The Next Generation sits down for a conversation with the woman behind the 2004 Athens Olympics, Amb. Gianna Angelopoulos, to discuss leadership, the courage to take on big challenges — and what the next generation should take from her new book “My Greek Drama” about her experience going from a young, little-known Athens city councillor, to organizing a successful Olympics against all odds, to her current work with the Clinton Global Initiative — and how lessons learned from Athens 2004 can lead to a revitalized Greece.

“My Greek Drama” by Gianna Angelopoulos

Ms. Angelopoulos’ new book has been called “a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred exploration of political challenge, success, failure, betrayal and ultimate redemption. She gives an in-depth account of what happened in 2000, when slow progress and gridlocked bureaucracy put Athens in danger of losing the Olympic Games. Under her leadership, Athens made up for lost time and gave the world what IOC President Jacques Rogge called: ‘an unforgettable dream Games.’ ”

Former President Bill Clinton has said of her new book, “From Crete to Athens and Zurich to London, Gianna Angelopoulos has made a career of turning ideas into action. In My Greek Drama, Gianna recounts her successes — as a dedicated public servant, savior of the 2004 Olympic Games, and devoted mother of three — and presents a useful guide for those who seek to transform lives, organizations, and even nations.”

This conversation with Amb. Angelopoulos and journalist Thalia Assuras is the latest installment in the Next Generation Initiative’s 2012-2013 series of Master Classes with leaders and experts on change, innovation and public service.

Amb. Gianna Angelopoulos

Gianna Angelopoulos is an Ambassador at Large of the Greek State, an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative and Vice Chairperson of the Dean’s Council of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Angelopoulos first became actively involved in politics as a municipal councillor for the city of Athens. She was elected as a Member of Parliament from Athens in 1989 and won re-election the following year. She was asked to serve as President of the Greek Bidding and Organizing Committees for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. It has been said that, in comparison to her team’s successful effort, Greece’s failed bid for the 1996 Games “was largely criticized for its overall disorganization and arrogance – wherein the bid lacked specifics and relied largely upon sentiment and the notion that it was Athens’ right to organize the Centennial Games; the bid for the 2004 Games was lauded for its humility and earnestness, its focused message, and its detailed bid concept.” Ioanna Daskalaki was born in Heraklion, Crete, and studied law in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A mother of three grown children, she lives with her husband, Theodore, in Athens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkYZkRrSTTg

PART ONE “So you want to change the world…” A conversation about giving back, with high-tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Walmart Foundation, Rep. John Sarbanes, U.S. Congressman from Maryland — led by Paul Glastris, Editor of The Washington Monthly.

PART TWO “So you want to change the world…” 

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Next Generation Initiative board members Ted Leonsis, high-tech entrepreneur, philanthropist and owner of the NHL’s Washington Capitals as well as Vice Chairman Emeritus of AOL, and Sylvia Mathews Burwell, former president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Development Program and current president of the Walmart Foundation — join Rep. John Sarbanes, U.S. Congressman from Maryland, and moderator Paul Glastris, Editor of the Washington Monthly magazine, for a special Conversation with student teams participating in the Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge, on the theme of “So you want to change the world…” — in the national kickoff of the Next Generation Initiative’s new 2012-2013 Series of Master Classes with entrepreneurs and innovators.

Student Finalists celebrating at 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge

“I was blown away with how articulate and passionate every group was.” — Ted Leonsis, in the Huffington Post

Greeks Give Back 2012 student Finalists with judges and guest speakers

On October 27th, 2012, students representing the five top teams — from Georgetown University, Harvard University, New York University, the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Virginia — went head to head in the Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge National Student Competition, as they presented their proposals for community service projects to a panel of independent judges and an audience of students, professors, sponsors, mentors and other special guests from the Greek and Cypriot embassies, Capitol Hill, the World Bank and elsewhere, in the McDonough School of Business’ Lohrfink Auditorium on Georgetown University’s campus in Washington, DC.

After hearing short presentations from the teams, which incorporated powerpoint, video and internet components, the six judges, who are distinguished individuals with experience in education, community service, business and the non-profit world — Margo Anderson, innovator in education and arts grants, Michael Kosmas, Special Counsel, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Dean Aristotle Phillips, President of Aristotle, Inc., Barbara Spyridon Pope, former Assistant Secretary of State, Jennifer Poulakidas, Vice President of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and Savvas Savopoulos, entrepreneur and angel investor — posed probing questions to each team about the feasibility, budget and scalability of the students’ proposed service projects, the specific needs being addressed by their projects, and how the outcomes of their efforts were going to be measured and evaluated.

WATCH THE VIDEO: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS — PART ONE and PART TWO

While different teams excelled in different aspects of the judges’ criteria, the judges were unanimous in selecting the University of Virginia team’s proposed service project as the overall winner.

More than 45,000 students take part in online poll

At the same time the judges’ results were announced, the Next Generation Initiative closed its online poll where students could vote for their favorite team (out of the 18 teams who took part in the year-long Competition). After tallying more than 45,000 votes from students around the country over the course of just nine days, it was announced that the Chicago Schools Combined Team (University of Chicago, DePaul, Loyola, UIChicago and Northwestern) won a special grant for their service project, by finishing in first place with 20,225 votes (Harvard came in second with 16,394 votes; Duke — 3,829 votes; U. of Illinois-Chicago — 3,113 votes; Princeton — 2,654 votes).

So you want to change the world…

While the Competition judges were making their decision, Next Generation Initiative board members Ted Leonsis, high-tech entrepreneur, philanthropist and owner of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and Vice Chairman Emeritus of AOL, and Sylvia Mathews Burwell, former president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Development Program and current president of the Walmart Foundation, took the stage with Rep. John Sarbanes, U.S. Congressman from Maryland’s Third District, for a special Conversation with the students, moderated by Paul Glastris, Editor of the Washington Monthly magazine, on the theme of “So you want to change the world…” — the national kickoff of the Next Generation Initiative’s new 2012-2013 Series of Master Classes with entrepreneurs and innovators, which was livestreamed online as part of the Finals.

WATCH THE VIDEO So you want to change the world: A Conversation with Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, John Sarbanes and Paul Glastris

Stepping forward to show support the next generation’s efforts

Before the Competition results were announced, Mr. Leonsis stunned the students (and thrilled the audience) with his spontaneous and completely unexpected offer to fund the service projects of the Finalist teams that didn’t win the top prize in the Competition.

THANK YOU

First, we want to thank all the student teams who worked so hard to make this first Greeks Give Back Challenge a success.

Secondly, a big thanks go out to all the mentors who worked with individual student teams on their proposals. Bravo!

We also want to thank the following organizations and individuals from our community who have joined us in showing their support for the students taking part in the Next Generation National Student Competition — and showing the world how Greeks give back.

Individual Sponsors

Please join us in thanking the following individuals for their outstanding support and leadership in making it possible for student teams from around the country to participate in the Finals of the National Competition:

PLATINUM SPONSOR
Dr. Andrew Economos

TEAM SPONSORS
George & Daphne Hatsopoulos
Jim & Ted Pedas

LARGE GRANT SPONSORS
John Patzakis
William & Constance Vlahoulis

SMALL GRANT SPONSORS
Nicholas Kalis
Theane Evangelis Kapur
Peter Poulos
Michael Zafiropoulos

Organization Sponsors

Please join us in thanking the following organizations who are making it possible to offer grants to the student teams who have developed community service projects that meet the Challenge’s criteria and have advanced to the Semi-Final stage of the Competition:

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association
The Alpha Omega Council
The American Hellenic Institute
The Hellenic American Bankers Association
The Hellenic American Women’s Council
The Hellenic Lawyers Association of New York
The Hellenic Society Prometheas
The Ladies Philoptochos Society/Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, MD
The Pancretan Association of America

Giving back: turning values into action

The Next Generation National Student Competition is an outcome of the Got Greek? Project’s Next Generation National Student Research Study, and is made possible by a generous grant from the Zapis Charitable Foundation, along with additional support from the Maliotis Charitable Foundation and the Gerondelis Foundation.

Show your support

You can join these foundations and leaders from our community — and encourage these outstanding students in their efforts to give back to their communities, turning the values their heritage embodies into action — when you show your support with a donation to Greeks Give Back Challenge.

About the 2012 Competition

As part of the National Competition, each student team has followed a set of guidelines to develop a detailed proposal and budget for a community service project they will undertake during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Working with a faculty advisor from their campus, and at least one outside, non-academic advisor or mentor, student teams have been competing to develop the most innovative idea for a community service project that will have a concrete, positive social impact upon others, in a way that serves their needs.

To take part in the next stage of the Competition, teams were required to submit a proposal in April 2012 that follows the Competition requirements and fulfills certain selection criteria. The most competitive proposals were selected as semi-finalists and became eligible for small grants towards funding their proposed projects. The top finalists in the Competition were then invited to present their project proposals before an independent panel of judges in the Final stage of the Competition. The top finalists are receiving monetary grants to implement their projects during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Greeks Give Back links

Student team presentations at the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge Finals

So you want to change the world: A Conversation with Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Rep. John Sarbanes, led by Paul Glastris

PRESS: Huffington Post reports that Greeks Give Back Challenge Encourages Service, Social Entrepreneurship

VOTE for the Greeks Give Back Challenge team of your choice

Help these students give back!

The Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Next Generation National Student Competition

Student Competition Online Application

How to Give Back: Ideas, resources and examples for student projects

Everyone Can Make a Difference: Announcing the Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Got Greek? Project

The Got Greek? Study

Hidden in the shadows cast by the University of Virginia’s white pillared buildings, some residents of Charlottesville, Va. are regularly forced to go without food for themselves and their families. This is the “forgotten population” according to Anna Karnaze, a first-year graduate student at UVA who has set out to fight hunger in the small college town. And as the winner of The Greeks Give Back Challenge, a contest in which students compete for grant money to help finance community service projects, she will have the funding she needs to get started.

“When people think of Charlottesville they think of UVA first and foremost, so the rest of Charlottesville is kind of forgotten,” Karnaze told The Huffington Post. “There’s a population that is in need and they’re overshadowed by the university.”

Student Finalists celebrating at Greeks Give Back Challenge

Karnaze, and her three UVA teammates, pitched their proposal to a panel of judges alongside teams from New York University, University of Illinois-Chicago, Georgetown University, and Harvard University. The competition took place this past weekend at Georgetown’s campus in Washington, DC and was sponsored by The Next Generation Initiative, a non-profit educational group founded by Greek-American leaders to encourage service and social entrepreneurship.

Karnaze will use the prize money to help cover transportation and operational costs for her group, which collects leftover dining hall food from UVA and from local restaurants, and facilitates its transportation to local hubs where the food is distributed directly to the hungry. “We’re a smaller area, we’re not like Boston or New York with a lot of organizations to help out. When this competition came up, I saw an opportunity,” she added.

“I think the event was pretty extraordinary,” said Leon Stavrou, the Executive Director of The Next Generation Initiative. ”It’s a young person’s world. They’re the ones who have to make the changes.”

The other projects that were presented at the competition included a user-friendly online platform to share low-cost health solutions, a plan to mentor students at a charter school in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC, a resource center to help immigrants adjust to life in New York City, and a free legal services program for low income residents in the Cambridge, Mass. area.

“I was blown away with how articulate and passionate every group was.” — Ted Leonsis

Cypriot Ambassador Pavlos Anastasiades with Ted Leonsis at Greeks Give Back Challenge 2012 Finals

Ted Leonsis, an early internet entrepreneur and founding member of the Initative’s advising board, said he was “blown away with how articulate and passionate every group was.” At a panel discussion following the student’s presentations, he offered to finance himself the projects that didn’t win. Leonsis is the CEO and majority owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and the Verizon Center. He previously served as a senior executive at AOL, The Huffington Post’s parent company, retiring from active management in 2006 after more than a dozen years at the company.

He was joined on the panel with other prominent Greek Americans including Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief of The Washington Monthly, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of the Walmart Foundation, and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-M.D.). The group discussed the importance of serving the less fortunate, and emphasized that contributions at the local level can lead to action on a larger scale. “When it comes to giving back, if you can find right in front of you an opportunity to do it, it will lead you very naturally to the next step,” Rep. Sarbanes said.

The Greeks Giving Back Competition is representative of a larger trend of organizations using crowdsourcing methods to identify ideas which serve the public good. The Huffington Post announced last month that it too would launch a project to encourage young people from around the country to submit creative solutions to societal problems. The IGNITEgood Millenial Impact Challenge will award 10 different grants worth $10,000 each to young, innovative leaders who seek to better the world through service.

Natalie Alhonte, a founding co-director of IGNITEgood, said “The resources are out there, the creative minds are out there, it’s just a question of giving people an opportunity.”

Young people are helping to lead the effort, according the Alhonte. “The Millenial generation lives up to the hype of being a generation of meaning. They’re willing to seek out creative ways of using what they know to find solutions to society’s most pressing problems.”

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Greeks Give Back links

Student team presentations at the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge Finals

So you want to change the world: A Conversation with Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Rep. John Sarbanes, led by Paul Glastris

The 2012 Finals of the Greeks Give Back Challenge National Student Competition

VOTE for the Greeks Give Back Challenge team of your choice

Help these students give back!

The Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Next Generation National Student Competition

Student Competition Online Application

How to Give Back: Ideas, resources and examples for student projects

Everyone Can Make a Difference: Announcing the Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Got Greek? Project

The Got Greek? Study

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcL8JA6kAfo

PART ONE Introduction and presentations by student teams from Georgetown University and Harvard University at the Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge National Student Competition.

PART TWO Presentations by student teams from New York University, the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Virginia at the Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge National Student Competition — concluding with the decision by the Competition Judges.

The 2012 Finals of the Greeks Give Back Challenge 

Students representing the five top teams — from Georgetown University, Harvard University, New York University, the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Virginia — presented their proposals for community service projects to a panel of independent judges and an audience of students, professors, sponsors, mentors and other special guests from the Greek and Cypriot embassies, Capitol Hill, the World Bank and elsewhere, in the Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge National Student Competition, held on October 27th, 2012, in the McDonough School of Business’ Lohrfink Auditorium on Georgetown University’s campus in Washington, DC.

After hearing live presentations from the teams, which incorporated powerpoint, video and internet components, the six judges, who are distinguished individuals with experience in education, community service, business and the non-profit world — Margo Anderson, innovator in education and arts grants, Michael Kosmas, Special Counsel, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Dean Aristotle Phillips, President of Aristotle, Inc., Barbara Spyridon Pope, former Assistant Secretary of State, Jennifer Poulakidas, Vice President of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, and Savvas Savopoulos, entrepreneur and angel investor — posed probing questions to each team about the feasibility, budget and scalability of the students’ proposed service projects, the specific needs being addressed by their projects, and how the outcomes of their efforts were going to be measured and evaluated.

While different teams excelled in different aspects of the judges’ criteria, the judges were unanimous in selecting the University of Virginia team’s proposed service project as the overall winner.

Greeks Give Back links

The Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge

So you want to change the world: A Conversation with Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Rep. John Sarbanes, led by Paul Glastris

PRESS: Huffington Post reports that Greeks Give Back Challenge Encourages Service, Social Entrepreneurship

VOTE for the Greeks Give Back Challenge team of your choice

Help these students give back!

The Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Next Generation National Student Competition

Student Competition Online Application

How to Give Back: Ideas, resources and examples for student projects

Everyone Can Make a Difference: Announcing the Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Got Greek? Project

The Got Greek? Study

Voting closed at 12:00 noon, on Saturday, October 27th, during the Finals of the Greeks Give Back Challenge. Thank you to the more than 45,000 students who voted over a nine-day period!

The ranking of the student teams according t0 the online voting results:

1. Chicago Area Universities Combined Team Project — 20,225 votes
2. Harvard University Team Project — 16,394 votes *
3. Duke University Team Project — 3,829 votes
4. University of Illinois-Chicago Team Project — 3,113 votes *
5. Princeton University Team Project — 2,654 votes
6. Columbia University Team Project — 487 votes
7. Georgetown University Team Project —  481 votes *
8. University of Virginia Team 1 Project —  387 votes *
9. New York University (NYU) Team Project — 193 votes *
10. Boston College Team Project
11. Northwestern University Team Project
12. Rutgers University Team Project
13. Drexel University Team Project
14. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Team Project
15. Stanford University Team Project
16. Northeastern University Team Project
17. University of Virginia Team 2 Project

* Indicates one of the five student teams that advanced to the Finals of the Greeks Give Back Challenge.

Check out all the projects led by student teams from the 18 university campuses who have been competing in the 2012 Next Generation National Student Competition to develop the most innovative ideas for community service projects that benefit others, as part of the the Next Generation Initiative’s Greeks Give Back Challenge.

Check out all the student team projects at GreeksGiveBack.org

x

About the 2012 Competition

As part of the National Competition, each student team has followed a set of guidelines to develop a detailed proposal and budget for a community service project they will undertake during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Working with a faculty advisor from their campus, and at least one outside, non-academic advisor or mentor, student teams have been competing to develop the most innovative idea for a community service project that will have a concrete, positive social impact upon others, in a way that serves their needs.

To take part in the next stage of the Competition, teams were required to submit a proposal in April 2012 that follows the Competition requirements and fulfills certain selection criteria. The most competitive proposals were selected as semi-finalists and became eligible for small grants towards funding their proposed projects. The top finalists in the Competition have been invited to present their project proposals before an independent panel of judges. The top finalists will receive monetary grants to implement their projects during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Giving back: turning values into action

The Next Generation National Student Competition is an outcome of the Got Greek? Project’s Next Generation National Student Research Study, and is made possible by a generous grant from the Zapis Charitable Foundation, along with additional support from the Maliotis Charitable Foundation and the Gerondelis Foundation.

You can join these foundations and leaders from our community — and encourage these outstanding students in their efforts to  give back to their communities, turning the values their heritage embodies into action — when you show your support for the the 2012 Next Generation National Student Competition with a donation today to the Next Generation Initiative’s Greeks Give Back Challenge.

Greeks Give Back links

The Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge

Help these students give back!

The Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Next Generation National Student Competition

Student Competition Online Application

How to Give Back: Ideas, resources and examples for student projects

Everyone Can Make a Difference: Announcing the Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Got Greek? Project

The Got Greek? Study

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL9oZDvA9Dk

PART ONE: A Master Class with Anthony Pappas

PART TWO: A Master Class with Anthony Pappas

Thinking of re-branding yourself? Launching a new business? Or launching a new career? You’re not alone. These days, it seems that just about everyone from Fortune 500 companies to college graduates are re-thinking their strategies, and looking for creative ways to get a leg up on the competition — or even just a foot in the door.

To get some answers on this subject, we met with a recognized expert on the subject of re-branding.  Anthony Pappas launched himself into the advertising world with Saatchi & Saatchi, going on to work as an art director in the film and television industry, designing sets and spots for clients ranging from Warner Bros. to McDonalds, which led to a career as a bright, young creative director with Proxicom, executing advertising strategies for some of the world’s biggest brands, including GE, Timberland, Mercedes-Benz, Cole Haan, Liz Claiborne, PepsiCo, Marriott, Gap Inc., Intel and Microsoft — before stepping out on his own to found his own agency, the Pappas Group, in 2003.

With a client roster today that includes global brands such as Rosetta Stone, AOL, VW Credit and Double Tree by Hilton, Anthony has established a national reputation as a branding expert, and is a sought-after speaker.

Ranging from budding entrepreneurs and social media mavens, to aspiring design, communications and marketing majors — and a few just thinking of an MBA down the line — 27 next generation students sat down with Anthony Pappas, the founder of one of DC’s most creative companies, in the latest installment of “The Entrepreneurs” — our 2012-2013 series of Master Classes with experts on change, innovation and creativity.

Master Class with Anthony Pappas
Arlington, Virginia

Anthony Pappas

Anthony Pappas is the founder and president of the Pappas Group. Anthony spent 15 years working for large agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Advertising and Proxicom before launching Pappas Group in Washington, DC nearly ten years ago.  Anthony has worked with a variety of clients – from startups like .CO and Honest Tea to big brands like Discovery Channel and Rosetta Stone – and has developed and executed interactive marketing strategies for Fortune 500 clients, including Nike, General Electric, Mercedes-Benz and Pepsi. Anthony has contributed to The Washington Post, Advertising Age and  the Washington Business Journal. He’s also been featured as a panelist and keynote speaker at industry events like the Online Marketing Summit, Advertising Week DC, WorldWideWebWashington (WWWW) Conference and Network Solution’s Grow Smart Business Conference. Anthony also serves as the Academic Director of Georgetown University’’s Certificate in Digital Media Management, where he teaches the capstone course. Anthony earned a B.F.A. from the Long Island University in graphic design and a minor in advertising.

 

Our new Master Class series features fascinating entrepreneurs and up-and-coming movers and shakers — including the dynamic duo of Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne (better known as the Cupcake Sisters), and Alex Rigopulos, the CEO and co-founder of the company that originally developed Guitar Hero and created Rock Band — as well as industry leaders and experts with insight into how innovation and change are shaping our future, ranging from David Kappos, the Director of the US Patent & Trademark Office, and Jim Kolotouros of Google, to advertising and design guru George Lois whose iconic campaigns, which helped industry-shaping companies like MTV, Xerox, ESPN and Esquire breakthrough to reach new heights, have become the stuff of legend.

Get on the list for a great new series of Master Classes for 2012-2013!

Make sure you get on the list today so you can be among the first to get the announcements for these great new classes. Remember: all our Master Classes are first come, first served — and free, to next generation students.

Here are some of the Master Class Leaders featured in our exciting new 2012-13 series:

Dr. Paul Anastas of Yale University, the scientist known as the ‘Father of Green Chemistry’

Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance, a think-tank promoting advanced technology and energy independence

Academy Award winning filmmaker and pioneering HBO executive Kary Antholis

Lily Bentas, the daughter of immigrants who helped grow a “one cow dairy farm” into what Forbes ranks as the 37th largest privately held company in America.

John Paul Jones DeJoria, the young, single father who was living in his car at one point — and went on to become the man behind John Paul Mitchell Systems, the founder of Patrón, and a co-founder of the House of Blues.

Mike Emanuel, Chief Congressional Correspondent for Fox News

Under Secretary of Commerce David Kappos, Director of the US Patent & Trademark Office

Back by popular demand, Jim Kolotouros of Google leads another great Master Class

The Cupcake Sisters: rising entrepreneurs Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne, who are making it big with a small cupcake shop

George Lois, a leader of the creative revolution that rocked Madison Avenue in the ’60s and continues to shape our culture, and how companies communicate.

MIT graduate and Media Lab alumni Alex Rigopulos of Rock Band fame

Stanford University’s Professor Josiah Ober, author of leading-edge works on the politics of  knowledge and innovation

Branding guru Anthony Pappas, founder of the creative agency Pappas Group.

Jennifer Psaki, recently named Traveling Press Secretary for the Obama campaign

…and more to come, as more classes are announced throughout the year.

You don’t want to  miss out on this latest series. Sign up, and get on the list today! 

THANK YOU!

Our 2012-2013 Master Class series is made possible by seed funding from a Challenge Grant awarded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and a matching grant from Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, along with a grant from Angelo Tsakopoulos, and support from the Next Generation Initiative’s founding members, including Ted Leonsis, Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Paul Sarbanes, that builds on earlier support from John Catsimatidis, George Marcus and one anonymous donor. Please join us in thanking the Niarchos Foundation, Dr. Vagelos and all these individuals for making our Master Classes available to students from around the country.   

Go to GreeksGiveBack.org to check out how college students from these 18 university campuses are volunteering to give back to their communities — as part of the Next Generation Initiative’s Greeks Give Back Challenge 2012 National Student Competition engaging students in the development of innovative community service projects that benefit others.  

Show your support — and help these students give back!

The 2012 Student Competition Teams

Chicago Area Universities Combined Team 

About the 2012 Competition

As part of the Competition, each student team is following a set of guidelines to develop a detailed proposal and budget for a community service project they will undertake during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Working with a faculty advisor from their campus, and at least one outside, non-academic advisor or mentor, student teams are competing to develop the most innovative idea for a community service project that will have a concrete, positive social impact upon others, in a way that serves their needs.

To take part in the next stage of the Competition, teams must submit a proposal by April 23, 2012 that follows the Competition requirements and fulfills certain selection criteria. The most competitive proposals will be selected as semi-finalists and become eligible for small grants towards funding their proposed projects. The top finalists in the Competition will be invited to present their project proposals before an independent panel of judges. The top finalists will receive monetary grants to implement their projects during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Giving back: turning values into action

The Next Generation National Student Competition is an outcome of the Got Greek? Project’s Next Generation National Student Research Study, and is made possible by a generous grant from the Zapis Charitable Foundation, along with additional support from the Maliotis Charitable Foundation and the Gerondelis Foundation.

You can join these foundations and leaders from our community — and encourage these outstanding students in their efforts to  give back to their communities, turning the values their heritage embodies into action — by showing your support for the the 2012 Next Generation National Student Competition with a donation today to the Next Generation Initiative’s Greeks Give Back Challenge.

Greeks Give Back links

The Finals of the 2012 Greeks Give Back Challenge

VOTE for the Greeks Give Back Challenge team of your choice

Help these students give back!

The Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Next Generation National Student Competition

Student Competition Online Application

How to Give Back: Ideas, resources and examples for student projects

Everyone Can Make a Difference: Announcing the Greeks Give Back Challenge

The Got Greek? Project

The Got Greek? Study