On January 31, the ACG Distinguished Speakers Series (DSS) was launched by the Office of Public Affairs, featuring US Ambassador to Greece, H.E. George Tsunis, as the inaugural speaker.
In her opening remarks, Vice President of Public Affairs, Claudia Carydis, mentioned that this new initiative aims at enriching the out-of-class experience of Deree students and further inspiring them through the example of opinion leaders that ACG will be hosting, coming primarily from the US. President David Horner warmly welcomed the ambassador, expressing ACG’s appreciation of the role the U.S. government and the U.S. Embassy in Greece have played in the development of The American College of Greece, also referring to the mission and core values of the College “at a time when world events are bringing new challenges to campus communities in the U.S. and around the globe,” as he said.
Welcoming the ambassador on behalf of the students, Melina Giannakouli presented the ambassador’s bio and students-panelists Giorgos Artelaris, Lydia Fili and Boye Mohammed Alhassan engaged in an interactive discussion with the ambassador.
Answering the questions raised, Ambassador Tsunis shared his personal journey and thoughts on the importance of quality education, traits of leadership, and the need for innovation, inclusion, and equality while also praising the role of the US-affiliated academic institutions in strengthening US-Greece relations. He commended Deree for fostering shared values, stating, “Education and innovation are keys to leadership and excellence, and Deree is an incredible incubator for these values.”
