The American Farm School Thessalonica Agricultural & Industrial Institute Thessaloniki, Greece Summer 2010 TheSower Issue 165 American Farm School students raising day-old chicks to 30-35 day-old pullets for egg production. Each spring the girls and boys sell local farmers a total of some 5,000 birds. The pullets grow into laying hens in approximately one year. The American Farm School From the President Thessalonica Agricultural & Industrial Institute American Farm School Dimitris Perrotis College t is a great privilege to join the company of presidents of Marinou Antipa 12, Post Office Box 23 this exceptional institution, and to be challenged, as all GR-55102 Thessaloniki, Greece Tel +30-2310-492-700 of them were, by the task of leading students, staff and Fax +30-2310-492-710 I supporters into a secure and dynamic future. [email protected] U.S. Office I am indebted to the Board of Trustees for the faith it has 1133 Broadway, Suite 1226 invested in me. In the short time I have served to date, I have New York, NY 10010 Tel +1-212-463-8434 already been rewarded with the enthusiasm voiced by Board Fax +1-212-463-8208 members and staff, as well as by donors and friends of the [email protected] American Farm School and Perrotis College, who have reacted www.afs.edu.gr positively to the ideas and directions I have placed before them. As we move forward, you will be reading in more detail about strategic initiatives designed to TheSower help the School better meet contemporary educational demands and to build creatively for Published semi-annually for friends and the future. Two examples of such initiatives are illustrated by topics that appear in this Sower contributors to the institution. issue: capitalizing on the American character of the institution to strengthen the opportuni- ties we offer young people to achieve excellence; and the School’s being recognized as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees regional forerunner in agricultural and life science research. I hope you will enjoy reading Charlotte P. Armstrong about the outstanding American interns who are mentoring our students; our graduates Vice Chairman who are completing Ph.D.s in the U.S.; and the agreement the School recently signed with Stavros Constantinides John R. Crunkilton the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural William A. Tsacalis Research Service to undertake projects of mutual scientific Secretary interest. Other developments that harmonize with our It is a great Sharon W. Vaino strategic initiative of making the School a more technologi- Treasurer cally advanced institution include offering a specialized cur- privilege to join Barbara K. Heming riculum in the Secondary School for Milk Processing and the company of Trustees Cheese Making; newly equipped laboratories for Chemistry David G. Acker George P. Argerakis and Biology; and the use of interactive electronic boards in presidents of Sheila Baird an increasing number of our classrooms. Peter Bien this exceptional Frank Bledjian The Sower news also includes the opening of the new John H.Cleave Educational Dairy and Milk Processing Training Center, a institution, and Joannie C. Danielides Constantine N. Darras modern facility that extends the School’s historic leadership to be challenged, Spyros Dessyllas position in dairy science and is the result of multiyear invest- Christos S. Folias ment from private and public funders on both sides of the Seth E. Frank as all of them Dimitri Gondicas Atlantic. In her commencement ceremony address this June Constantinos Hadjiyannakis to the recipients of the first BSc (Hons) degrees awarded were, by the Truda C. Jewett by the Dimitris Perrotis College of Agricultural Studies, Lydia Legakis task of leading Annie Levis benefactress Mrs. Aliki Perroti spoke of the new residence Pantelis Panteliades hall she has endowed that greatly enhances our capacity students, staff Anastasia Pappas to accommodate the College’s international student body Joel S. Post and supporters Gail D. Schoppert on campus, giving them the benefit of an American-style Manita R. Scocimara residential college experience. Few educational institutions into a secure and Judson R. Shaver are in the extraordinary situation to have realized two such Charles L. Thomas, Jr. major improvements to infrastructure in today’s lean global dynamic future. President Panos Kanellis economy. For this we are immensely grateful. Vice President for Institutional Advancement The most noteworthy feature in this Sower issue, however, is the entire roster of donors to Joann Ryding-Beltes the Annual Fund in the United States for the previous fiscal year, and a summary of those Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs who gave in Greece during the same period. To the loyal supporters of the American Farm Tasos Apostolides School and Perrotis College who make our work possible, and help to provide our students Vice President for Administration and Finance John Ziambras with the educational opportunities they so deserve, we are profoundly thankful. Communications Director Randall Warner Printed on FSC certified paper Design & Printing Panos Kanellis, Ph.D. Alternative Graphic Solutions, Inc. President 2 The Sower Summer 2010 Dear Sower Readers, I am pleased to invite you to get to know Panos Kanellis, who has been appointed as the 8th president of the American Farm School by the Board of Trustees. He took office last December at the conclusion of William McGrew’s distinguished and deeply appreciated service to the School. Dr. Kanellis is superbly qualified to provide the outstanding leadership that celebrates and builds on the American Farm School’s distinctive strengths and core values, and advances its mission of preparing future leaders in agriculture, food systems, and life sciences. In a rapidly changing environment, and under increasingly challenging economic condi- tions for nonprofit educational organizations, Dr. Kanellis also brings valuable strengths in business management and entrepreneurship to those he has honed as a scientist and a seasoned senior academic and administrative leader. Prior to beginning his role as president of the American Farm School, Dr. Kanellis served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Anatolia College, a U.S. nonprofit educational institution in Thessaloniki operating a four-year business and liberal arts college with a graduate MBA program, K-12 schools, and a two-year International Baccalaureate program. He also held the post of Provost of Anatolia’s ter- tiary division, the American College of Thessaloniki. A Thessaloniki native, Dr. Kanellis was graduated from Anatolia College and went on to complete undergraduate and graduate studies in the U.S., earning his Ph.D. in Bio- Organic Chemistry from the University of Houston. After several years of teaching and research in the field of bio-organic chemistry during academic appointments at U.S. universities, Dr. Kanellis returned to Greece, where he held several top managerial posi- tions in private industry before electing to serve his alma mater. We believe that Dr. Kanellis’ background in academe, capped by his deep administrative experience at Anatolia, his executive positions in private industry, thorough understand- ing of the educational systems and culture of both Greece and the U.S., proven leadership skills and, finally, energizing vision of the future of the American Farm School rooted in a recognition of its unique history and mission, will ensure an inspiring and successful presidency. His first months of leadership, culminating in the recent Board approval of his President’s Strategic Initiatives Plan, augur well for the future of the institution. Sincerely, Charlotte P. Armstrong Chairman of the Board of Trustees The Sower Summer 2010 3 Thanks to Hardworking Volunteers, U.S. Events Raise Funds and Friends Maliotis Center Pays Tribute to Former Ambassador Nicholas Burns Trustee Arthur G. Dukakis Addresses New York Committee’s Friends and supporters of the American Farm Benefit Event School gathered at the Maliotis Cultural Center of Hellenic College in Brookline, MA on December Former Ambassador to Greece R. Nicholas Burns addressed an audience of friends and supporters invited by the New 3rd to pay tribute to the memory of Arthur G. Marianthi Dukakis, a former Trustee of both the School and Karampoukouki York Committee of the American Farm School at a benefit the Maliotis Center. dinner at the Yale Club on April 19th. Guests also enjoyed the photographic exhibit based “Ambassadors come and go, but the American Farm School, on Brenda Marder’s history of the School, “Stewards serving Greek and Balkan students for over a century, remains of the Land: The American Farm School and the a strong and visible example of what is best about America, Development of Modern Greece,” and remarks and does more for U.S. relations abroad than almost any by Trustee Peter Bien, former President of the Stephanie Andrews other kind of investment we could be making in the region.” and Patti Dukakis School, George Draper, and others. American Farm School alumna from the class of 2006, Marianthi Karampoukouki, spoke movingly on how the School prepared her to excel at Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated in May 2010 with a double major in Biology and Classics, and to envi- Brenda Marder and sion her future career in pharmaceutical research. Clotilde Zannetos Greenwich Taverna 2010 New York Committee Chair President Panos Kanellis, Mrs. and Trustee Joannie Danielides, Aliki Perroti, Ambassador R. Susan Stupin Gamble, Trustee Nicholas Burns Manita Scocimara R. Nicholas Burns came to know the work of the American Farm School as U.S. Ambassador to Greece 1997-2001. Burns served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, State Department Spokesman, and Senior Director for Russia, the Ukraine and Eurasia Affairs on the National Security Council. He is currently Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and one of the nation’s top experts on foreign policy.