Anatolia College
Anatolia College, is a private, non-profit, educational institution located in Pylaia, a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece. The school has three subdivisions: [|Anatolia Elementary School], [|Anatolia High School] and ACT, the tertiary division of the institution.
It is the only school in Greece with a full boarding program
History
In 1810, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was founded in Boston and established the Bebek Seminary outside Constantinople in 1840. In 1862, it was transferred to Merzifon, and in 1886, the Anatolia College of Mersovan was founded as a theological seminary for adults, with Charles Tracy as President. The students were principally Greek and Armenian, most coming from outside of Merzifon and boarding at the school, while the faculty was Greek, Armenian, and American. Enrollment soon reached 115 students. In 1893, the girls' school was founded.In 1920, enrollment stood at 218 students, with an equal number in the girls' school and the campus consisted of more than 40 New England style buildings. Anatolia included a kindergarten, a school for the deaf, high schools for boys and girls, a college-level program, a theological seminary, one of the largest hospitals in Asia Minor, and an orphanage for 2000 orphans.
With help from Eleftherios Venizelos, Anatolia reopened in Thessaloniki in 1924, renting buildings in Harilaou, with 13 students, mostly refugees. Enrollment soon reached 157, while the Mission School for Girls in Thessaloniki became part of Anatolia College Anatolia in 1927. In 1934 the school moved to the newly constructed campus above the city near the village of Pylaia, on the lower slopes of Mt. Hortiatis.
When Greece entered World War II upon the Italian invasion in 1940, the school closed and the campus was used as military hospital. When Germany invaded Greece the campus was taken over by the Germans as general headquarters for the Balkans. The surrender documentations of Greece were signed in the school's main building, Macedonia Hall. In 1944-45 the campus was occupied by the British Army.
At the end of the war Anatolia reopened, as repair of the damaged campus proceeded. The girls' school was moved into temporary quarters on the Anatolia campus after its building on Allatini Street burned. For a number of years the schools remained separate, but co-education was completed by the end of the 1980s. However, the two schools are still administrated by different Deans. The I.B. school, was established in 1998. A school for management assistants was established in 1964 and closed early in the 21st Century.
In 1981, Anatolia re-established post-secondary education with the founding of the School of Business Administration and Liberal Arts, later re-named American College of Thessaloniki. In 1993 the first four-year baccalaureate in liberal arts was awarded and in 1997 ACT was finally accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Divisions
ACT - American College of Thessaloniki (Tertiary Division)
ACT is the tertiary division of Anatolia College.ACT has been granted a license by the Greek government to operate as a private post-secondary educational institution.
ACT's undergraduate curriculum leads to Bachelor's degrees in Business, Computing, International Relations, and English and Psychology. It also offers a Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a Master in Business Administration with concentrations in Banking & Finance, Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing in the Digital Era.
ACT offers a need and merit-based financial aid program.
Anatolia High School (Secondary School)
The secondary division of Anatolia is the original element of this educational institution. Anatolia is organized in accordance with Greek law and grants the Greek Apolytirio by meeting the requirements established by the Greek Ministry of Education, while students enrolled in the I.B. program receive the I.B. Certificate. Entrance to the regular high school and IB program is based on examinations and previous school records.Anatolia High School offers the MYP program from 7th to 10th grade. MYP provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world.
With the exception of courses in English, Art and Computers, the Greek high school curriculum is taught in Greek, while all IBDP courses are taught in English except Greek Literature that is taught in Greek. Each gymnasium and lyceum has its own Dean and Deputy Dean, and the IBDP program has its own Director. The High School as a whole is overseen by the Vice President for Secondary Education.
IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme)
Anatolia College's high school, apart from the Greek Ministry of Education Program, hosts an International Baccauleureate Diploma Program, the IBDP, for the two final years of high school. Entrance is competitive, and upon entrance, students have to select a subject from each of the six fields of study the IB offers: Two languages, one primary and one secondary, one Mathematics course out of the three levels that are offered, Science, Social Sciences, and Arts. In addition to the six subjects,, it is compulsory for each student to compose an Extended Essay, a 4000 word project, in the Subject of his/her choice, as well as take part in a Theory of Knowledge Course.Students wishing to sit for the IBDP, can receive up to 7 point per subject, and a total of 3 points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. Grades are given in total out of 45 points.
Anatolia Elementary School (Elementary School)
Anatolia Elementary School was established in 2004 and formally opened in 2005, and includes a kindergarten and an elementary school. The enrollment is 450 students.Notable alumni
- Yiannis Boutaris, Mayor of Thessaloniki.
- Raphael Demos, Professor of philosophy at Harvard University.
- Gikas Hardouvelis, Minister of Finance.
- Harris Mylonas, Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of Nationalities Papers.
- Vasilis Tsivilikas, was a Greek comedy actor with significant appearances in the Greek film industry, television and especially theater.
- Amedeo Odoni, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.
- Auguste Corteau, pen name of Petros Hadjopoulos, famous Greek author.
- Alecos Papadatos, is a comic book writer and illustrator, best known as the artist of Logicomix, a graphic novel written by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou. Logicomix was the No. 1 New York Times Best Seller Paperback Graphic Book of October 18, 2009.
Faculty
Governance
Anatolia College is governed by a Board of Trustees with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. Approximately half of the Trustees reside in the New England region while most of the remainder represent other areas of the United States. Several Trustees are Greek residing in Greece. The Trustees maintain an office in Boston to conduct fund-raising and otherwise serve the College.Presidents
Anatolia has had 11 presidents, the first 10 from the United States. The current president is Dr. Panos Vlahos, who is the first Greek president in the history of the institution. The longest-lasting president of Anatolia was Charles Tracy, whose tenure lasted for 26 years, followed closely by Dr. William McGrew, who was president for 25 years. The shortest presidency was that of Joseph Kennedy, who was president for 3 years.| No. | President | Tenure | Nationality | School locations named after |
| 1 | Charles Tracy | 1886-1912 | Tracy Hall | |
| 2 | Dr. George White | 1913-1933 | White Hall | |
| 3 | Ernest Riggs | 1933-1950 | Riggs Hall | |
| 4 | Dr. Carl Compton | 1950-1958 | Compton Hall | |
| 5 | Dr. Howard Johnston | 1958-1964 | ||
| 6 | Robert Hayden | 1964-1972 | ||
| 7 | Joseph Kennedy | 1972-1974 | ||
| 8 | Dr. William McGrew | 1974-1999 | ||
| 9 | Richard Jackson | 1999-2009 | ||
| 10 | Dr. Hans Giesecke | 2009-2012 | ||
| 11 | Dr. Panos Vlachos | 2013–present |
CTY Greece at Anatolia College (Center for Talented Youth)
Anatolia College, Johns Hopkins University and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation have partnered to create the "Center for Talented Youth Greece at Anatolia College", a part of Johns Hopkins's CTY program already active for over 30 years in 120 countries.The goal of the program is to identify and educate children of 5 to 16 years old that have special talents or capabilities, achieve high scores in school and are dedicated to learning beyond the limits of the regular educational system.
The program began in 2014 with the setting in operation a summer camp for children of 12 to 15, who will study subjects at a university level in various fields, such as, but not limited to, game theory. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation will fund the participation of students in the program for the first 3 years of its operation.
There is an expansion of the program scheduled for the future concerning all-year and online courses.