Events

Listed below are this year's Year of Greece events through the 2022 spring semester. Time and location information will be added as that information becomes available. If you have any questions about the events listed below, please contact Todd Harper at tharper@kennesaw.edu

We hope to see you at some of our events this year!

• 

  The Olympic Movement

  Date: Sept. 13
  Time: 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
  Location: Leadership Room, Carmichael Student Center

  During the 1870s, Greek nationalists eager to assert Greece’s new independence on the world stage planned the first modern Olympic games in Athens.  This revival, which led to the founding of the Modern Olympic Movement, helped establish Greece as a nation and to connect Greece to its past while looking forwards towards its future. Join us as Dr. Louis A. Ruprecht, Director, GSU Center for Hellenic Studies, discusses the role of the Modern Olympic Movement played in formulating a Greek national identify.    All are welcome.
• 

  Year of Greece Grand Opening

  Date: Sept. 15
  Time: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
  Location: KSU Commons

  Come join us in the KSU Commons, located on the Kennesaw campus, for the “Year of Greece Grand Opening” with a celebration of food and fun.  The Commons will feature Greek dishes at each of its stations throughout the day. An accompanying description of the food, including a description of its historical connection to Greece. “Year of Greece” T-Shirts and Information for fall events will also be available at a table manned by the “Year of Greece” planning committee in the evening. 
• 

  Celebration of Stone Carving

  Date: September 23
  Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  Location: Campus Green, Kennesaw Campus

  Elizabeth Thomas, Education & Outreach Coordinator at the ZMA, presents a unique perspective on Ruth Zuckerman’s artistic work, process, and associated tools Ruth Zuckerman utilized to create her sculptures. Thomas will draw comparisons of Zuckerman’s work and process to that of Ancient Greek statuary which was created to represent idealized human forms of athletes and gods. To celebrate the Year of Greece and Ruth Zuckerman’s birthday, students will have the opportunity to try their hand at chiseling stone and create their own carvings in plaster on-site outside on the Green.

  • Register Here
• 

  Hellenic Influence on the Development of Early Modern Dance

  Date: Sept. 29
  Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
  Location: Stillwell Theater, Kennesaw Campus

  Distinguished College of The Arts (COTA) guest scholar and dance instructor, Meg Brooker, will lecture on the Hellenistic influence of early modern dance.  Brooker, an Isadora Duncan Dance Artist, will also include demonstrations of various movements and styles that made their way into modern dance of the early 20th century. In addition, Duncan will be hosting a Master’s Class for COTA Dance students.  All are welcome to attend the lecture and demonstration. 
• 

  The Paradox of Freedom: Present Day Reflections on the Greek War of Independence

  Date: Oct. 14
  Time: 12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
  Location: Leadership Room, Carmichael Student Center

  As Greeks and Greek-Americans celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence, noted Harvard anthropologist Michael Herzfeld will discuss the cultural and political tools that a newly emergent people used to create their freedom, which became both the treasured traces of a historic responsibility and a potential threat to authority.  By looking at the revolution through the eyes of today’s Cretan shepherds, Herzfeld will discuss ways that threats to authority sometimes get the upper-hand.  He will also use this material to reflect on some common misunderstandings of what freedom and democracy – the latter a concept vaguely attributed to “the Greeks” without close attention to its significance in the Greece then and now – have evolved in the English-speaking world today. This is a Journey Honors College sponsored event in collaboration with the Georgia State University Center for Hellenistic Studies.  All are welcome. 
• 

  Fact vs. Fiction About the Most Well-Known Greek Letter: An Interactive Historical Summary of Pi

  Date: Oct. 20, 2021
  Time: 10 - 11 a.m.
  Location: Virtual
  
  Bagwell College of Education Faculty members David Glassmeyer and Brian R. Lawler will facilitate an interactive math talk highlighting a) Facts & Myths about ancient Greek mathematical discoveries, b) the civilization of ancient Greece/innovations in mathematics & technology.  They will use familiar shapes to Approximate Area/Circle circumference. This virtual talk will be interactive and geared for both students and faculty. 

  • Virtual Event Link
• 

  Greek Economy and Sustainability Models

  Date: Oct. 21
  Time: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  Location: University Rooms, Carmichael Student Center

  All are encouraged to attend this University-wide event, which will showcase Greek and Greek-American contributions to business.  This discussion is especially timely as the large Greek-American community of the southeastern region of the United States begins to reflect upon the cultural and financial resources that brought many Greeks to this region as well as the post-pandemic road that lies ahead. The panel of five moderated by Dr. Jennifer Hutchins will include four distinguished guests, including Ted Diamantis, president of the largest U.S. wine distributor; Endy Zemenides, the executive director of the Hellenic-American Leadership Council; Mary Waters, Deputy Commissioner of Trade, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Theodoros Dimopolus, Consul of Greece in Atlanta; and Aphroditi Doritis, president and managing director of Bright Color S.A. 

  We encourage all to attend, especially the Greek-American community of Atlanta, the KSU business community, and KSU faculty, staff, and students. 
• 

  Stingers Return to Campus Event

  Date: Jan. 10 - 15
  Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  Location: Stingers/Marietta

  Please stop by Stingers, the dining hall on the Marietta campus, to celebrate the return of the school year and the first Year of Greece spring event.  The dining hall will feature Greek-themed art along with Greek food.  This is a University event.  All are welcome.
• 

  Speech Olympics

  Date: Feb. 4
  Time: TBD
  Location: TBD

  The School of Communication will host a Speech Olympics during Owl Creed Week.  Students will compete to give short Owl Creed Week-themed speeches to a panel of judges from the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS).  All are welcome.
• 

  Greece's impact on the Restaurant Business in Atlanta

  Date: Feb. 17
  Time: TBD
  Location: Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Marietta

  This panel will feature a discussion of locally-owned and operated Greek and Greek-American restaurants in the Atlanta area.  An adjacent room will feature Greek food from Atlanta area restaurants.  All are welcome.
• 

  KSU Indoor Sprint Triathlon

  Date: Feb. 19
  Time: 8 - 11 a.m.
  Location: Siegel Student Recreation and Activities Center
  
  Come be part of the first KSU Indoor Sprint Triathlon from 8am to 11am on February 26, 2022! Whether you are a seasoned triathlete ready to kick start your racing season, an active fitness-goer looking for a new adventure or a supporter of a loved one, this is the family-friendly event for you.  Participants will compete in heated timed events: 300-yard swim, 5-mile bike ride, and one-mile run.  All participants will receive a shirt, and awards will go to the top winners for each event and fastest overall times for men and women.  Entry fees apply and registration will open December 14; check out the website for more details. All are welcome. 

  Registration Fees:

  • $5 - Students/Recreation members
  • $10 - Other KSU affiliates
  • $20 - Non-KSU affiliates
• 

  Rare Perspectives: Library Book Highlight

  Opening Ceremony: March 3
  *Will be open Spring and Summer semesters

  The Bagwell School of Education and the Sturgis Library invite the KSU campus community to visit a display of great works of Greek literature and scholarship on Greece from its rare books collection.  The KSU community is also invited to check out its large collection of Greek and Greek-themed books in the larger Sturgis collection.  Located in the main library on the Kennesaw campus, the display will run throughout the 2021-2022 Academic Year.
• 

  Pi Day Events

  Date: March 18
  Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  Location: Various Rooms in the Bagwell College of Education

  The Bagwell College of Education, in collaboration with TRAC, Instructional Technology, Inclusive Education, and Secondary & Middle Grades Education (SMGE) faculty will host/sponsor Pi-day events on the KSU campus. These events will highlight the integration of STEM education and ancient Greece, and they will include BCOE’s Innovation Lab activities integrating technology, student talks related to mathematics/literacy using a historical Greek and modern lens, and games and prizes. In addition, they will highlight k-12 STEM education while allowing faculty, staff, and students to experience the culture and history of Greece while learning about the connections between ancient Greece and modern mathematics and technology innovations. 

  All are welcome.

   
• 

  Evening Symposium Activities with Dancers and a Greek Comedian

  Date: March 23
  Time: 7 - 8 p.m.
  Location: University Rooms, Carmichael Student Center

  In collaboration with the Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox community of Marietta GA, the symposium will host an evening of entertainment to highlight the connection between Greek culture, dance, and mathematics.  Dancers from Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox church will perform traditional Greek dances from the various regions, while Greek comedian Costaki Economopoulos will perform a comedy show for faculty, staff, and students during the evening of entertainment. Costaki, who now lives in L.A., grew up in Marietta GA and attended Sprayberry High School and UGA. The comedy show will highlight a variety of Greek Myths & Mythology, while providing clean laughter for all.  

  All are welcome. 

   
• 

  Symposium

  Date: March 23 - March 24
  Time: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. 
  Location: University Rooms, Carmichael Student Center

  This two-day symposium on Greek history, culture, and business will feature a variety of panels, poster presentations, and fun activities.  Panels will include national scholars as well as KSU faculty and students discussing their research as part of Year of Greece.  In addition, there will be a poster presentation of student classwork related to the Year of Greece along with speeches delivered by student winners of the Owl Creed Olympics. Finally, we will have a local Greek-American Comic who will deliver his stand-up routine on the evening of the 23rd.  All are welcome.