Logothetis, who also received an honorary doctorate degree from DEREE – The American College of Greece during the 2013 commencement ceremony on June 29, prodded our newest alumni to “be kind, keep your empathy,” while also impressing upon them that “nothing of real value or true worth is, or should be, either easy or free. It requires struggle, effort, commitment and conviction.”

The CEO of New York-based Libra Group also encouraged the graduating class of DEREE College – made up of 275 undergraduate and 50 graduate students – to hold on to core values, such as “filotimo, filoxenia, filia, philanthropia.

“These are powerful words that you need to hold on to however much they can get drowned out,” Logothetis told a cheering crowd of 4,000 – among them proud parents, the ACG board of trustees, government ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors and business people that filled ACG’s Stadium at the Aghia Paraskevi campus.

“Our parents and grandparents built yesterday, and in a sense my generation is building today, but you will build tomorrow; so build it with wisdom and passion to honor the generations of yesteryear,” Logothetis added in his moving speech, while also telling ACG graduates to “fight your fears and harvest your hopes,” and to “do what you love and love what you do.”

Logothetis was honored for his support of the Libra Internship Program at the American College of Greece, which offers dozens of students each year the opportunity to gain experience at one of Libra’s subsidiaries around the world, spanning shipping, aviation, hospitality, real estate and energy.

Some of these interns also go on to engage in study modules at US & UK universities that have partnered with DEREE – The American College of Greece.

George Logothetis was also recognized for his support of other educational institutions – both public and private – in Greece and for his support of young Greek entrepreneurs.

In his speech, outgoing US ambassador to Greece Daniel Bennett Smith also encouraged graduates to stay in Greece, noting that they “have the unique opportunity to help build a new, more competitive and extroverted Greek economy [which] will be able to thrive, and to exploit Greece’s natural advantages in areas such as energy, tourism and agriculture.

“Although there is still much work to be done, I think that the realization of a new economy is very close, keeping alive the hope that Greece is really changing course and will return to steady economic growth, which in turn would ensure your professional future,” Ambassador Smith said.

He added that “overcoming the challenges that Europe and Greece face today – as well as indeed the challenges all of us in the world face today – will require the same sacrifice and commitment that US President Kennedy sought to inspire in an earlier generation of Americans and that is represented in the motto [of The American College of Greece] – “Not to Be Served but to Serve.”

In his welcome speech, ACG President Dr. David Horner also celebrated the DEREE Class of 2013, saying they “have studied and worked hard. They have earned and richly deserve the recognition that we will soon bestow upon them. But, their achievements cannot be separated from the sacrifices made on their behalf to make their education possible.”

This year, for the first time, DEREE graduates were able to receive validated awards from the Open University of the United Kingdom, which the College has signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with ensuring that graduates’ professional rights are recognized around the European Union.

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