One year after taking office, the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kyriakos Anastasiades, attempts the first overall account of a term, which began with the central aim of accelerating changes to one of Europe's largest universities.
International curricula, digital transformation, upgrade of student care, use of university property, new planning for the AHEPA and strengthening extroversion make up the framework of interventions implemented or launched within the first 12 months of the new administration.
THE Professor of Cardiosurgery describes a university that says, ‘increases speed’, leaving behind consolidated decades of practices. At the same time, it sets as a key priority the adjustment of the AUTH to the needs of current students, investing in technology, student experience and the international presence of the Foundation.
- A year after your election, what really changed at Aristotle University?
If I had to sum up the first year in a word, that would be the "speed". Speed in decisions, implementation and mobilisation of the people and resources of the University.
Within the first three months we started nine new English - speaking undergraduate programs. Think about the endless hours of planning and documentation required for their certification, the hours of training secretaries in the new tasks and now add seven more international programs, which we are already preparing for the next academic year.
Think, too, of the range of interventions: from the university forest in Pertuli, which has not seen us for years and is now being exploited again, to the new student homes as a fundamental element of fully upgraded student care. Our goal is to turn the unsub into a University of Student Experience and not just transfer knowledge.
In addition, I could refer to more "regional" initiatives, such as the Aristotle Innovation Forum in ITH, the first public Greek university event of such magnitude and by far the largest international meeting on innovation, ever hosted by Greece, or the recent approval by the Hellenic Parliament of the new design for the AHEPA University Hospital after decades of inactivity.
To achieve everything that has been mentioned, the truth is that for a year I have strained everyone — first of all my worthy vice principals, my fellow professors, the presidents and Deans of our schools and departments, but also the entire administrative mechanism of Aristotle. They all responded extremely. They activated human and financial resources, which remained in the reserve, worked effectively and were drafted in an effort to change the University. Thank them from the heart. I ask for their understanding of the continuity, which will remain demanding, and I hope that they will enjoy with me the results of this heracleia but absolutely necessary effort.
Aristotle is literally vibrated by the power of its people, fatally agitates the waters, upsets perhaps some people's passion, but I assure you that it will continue this way because it owes it to its students and students.
- I have heard you say that the University must finally be found "in the century where its students are already." How do you mean and what steps did you take or plan to take?
Although difficult to believe, the unquestionable reality is that throughout the history of Greek Universities there has never been systematic research and recording of the needs, expectations and opinions of students.
We found out when we started AU Student Barrometer, a rolling survey involving thousands of our students and students among them and freshmen and foreigners. In the last measurement we even included questions about Gen Z that everyone seems to comment on but few to listen to! There can be no strategic planning without feedback, re-evaluation and continuous improvement.
At the same time, we increase speed to what should have been done years ago: digital upgrading of the University's functions and at the level of electronic secretaries and on the training platforms, pilot introduction of Artificial Intelligence and the Immersion Cub in the educational process, tests with tablets — primary on a pan-European level digital exams with already a high degree of satisfaction of students, students and teachers—, digitization of secretarial support and student daily life with app Aristomate and so on.
But technology alone is not enough. Within this first quarter of the century, which we have already been through, we have seen dramatic changes in the social education of the children we now receive at our Universities. That’s why we pay so much attention to Student Care as a holistic approach to student experience. In the buildings of the Student Club that we renovated, we created and housed the Student Support Centre where we gather all the care services and volunteer student groups. In student support we now introduce caregivers for people with mobility problems, learning difficulties or other health problems, such as mental disorders that for the first time enter the attention of the University.
Within this first year of Prytania, for the first time, a regulation was passed to operate student dormitories, the registration of beneficiaries was made — not all! — of active and, unfortunately, many inactive rooms and the renovation of shared spaces, rooms and equipment began.
This totally necessary intervention will have an equally important sequel — the design of new student festivals with PPPs for students and students of both our Greek-language and English-language programmes is in full progress.
- When you met the Prime Minister, you didn't ask him to give, but to remove obstacles. What are the three obstacles that, if removed, can change the image and perspective of the public university?
I'm glad you're pointing this out, because this is where a substantial difference of perception of the public university is reflected. Obviously, I'm not talking about the necessary support from the State for economic and human resources. I refer mainly to mentality and how it works.
I mentioned earlier the renovation of the Club. It was done by our reserves. Our docking reserves. I told you about our international undergraduates. May I remind you that next year our first international medical students will graduate, who with their tuition allowed us to renovate amphitheatres, to hire for the first time after a difficult financial 15 years of new teachers, to finance the international communication of brilliant studies, which pronounces Aristotle in over thirty countries in the world.
Therefore, the first obstacle is the fatalistic assumption that everything depends on the State and that everything is a matter of money. Huge error: Greek universities — not just Aristotle, which is indeed the largest — have chosen manpower and untapped material and intangible property. They will always need the support of the State but if they stay with their crossed hands they will betray their academic duty to be in the scientific and educational forefront of Greek society. In Aristotle we restructure the ELKE to facilitate researchers in securing funds, to upgrade building infrastructure, such as our library that will close for a few weeks and to lead new resources to the structures and operational needs of the University Departments.
The second obstacle is the introversion, institutional immobility and fearsome mentality towards the rapidly evolving international environment of information, knowledge and technological developments. In Aristotle we reverse it. Not only with our 16 new international undergraduates, but also with the dual graduate programs we process with Texas A&M, Nebraska and Canada's Western Universities. The same direction as the new English-language joint undergraduates with European and American universities. As an extroversion to Aristotle we mean both the wider and more direct link with society and the labour market, which we will achieve with the brave extension of the institution of the Last Named Institutions to upgrade curriculums and introduce new cognitive objects.
The third, existential obstacle is the treatment of Greek Public Universities as a simple extension of basic and lyceian education while in fact they are the far larger and more important centres of research, innovation and excellence of our country with international radiation and national task to attract international capital of human and technological, necessary for our development as a society and as an economy.
At Aristotle we took a first bold step with the Aristotle Innovation Forum, which excelled with its 500 chosen speakers from around the world of science to establish itself as the Greek meeting point of innovation each year. Our almost daily contribution manifests itself with dozens of agreements and joint actions with Universities, bodies, companies, clubs and organizations that are geared to a common goal: to transform our University and academic education in Greece into a factor of international power.
- What change do you want the average student to have felt by June 2027? And if I asked you to commit to three measurable targets for the second year, who would they be?
Without a second thought, feel that the University hears him and adapts to his needs. To understand that public university is not a heavy, bureaucratic, “academic” organization, but a living ecosystem that evolves with it, leads him to good and useful educational and professional choices, makes his student years valuable and memorable for his whole life.
You will probably find it trivial as an example of student experience but please ask me about it next year: we upgrade Kalandra in Halkidiki and turn it from summer camping in campus with annual operation and educational activities of all Departments of Aristotle! Study and sea dive! As in Pertuli: Study and snowboard!
However, speaking in terms of perfectly measurable objectives, I would distinguish the following: The upgrading of structures and building stock totaling 65 million euros, the recording, legalization and exploitation of the University's real estate, as well as the doubling of our revenues from international curricula.
- What was the hardest "no" you said in the first year?
They advised me to stop operating! I said no! I said I'd make time and I found him. I've been serving public health and public education my whole life without exceptions and loopholes and I want to keep my contact with my medical act alive, because that's the only way I keep the measure in what I ask of my colleagues and colleagues in Aristotle. And as I said above, this measure will remain demanding!
- If at the end of your term there was to be a proposal for the Anastasiades Prytania, what would you like it to be?
I'm surprised, and at the same time I'm happy with the question. I am surprised because it seems to me "political" more than I'm used to. But I am pleased that it is really political, because it is essentially about accountability of those elected to run institutions of crucial public interest, as I see from the University. After all, journalistic control should not only concern the central political scene or self-government but should also be exercised in universities, because they manage public good and public responsibility.
To sum up, if only one phrase had to be left, I would like it to be as follows: "He restarted Aristotle and paved the way for an even more important continuation of Greek Public Universities".