INTERVIEW
DR SANDRA TINAJ, GENERAL MANAGER, AND DR MILICA VUKOTIĆ, DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES, UNIVERSITY OF DONJA GORICA
Partnership
FOR THE FUTURE Founded in 2007, the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) has evolved to become a unique entrepreneurial university with a strong vision of increasing access to high-quality education. Today, UDG offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programmes, serving over 3,000 students
B
y maximising students’ exposure to a wide range of learning experiences, UDG is becoming a transformational leader in the region. The biggest new addition for the new generation will be access to the repository of Arizona State University (ASU), a leader in innovative teaching concepts.
and encourage their passion for learning. Furthermore, with life expectancy having extended for these generations, a question arises as to what should be instilled in the foundations of students’ character, their knowledge and skills, their value system, to ensure that these foundations endure that longevity.
■ Is the development of an innovative study model the right and best response to the crisis confronting classical university education?
■ The date of 30th March repre-
- Yes, of course. We created our innovative study model as a response to the crisis facing classical university education. First of all, UDG is dedicated to its students and to training them for both their professional advancement and to be responsible citizens of the globalised world. The strictest professor at our university is the professor called life, which means that we don’t teach our students about life, but rather put them in a position to learn from life, to learn by living. Unlike classical universities, which mostly function according to the A = K model (Ability = Knowledge), we are developing our A = K x i² model, where the i variable refers to the intensity of learning by living, equating to the student’s intensity of life during their studies. One knows only what one has experienced and felt. We prepare students for rapid changes and the uncertainties that we mentioned, and we invest a lot to develop the confidence of our students 28 | MONTENEGRO BUSINESS SECTOR 2022
sents an important landmark for you, because it was then that you organised the major launch of a partnership by signing a memorandum of cooperation. What can you tell us about that memorandum?
- The University of Donja Gorica announced a 20-year strategic partnership with Arizona State University, which
has been ranked the most innovative university in America by U.S. News and World Report for the last seven years consecutively and proclaimed one of the world’s most prestigious universities by The Times Higher Education publication; and with the Cintana Alliance, a global network of ambitious universities that work together to develop and scaleup high-quality academic programmes. We are so proud that our university’s delegation – comprising UDG Rector Veselin Vukotić Ph.D., UDG General Manager Dr Sandra Tinaj and UDG Dean Dr Milica Vukotić - attended the ASU-Cintana Presidents' Summit in Tempe, Arizona, from 11th to 13th May. This partnership improves the qual-
