On February 11, 2019, on the occasion of its annual Founder’s Day celebration, CYA honored the memory of its founder, Ismene Phylactopoulou and paid tribute to its former faculty members who had made CYA what it is today with their dedication and commitment to their disciplines and to education in general.

Present at the ceremony was Trustee Ulysses Kyriacopoulos, current faculty and staff, alumni and friends of CYA. In his opening remarks, President Alexis Phylactopoulos recalled the beginning of the institution in 1962 when “Ismene Phylactopoulou took a leap in the dark in starting this venture, combining her educational background with an entrepreneurial restless spirit”.

The CYA President recognized Kimon Giocarinis, former CYA Director of Studies, and saluted two professors who have been with CYA for the better part of their academic careers: Steve Diamant and Marinetta Papahimona. Phylactopoulos surprised the two professors by showing photographic mementos from their years at CYA.

The evening continued with CYA Librarian Georgia Katsarou who gave an interesting presentation on the ‘Organization and Digitization Project of the Historical Archives of College Year in Athens’. She presented just a small sample of the many items contained in the archive, including administrative documents, brochures, handbooks, lecture posters, invitations, cards, newsletters, course syllabi, and a rich photographic collection.

The presentation was followed by a short lecture (‘Research in Austerity’) by CYA anthropology professor Aimee Placas, in which she outlined the research she had done while on a CYA-funded sabbatical. After thanking CYA and her fellow faculty members for their valuable contributions to the project, she described how she had set out to discover if austerity teaches consumers new behaviors, and if so, to what end.

The evening concluded with a buffet dinner, during which guests enjoyed re-connecting with long-time friends, meeting new ones, exchanging news, and sharing stories of their time with CYA.