History

Ιστορία

 

A. Academic Evolution

The University of Thessaly was founded (along with the Aegean and Ionian Universities) in 1984 with the Presidential Decree 83/1984, which was modified in 1985 with the P.D. 302/1985 and P.D. 107/86. Volos was designated the central location of the University of Thessaly. According to its founding decree, the University of Thessaly comprised the following initial departments:

  • Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Animal Breeding
  • Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
  • Department of Primary Education
  • Department of Pre-School Education
  • Department of Planning and Regional Development

 

B. Administrative Evolution

Initially, the University administration was assigned to an Administrative Committee, as dictated by the P.D. 83/1984. The aim of the Administrative Committee was to establish and staff the units of administration and management of the university as well as prepare its academic operation until it became fully autonomous with the election of Rectory Authorities.

The first Administrative Committee was appointed in March 1984, based in Athens, and in September 1994, the seat of the Administrative Committee was transferred to the University’s primary location, Volos.

Former Presidents of the Administrative Committee:

  1. Professor Pantelis G. Lazaridis (AUTH) 1984 - 1990
  2. Professor Petros Gemtos (UOA) 1990 - September 1993
  3. Professor Dimitris Psoinos (AUTH) September 1993 – November 1993
  4. Professor Ioannis Georgatsos (AUTH) December 1993 – December 1998

The elections for the first rectory authorities of UTH were held in December 1998; Professor Pantelis G. Lazaridis was elected Rector and Professors Nikolaos Aravas and Konstantinos Bagiatis were elected Vice Rectors. The Administrative Committee formally ceased its operation with the election of the first Rectory Authorities, who have since taken on the administration of the University. In the 2002 elections, Professor Konstantinos Bagiatis was elected Rector, with Professors N. Mitsis and Konstantinos Gourgoulianis (then Associate Professor) as Vice Rectors. In the 2005 elections, Professor Konstantinos Bagiatis was reelected with Professors N. Mitsis, Konstantinos Gourgoulianis and Angelos Kotios (then Associate Professor) as Vice Rectors. In the 2008 elections, Professor Konstantinos Gourgoulianis was elected Rector with Professors Ioannis Theodorakis, Vasileios Bontozoglou and Michael Zoumboulakis (then Associate Professor) as Vice Rectors. In the March 2013 elections Professor Ioannis Messinis, Department of Medicine of the School of Health Sciences, was elected Rector.

In the June 2014 elections, Professor Georgios Petrakos, Department of Spatial Planning, Urban planning and Regional Development of the School of Engineering, was elected Rector.

In the May 2018 elections, Professor Zisis Mamouris, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the School of Health Sciences was elected Rector, with Associate Professor Ioanna Laliotou and Professors Charalambos Billinis, Ioannis Theodorakis and Stefanos Paraskevopoulos as Vice Rectors.