March 1, 2007

Dear ACT Members,

There is good news to report in this first 2007 issue of ACT Vision. Specifically, I want to flag for you three areas which are most encouraging to me.

MBA agreement with University of Iowa: As you know, we have had a strategic partnership for several years with the prestigious Tippie School of Business at the University of Iowa. UI is one of the great American public universities and its Tippie School is consistently in the top 50 MBA programs. I’m very happy to report that, on February 12th, I and Dr. Panos Kanellis signed, on behalf of ACT, a new and more detailed memorandum of understanding covering a range of cooperation with the Tippie School and significantly deepening our cooperation. Signing for UI were the interim President, Business Dean and Dean of International Programs. As an immediate result, you will see a procession of distinguished Tippie School professors along with students on campus this semester, Terry Heinichen of the Tippie School of Management has just visited and will be followed by Associate Dean Gary Gaeth, David Hensley of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Center and, in May, 30 MBA students and faculty. Our Des Moines Trustee John Pappajohn has played the leading role in bringing the two institutions together.

Record Spring 2007 American study abroad cohort: I am delighted to report that 84 American students from universities across the United States are with us on campus and have arrived from every geographic corner of America. Our status as one of the preeminent American-accredited institutions in this part of Europe is clearly getting around. I welcomed the group at a recent lunch and was particularly impressed by their enthusiasm – despite cold weather and travel difficulties – in taking full advantage of their exposure to Greece, Greeks and Hellenic culture.

Distinguished Visitors: We have just concluded a visit with the Kimon Doukas Professor of Hellenic Studies at Columbia University and have a steam of visiting speakers to enrich the ACT curriculum this semester. Brady Kiesling, the first senior American diplomat to resign in protest against the war in Iraq, will address students and present his new book, Diplomacy Lessons, at ACT on March 6th . Then, Dr. Robert Froh of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges will be here to talk with faculty and students during the same week. Dean Nakiye Avdan Boyatigiller of the Sabanci University Faculty of Management will be here in mid-March to enrich the business curriculum, and Dr. David Linton of Marymount Manhattan College to work in the area of communications and arts, along with Dr. Jennifer Niles of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Peter Bien of Dartmouth College will speak on March 29th. Finally, Michael Dukakis himself will occupy the ACT Chair which bears his name from April 14-25 and looks forward to the fullest possible interaction with students and faculty.

I urge all of you to take fullest advantage of these opportunities and wish you well in the new semester.

Sincerely,
Richard Jackson