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Posted: 5/26/99

Three A&M International Faculty Members to teach Seminar in Greece

 

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Three Texas A&M International University faculty members will travel to Greece in July to teach a seminar especially designed to update Ukrainian banking executives about the latest trends in bank risk management and bank technology.

The seminar, sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and organized by the Agricultural Bank of Greece and the Hellenic Banking Association, will take place July 6-12 in Athens, Greece.

Conducting the seminar will be Dr. John Adams, adjunct faculty member in the Department of Economics and Finance; Dr. Antonio Rodríguez, associate professor of finance, and Dr. George Kostopoulos, professor of information systems.

Dr. Kostopoulos, seminar coordinator, said the seminar aims at providing East European bankers an insight into the latest trends in bank management.

Among topics to be discussed are banking in the 21st century, risk management, foreign exchange risk management, credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk and coordinated risk management. In addition, the seminar will cover bank technology issues, including the use of the Internet, he added.

"The OECD is an organization financed by several countries and one of its goals is the training of East European professionals in Western business practices," Kostopoulos said.

A&M International's College of Business Administration has a cooperative agreement with the Agricultural Bank of Greece and has delivered 10 banking seminars over the past five years under this agreement, Kostopoulos said. Previous seminars were held in Greece and in Romania. Kostopoulos said.

Banking executives from countries such as Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovania, and the Ukraine have attended similar seminars in the past, Kostopoulos said.

"We feel that there is a void in that region as to today's international banking. There has been a deregulation of financial services worldwide and now any bank can go to any country and open a branch. The objective of this seminar is to make participants aware of the dangers of and opportunities in globalization," Kostopoulos said,

"I think it is important for us to participate in these seminars because this goes along with our mission of international community service. We are pleased about this because of all options that exist, A&M International's College of Business Administration was chosen to deliver the speakers. It is an honor for us to be invited to deliver a seminar in this field," Kostopoulos said.

Dr. Adams, also the president of the Laredo Manufacturers Association, has earned his doctoral, master and baccalaureate degrees from Texas A&M University. He is also a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He has also served at a senior level in several international banks.

Dr. Rodríguez, who joined A&M International in 1993, has a Ph.D. In economics and finance from The University of Alabama. In addition to A&M International, he has held faculty positions at the Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (Graduate Business School) in Costa Rica and the University of Michigan at Flint.

Dr. Kostopoulos, who joined A&M International in 1995, has both a masters and a doctoral degree in computer engineering from Arizona State University. He has served as senior faculty member in several universities around the world, including universities in Greece.

For further information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326-2180. University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu