Charles Street Chats: Q&A with Eleftherios Michael
Behind the Chat
Order: iced latte
Location: Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro and Cafe
Distance from Campus: 0.2 miles
When Eleftherios Michael came to The University of Baltimore, he brought a world of experiences with him to develop international student services and celebrate the diverse cultures within the learning community. He spent many years as a practitioner in the field of conflict resolution and working with youth in divided communities, including his native Cyprus and Northern Ireland. He earned his Ph.D. in international peace and conflict resolution from George Mason and has shared his knowledge as an adjunct professor at various universities.
At UBalt, he has taught Conflict and Culture in the College of Public Affairs and continues to teach Collaboration, Negotiation and Conflict Management in the Merrick School of Business. His main role at the University is director of diversity and international services, a position through which he plans and facilitates events and programming that highlight the varied backgrounds, experiences and talents within and across UBalt.
Q: What brought you to The University of Baltimore and how did you end up in your current role?
A: I spent years teaching at other universities in Washington, D.C. I’ve always lived in Baltimore, so I got tired of commuting—almost 14 years of commuting and going to George Mason, that's another seven, eight years doing my doctorate, about 20 years of commuting to D.C. or Northern Virginia and back on a daily basis. I got tired.
I came to UBalt in the summer of 2018. My initial job was in the office of admission as the international recruiter and then director of international admission. Then, about a week or so before the before the pandemic shutdown, I was asked to be fully in charge of the Office of Diversity and International Services. And that's my title as of today, director of the Office of Diversity and International Services.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: What I love the most about the job is the interaction I get to enjoy with our community, and actually the various communities that we serve on a daily basis as a university. And that's quite fascinating, because we are a very international-based university. Faculty, staff, the student body resemble a mini United Nations. That makes UBalt very unique, the culture we have. I love being with our communities of learners.
I wasn't new to UBalt when I got a full-time position. I was an adjunct that came and taught a few classes here and there, so it goes back quite a bit. Jenny, my spouse, got her master’s in graphic design at UBalt, when there was no law student building and we used to park there for free back in 2004, 2003. I used to go to the cafeteria, when there was a cafeteria, and sit and mingle and interact, and got to meet faculty and staff members back then, going back almost 20 years now.
Q: What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not working?
A: I'm a foodie. My spouse and I and my kids, the family, we enjoy good food. So, once a week is our family time. We don't take cell phones with us. We go out and enjoy Baltimore’s culinary traditions. I love what kind of foods, all kind of ethnic cuisines.
Q: Do you have a favorite dish you like to make?
A: Yes, I love Mediterranean and Northern African cuisines. I took several classes in culinary arts at community colleges, and I mess with recipes and stuff. I did that for many years, took classes at various community colleges on cuisine and culinary traditions, and it's been fun.
My mother is a chef, was an amazing cook. My brother went to culinary school, trained in Switzerland, and became a very famous chef. And I thought that I would probably get into the same tradition when I was 18 or 19. My expectation was that one day I would be a well-known chef. And then I chose military instead.
I was born and raised on the island of Cyprus from Greek-origin parents, and I experienced the conflict and the division in Cyprus. Back then, I saw it as us and them. After high school, the military academy got me understanding better the so-called “other side,” which later on led me into my studies in peace and conflict resolution.
Q: In your role at UBalt, you’ve helped to facilitate some of our global field studies and will be traveling to Austria in summer 2025 with the Merrick School of Business. Can you share why you feel it’s valuable for universities like UBalt to offer global field experiences for students?
A: I came to the U.S. to spend a semester here in 1997. I was in the Balkans at the time, and I came to explore the idea of pursuing education in the United States. And I've been here since then. So, in a way, we all have this semester we want to spend, this journey we want to take and sometimes that journey changes your whole life. And if that journey, that trip, that moment changed my life so much, imagine how much more it will change the lives of other students? So when I think of study abroad, whether it's a semester or a global field study that is 10 days, making that decision that I'm going to go—and I know they cost quite a bit of money though we make them quite affordable at UBalt—and taking that chance to step outside your own culture and see the world from a different perspective, it's a life changing thing. For years, I've been an advocate that every student, every learner should be able at least once to be able to go overseas, be able to travel. It’s life changing.
What Charms Us
We end all our Charles Street Chats with the same question: What do you love most about Baltimore? Here’s Eleftherios’ answer.
I love Baltimore city. It's my home, first of all. I love working in the city, but it’s not only 45-50 hours every week. With food, events, museums, that's another 10-15 hours I spend on weekends in the city. We love everything, from downtown to the ethnic communities. The other day were at Vaccaro’s Little Italy eating ice cream. We’re up in Highlandtown eating tacos. There are so many places.