The Hellenic American University Debate Team returns to Athens with a victory over their Rollins College counterparts in the Great Debate competition that took place November 13th at Bush Center in Rollins College, Orlando Winter Park, Florida.

The University’s team was represented in Rollins by Maro Samara (BAELL ’28), Angelos Varotsis (BSPSY ’28), Adriana Gounalaki (BSPSY ’24) and Androniki Fili (BAELL ’25) and the team’s co-coach University provost Dr. Themis Kaniklidou.

Maro and Angelos took on the opposition case for the topic “This House Believes that Presidents and Prime Ministers should be immune from criminal prosecution after they leave office”, drawing on the support and guidance of their two other teammates, who debated last year in the same competition.

The team travelled to Florida on the invitation of Rollins College and its debate coach Dr. Eric Smaw, Professor of Philosophy and Special Assistant to the Provost at Rollins College, who has been a supporter of the University’s team since its founding in 2023. Smaw’s team is a high-ranking debating powerhouse, with over 15 years of debating experience and top place finishes in national and regional championships.

Lead judge Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, presented the decision of the 7-member panel of judges following a closed-doors deliberation. She praised the Hellenic American University team for their excellent argumentation, accurate rebuttal and inspiring delivery.

The HAU debate team is co-coached by provost Dr. Themis Kaniklidou and adjunct faculty member Stephen Bacigal, and currently consists of the following members:

• Maro Samara (BAELL ’28)
• Angelos Varotsis (BSPSY’28)
• Adriana Gounalaki (BSPSY ’24)
• Androniki Fili (BAELL ’25)
• Patseli Ioanna (BAELL ’25)
• Alexandros Anastasiadis Moutinho (BAELL ’25)
• Fani-Konstantina Papanastasiou (BAELL ’27)

In a congratulatory message sent to the University community Dr. Kaniklidou commended the team for their fierce debating skills and exceptional teamwork. “We’re immensely proud of the team’s accomplishment,” she said.

Image: Pictured (from left to right): Adriana Gounalaki (BSPSY ’24), Androniki Fili (BAELL ’25), Dr. Themis Kaniklidou - Provost, Hellenic American University, Dr. Eric Smaw - Professor of Philosophy, Rollins College, Maro Samara (BAELL ’28), Angelos Varotsis (BSPSY ’28).

Career development and study-abroad officers from Hellenic American University took part in a pair of international conferences on global learning and study abroad held at the Athens Conservatory during the week of October 13 - 18, 2024.

Ms. Domniki Diamantopoulou, Director of the University’s Career Development Office, participated in the opening plenary session of the “Careers, Internships, and Global Learning Conference”, where she had the chance to discuss trends in global employment, the importance of soft skills, and the ways in which universities can better prepare students for the job market. She also had inspiring discussions with international internship professionals.

Dr. Ermioni Karachaliou, Dean of Global and Student Engagement, attended the 7th EMEA Forum on Education Abroad Conference. During the conference, she met with new and existing study-abroad partners of the University to finalize the 2025 programs and set the goals and expectations for new academic projects for AY 2025-26. Dr. Karachaliou will follow this conference up with a visit to the 2025 Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Image: From left to right: Michael Palinginis, Group HR Manager, Lalizas S.A., Dr. Ermioni Karachaliou, Dean, Global and Student Engagement, Hellenic American University, Mario Vela, Assistant Vice-President, Career Engaged Learning, The University of Texas at San Antonio, Domniki Diamantopoulou, Director, Career Development Office, Hellenic American University

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Hellenic American University celebrated its 14th Commencement with ceremonies at the Nashua campus on May 15, 2024, and at the Athens campus on June 27, 2024, as the University’s alumni family welcomed the 99-member the graduating class of 2024 into its ranks.

Valedictory addresses were given at the gala event in Athens by Panoraia Balali (M.A. in Applied Linguistics – TESOL) and Panagiotis Georgantas (B.A. in English Language and Literature). This year’s salutatorians were Evgenia Sgammato (B.S. in Psychology) and Nashua MBA graduate Anthony Lee Draper.

Two additional members of the MBA Class of 2024 received awards at the Nashua ceremony: Seema Regmi (Difference Maker Award) and Poonam Gautam (Professional Practice Award).

As has been custom in past commencements, the University conferred an honorary degree to an individual who has distinguished themselves through achievements in the arts or sciences, education, public service, or philanthropy. This year at the Athens commencement, the University awarded an honorary doctorate to Dr. Lourdes Ortega, Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University and one of the most renowned scholars in the field. Dr. Ortega, who served a former president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics and is currently general editor of the prestigious journal Language Learning, is also a Visitor Professor in the University’s Ph.D. program in Language and Communication. The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters was presented to Dr. Ortega by Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.

Receptions followed the ceremonies and both campuses, affording the graduates a chance to celebrate this milestone with their professors, loved ones, and friends.

Image: Mr. Panagiotis Georgantas, 2024 Undergraduate Valedictorian, delivering his speech

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The Summer 2024 issue of Connect is now being emailed to University alumni and can be downloaded here. In this issue, we highlight several of last semester’s signature events including the successful 2024 Career Fair and "Dark" Durrell Conference.

In his message to alumni, University President Leonidas Phoebus Koskos highlights an important milestone for the University this year—the 20th anniversary of Hellenic American University, and briefs readers on the second lecture in our Distinguished Lecture Series, featuring Professor George Chrousos and on his participation in an international conference, organized by the University’s accreditor-NECHE, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

This issue’s Alumni Success Story features Thanasis Polyzos (MSSM ’23), Store Development Manager at Procter & Gamble, who discusses his experience in the program and how it contributed to advancements in his career. Our Faculty Spotlight features Dr. Lindy McMullin, Director of the University’s Psychology Programs.

Finally, as always, we share recent news of our faculty and fellow alumni’s accomplishments—from new publications and conference talks to career advancements.

Image: CONNECT ALUMNI Summer 2024

Hellenic American University students Faidra Georgiadou and Georgios Virvilis, both in the final year of studies in the B.A. in English Language and Literature program, recently delivered presentations at the 22nd biennial conference of the International Lawrence Durrell Society (ILDS). The conference, this year entitled “Dark” Durrell, was hosted July 4 – 6, 2024 at the University’s campus in Athens.

Faidra’s paper was titled "The Figuration of Corfu and Other Philosophical Musings in H.D’s Tribute to Freud and Lawrence Durrell’s Prospero’s Cell". She notes that she wrote the paper specifically for the conference, rather than adapting one she had already written for a class. This meant extra work, especially in the case of H.D. (the American modernist poet Hilda Doolittle), where the bibliography was scantier.

Her paper explores how the spirit of a place, its landscape and its cultural and historical associations and memories, can transform the artist’s psyche. Both writers, Faidra argues, uncover and come to terms with what she calls “an uncontrollable, coincidental darkness” on the island, which in turn “becomes a starting point for an almost primitive uncovering of their self in Greece.”

Faidra admits that preparing for the conference was very stressful, as it was her first time presenting at such a venue and she didn’t know what to expect. Happily, as she notes, her professors were supportive and eager to answer the questions she kept asking. She is especially grateful to her instructor, Dr. Athanasios Dimakis, an adjunct faculty member in the B.A. in English Language and Literature program and ILDS board member, who was the first to encourage her to submit an abstract to the conference.

In the end, she is glad she did the presentation. “Everyone in the room—I was the youngest person there—was nice and encouraging. I’d like to present again—the next time with less stress!” Faidra believe that the fact that she had done in-class presentations for many of the courses in her degree program was helpful.

Faidra is planning on pursuing graduate studies in literature, but first things first, and that’s her senior capstone project, which she’ll be doing in the area of feminist literature.

For his presentation, Georgios Virvilis looked at the external and internal conflicts in Henry Miller’s the Colossus of Maroussi, focusing on the writer’s portrayal of Greece and juxtaposition of Eastern and Western perspectives. Georgios’s interest in this topic stemmed from his familiarity with Miller's travelogue and what he calls “a long-standing fascination with Miller’s depiction of Greece.” He notes: “The rarity of such portrayals, especially from that historical period, and the perspective of an outsider made this an intriguing subject for me. I have enjoyed Miller's work since my high school years.”

As a working student, Georgios found his main challenge in writing the paper was the limited time he had available time, which obliged him to adjust his schedule, which usually meant “sleeping less and dedicating more hours to preparation.”

Georgios, too, was grateful for the support and mentoring of his instructor, Prof. Dimakis. “This was my first time presenting at such a conference,” he notes, “and Professor Dimakis’s whose support and encouragement were pivotal in my decision to submit my paper.”

It was a demanding experience, he notes, but a worthwhile—and enlightening—one. “Delivering my presentation was particularly rewarding as it allowed me to share my insights and receive valuable feedback from esteemed peers and academics.” Georgios also sees it as a milestone in his academic journey, especially as he’s considering a career in academia—he plans to pursue graduate studies in linguistics and AI. Participating in the conference, he says, gave him confidence and a sense of belonging in the academic community. “A co-presenter even remarked, ‘Well, kid, you're not a rookie anymore,’ which was encouraging and validating.”

Dr. Dimakis mentioned that he will continue his efforts to strengthen the existing ties between the International Lawrence Durrell Society and the Hellenic American University (also in his new capacity as newly elected Vice-President of the Society). He will continue to seek new opportunities for the participation of undergraduate and postgraduate BAELL students at Durrell Society events, symposia, conferences, as well as new publication avenues (Deus Loci: The Lawrence Durrell Journal is a case in point). He will also consider student essay submissions for the forthcoming "Dark" Durrell volume he is now co-editing with Prof. Isabelle Keller-Privat (Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès) and Prof. James Gifford (Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver). The "Dark" Durrell co-edited volume of selected essays from the conference will be published with Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

Faidra and Georgios are not the first students at the University to deliver presentations at international conferences, nor will they be the last. (Four students from the Ph.D. program in Language and Communication, for example, will be giving talks at the 4th International Europe in Discourse conference, which the University will be hosting this September). Student participation at conferences, and the encouragement and support the students receive from the faculty, reflect the focus on career-relevant education and close mentoring relationships that are part of the learning experience the University strives to offer. As Dr. Vasiliki Kourbani, Director of the B.A. in English Language & Literature notes, "I am proud of our BAELL students, Faidra Georgiadou and Georgios Virvilis, whose presentations highlight the next generation of scholars dedicated to literary exploration. Their presentations at the ILDS conference reflect their hard work and the supportive academic environment at Hellenic American University."

Hero Image: BAELL student, Faidra Georgiadou, delivering her presentation.

Text Image: BAELL student, George Virvilis, delivering his presentation.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hellenic American University, I am filled with a profound sense of pride and gratitude for the incredible journey we have embarked upon together. Over the past two decades, our university has grown from a visionary dream into a thriving institution, dedicated to providing quality American higher education that is both career-relevant and interculturally informed.

This milestone is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our entire university community. Our faculty members have continually demonstrated their commitment to academic excellence, innovative teaching, and groundbreaking research. Our students have shown remarkable perseverance, creativity, and a drive to succeed that inspires us all. Our alumni have gone on to make significant contributions to their professions and communities, embodying the values and education they received here.

As we look back on our achievements, we also look forward to the future with great anticipation. Our mission to educate global citizens who are grounded in the liberal arts and equipped to contribute to the economic and social development of their communities remains steadfast. We are committed to fostering an environment where students can pursue their passions, develop their talents, and achieve their educational goals.

To commemorate this special occasion, we are pleased to announce the award of 20 scholarships totaling €150,000. These scholarships, valued at €10,000 each for undergraduate studies and €5,000 each for selected graduate programs at our Athens campus, reflect our ongoing dedication to empowering students and investing in the future of education and knowledge.

The scholarships will be awarded on a first come first served basis to eligible candidates who will secure their place by July 31st, 2024. Undergraduate scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to pursue their studies in English Language & Literature, Business Administration, Informatics, Psychology, Engineering or Music while graduate scholarship recipients will gain support for studies in Business Administration, Translation, Conference Interpreting, Informatics or Psychology. Scholarships will also be awarded to eligible candidates interested in the MA in Applied Linguistics-TESOL program which is offered exclusively online by the university.

Eligibility Criteria:

Undergraduate/Graduate scholarship applicants must meet the admission requirements of the selected program.

Undergraduate admission criteria
Graduate admission criteria

Important note: For the on-campus programs, applicants must already have a residence permit and not require a visa to be eligible for the scholarship.

Application Process:

Candidates should email our admissions office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating the program of their interest, with subject line: 20th Anniversary Scholarship

Leonidas Phoebus Koskos, Esq.
President
Hellenic American University

To commemorate its 20 years of operation, Hellenic American University proudly announces the award of 20 scholarships totaling €150,000.

The scholarships, valued at €10,000 each for undergraduate studies and €5,000 each for selected graduate programs at Athens campus, reflect Hellenic American University's commitment to fostering academic excellence and supporting the development of successful individuals worldwide. “These scholarships represent our ongoing dedication to empowering students to achieve their educational goals and pursue their passions," said Dr. Leonidas Tzonis, Executive Vice President & CFO. "As we celebrate two decades of serving our community, we are honored to invest in the future of education and knowledge."

As we mark our 20th anniversary, we remain committed to our mission to offer students a quality American higher education that is both career-relevant and interculturally informed. The university seeks to educate its students to be global citizens who are grounded in the liberal arts and equipped to contribute to the economic and social development of their communities. Both the University’s mission and its non-profit status ensure that the institution’s overriding interests and yardstick of success remain its students and the quality and outcome of the education they receive.

The scholarships will be awarded on a first come first served basis to eligible candidates who will secure their place by July 19th, 2024. Undergraduate scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to pursue their studies in English Language & Literature, Business Administration, Informatics, Psychology, Engineering or Music while graduate scholarship recipients will gain support for studies in Business Administration, Translation, Conference Interpreting, Informatics, Psychology or Applied Linguistics-TESOL.

Eligibility Criteria:

Undergraduate/Graduate scholarship applicants must meet the admission requirements of the selected program.

• Undergraduate admission criteria
• Graduate admission criteria

Important note: For the on-campus programs, applicants must already have a residence permit and not require a visa to be eligible for the scholarship.

Application Process:

Candidates should email our admissions office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating the program of their interest, with subject line: 20th Anniversary Scholarship.

The Winter 23-24 issue of Connect  is currently being emailed to University alumni and is available for download here. This issue features the results from the Employment Survey of the Class of 2023, a profile of our new CDO Director, news of recent events hosted at our Athens campus and the Debate Team recent trip to Rollings College in Florida.

President Leonidas Phoebus Koskos updates us on how the University is preparing to meet the challenges in the year ahead, including the recent legislation on private universities in Greece.

Our Alumni Success Story features Eleni Plemmenou (BSPsy ’22), who shares her experience of the Psychology program and whose journey exemplifies the University’s mission. For the Faculty Spotlight, we turn to Stephen Bacigal, adjunct faculty member and Director of Institutional Research & Assessment at our University.

Finally, as is our tradition, we share news and accomplishments of our faculty and your fellow alumni, from newly published works and talks at conferences to career advancements. 

Image: CONNECT ALUMNI Winter 23-24

A select group of MAAL students in the University’s M.A. in Applied Linguistics program are taking part in an innovative writing tutoring project that draws on the collective expertise of three different units: the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Hellenic American University Writing Center, and the M.A. in Applied Linguistics (MAAL) program.

The idea for the project, which has been developed Dr. Dimitris Tolias, who heads the MAAL and serves as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, is simple, even if its implementation, given the logistics of coordinating schedules across time zones, multiple instructors, and tight deadlines, isn’t. Graduate students enrol in the MAAL’s elective course in Writing Tutoring, where they learn about how a writing center works and what tutoring processes involve, and about how to apply these theoretical models and principles in tutoring writing. As part of the course, students complete 30 hours of supervised asynchronous personal writing tutoring. In this case—and this is what makes the project unique—they will be providing help to international MBA students at the Nashua, NH campus, under the direct supervision of Dr. Vassiliki Kourbani, the course instructor and Director of the University’s Writing Center.

The new initiative serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it marshals coursework, its supervised practicum, and certification opportunities to advance the personal and professional development of the MAAL students as language practitioners and teachers. On the other hand, and at a very practical level, the initiative will provide individualized assistance to international MBA students in Nashua on their writing assignments.

Dr. Tolias says he is thrilled about the project, and the benefits it offers for the graduate students taking the course. He points out that the course serves as a pathway for students to earn an internationally respected credential in academic tutoring and student support: the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) Certification.

At the same time, the course will be an opportunity for the international students in the project to experience first-hand the usefulness of consulting expert help for their academic writing, something Dr. Kourbani says will come in handy later when the same students are faced with the challenges of a demanding capstone project.

For Dr. Tolias, the project is not just about tutoring writing. It is also a way, he says, “for participants to interact with our international students, gain insights into their diverse cultures, and broaden their own global perspective as teachers and individuals.” He is convinced that the course can be a “transformative experience” in the MAAL students’ professional journey.

The new project follows on the heels of similar initiatives designed to integrate student support services more seamlessly across campuses and modalities. One such effort is the annual series of spring online workshops and winter onsite trainings that Dr. Tolias conducts with Nashua students on topics such as the University's digital platforms, effective studying, and understanding instructor feedback. In fact, it was during these workshops that Dr. Tolias realized that the students in his sessions would appreciate and benefit from the support writing tutors could provide.

Image: Nashua MBA students at Dr. Tolias’s recent workshop.

The Director of the University’s Career Development Office (CDO), Domniki Diamantopoulou, has just wound up a marathon round of calls to recent graduates to gather information on the employment profile of the Class of 2023. In the end, she managed to speak to 55% of recent graduates; information on the employment status on the remaining graduates was gathered through LinkedIn research and the directors of the alumni’s degree program. Overall, the CDO was able to confirm the employment profile of 87% of the graduating class of 2023.

The findings for these alumni are encouraging. More than 90% are working or pursuing graduate studies or internships. Specifically, 64% are employed in companies or organizations and an additional 17% are self-employed. About 9% of graduates are pursuing full-time studies or internships.

Behind these summary numbers, however, is a more nuanced picture of graduates’ diverse career paths. Some found work soon after graduation, as in the case of Alzahraa Muneer Sabri Al-Haddad (BSE ’20, MSI ’23), who began work as a Youth Analyst for the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iraq in August 2023. Others had been working before graduation but found new employment opportunities, such as Christos Anestis Moraitis (BSI ’23), who took up a new position in September 2023 as a software developer for cybersecurity for the Secura Bureau Veritas in the Netherlands, and Konstantinos Topintzis (MBA ’23, MSSM ’23), who has continued his work as a medical sales representative but in a new company this year with ISOPLUS. Still other graduates secured a promotion from their current employer shortly before or after graduation. Christos Pavlogiannis (MSSM ’23), for example, was promoted in March 2023 to Sales Manager and Head of Non-Delivered Trade at Diversey Hellas. Still other alumni/ae are working in positions they had before their studies, or like Konstantinos Sarantos (MBA ’23), a senior account executive at the IBM spinoff Kyndryl, after starting their degree program at the University.

Other graduates finished up an internship or job assignment and went on to pursue graduate studies, like Sidra Ashgar (BAELL ’23), who left her position as an interpreter for the National Center for Social Solidarity to begin an MA in Criminal Justice and Intelligence at the University of Portsmouth this January. Another success story is Eleni Barmpouni (BSBA ’23), who has just completed the internship she began after graduation as a junior marketeer for Karamolegos Bakery and will begin studies this January for an MA in Marketing Management at the University of Bologna.

The CDO Director’s phone calls allowed her to check in with the new alumni/ae individually and remind them of the career counseling and job placement services that they have free access to as graduates, such as guidance in career planning, help in writing their resume, and the newsletter with job postings and internship opportunities. It is also an opportunity to gain insight into graduates’ plans to seek recognition of professional equivalence of their degree by the Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, another area in which the CDO can help alumni navigate. Information was also gathered on graduates’ civil and community engagement; about 10% of recent graduates do volunteer work in addition to their work or studies.

In addition to the phone survey, which is done each year with the new graduating class, the University also updates biannually the employment profile of alumni from previous years through online questionnaires and LinkedIn research. During the last update in 2022 the CDO was able to confirm the employment status of 74% of all alumni. Of these, 94% were employed, self-employed, or pursuing graduate studies.

Image: Captured by Edmond Dantès, downloaded from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/el-gr/photo/4342496/