis Center, I have become much more involved in politics. (April, 2016) Read more →
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Events on the horizon › The Dukakis Center continues to express its ambitions through the events it hosts, from the renowned series of Dukakis Lectures launched by Michael Dukakis and Nicholas Burns during our inaugural year, to the diverse experiential learning platforms we have created. Spring 2016 will be no exception. (April, 2016) Read more →
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New partners, new projects in 2016 › The Dukakis Center has been engaging in quiet but effective outreach since last summer. Our intention has been to strengthen the new identity we established for the Center in 2014, in terms of expertise and of capacity. The results of our efforts are evident on our website. (April, 2016) Read more →
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Dukakis Lecture on Greek-Turkish relations with Kostas Ifantis › The Dukakis Center at the American College of Thessalonikiin collaboration with the Navarino Networkand the Kalliopi Koufa Foundation
cordially invites you to attend
a Dukakis Lecture
by
Kostas IfantisPanteion and Kadir Has Universities
"Greece and Turkey: Neighbours at a time of peril"
Monday, March 28Navarino NetworkApellou 3Thessaloniki
Discussants:Sotiris Serbos, Democritus UniversityParoula Naskou-Perraki, University of Macedonia (March, 2016) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts Ioanna Fotopoulou of Social Impact Hub Athens › On March 9, the Dukakis Center welcomed Ioanna Fotopoulou of Impact Hub Athens to the Bissell Library to announce the Social Impact Award, a European competition for social entrepreneurship. (March, 2016) Read more →
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Second Festival of Civic and Urban Culture › During a ten-day period from April 11-20, 2016, the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at the American College of Thessaloniki will host its Second Festival of Civic and Urban Culture. (March, 2016) Read more →
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Dukakis Center takes part in News Decoder webinar › Interns at the Dukakis Center recently had the rather unique opportunity to take part in a webinar on the civil war in Syria, featuring three internationally reputed journalists collaborating with the Paris-based alternate news outlet News Decoder. (December, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center welcomes Consul General Fong › Following an invitation by the Dukakis Center, the newly installed US Consul General in Thessaloniki, Ms. Rebecca Fong, visited ACT on November 30 to address students on interested in a diplomatic career, sharing some of her experience in the field.
With a diverse academic and professional background, Ms. Fong discussed various aspects of working in the foreign service, ranging from the reasons why one could or should choose such a career, to a training process that involves language skills and expertise development, such as in trade or in refugee matters. (December, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center commemorates Armenian Genocide, friendship between Anatolia and Armenian Community › 2015 has been the year of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. The Dukakis Center marked the commemoration in February with a lecture by Armen Marsoobian, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Southern Connecticut State University, on efforts to memorialize the experience of Armenians in Asia Minor at the beginning of the twentieth century. (November, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center interns visit refugee camp in Eidomeni › A group of ACT students and Dukakis Center interns travelled to the northern Greek village of Eidomeni on November 27 to distribute food and take stock of the situation of the makeshift refuge camps at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. (November, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center to host Masterclass in photojournalism with acclaimed Greek photographer › Acclaimed Greek photojournalist Dimitris Bouras will conduct a Masterclass in Photojournalism at the Dukakis Center, in partnership with ACT's English undergraduate program, during the week of November 23-27, 2015.
The class, called "You won't be here tomorrow," will cover technical, aesthetic, practical, and moral considerations prevalent in contemporary photojournalism. Select participants will meet throughout the week and will do their own photo shoot, on the theme "We all need to eat." (November, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center welcomes French journalist › "This is my first visit to Thessaloniki. I am struck by the traces of French presence in the city.”-- Jean Quatremer
The Dukakis Center hosted the distinguished French journalist Jean Quatremer for a Dukakis Lecture on Friday, November 20, at the Municipality of Thessaloniki. The event was co-sponsored by the French Institute of Thessaloniki and the Journalist's Union of Macedonia-Thrace, with further support from the Consulate-General of France in Thessaloniki and TV100. (November, 2015) Read more →
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New projects at the Dukakis Center › The Dukakis Center will host three extra-curricular projects in the fall 2015 semester for the principal benefit of the ACT student body.
First, the Center will host screenings of debates by Republican and Democratic candidates for the nomination of their respective parties for the 2016 Presidential election. The screenings will be a prelude to a project designed for US study abroad students who will cast absentee ballots from Thessaloniki in November 2016. (November, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center at annual Navarino Network symposium › The Dukakis Center was present at the annual Thessaloniki International Symposium organized by the Navarino Network, Sunday, October 18, the theme of which was "The World in 2016 and beyond."
Dukakis Center director David Wisner moderated two sessions during the day-long event, which featured leading scholars and practitioners in contemporary international affairs. Notably, Wisner presided over a session featuring NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Thrasyvoulos "Terry" Stamatopoulos. (November, 2015) Read more →
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The Dukakis Center: the inside story › A new academic year is beginning at the American College of Thessaloniki and the Dukakis Center is planning another banner year of events and public service initiatives. Politis caught up with Dr. David Wisner, Executive Director of the Dukakis Center, to get the inside story on the many events he has organized at ACT over the years. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts author and diplomat Brady Kiesling › The Dukakis Center hosted a presentation of former US diplomat Brady Kiesling's new book on «17 November», on March 2 at Ianos Bookstore in downtown Thessaloniki. (September, 2015) Read more →
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Second Business and Politics Forum: Entrepreneurship in Greece › Το νέο επιχειρηματικό τοπίο που διαμορφώνεται στην Ελλάδα από την ανοδική πορεία των startups, οι προσδοκίες που γεννούν οι νεοφυείς επιχειρήσεις, η εθνική δημόσια πολιτική που απαιτείται για την απαγκίστρωση της επιχειρηματικότητας από τις γραφειοκρατικές αγκυλώσεις, ήταν ορισμένα από τα θέματα που συζητήθηκαν στο 2ο Forum για το Επιχειρείν και την Πολιτική με θέμα «Η Επιχειρηματικότητα στην Ελλάδα: Εξετάζοντας την ευρύτερη εικόνα». (September, 2015) Read more →
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Festival of Civic and Urban Culture › The Dukakis Center celebrated fifteen years of public service initiatives in Thessaloniki during the Spring 2014 semester with a Festival of Civic and Urban Culture. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis International Symposium: The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond › The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and Southeast European Studies at Oxford invite you to attend an interactive discussion on “The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond” Keynote speaker: Dr. Erhard Busek, Coordinator, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative Tuesday, July 1, 6:00 p.m., Municipal Council of Thessaloniki. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Never again – An evening with journalist Popi Asteriadou and Holocaust survivor Heinz Kounio › On Wednesday, November 27th, Popi Asteriadou, Head of the News Department at TV100, the Municipal Television of Thessaloniki, gave a lecture entitled "Documenting an elusive presence: A film on Auschwictz-Birkenau," for the benefit of NUin, Study Abroad, and degree students at ACT. The event was co-organised by ACT professors Nikos Dimitriadis and Maria Kyriakidou under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Interview with Dukakis Professor Simon Bensasson › You may have glimpsed him wandering around the campus this past year, tall, bearded, looking more like an ancient philosopher than an expert in European integration. (September, 2015) Read more →
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Book presentation by Harris Mylonas › Thursday, June 20 • 19:00 p.m.IANOS Bookstore (7, Aristotelous Str.)The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian ServiceCordially welcomes you to a book panel
Harris MylonasElliott School of International AffairsGeorge Washington University
“The Politics of Nation-Building:Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and Minorities”(Cambridge University Press, 2013) More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center welcomes renowned classicist Angelos Chaniotis › Angelos Chaniotis, Professor of Ancient History and Classics at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, was the featured speaker at the American College of Thessaloniki on April 17, with a humorous yet informative lecture on "Graffiti in ancient cities – Images and voices of daily life" in the Bissell Library, attended by a large and enthusiastic audience of students, faculty and staff, and friends of the college. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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ACT hosts a workshop on Activism, Creative Participation and Democracy › In an age of new media, anyone can be an activist. Once a story breaks, it is not owned by anyone or under anyone’s control - not the person who wrote it, the person who features in it and certainly not the company that owns a newspaper of tv station. (September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts Kosovar media and civil society leaders › 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. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center: 15 Years of Public Service › The Dukakis Center will celebrate fifteen years of public service initiatives during the spring 2014 semester. Several events are planned, including the annual Diplomatic Academy, three round tables on various topics, a conference on threats to democracy in the EU, and residencies on campus by Andreas Akaras and Alan Cafruny (Hamilton College). Students at ACT, IB, and Anatolia will have opportunities to undertake long- and short term internships throughout the semester. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts foreign ministry veteran › 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. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Speaks at ACT › The Dukakis Center welcomed former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Spyros Kouvelis for the inaugural Dukakis Lecture of the Spring 2013 semester on Monday, February 18, for a talk on Development Perspectives, Reform, and Outward Opening of Greek Entrepreneurship. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Repo[we]rGreece visits ACT › On December 11, the Dukakis Center teamed up with representatives of the Athens-based civil society initiative Repo[we]rGreece. Alexandros Costopoulos and retired US diplomat Alec Mally met with several dozen ACT and study abroad students to discuss the mission of their initiative, launched in the fall of 2011. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Facelifted Politis live blogs the US election and more › Politis, the blog of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at ACT, has recently been given a facelift, just in time to offer live rolling coverage of the US general election of November 6 and the debates and votes in the Greek Parliament of November 7-8, 2012. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Inaugural Business & Politics Forum › The Dukakis Center and the Anatolia Business School co-hosted the inaugural Business & Politics Forum on Wednesday, December 5, at the Elektra Palace Hotel in downtown Thessaloniki. (September, 2015) Read more →
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Lecture on the Jewish presence in Thessaloniki › On October 15, 2012, in the Bissell Library, Dr. Devin Naar delivered a Dukakis Seminar Series lecture on “The Rise and Fall of the Jews of Salonica, 1492-1943.” More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center Hosts Citizenship Workshop › On April 3, the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service hosted a unique citizenship workshop for current ACT freshmen and Study abroad students. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center hosts AUTH Moot Court team › A team of four students from the Law School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki conducted a session of the annual Jessup International Moot Court simulation at ACT on Thursday, March 15, 2012. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Inspiration Exchange with Giorgos Toulas › On March 21st, The American College of Thessaloniki was honoured to host Giorgos Toulas, creator and head of ‘Thessaloniki Allios’, as part of the InspirationXchange discussion series, under the auspices of the Dukakis Center for Humanitarian and Public Service; an event that simultaneously launched ‘Politis’, the Dukakis Center’s blog and carried a live-stream of the discussion. More
(September, 2015) Read more →
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Dukakis Center co-sponsors panel discussion on Eurozone crisis › On March 15, 2012 a group of ACT students along with other members of the general public gathered for a panel discussion on “Trans-Atlantic Perspectives on the Economic Crisis in Greece and in the Eurozone.” The featured panellists were Alan Cafruny, Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs at Hamilton College, and Alec Mally, the Executive Director for Global Economic Affairs at Foresight Strategy and Communications. The panel was moderated by the Executive Director of the Dukakis Center, David Wisner. (September, 2015) Read more →
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