Dr. Lia Siachou, Associate Professor in Hellenic American University’s Business programs, received an Emerald Literati Award for Excellence for her article on “Empowering leadership and organizational ambidexterity: a moderated mediation model”. The paper, which she co-authored with Dr. Panagiotis Gkorezis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), was published in Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship.

The prestigious award recognizes “outstanding and impactful contributions to scholarly research”. It is the second time Dr. Siachou has been honored by the Emerald Literati Network. Her earlier research on knowledge sharing and employee ignorance was selected as a highly commended paper in the 2016 awards for excellence.

Dr. Siachou’s research is particularly timely in today’s highly dynamic business environment. As she explains, in this kind of environment, organizational knowledge must be effectively shared among employees; otherwise, it can quickly become obsolete. Business leaders are thus confronted with the difficult balancing act of organizational ambidexterity, that is, exploiting what is within the company to keep its competitive advantage and at the same time exploring what’s happening outside the firm to keep with these changes and grow. Her paper, which drew on field research with over 200 employees in SMEs in IT, looked at how leaders can be empowered to overcome the ambiguity in this role and promote ambidexterity within the organization.

Empowering leadership achieves these outcomes, Dr. Siachou says, since employees are then more willing to share their knowledge within the organization. This, in turn, generates organizational knowledge which becomes part of the firm’s activities instead of remaining isolated in employees’ minds.

In addition to advancing knowledge in the field, Dr. Siachou’s research plays an important role in her teaching. “The research I’ve done over the last decade has certainly informed my teaching and helped me help my students better understand the real business world,” she says, and adds, “and teach them the value of good research in the career they will have after graduating.” It’s not surprising that research assignments are part of every course she teaches.

Dr. Siachou received her award during a ceremony held at the 12th annual Euromed Academy of Business Conference in Thessaloniki in September 2019. Following the ceremony, Dr. Siachou presented her current research project, which investigates the role of leader humility in employee voice.

An unusual topic, perhaps, but not for this researcher. “On the plane on my way back to Athens,” she says, “I thought about what draws me to explore certain topics and not others. You know, for example, that various types of leadership are described in the literature. Despotic leadership, for one. I couldn’t possibly imagine doing research on that. I think, in the end, I study the types of leaders I like to be around myself.”

Hellenic American University has announced the launch of a new addition to its graduate business programs: the M.S. in Sales Management (MSSM). The program will be offered in Greece at Hellenic American College.

Approved in May 2019 by the New Hampshire Higher Education Commission, the MSSM is one of the few graduate programs internationally—and the first in Greece—with such a clear and dedicated focus on sales management.

The 18-month, 10-course program is geared primarily to sales professionals who are eager to assume greater challenges at the management level. In the words of Dr. Ioannis Chalikias, the University’s Director of Business Programs who coordinated efforts to create the program, the MSSM provides “an in-depth understanding of strategic sales management as found in successful businesses worldwide—and the competencies and tools that students need to put these principles into practice.”

The MSSM was designed by Assistant Professor Dr. Damian Giannakis and Dr. George Avlonitis, Visiting Professor at Hellenic American University, Professor emeritus of Marketing at Athens University of Economics and Business, and President of the Greek Marketing Academy. As Dr. Avlonitis points out, the MSSM was designed in response to need “to create the sales leaders of tomorrow”, using an approach that integrates both academic and professional learning to help students master sales management strategies and practices in B2B and B2C environments.

This focus on real-world learning is reflected in the course material, which is enriched with case studies developed with actual companies in local and global markets as well as in guest sessions and talks led by experienced professionals in the field. The program is also heavily practice-based: courses include hands-on assignments that give students experience in applying concepts, methods and tools to solve challenges commonly encountered in local and international sales management.

The response from the market has been highly positive. The Hellenic Sales Institute (ΙΠΕ) has officially placed the program under its auspices, as has the Panhellenic Exporters Association.

For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at 210 3680950 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Image: New M.S. in Sales Management Degree Program Launched

Hellenic American University faculty member Dr. Vassiliki Kourbani presented her research findings on synchronous online feedback at the Eighth International Conference on Writing Analytics, which was held September 5-7, 2019 in Winterthur, Switzerland. This year’s conference focused on “Academic Writing in Digital Contexts: Analytics, Tools, Mediality”.

During her presentation, entitled Establishing a ‘culture of collaboration’; from Writing Center to virtual education hub, Dr. Kourbani looked at the interaction between the tutor and the tutee as they communicated synchronously during revision process. She showed how features of this interaction illustrate the ways in which the tutor and tutee co-construct their roles within a Writing Center tutorial.

Her findings indicated that online tutoring had a substantial positive effect on students’ writing. Overall, tutees’ response to tutor feedback was predictive of effective draft revisions, suggesting the need, as Dr. Kourbani’s argued, to improve the quality of e-feedback and to promote student engagement during tutorial sessions.

President Leonidas Koskos and Provost Triant Flouris visited the University of New Hampshire on May 13th, where they met with UNH President James W. Dean Jr. and Provost Wayne Jones. During the meeting, the leaders of the two universities identified ways to expand their current partnership to other areas, such as promoting student success. The new initiatives building on the strong relationship that already exists between the two institutions, which has led to the development of Study Abroad programs and a 2+2 partnership in Engineering.

Image: From left to right: President Dean (UNH), President Koskos (HAU), Provost Flouris (HAU) and Provost Jones (UNH)

The Office for Language Assessment is pleased to announce the first administrations of the Hellenic American University Assessment Board for Language Examinations: Level B2 (ABLE B2) in the United States. The administrations will take place in Massachusetts on October 26 and in New Hampshire on October 27, 2018.

For further information and to register, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABLE B2 Fall Administrations

Christine Irvine-Niakaris and Jenny Zimianitou, faculty in the Applied Linguistics TESOL program Hellenic American University, presented at a peer-reviewed conference in Brighton (UK), organized by the International Association for Teaching English as a Foreign Language April 10 – 13.

Christine Irvine-Niakaris, coordinator of the MAAL TESOL program at Hellenic American University explained that the presentation, entitled Professional Development for English Language Teachers: A competency-based approach, was based on a long-term project which examined national and international teaching standards and input from teachers to develop an organic classroom observation checklist.

Dr. Irvine-Niakaris points out that assessing teaching competencies is more than a matter of just "ticking boxes". For this reason, she proposes an organic checklist to measure and develop best practices throughout teachers’ careers. The checklist presented at the conference was developed over the last two years with contributions from teachers and observers and used for both formative and summative assessments in a variety of professional development contexts. Dr. Irvine-Niakaris notes that the checklist serves as an important tool in pre-observation and post-observation conversations as a means of fostering self-reflective practices. These reflections have an impact on changes and additions and therefore contributes to the organic nature of the checklist.

The classroom observation checklist is available for download for those wishing to use it for professional development or classroom research.

Hellenic American University Visiting Professor photographer Gary Samson, who has played an important role in advancing the University’s Study Abroad program in the area of photography, has been named New Hampshire’s seventh Artist Laureate. This honorary position was established in 1997 by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts “to ensure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens.”

Samson’s career in photography began at the University of New Hampshire in 1971. In the decades that followed, he received several awards, grants and fellowships for his work as a fine art photographer and photo educator. Having taught courses and led workshops on traditional and digital photography both in the US and abroad, he currently serves as the Chair of the Photography department at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

"I am extremely honored and delighted to serve as the next Artist Laureate of New Hampshire,” said Samson in statement for New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources. “As a native of Manchester, and a lifelong resident of the state, I look forward to working with the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts promoting the importance and value of art in the lives of our citizens."

Photo: Prof. Gary Samson with Study Abroad students at the Temple of Delphi

The 2017 summer session of the Hellenic American University’s Aviation and Flight Academy, which is offered to high-school students in Greece through Hellenic American College, has come to a successful close. Through the program, the Academy’s ‘young aviators’ had the chance to learn about the science and operations of aviation and flight and to experience first-hand what it’s like to work in various aviation professions. The courses were taught by a team of experts that included aviation executives and managers, consultants, researchers and flight instructors.

This year’s program, which was held in Athens June 26-July 14, 2017, saw an increase in the number of both students and instructors over the previous year, as well as the introduction of separate courses at the beginners’ and more advanced levels. The introduction course, Aviation Fundamentals, provided students with a solid foundation in the history and scientific principles of aviation and flight, as well as an overview of the industry and the infrastructure for air transportation. The advanced course focused on global aviation management and operations, covering topics such air traffic management, airport operations and safety, environmental management and air accident investigation.

Both courses were designed so that each topic included a day of in-class theoretical work and another day with practical, on-site learning. The Aviation Fundamentals course, for example, included field trips to the Airforce Museum and the Hellenic Air Force Academy at Tatoi Airport, and on-site sessions at Athens International Airport for topics such as airport ground operations and air traffic management, and at Megara General Aviation. The course ended with students’ taking a free discovery flight courtesy of Global Aviation. Students in the advanced course did their practicums at the two airports as well.

This year’s courses were made possible by a grant from Athens International Airport and organized with the support of Aegean Airlines, and Global Aviation, as well as the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, the Hellenic Air Force, the Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board, and the AIA Fire Service.

The Academy will run in 2018 from June 25 - July 13, 2018.

Registrations will commence on April 2, 2018.

Five students from Hellenic American University's MBA Program recently completed a week-long module on Cross-Cultural Management at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana (US). The credit-bearing course, which was held from May 21 to 27, 2017, brings together students from different parts of the world.

The MBA students who took part in the course—Athanasios Varvouzos, Geogria Lagari, Christos Livas, Virginia Patea and Izaoura Mantsai—had much to say about their experience in New Orleans, both in and out of the classroom, which they described in a joint statement as a "respectful, challenging and multi-cultural learning laboratory."

"We consider knowledge as an uphill 'path' ", they noted, "like climbing a mountain, which increases in difficulty the further you get from your starting point, but whose view only increases in beauty with each passing path. Our team, at this point in our "path", passed through Tulane University where multicultural teams of students participated in an intensive, week-long course on Cross Cultural Management. Mixed teams from three different locations- Greece, Guatemala and the US (Houston) – each produced a high-level final presentation with the guidance of two excellent professors."

This year marks the 8th consecutive summer that Hellenic American University students have attended the module. The University anticipates that the program will be repeated in 2018.

The Hellenic American University Aviation & Flight Academy is geared to high school and college students with an interest in science and aviation. The program will be held June 25 - July 13, 2018 and is offered in Greece through Hellenic American College and in cooperation with Athens International Airport, Global Aviation SA, American Community Schools-Athens and Emmanuel Gyzis and Associates Law Offices.

• Download the Aviation and Flight Academy brochure in pdf format

SUMMER SESSION FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

Courses available this session:

• Fundamentals of Aviation & Flight
• Global Aviation Management & Operations
• Flight Operations

Each course provides 45 hours of instruction, 3 college credits, 6 ECTS credits

Fundamentals of Aviation & Flight (Introductory)

Designed for high school students aged 14 – 17, the Aviation and Flight Academy uses in-class instruction and hands-on learning to teach students the principles of aviation and flight.

The material covered in the in-class sessions is reinforced through the University's Learning Management System and is followed up with first-hand observation and experiential learning at a number of sites. These include:

• Aviation History at the Air Force Museum
• Air Transport Operations & Aircraft Maintenance at Aegean Airlines & Athens International Airport
• Ground Operations & Air Traffic Management at Athens International Airport
• Flight Operations at Megara General Aviation Airport

The program leads up to a day-long session where students fly on a discovery flight.

Global Aviation Management & Operations (Advanced)

For high-school and college students

Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Aviation and Flight or Equivalent

Designed for students interested in a career in the global aviation industry, this course provides an overview of the diverse aspects of aviation management and operations. It covers key aspects of the international aviation system, including regulation and international conventions and explores topics such as safety, environmental and security management.

On-Site Practicums:

• Airport Operations at Athens International Airport
• Aviation Safety and Accident Investigation at Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board (AAIASB)

Flight Operations (Advanced)

For high-school and college students

Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Aviation and Flight or Equivalent

Flight Operations is designed for students who are interested in a career as a pilot. Using classroom instruction and experiential learning, the course covers the first half of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Private Pilot License Syllabus and prepares students to begin formal flight training.

On-Site Practicums:

• Airport Operations & Air Traffic Management at Athens International Airport
• Flight Operations & Aircraft Maintenance at Megara General Aviation Airport

CONTACT

For more information contact us at:

Hellenic American University Aviation and Flight Academy
Massalias 22, Athens
+30 2103680919

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.