Eighty-four (84) graduates from nine countries received their Master’s degree at the graduation ceremony of the School of Economics and Business Administration of the International Hellenic University. The ceremony was held on Saturday, May 7th 2011, at the Lazaristes Monastery in Stavroupoli, Thessaloniki, in the presence of distinguished guests from academia and business and diplomatic circles.

Graduates obtained the postgraduate degrees of Executive Master of Business Administration (Executive MBA), MSc in Banking and Finance and MSc in Management.

High quality education, provided by renowned professor and lecturers from Greece and abroad, in conjunction with careful and student-focused course administration, are key components in the university’s strategy to make the university a centre of international education.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the University, Professor Costas Grammenos, urged graduates to give "the battle to create merit" and to “look forward and up”, even in their most difficult moments. He stressed the importance of the International Hellenic University for Thessaloniki and Greece and more generally for SE Europe. He also referred to new postgraduate programme proposals, which are pending approval by the Ministry of Education.

The eighty-four graduates come from nine countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, USA.

The ceremony included the Conferment of Honorary Doctorates on Professor Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler (La Sorbonne, University of Paris I, and the University of Europe) in recognition of her contribution to Byzantine Ηistory and to Education and on Professor Joseph Sifakis (Verimag, University of Grenoble) in recognition of his contribution to the field of Computer Science and System Verification.

In his acceptance speech, Professor Sifakis referred to the prospects and challenges of computer science and, in reference to the vision of Ambient Intelligence, concluded that "information technology is a milestone in the history of mankind as important as the invention of writing or printing '.

The event was attended by MEP Professor Chrysoula Paliadeli, the U.S. Consul General, Ms Catherine Kay, the Consul General of France, Mr Christian Thimonier, the Vice President of the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece, Mr Stefanos Tziritis, the President of the Technological Park of Thessaloniki, Mr Nikos Efthymiadis, the newly elected president of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Professor Athanasios Constantopoulos, the Vice Chairman of the Organization of Planning and Environmental Protection of Thessaloniki, Mrs Aspa Gospodini, the former Vice Rectors of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Professor Olympia Tziampiri-Gibbs andProfessor Katerina Douka-Κambitoglou.