The American College of Greece (ACG) is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. D ...

and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Agia Paraskevi Agia Paraskevi ( el, Αγία Παρασκευή, ''Agía Paraskeví'') is a suburb and a municipality in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is part of the North Athens regional unit. Agia Paraskevi was named after ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

. It was founded by

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximate ...

American missionaries in 1875. It was originally a primary and secondary school for girls. As of 2020, it has 5,774 students enrolled in all three of its divisions.

Structure

The college is run by the namesake 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Dr. John S. Bailey served as president from 1975 to 2008. Dr. David G. Horner has been the president since 2008. The college is governed by a Board of Trustees. The college has three divisions: * Pierce College, for secondary education. * Deree College, for undergraduate and postgraduate * Alba Graduate Business School

High school

The American College of Greece was founded in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

(currently Izmir,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

), in

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1875 as a school for girls. It was relocated to Hellenikon, Athens, after the loss of Asia minor to the Turks at the invitation of then Prime Minister of Greece

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greeks, Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberati ...

. During the Axis occupation of Greece, its premises were used as a hospital under German command. After the war, the college reopened at Hellenikon, where it remained until it moved to its new campus in the Athens suburb of

, where it operates to this day. Pierce won the British Council International School Award for the academic years 2015-2018 bestowed by the British Council in Greece and is a member of the International Schools Theater Association. As of January 2016, Pierce is an authorized IB World School and has been offering IB Diploma Programme since September 2016.

The College

The American College of Greece awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1969. In 1973, its undergraduate division was renamed Deree in honor of Greek-born benefactor from Chicago, William S. Deree (born Derehanis). In 2004, it offered its first graduate programs. Deree is accredited by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

(NECHE) in the US and validated by the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's underg ...

in the UK. The campus is located in Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, with four schools: Business & Economics; Liberal Arts and Sciences; Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts; and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences that offers Master's degrees in applied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, communication, and leadership.

Graduate Business School

ALBA Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece (ALBA) has been placed among the top 250 business school universally, according to the 2017 QS Global 250 Business Schools Report. Specifically, ALBA, placed amid the top 100 institutions in the list, has been classified as a “Superior Business School for Research and Employability”, midst the top institutions from 36 countries that offer Full Time MBA’s. In 2017, Eduniversal published its Ranking for the 4000 Best Masters and MBAs in 32 fields of study worldwide. Many of ALBA's programs appear in a prominent position within their category. More specifically: MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management, ranked N° 25 in Human Resources Management, Western Europe (TOP 200 - Regional ranking within the 9 geographical zones). The ALBA MBA, ranked N° 28 in MBA full time, Western Europe (TOP 200 - Regional ranking within the 9 geographical zone). MSc in Tourism Management, ranked N° 39 in Tourism and Event Management, Worldwide (TOP 100 - Global ranking). MSc in International Business and Management, ranked N° 42 in International Management, Western Europe (TOP 200 - Regional ranking within the 9 geographical zones). MSc in Marketing, ranked N° 44 in Marketing, Western Europe (TOP 200 - Regional ranking within the 9 geographical zones). MSc in Business for Lawyers, ranked N° 48 in Business and Commercial Law, Western Europe (TOP 200 - Regional ranking within the 9 geographical zones). On June 28, 2018, Eduniversal published the 2018 ranking of the best Masters & MBAs programs. This year, more than 25 000 programs have been analyzed and among which 5000 programs are ranked in the best Masters&MBAs across a range of institutions in 154 countries. Many of ALBA's programs appear in a prominent position within their category: MSc in Tourism Management, ranked N° 36 in Tourism Management, Worldwide (TOP 80 - Global ranking). MSc in Shipping Management, ranked N° 23 in Maritime Management, Worldwide (TOP 50 - Global ranking). In 2012 the American College of Greece's Degree division formed an alliance with Alba Graduate Business School, a nonprofit institution funded by student tuition and fees that offers MBA programs in shipping, financial services and banking. The arrangement allows "the schools to pursue a joint strategy to boost their already leading position in south-east Europe." The two institutions are distinct legal entities with integrated governance and organizational structures. Under this arrangement, Alba is also accredited by NEASC under Degree-ACG's accreditation. In 2011, Kerin Hope of ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...

'' reported, "Alba has gained a place on the global business education map through high-quality research published by its 22-member faculty, and an unmatched record in the European Business Plan of the Year competition. Its 2,500 alumni are seen as a catalyst for change in corporate activity in Greece, which traditionally sends more than 10,000 young people to study abroad every year because of a lack of specialised courses at state-dominated universities."

Notable alumni

Katia Dandoulaki Ekaterini "Katia" Dandoulaki ( el, Κάτια Δανδουλάκη; born May 16, 1948) is a Greek theatre, television and film actress. She is best known for her role as protagonist Virna Drakou on the Greek television series '' Lampsi'' in ...

, Actress * Notis Mitarakis, Politician * Mimi Denissi, Greek actress *

Panos Karan Panos Karan (born 1982) is a British classical pianist, conductor and composer of Greek origin. He was born in Crete, and grew up in Athens, where he graduated from the American College of Greece. He studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music as ...

, Greek pianist * Vassilis Kontozamanis, Politician * Celia Kritharioti, Fashion Designer *

Elena Panaritis Elena Panaritis ( el, Έλενα Παναρίτη) is a Greek economist and former member of the Greek Parliament. Early life and studies Elena Panaritis was born in Athens, Greece. She studied Economics at the American College of Greece, gradua ...

, Greek economist *

Chrysanthos Panas Chrysanthos Panas (Greek: Χρύσανθος Πανάς; born 16 November 1968) is a Greek businessman, art collector, author of Greek Islands book by Assouline, member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage committee of the Greek National Committee o ...

, Greek businessperson * Miranda Xafa, Greek economist * Sophia Zarabouka, Writer & Illustrator * Fariha Al-Ahmad, Sheikha of Kuwait

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Private education in Greece Education in Athens Educational institutions established in 1875 1875 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Universities and colleges in Attica