FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington has announced that Christos Teazis, political advisor, author, strategist, interpreter and professor at the University of Ankara, Turkey, has been named a Libra Professor at UMF for the spring semester.

“Dr. Teazis has a vast knowledge regarding the politics of Turkey and its neighboring countries,” said Waleck Dalpour, UMF professor of business. “He is extremely knowledgeable of the Middle Eastern political environment. He thoroughly understands all aspects of Turkish society and politics and can provide some valuable insights to our students.”

The Libra Professorship Program brings scholars of national and international prominence to University of Maine System campuses to provide students and members of the community with outstanding faculty models for teaching, research and public service.

At UMF, Teazis is teaching Islam and Politics and Transformations in Orthodoxy, an Honors course.

“I love my students at UMF,” said Teazis. “They are curious and respectful and very kind. I see this as a wonderful opportunity for all of us to share our cultures and knowledge. My goal for them is to see knowledge as an adventure and how the study of history reveals the past, present and glimpses of the future.”

Teazis studied public administrations at Panteion University in Athens, Greece. After completing his undergraduate degree, he learned Turkish as a second language. This opened the door in 1997 to his working as an interpreter with the National Theater of Greece during the tour in Turkey.

He also worked as an interpreter between Greece and Turkey prime ministers in 2007 and as a researcher with the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara in 2008.

He went on to receive his masters and doctorate from the University of Ankara, and became the first Greek academic to teach at the Ankara university, where he is a member of the political science faculty. He is also an advisor with the Ankara Center for Political and Economic Research. He is the author of a book titled, “The Republic of the Seconds,” which examines the historical and social roots of the ruling AK party, a conservative political party in Turkey.

The Libra Professorship Program was established in 1989 by the University of Maine System through a gift from Elizabeth B. Noyce.

Christos Teazis