History

ESTABLISHMENT

A number of contemporary developments in the economy, social structures and technology, favour the development of open education systems. Firstly, rising labour costs require a significant investment in the human factor, i.e. the continuous improvement of the educational level and skills of workers. On the other hand, the massive entry of women into the labour market reinforces the need to provide them with educational opportunities through the curricula of the flexible open education system. In the same direction, contributes the modernisation of the primary sector of the economy, as well as the development of the service sector, which requires continuous training of workers through flexible training schemes. More generally, the rapid development of science and technology is making initial formal education inadequate for the entire lifetime of modern man and is leading to a gradual deterioration in his knowledge, hence the need for him to be constantly educated and updated in order to keep abreast of developments and adapt to changes.

However, at the level of Tertiary Education, Universities based on “face-to-face” teaching are characterised by a number of limitations in terms of access to them (impossibility for the student to be physically present in the classrooms, obligation to take entrance examinations, small coverage of the age range, unilateral determination of the educational pathway by the initial choice made by students, lack of offer of independent educational cycles of short duration).

Open systems of Tertiary Education are governed by the notion that education is a right for all throughout their lives. As a consequence, they appeal to a very wide range of stakeholders and provide, as far as possible, more educational opportunities, as the home is used as the main learning space, the student chooses the time of study and the pace at which he or she learns, there are no entrance examinations and the student shapes his or her own educational profile by choosing self-contained cycles of study within the modular system.

The HOU, for the operation of which Law 2552 was passed in 1997, (Government Gazette 266/24-12-1997), came to meet this need in the field of Tertiary Education in our country, as was also the case with Open Universities in almost all European countries, which began to be established in the 1970s, and today absorb hundreds of thousands of students, (for example, the Open University of Great Britain has 250,000 students, the Open University of Spain 150,000, of Germany 70,000 and so on).

RETROSPECTIVE

Former Presidents

Alexios Lykourgiotis
Professor of the Department of Chemistry, University of Patras
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Panagiotis Siafarikas
Professor of the Department of Mathematics, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Harry Kokkosis
Professor of the Department of Spatial Planning and Regional Development Engineering, University of Thessaly
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Vasilios Kardasis
Professor of the Department of Economics, University of Crete
(27.08.2015 – 06.09.2019)

Odysseas Zoras
Professor of Surgical Oncology
(10.09.2019 – 01.09.2022)

Former Vice-Presidents

Spyridon Amourgis
Emeritus Professor, School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
(30.10.95 – 06.04.06)

Panagiotis Giannopoulos
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etva Industrial Zones S.A. and VΙPΕΤΒΑ ΑΕ
(07.04.06 – 26.08.15)

Kolisis Fragkiskos
Professor of the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens
(27.08.15 – 10.03.16)

Hatzigianni Andromachi
Director of Research, National Centre for Social Research
(13.04.2016 – 25.01.2017)

Krontiras Christoforos
Professor of the Department of Physics, University of Patras
(13.04.2016 – 04.12.2017)

Giorgos Androulakis
Professor, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly
(13.04.2016 – 12.01.2018)

Tsimouris Georgios
Associate Professor, Department of Social Anthropology, Panteion University
(15.03.2018 – 01.04.2019)

Emmanuel Spyridakis
Associate Professor, Department of Social and Educational Policy, University of Peloponnese
(16.02.2018 – 01.04.2019)

Anna Roussou
Professor at the Department of Philology, University of Patras
(22.02.2017 – 06.09.2019)

Nikolaos Vafeas
Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, University of Crete
(02.04.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Maria Ioakeimidi
Assistant Professor at the Department of Sports Organization and Management, University of Peloponnese
(02.04.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Dionysios Manzavinos
Professor of Liquid Waste Treatment University of Patras
(11.09.2019 – 13.08.2020)

Georgios Skroubis, Associate Professor of Surgery at the Medical School of the University of Patras
(14.08.2020 – 31.10.2022)

Efstathios Efstathopoulos, Professor of Medical and Radiation Physics at the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
(11.09.2019 – 31.10.2022)

Former Ordinary Members

George Dasios
Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras
(01.02.02 – 17.06.04)

Ioannis Dimopoulos
Emeritus Professor of the Department of Medicine, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Thalia Dragona
Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Athens
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Georgios Karaiskakis
Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras
(07.04.06 – 09.06.09)

Panagiotis Liargovas
Associate Professor, University of Peloponnese
(18.06.04 – 06.04.06)

Ioannis Manos
Former Secretary General of the Union of Greek Banks
Former Governor of the General Bank of Greece
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Efthimios Mastrogiannis
Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras
(30.10.95 – 11.01.02)

Sotirios Mousouris
Former UN Assistant Secretary-General
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Christos Gortsos
Secretary General of the Union of Greek Banks
(18.06.04 – 21.06.05)

Metropolitan of Pergamon Ioannis
Academic, Emeritus Professor of the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
(30.10.95 – 09.06.09)

Eleni Saranti
Associate Professor, Department of Literature, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

George Panigirakis
Professor, Department of Business Administration and Management, Athens University of Economics and Business Administration
(10.06.09 – 30.12.14)

Nikolaos Galatsanos
Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Technology, University of Patras
(10.06.09 – 04.09.10)

Pavlos Kordopatis
Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras
(10.06.09 – 16.10.14)

Theocharis Patargias
Emeritus Professor of Genetics, University of Athens
(22.06.05 – 26.08.15)

Basilios Dedousis
Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Management and Technology, University of Piraeus
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Kottaridi Konstantina
Assistant Professor, Department of Economic Science, University of Piraeus
(31.12.14 – 26.08.15)

Frangiskos Colisis
Professor of the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens
(09.03.2016 – 25.01.2017)

Lapatsioras Spyridonas
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Crete
(27.08.2015 – 08.03.2016)

Giouras Athanasios
Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Crete
(27.08.2015 – 25.01.2017)

Chatziioannou Maria – Christina
Research Director of the Institute of Historical Research of the National Research Foundation.
(27.08.2015 – 01.04.2019)

Evangelia Aranitou
Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Crete
(02.04.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Andromachi Hatzigianni
Research Director of the National Centre for Social Research
(09.03.2016 – 06.09.2019)

George Papatheodorou
Professor of the Department of Geology, University of Patras
(26.01.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Alivizos Sofos
Professor, Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean as President of the National Centre for Teacher Training of the HOU

Former Alternate Members

Georgios Karaiskakis
Professor of Chemistry Department, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 06.04.06)

Georgios Katsiaris
Professor of the Department of Physics, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Maria Koutsoudaki
Associate Professor at the Department of English Literature, University of Athens
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Aliki – Panagiota Mitsakou – Georgiou
Dr. Doctor – Anaesthesiologist
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Nikolaos Baltas
Professor of Economics, University of Athens
(18.06.04 – 06.04.06)

John Bradimas
Senator, Emeritus President of New York University
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Dimitrios Xouris
Professor at the University of Macedonia
(07.06.06 – 09.06.09)

Spyridon Pappas
Director General of the European Institute of Public Administration
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Christos Tzoulis
Professor at the University of Ioannina
(07.04.06 – 09.06.09)

Emmanuel Fthenakis
Doctor of Electronic Engineering, Member of the Board of Directors of the American University Research Association, President of the Challenger Center
(30.10.95 – 17.06.04)

Dimitrios Christodoulakis
Professor of the Department of Computer Engineering & Informatics, University of Patras
(18.06.04 – 09.06.09)

Gregorios Chondrokoukakis
Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Management and Technology, University of Piraeus
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Dimitrios Drossos
Assistant Professor, Department of Italian and Spanish Language and Literature, University of Athens
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Ioanna Iliopoulou
Professor, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Greece
(18.06.04 – 26.08.15)

Georgios Tsichrintzis
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Piraeus
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Nikolaos Iriotis
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Athens
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Dimitrios Siamblis
Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Patras
(10.06.09 – 26.08.15)

Kiousopoulou Antonia
Professor at the Department of History – Archaeology, University of Crete
(27.08.15 – 10.03.16)

Ventura Catherine
Professor at the Department of Political Science and History, Panteion University
(27.08.15 – 10.03.16)

Matthaiou Anna
Professor at the Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly
(27.08.15 – 10.03.16)

Hatzigianni Andromahi
Director of Research, National Centre for Social Research
(27.08.2015 – 08.03.2016)

Drossos Dionysios
Professor of the Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology, University of Ioannina
(27.08.2015 – 25.01.2017)

Papatheodorou Georgios
Professor, Department of Geology, University of Patras
(07.03.2016 – 25.01.2017)

Chatzinicolaou Maria
Professor of HOU
(07.03.2016 – 25.02.2018)

Lionarakis Antonios
Professor of HOU and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities
(07.03.2016 – 25.02.2018)

Kokkos Alexios
Professor of HOU
(26.02.2018 – 06.09.2019)

Stathatos Elias
Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, TEI of Western Macedonia
(26.02.2018 – 01.04.2019)

Mataras Dimitrios
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras
(26.01.2017 – 01.04.2019)

Thomas Nοutsopoulos
Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science, University of Crete
(02.04.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Georgios Divaris
Professor of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
(27.08.2015 – 06.09.2019)

Spyridonas Lapatsioras
Assistant Professor of the Department of Economics, University of Crete
(09.03.2016 – 06.09.2019)

Elias Kolovos Associate
Professor of the Department of History – Archaeology, University of Crete
(02.04.2019 – 06.09.2019)

Athanasios Giouras
Professor of the Department of Political Science, University of Crete
(26.01.2017 – 06.09.2019)

Dimitrios Ventzas
Professor, Department of Computer Engineering, TEI of Thessaly
(26.02.2018 – 06.09.2019)

Marianna Kondyli
Associate Professor of the Department of Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras
(26.02.2018 – 06.09.2019)