The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria
Issue 46, Summer 2011
Moulin Rouge!
EDUCATION
Beyond the Classroom
In this issue:
17th AUBG Class Graduates
Extracurricular Learning Is about Cooperation
AUBG Breaks Ground on America for Bulgaria Student Center
Behind the Scenes of the Moulin Rouge! Musical
More than 20 theater productions are staged every year at AUBG
Editorial Board Pavlina Stoycheva Sylvia Zareva Albena Kehayova
Student Writers
Elitsa Levendova Klementina Ristovska Mariya Marinova Severina Mangusheva Tsvetelina Kotsova
Photographers
Alexander Acosta Osorio Denitsa Gospodinova Galina Fedulova Nataly Fedchenko Stanislav Hristov Sylvia Zareva and photos from personal archives Long-time Board member David Flanagan received a Distinguished Service Award and addressed graduates in fluent Bulgarian
Published by AUBG with the participation of AUBG student reporters. For more information, please see the contact information on the back.
The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria
Issue 46, Summer 2011
Moulin Rouge!
eDuCAtIOn
Beyond the Classroom
In thIs Issue:
AUBG students benefit from discussing current affairs with renowned guest lecturers
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17th AUBG Class Graduates
Extracurricular Learning Is about Cooperation
AUBG Breaks Ground on America for Bulgaria Student Center
Behind the Scenes of the Moulin Rouge! Musical
Copyright 2011 AUBG. All rights reserved.
Contents: Celebrating Excellence Students Recognized for Scholarly and Extracurricular Achievements Presidential Medalist 2011: Zhikica Pagovski, Macedonia Honorees Speak about the AUBG Experience
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Farewell, Graduates! Commencement 2011: A Photo Story 6 17th AUBG Class Receive Diplomas, Greetings by First Female Canadian Premier 8 The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell: “Embrace the Responsibilities of Citizenship” 9 Teodora Toneva: Senior Speech 10
LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION
24:7 Learning 12 Different perspectives by: Filitsa Mullen, Writing 12 Jeffrey Nilsen, Economics 12 William Clark, Science 13 Maria Tzankova, Politics 14 Volin Karagiozov, Computer Science 14 Sabina Wien, Languages 15
NEWS @ AUBG
News in Brief Former UN Assembly Chief Gives Students Diplomacy Lessons Employers Offer Jobs, Internships to Students at Job Fair 2011 U.S. Ambassador Recommends Socially Responsible Careers to AUBG Seniors
A VIBRANT COMMUNITY
AUBG Community Members Plant Trees, Clean River during Earth Week More-Honors: A Community that Laughs Together Stays Together They Learned by Doing Behind the Scenes of Moulin Rouge! Research Conference Highlights Diversity of Talent at AUBG Bulgarian Sports Minister, Sports Celebrities Attend 2011 AUBG Olympics
THEY MAKE US PROUD
AUBG Gifts 2 Alums with Distinguished Alumni Awards at Reunion’11 Alums to Attend Ivy League Schools Thanks to Tchaprachikoff Scholarships Emil Tsenov, Class of 1995, Bulgaria Jamilia Rahmanova, Class of 2006, Azerbaijan Mikhail Nahorny, Class of 2002, Belarus
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EMBA Why an EMBA? Three EMBA Graduates’ Perspectives
FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS
Sani Silvennoinen Is AUBG’s New Development Chief AUBG Breaks Ground on America for Bulgaria Student Center
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Celebrating Excellence
Honors Convocation 2011: Students Recognized for Scholarly & Extracurricular Achievements By Sylvia Zareva
Faminou has served as editor-in-chief of Defacto, organized campus events, participated in various student clubs, and represented AUBG at international conferences. He recently accepted a job offer from Google and will begin working for them immediately after graduation. U.S. student Lacey Cope, Class of 2012, was gifted with a special interdisciplinary award, a first in AUBG’s history, for her passionate study of and achievements in Bulgarian language and folklore music.
More than 300 students received distinctions at the eighteenth annual Honors Convocation on April 10, 2011 for their scholarly and extracurricular accomplishments in 2010-11. AUBG’s highest honor, the Presidential Medal, went to fourth-year student from Macedonia Zhikica Pagovski.
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Although not a born Bulgarian, Lacey has the Bulgarian spirit in her vocal cords and in her feet, in her mind and in her heart.
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In 2010-11, a total of 285 students earned a place on the Dean’s and President’s Lists for earning a Grade Point Average of between 3.8 and 4.0. In addition, academic departments recognized outstanding seniors in their respective disciplines while several fourth-year students earned honors for their contributions to the development of extracurricular activities at AUBG. Faculty also recognized Ivaylo Timanov and Todor Jekov from AUBG’s Executive Master of Business Administration program. Four seniors honored at Honors Convocation were also awarded Tchaprachikoff scholarships by AUBG to pursue graduate studies at top U.S. universities. Teodora Tsankova is heading for Yale University in the fall; Dimitri Avramov and Anton Tonev will attend Cornell University; and Mirela Spasova will pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Stanford University. “For his ‘living journalism’ as a lifestyle, providing leadership in student media, for his strong opinions, energy and drive,” the journalism faculty recognized senior
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Raman Faminou from Belarus, who also received an Outstanding Achievement in Business Administration award.
AUBG Today, Issue 46
“We decided to create this unique award especially for this student because she herself is unique,” said AUBG Provost Cyrus Reed on calling Lacey to the podium. “Although not a born Bulgarian, Lacey has the Bulgarian spirit in her vocal cords and in her feet, in her mind and in her heart.” Cope is the founder, manager, and conductor of a female folklore ensemble called Svetlina (“Light”). A number of graduating seniors received recognition in more than one discipline, with Yavor Kiryakov, from Bulgaria, earning distinction as this year’s Outstanding Peer Counselor as well as for his Outstanding Contribution to Community Volunteer Service. Kiryakov also won second prize in the 2010-11 University Council essay competition. Russia native Igor Gurkin was honored by both the history and performing arts faculty for his contributions to their respective fields. The AUBG community had the opportunity to attend a public presentation the day before Honors Convocation where Gurkin discussed his provocative senior thesis in history, which tackles the question, “How important was Marxist theory in the reality of the Soviet Union?” AUBG also recognized 121 students who received scholarships to attend the University in 2010-11. The total amount of financial aid the University awarded in the past academic year totals $4 million. “Because he shows such strong commitment to community service, excellent leadership potential, and respect for the meaning of the Liberal Arts, we found Zhikica to be the best candidate for the 2011 medal,” said AUBG President David Huwiler on awarding the 2011 Presidential Medal, the ceremony’s most anticipated moment. Huwiler pointed out that Pagovski has demonstrated a high degree of commitment to the ideals of AUBG and has worked tirelessly to promote the University in his native Macedonia. The ceremony ended with a cocktail for honorees and faculty.
Presidential Medalist 2011: Zhikica Pagovski, Macedonia By Sylvia Zareva
It’s hard not to root for Zhikica Pagovski. When President Huwiler called out his name at the end of Honors Convocation to present him with the University’s highest distinction, the hall burst out in enthusiastic applause. This is not surprising. Zhikica’s openness, hard work, and humble, down-to-earth attitude to success have opened many doors for him and have earned him a reputation for trustworthiness and the friendship of many of his peers. For the past four years, Zhikica has been a reliable friend and an outstanding community member, who was always involved in at least 20 things at the same time but still found the time to give a helping hand to a friend in need. Zhikica served in the Student Government for three years, helping raise awareness of important issues and improve students’ university experience. His involvement with university affairs did not diminish even while he was on an exchange program in the United States. He has also been an active organizer of the Youth Empowerment Initiative, which promotes social responsibility and organizes seminars for students from AUBG, South-West University, and local high schools. In February 2011, he was named president of the chapters network of the Challenge:Future Consortium, which works to spread awareness of sustainability issues and to implement environmental and social initiatives. Zhikica has also been an active promoter of AUBG, working with the Admissions Office to recruit students from his native Macedonia. He was instrumental in the signing of an agreement with the town of Delchevo in
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He was instrumental in the signing of an agreement with the town of Delchevo in 2010 to provide scholarships for their residents to attend AUBG.
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Celebrating Excellence
2010 to provide scholarships for their residents to attend AUBG. In addition to excelling at extracurricular activities, Zhikica has been a hardworking student who has repeatedly received recognition at Honors Convocation. He was on the Dean’s and President’s lists for several semesters in a row and was awarded the Dimiter Lozanov Scholarship at AUBG during his sophomore year for a “demonstrated high level of intellectual and personal achievements.” In Spring 2011, Zhikica was presented with the annual David Merchant award from Phi Beta Delta for excellence in international scholarship. Zhikica has been admitted on a full scholarship to several leading graduate schools in Europe and the U.S., among them the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, Austria and Johns Hopkins University in the United States. At the April ceremony, Zhikica could hardly hide his delight at having received the 2011 Presidential Medal. Four years of hard work both in the classroom and out of it were finally paying off. Yet equally great was Zhikica’s surprise at having received the University’s highest distinction. All his achievements notwithstanding, he is the kind of guy who will smile praise away and will then go back to worrying about the next project he is about to undertake. And with Zhikica, there is always a whole list of upcoming projects. Among them is completing an M.A. in political science, working to facilitate Macedonia’s accession to European and trans-Atlantic structures, and being involved with AUBG’s alumni network.
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Celebrating Excellence
Honorees Speak about the AUBG Experience Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag, Mongolia’11 Business Administration Economics
My senior thesis in economics examines the effects of introducing international accounting standards in South Africa. In studying the subject, I became aware of many real-world issues that academics and businessmen face and that are not taught in class. I also gained in-depth knowledge about the specific issues that I researched. Outstanding Student in instrumental music and economics senior thesis
Genti Tola, Albania’12 Computer Science
My teammate, Ergys Ristani, and I had to do research for an entire month before we could begin working on AUBG’s room reservation system. We both found this experience very important as we had the chance to learn new technologies. On President’s and Dean’s lists, computer developer who co-authored AUBG’s room selection system
Igor Gurkin, Russia’11 History Political Science and International Relations I really enjoyed acting in and directing plays at AUBG because it allowed me to meet and get acquainted with many interesting and talented people. I enjoyed participating in student productions also because it allowed me to grow, to achieve something new, and to discover different facets of my personality. Theater at AUBG teaches you to work in a team and to bear the responsibility for your part of the job because staging a play requires that all participants make an effort. Al Cyrus Theater award, Outstanding Achievement in History, senior thesis in Political Science and International Relations
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
Elena Vozniuc, Moldova’12
Business Administration European Studies
Political Science and International Relations
Celebrating Excellence
Ermela Bufi, Albania’11
Being a student adviser is truly enriching. It helped me develop my communication, organization, teamwork, project management, and leadership skills, which are all really valuable in today’s labor market. In addition, advising others helped me discover a passion for teaching, which is why I plan to go into academe after AUBG. Outstanding Student Adviser, Outstanding Achievement in Business Administration, Outstanding Student in French
The most rewarding extracurricular experience I found to be tutoring as I enjoy organizing things, teaching, and helping people. Assisting students with brainstorming, organizing, and editing their papers helped me improve my own writing as I encountered mistakes I have never paid attention to before. I have also learned to be more patient and give critical though positive feedback. It brings me satisfaction to see progress in my tutees’ writing. Outstanding Student in Bulgarian
Boryana Gotsova, Bulgaria’11 European Studies AUBG gave me the skills and knowledge necessary to explore the world with an open mind. I learned to look at trends and events analytically, yet with empathy and optimism. At the University, I had the chance to create wonderful friendships, pursue my passion for writing, and discover the field, in which I want to seek professional development – European law. Doing a senior thesis in European Studies was a wonderful opportunity to use my theoretical understanding of European politics for the investigation of a concrete phenomenon. Outstanding achievement in European Studies, Outstanding Student in German
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Farewell, Graduates!
Commencement 2011
aches r appro u o h g i s the b reads a p s t n e Excitem
Kim Campbell, Canada’s first female prime minister, and Petya Evtimova, deputy minister of education in Bulgaria, delivered special greetings at Commencement 2011
Students of the seventeenth graduating class come from 18 countries on four continents
The Commencement stage party includes students with outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements
Twenty-five graduates of the University’s EMBA program also received their diplomas at the ceremony
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
Farewell, Graduates! The traditional throwing of caps in the air is a symbol of a new beginning
Two-thirds of graduating seniors completed demanding double majors at AUBG
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Farewell, Graduates!
17th AUBG Class Receive Diplomas, Greetings by First Female Canadian Premier By Sylvia Zareva
AUBG conferred bachelor’s degrees on 258 individuals at the Seventeenth Annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15, 2011 in Blagoevgrad. Twenty-five graduates of the University’s EMBA program also received their diplomas at the ceremony. Canada’s first female prime minister, the Right Honorable Kim Campbell, delivered Commencement’s keynote address. Campbell called on the graduates to “embrace the responsibilities of citizenship,” be critical of their leaders, work hard, and live in a way that they would be proud of when they grow old. Their actions will determine whether they are destined for greatness, as “great people are ordinary people” who did the right thing. “What made them special was a desire to succeed, often a passion for some area of pursuit or a deep rooted desire to leave the world better than they found it. Frequently they are people who had unusual interests or ideas that led to being criticized or even laughed at. But they followed their own voices and left wonderful legacies of ideas or devices or works of art.” Campbell charged graduates to strive to make a positive difference in the world, saying: “Now is the time not only to live history, but to make it!” The 2011 class may have just what it takes to live up to that challenge.
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Now is the time not only to live history, but to make it!
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Two-thirds of graduating seniors completed demanding double majors at AUBG while every two out of five graduates earned honors for exceptional academic achievements. This year’s graduates assumed leadership positions at international organizations, won distinctions at global contests, and presented scholarly work at international forums. And that’s not all. Many alumni are headed for prestigious graduate schools, among them Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Oxford. Furthermore, AUBG awarded Tchaprachikoff scholarships of over $30,000 each to five outstanding 2011 graduates who earned admission to graduate programs at Ivy League schools in the United States. Even before they got their diplomas on Sunday, seniors received job and internship offers from companies such as Google and Microsoft. The 20-percent increase
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
in the number of participating companies in the 2011 Job & Internship Fair earlier in the spring is a further testament to the quality of AUBG graduates. The 2011 class also includes individuals of high civic responsibility who worked tirelessly to help their community throughout their four years at AUBG. Graduating seniors cleaned parks and Bistritsa’s riverbed, raised money for and ran educational programs at the local orphanage, counseled their peers, planted trees, and promoted healthy living practices. In light of all of her class’s achievements, Teodora Toneva, the student speaker, was justified in ending her speech on a spunky note: “We have earned the right to shout out loud: ‘Bring it on, world – we are ready!’” In an email note to AUBG Today, Ms. Campbell shared her own words of acclaim: “In the happy time I spent recently at American University of Bulgaria (AUBG), I was impressed with the quality of the education provided there and by the excellence of the students. How lucky they are to experience the best in American liberal arts education in the company of a diverse group of fellow students whose life experiences are an education for their colleagues in themselves. And how lucky Bulgaria is to have this excellent university whose dedicated faculty and Board want nothing more than to prepare young people to build great futures for themselves and for their societies.” Words of congratulations to the graduates were also extended by Marianne Keler, AUBG Board of Trustees chair; David Flanagan, AUBG trustee & recipient of a 2011 Distinguished Service Award from the University; and Petya Evtimova, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Science.
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When you enjoy what you are doing, you jump out of bed in the morning, the days race by, and you are faintly surprised that someone is actually paying you to do it.
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The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, Keynote Speaker: “Embrace the Responsibilities of Citizenship”
The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell served as Canada’s 19th and first female Prime Minister in 1993. She previously held cabinet portfolios as Minister of State for Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of National Defense and Minister of Veterans’ Affairs. Ms. Campbell also has served as Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, and President of the International Women’s Forum. Ms. Campbell is Chair of the International Advisory Board of the Foundation for Effective Governance in Ukraine and Chair of the steering committee of the World Movement for Democracy. She serves on the advisory boards of numerous international organizations such as the Arab Democracy Foundation, the Forum of Federations, and the Middle Powers Initiative. She is an international speaker and consultant on issues related to democratization and leadership. Excerpted from the Commencement 2011 address by the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell May 15, 2011, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Today, as graduates of degree programs at this wonderful University, you become part of its history. The way any of us sees the present is colored by how we have experienced the past. Your “present” is informed by these past years of your education and by the real live events, individuals, and groups that surrounded it. In my case, as I was born not long after the end of World War II, and was educated in North America, Britain and the former Soviet Union as a visiting student of Soviet government, my perception of today is colored by the history I have lived and the history that dominated my youth – particularly that of the two great world wars and the Cold War. Given that my age and background are likely to make me look at the present a little differently from the way you graduates see it, and given that in English, we often call people at my stage of life “old geezers” I thought that today I would like to share with you what might be called “A Geezer’s Guide to Life.”
Farewell, Graduates!
The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, Commencement 2011 Keynote Speaker: “Embrace the Responsibilities of Citizenship”
First of all, in my observation, history is made by people. They make choices and leaders can draw on whatever dynamics of our complex human identities suit their purposes. Thus Adolph Hitler pressed one set of buttons on Germans in the 1920s and 30s, and Nelson Mandela drew on a totally different set of qualities in Black South Africans at the end of apartheid. Each community perceived itself to be aggrieved, but how those grievances were translated into action was a function of leadership. So, it matters who leads. I, for one, never trust a leader who appeals primarily to my anger. Like most people, I have buttons that can be pushed – and can be provoked to anger. In such circumstances I am likely to give expression to feelings that don’t, in the end, make me a better person and get in the way of actually solving the problem. The second thing I have observed in my life is that great people are ordinary people. Often their beginnings were humble. What made them special was a desire to succeed, often a passion for some area of pursuit or a deep-rooted desire to leave the world better than they found it. Frequently they are people who had unusual interests or ideas that led to being criticized or even laughed at. But they followed their own voices and left wonderful legacies of ideas or devices or works of art... We can all develop the qualities that enabled them to realize their potential. We may not have the gifts that some no doubt have, but gifts without the discipline to develop them come to nothing. The great American inventor Thomas Edison was right when he said that genius was “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” The older I get the more I see the wisdom of Sigmund Freud’s observation that the secret to happiness is “love and work.” Meaningful work – not necessarily the best paid, but work that makes you feel that you are doing something worthwhile – is extraordinarily satisfying. When you enjoy what you are doing, you
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Farewell, Graduates!
jump out of bed in the morning, the days race by, and you are faintly surprised that someone is actually paying you to do it. When you hate your work, you can barely drag yourself out of bed, the days are 36 hours long and no one can pay you enough to do it. If you ever find yourself feeling that way about what you do – think about making a change. As for love – loving and being loved are the essence of being human. Not just romantic love, although that is a great and wonderful thing, but the love of family, friends, even your dog. Love means making another life important in your own. The foundation of human morality, according to the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, is “fellow feeling” or empathy, and the ability to love is the foundation of empathy and, thus, of true morality. Dear graduates, first of all, care about the way you are governed. Embrace the responsibilities of citizenship and do not delude yourself into thinking that because the political process in your country is flawed, it is beneath you to engage in it. Democracies are incredibly difficult to create, but once they are firmly established, they can survive a lot of abuse. Don’t accept that flaws are inevitable and cannot be corrected. The people in the countries that rank the highest in democratic values are not from a different species. Do not tolerate bad leadership. Over the centuries, people have paid with their lives to build liberty, the rule of law, and representative institutions. Even today, people are putting their lives on the line for democracy. Few of us will ever be asked to pay so dearly for these values, but we should be ready to devote part of our lives to perpetuating freedom and fairness. Secondly, don’t be afraid to work hard and to fail. Failure is rarely permanent. Failure is feedback. Most truly accomplished people can point to monumental failures in their lives which they consider among their most important experiences. But just as you need to believe in your own possibilities, believe in others also. Do not make assumptions about other people’s capabilities based on anything but what they capably show you. And finally, love yourself enough to use your energies and your talents in ways that build your sense of selfworth, not self-importance. Look for opportunities to love so that the reality of other lives will always touch you. Assume that you will all live to a ripe old age and ask yourselves how you would like to be remembered at the end of your lives. Then live in such a way as to make it happen. Today we celebrate the discipline and effort that you have brought to your studies here at the American University in Bulgaria. Congratulations and I wish you all love, luck, and happiness. Now is the time not only to live history, but to make it!
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Student Commencement Address Teodora Toneva May 15, 2011, Blagoevgrad
A native Bulgarian, Teodora came to AUBG influenced by her sister, who graduated from AUBG in 2004. Teodora majored in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and minored in European Studies. She performed in three of the AUBG musicals and served in Student Government as treasurer. She participated in the independent art project Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and she serves as vice president of Rotaract Blagoevgrad, a youth chapter of Rotary International. Dear parents, Thank you for joining us for the Seventeenth Annual Graduation Ceremony. We are gathered here to celebrate the end of a successful voyage. In spite of the physical distance that kept us apart during the last four academic years, you have managed to guide us through the ups and downs of our AUBG rollercoaster ride. You were present here through your caring attitude, early morning phone calls, and sweet presents sent from home, but mainly your wise understanding and neverending ability to believe in us. At times, we would get too caught up in the crazy routine of Blago and keep the silence between us for too long, but today, four amazing years later, Moms and Dads, we are your sons and daughters shouting, “Thank you!”
ride, not only to crave the destination. We learned to always move, but sometimes stop and stare to see the little big things in life.
Four years ago, we unknowingly set foot on a path that would ultimately shape us into the individuals that sit before you today. Our little buzzing beehive of a
The ride was not easy. From learning how to navigate the intricacies of European Union laws, how to successfully run a business, even if only during a virtual simulation, and to perform a perfectly balanced tango in front of an audience of 500, each of us planted a seed in our minds, which after four years has blossomed into a passionate curiosity for new unknowns. It was this thrilling anticipation of the unknown that bound us from day one and turned us into much more than just the new kids in town. It gave us the humanity to actually care when we stopped a fellow classmate in the street and asked them how they were doing; because in the midst of freshmen confusion, that person somehow managed to become our friend, even our brother during this expedition of self-discovery. And it is at this moment, that with the same nauseating excitement in our stomachs, we are ready to explore what awaits us on the other side of the wall. The difference is that now, we have not only developed the ability to think outside the box, but also to run circles around it.
community gave us a strong sense of belonging. We stand today smiling at our future, for we have become the Silicon Valley of the Balkans. We combine the smiles, the laughter, the brains, and the emotions of countless nations that together explored the wonders of Blagoevgrad, Skaptopara residence halls, Underground, and last, but not least, the crowded Dimi Panitza library during finals week. From tomorrow, some of us will go on to continue our studies at universities scattered all over the world; others have already booked their tickets to their next Work & Travel destination or are simply waiting for their first Monday on the new job. Through my speech today I congratulate those of you who, still, have not found their way; those who still wonder what the world will bring them at the dawn of a new morning. I am one of you and have repeatedly been wondering to myself how I will remember my AUBG experience. Those taking the easy way in life would have expected their university to have carelessly given them the Holy Grail of knowledge and the secret key to success, with no effort on their side. We did not, fearing it would make us lose our sense of purpose and turn us into selfishly focused grade hunters. Instead, AUBG has offered us an opportunity with far greater value than any one-sided solution; it has given us the freedom to make our own choices and has equipped us with the necessary tools to help us carve our own masterpiece, our own tailored vision of reality. We learned to enjoy the
Farewell, Graduates!
Dear students, members of the faculty and administration, Board of Trustees representatives and last, but not least, honored guests,
Albert Einstein urges us to not become men of success, but rather men of value. Dear graduates, do not be scared about what the future has planned for you and instead take a moment to think about the legacy you are about to leave to the next generation of AUBG-ers. I would like to name just a few examples of our own contribution to the heritage that we are about to leave as we step out of this square. Following their own credo, a new team of enthusiastic More-Honors Academy members will once more use deliciously witty sarcasm to remind us of the important things in our undergraduate career and will criticize us for staring at our feet. The Musical cast members will transmit their undying passion for the performing arts to their audience, and our own local Olympians will once more encourage students to challenge their competitive spirits. This year, more than ever, a small group of music and broadcasting enthusiasts proved that not only can they excel in class during business case simulations, but they can also apply their skills in real life situations and this will be the legacy that they leave behind for the next Radio AURA generation. And we will stand aside with our hands on our hearts and proudly state: “Yes, I was part of all this.” And because of these accomplishments, these achievements, and this knowledge I promise to dive into the unknown and shamelessly flaunt my addiction to life. I invite you to take a leap of faith and follow me. We have earned the right to shout out loud: “Bring it on, world – we are ready!”
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Liberal Arts in Action
24:7 Learning My favorite restaurant in Blagoevgrad has a sign on the outside wall advertising “non-stop” dining. Not a very appetizing approach to marketing gastronomic delights but a memorable one. I doubt the new entrance to the University will read “24:7 learning at AUBG” but it could! Whether students learn in their sleep, or when they should or could be sleeping, getting students out of the classroom is sometimes as important as getting them into it. This is one of the reasons we are a residential university. We believe that students learn from each other in unstructured ways which often happen in dorms, over meals, and by planning joint activi-
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Extracurricular activities allow students to demonstrate leadership.
By Filitsa Mullen, Writing Professor
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In the liberal arts setting, where the goal is to provide students with skills for lifelong learning, the value of extracurricular activities cannot be overstressed. The classroom is the academic stage, structured according to the goals set by the curriculum and the professor. Even though this “stage” can be fluid and allow students to demonstrate their abilities, to a large extent students are there to absorb and respond. Extracurricular activities allow students to demonstrate leadership: students create the rules and in the process understand the importance of following them; they conceptualize an idea and then they find the means to carry it out. Be it the Better Community Club, the Art Club, the annual musical, More-Honors, the students determine their own “stage” of vision and action. The Writing Center is such a kind of “stage” at AUBG: although it is an academic service, it occupies its own space outside the classroom and it offers the tutors the opportunity to develop their skills as advisors and the tutees to learn in an assisted environment outside the classroom. Yes, there are rules in the center, external rules created by someone else (the director of the center, and if we go farther back, by the initiators of the concept of the writing center 40 years ago.) But the student tutors are the ones who must find innovative ways of applying the rules, solve problems, hone their interper-
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ties through student organizations. I recently asked a group of high school seniors what skills it took to be in the AUBG Musical. They looked at me like I had lost my mind, until one of them squeaked out, “singing and acting?” Yes, but when the musical travels, they pick destinations, determine a budget, raise the funds, do the public relations, sell tickets, and account for the money, and, whenever a group travels, conflict resolution skills are handy! Singing and acting are only part of the answer. Getting out of the classroom oftentimes involves the class itself. There is no better way to understand Byzantine frescos, environmental change, or green initia-
sonal skills in the day-to-day operations of the center. During the weekly meetings, they must reflect on their practices and suggest solutions and innovations for the center. They are encouraged to take on active roles beyond the half-hour tutorials: one may want to be the PR person for the center, another to take care of payroll, yet another to assist with the statistical analysis of the center’s operations or to organize workshops. In the past, we even had a printed newsletter of the center’s activities that allowed students to interview peers or professors, write articles, and conduct surveys. We will soon revive this idea in an electronic format. Our tutors also have the opportunity to participate in international conferences and contribute articles in international journals on peer tutoring. The ideas are endless. The tutors, then, are innovators in the learning process at AUBG, as they use their own stage to teach and learn, to weave their own vision into the vision of the university.
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Senior thesis allows students to make their own discoveries.
By Jeffrey Nilsen, Economics Professor
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Theater plays, orphanage visits, community projects, parties… there are so many ways for students to spend their scarce spare time. Senior thesis in economics? Yes, almost 40 seniors enrolled this year and managed both to enjoy (some) spare time and create successful theses. What accounts for the program’s success and popularity? One great feature is that the senior thesis project elimi-
The theme throughout the pieces that follow is that our job at AUBG is to support student learning. Academics, Student Affairs, the Library, and technology are the bulwarks of this support structure and yes, students push the limits of all four all the time and learn from that experience as well! To reflect this wider learning environment, AUBG has broadened its record keeping. In addition to a traditional transcript
nates the imposition of learning from a text and opens student choice about the direction of the course. Students are not simply compelled to understand alreadydiscovered concepts. Instead they can make their own discoveries, but then also find that unexpected problems may surface. So students see the steps in creating knowledge that the textbooks report and develop a closer relation to economics as done by practitioners. The project opens students’ eyes to the economics profession, and they suddenly see the significant research contributions of so many previously “invisible” economists. Students also experience first-hand the intricate work needed to develop an idea so it becomes rigorous and plausible. In her thesis, Ekaterina investigated the effect of consumer confidence on national output (GDP) in Germany. She soon found there is more to theory than met the eye. “This is the first thing in my life I have read forty times.” Yes, the articles are dense but each time you read them you learn something new and this is rewarding. Georgi investigated price bubbles in the Sofia housing market and innocently believed that a change in a model parameter would make his work more convincing. Alas, volition in a project deviates from the scientific method and professionals would interpret this as tailoring the findings to the researcher’s own prior expectations. A loss of credibility is then likely. Students grow to understand the scientific method. Why is this desirable? Even if your career path is not in the scientific direction, it gives some appreciation of how knowledge is created by research. Do you have to give up parties though? Well, Ekaterina’s list of outside activities (including working at Radio AURA) is impressive, so it seems that if AUBG-ers want to do something, they’ll find the time to do it and do it well.
that reflects a student’s curricular accomplishments, we have now a co-curricular transcript that records learning activities outside the classroom as well. Applying theory to data, and making observations and drawing conclusions, and articulating them. Linking the real world with the academic one. These are the keys to critical thinking which forms the foundation of a liberal arts education and all are flourishing at AUBG. By Cyrus Reed, AUBG Provost
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Liberal Arts in Action
tives than to get up close and take a look for yourself. Supporting 24:7 learning means tutoring, or honing your writing skills or getting out of your academic comfort zone and becoming involved in an organization whose mission grabs your spirit.
Out-of-class education prepares students to contribute to society.
By William Clark, Science Professor
”
The classroom is an appropriate environment for passing on information, knowledge, and even wisdom, but at AUBG it’s just a small slice of a student’s total university experience. Since most students spend fewer than 15 hours a week sitting in a classroom, it’s natural that the hours beyond the classroom have a significant impact on their educational experience. There is much more to student life than academics. Besides contributing to a person’s intellectual growth, a liberal arts education ought to help students develop socially, physically, and morally. Field trips are an important part of the educational mix. What’s merely a vague theory in class becomes a handson experience during a field trip. My environmental science class has visited the local water purification and sewage treatment plants, roamed through the forest in the Parangalitsa reserve, toured a nearby coal-burning power plant, watched recycled material being separated from trash, and seen how the implementation of modern technology has reduced energy costs at the local beer factory. These excursions highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the world as students gain insight into how economic, scientific, legal, cultural, and policy issues merge. Student clubs are another valuable experience. I’ve been privileged to serve as the faculty adviser for the Logos 13
Liberal Arts in Action
Club, which provides a platform for students to discuss and share their views on topics of an intellectual, philosophical, and/or spiritual nature that are rarely addressed in the classroom. Student clubs can provide a sense of belonging and serve as a catalyst for the development of life-long friendships. Community service projects shape a student’s character and view of the world. Involving students in charitable and humanitarian projects that seek to address needs in the Roma community has expanded their understanding of real-world problems and released them from the insular world of the campus. A student’s grade point average is a reflection of academic achievement, but to a large degree, it is the education beyond the classroom that shapes and prepares a student to meaningfully contribute to society and to succeed after leaving AUBG.
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On-campus green activism to make a difference in the world.
By Maria Tzankova, Politics Professor
”
The highest purpose of education is to foster students’ thinking, outlook, and personalities. All the more this applies to the liberal higher education institutions that are modeled on the classical universities – places where universal things are discussed and affected. This, of course, happens both by developing expert knowledge and by building values and a broader outlook. AUBG pursues this mission with great determination – to offer first-class education in specific areas but also knowledge of world, community, and individual. It provides experiences that shape students professionally and also form well-rounded individuals. I believe the greatest challenge to our community is to build a humanitarian/cosmopolitan outlook, to sustain it, and to spread it. It is about taking interest in making a difference to the world we live in, adopting humanitarian values, and developing responsibility for the social and natural environment. This is done not only through our chosen profession but also through commitment to such a role and a proactive approach. I believe in the importance of green initiatives on campus for developing cosmopolitan values in students and the wider community. These also form ethical global citizens who are also passionate, proactive, and well prepared for the future.
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Green initiatives hold the key to success in two important ways. First, green activists explore global environmental problems – by showing documentaries, organizing discussions, and educating others through awareness-raising campaigns. We belong to the global green movement because we are part of the global debate on the environment. We discuss the issues of energy resource depletion, the quality of food and water in our environment, the reduction of our carbon footprint – issues that are of utmost importance. We also take action. Thus we gain immediate experience of how to make a difference. We have planned initiatives and campaigns, organized events, dealt with partners, stakeholders, and sponsors, and learned to assess success and failure. These are skill-building experiences and the skills are transferable. Cleaning communal spaces, planting trees, and organizing recycling on campus may seem like small achievements in the face of such tremendous problems, but they prepare us for larger action. The goal of our green initiatives is to educate individuals about environmental issues worldwide. We learn to think big! We get together and organize action, and we are already a step closer to solving problems on a global scale.
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Extracurricular learning is about cooperation.
By Volin Karagiozov, Chair of the Department of Computer Science
”
Extracurricular learning is all about sharing, cooperative learning, and building a sense of community. And this always creates benefits for all parties.
Computer Science students understand that the regular curriculum offers content with a long-term impact by covering fundamental concepts, principles, and approaches, and builds skills that help students to critically measure the quality of software products. While instilling practical skills in applying a particular technology is important, it is not the primary objective of academic education. And this is where extracurricular activities come in to fill the gap between fundamental knowledge and practical skills and experience. Cooperation between faculty and students at AUBG goes beyond typical student-faculty interaction. It is motivated by students’ desire to learn beyond the scope of the regularly offered courses. In the past, such interactions used to take the form of independent study
CSSU’s work was recognized by the world’s oldest and biggest computer society in the world, the Association for Computing Machinery. In 2008, the AUBGbased organization was awarded ACM Student Chapter status.
which experience is the beginning and ending of every successful learning process. Or let us look at Eastern philosophy: Confucius seems to have been way ahead of Western academic thinking: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” But enough of academic and philosophical references. Let me tell you what I, myself, see happening at AUBG outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities at AUBG – to do or not to do? That is surely not the question for AUBG-ers. I view extracurriculars as yet another opportunity for acquiring life-relevant knowledge at AUBG. I firmly believe that students learn a lot from them: as a faculty adviser, I give first-year students the following piece of advice after the mandatory course-related issues: “Get involved outside the classroom!” And if they ask me how they can benefit from extracurriculars, this is my reply:
CSSU’s mission is “to foster a sense of community and belonging among students of computer science, to allow them to build up their skills, and reach out to the computer science community outside of the university.” The If you join the AUBG Choir, you learn how to sing in organization’s activities include weekly presentations, one tone with at least 10 other people, maybe even how practical workshops, social events and projects. to lead that same voice. And that would make you a perfect team player, respectively team leader, won’t it? The topics of the past academic year’s presentations varIf you become a member of the German Club at AUBG, ied from game development and database modeling to you’ll not only be able to practice your language skills, cryptography, security and user experience. There were but you will also attempt to transfer the culture of the presentations about Python, Ruby on Rails, High-Level German-speaking countries to your college campus, Shared Language, AJAX, Extreme Programming, and and that would train your cultural sensitivity, which is programming for different mobile platforms, such as vital for working in any international organization. Android and Symbian. If you are invited to join the Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Faculty participate in CSSU events as both contributors Phi Beta Delta, the people responsible for International and beneficiaries. The CSSU provides a forum where Week and all the other events celebrating diversity, you faculty may present their ongoing research and test how will learn to be flexible, to manage human capital, and it is received. On the other hand, students’ accounts of to work under a tight schedule. In which field of life using different technologies, algorithms, and approachwouldn’t these be considered a major asset? es help professors enrich the academic content of the courses they offer with up-to-date practical informa- Become involved in one of AUBG’s musicals and not tion. only do you check how artsy you are, but also you can experience talent marketing at its best. Join female folklore ensemble Svetlina, and you get proof that friends can become colleagues and colleagues can stay friends. Isn’t this the greatest prerequisite for a healthy job climate?
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Get involved outside the classroom!
By Sabina A. Wien, Language Instructor
”
The time when being a student meant just learning your lessons is long over. Learning in itself has entered a new dimension; it is no longer passive and perceptive. Students want to test their professors’ lessons, to try out whether they work in real life. For the lovers of theoretical grounding I’ll just mention the American organizational psychologist and educationalist David A. Kolb and his concept of the Learning Cycle (ex. Kolb 1984) in
Liberal Arts in Action
courses, which limited learning to an individual student. The necessity to build a new form of cooperation in learning, which allows the sharing of acquired knowledge and development of skills in using emerging technologies, was recognized by our students and resulted in the launch of the AUBG Computer Science Student Union (CSSU) under the “soft” supervision of computer science faculty. Such supervision mostly focuses on cooperation rather than on mentoring.
And last but not least, volunteer with the Better Community Club and get the best recognition for being a free person with a golden heart and an open mind. And this is undoubtedly the type of people any civil society needs. If you are asking yourself now how I can be sure that those things will work for me, I will explain: I tested all these extracurricular activities at AUBG in person. And not only did I see students transform from inexperienced teenagers into mature citizens of the world, those activities also helped me, their professor, become a better human being.
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News @ AUBG
NEWS IN BRIEF
intriguing story of her own path to creativity born out of difficulty and frustration.
25 Professionals Enroll in AUBG’s Executive MBA Program
Students, Political Analysts Discuss Arab Spring at AUBG
The January 2011 cohort features professionals from sectors such as IT, telecommunications, manufacturing, media, and banking. Most January admits occupy mid-level managerial positions at their companies and have six years of professional experience on average.
At a roundtable discussion titled “Wind of Change: Making Sense of the Arab Spring” on March 14, 2011 students and faculty talked about recent developments in the Middle East. The AUBG-hosted talk featured faculty and Provost Cyrus Reed as well as Dr. Dimitar Bechev, head of the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Noted Banker Discusses Bulgaria’s Progress, Prospects at AUBG
Bulgaria’s economic achievements in the past 15 years and the challenges that the country faces ahead were the subject of an AUBG-hosted talk by prominent banker and former AUBG trustee Levon Hampartzoumian on Jan. 27, 2011. He stressed that while it is important to look back and assess our recent history, it is crucial to focus on the present and create a businessfriendly investment climate in the country. AUBG Professor Sean Homer Presents Book on Eminent Psychoanalyst
Prominent French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan’s theories and practice were the subject of a stimulating talk held at Panitza Library on February 8, 2011. AUBG professor and Lacan scholar Sean Homer guided students and colleagues through some of the twentieth-century psychoanalyst’s most influential ideas and some of his more controversial conclusions. Georgi Iliev, Class of 1996, Wins 2010 Book of the Year Award
Iliev won the 2010 Book of the Year award in Bulgaria for his novel Holy Fool: Dogtown. Holy Fool competed in one of four categories against seven other nominations, among which Mihail Veshim’s Nashington and Kalin Terziiski’s Love of the 35-Year-Old Woman. His book received the highest number of reader votes in the Bulgarian fiction category. AUBG-Hosted Debate Brings Together Blagoevgrad Student Community
Students from local high schools and Blagoevgrad’s two universities, AUBG and South-West University, came together for an informal debate on March 12, 2011. The debate was organized by the student-run Youth Empowerment Initiative and the Debate Club at AUBG and addressed pressing issues related to education. Bilingual Author Captivates Audience at Rhymes Night
The third event in the Poets and Writers Series this spring took place on March 21, 2011 and turned out to be an unexpected treat: Milena Fuchedzhieva, the evening’s featured artist, introduced the audience not only to her poems but also to her plays, essays, and the
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Macedonian Diplomat Discusses Paths to Balkan Unity at AUBG
At an AUBG-hosted lecture on March 24, 2011, H.E. Lyubisha Georgievski called on Balkan countries to bury the hatchet and embrace one another’s cultures. During a thought-provoking talk titled “Culture Unites, Culture Divides,” Ambassador Georgievski talked about how divisions have prevailed in the Balkans despite the many similarities among Balkan peoples and discussed ways in which those differences may be bridged.
Former UN Assembly Chief Gives Students Diplomacy Lessons at Model UN Event By Klementina Ristovska
The third annual Blagoevgrad International Model United Nations (BLIMUN) conference took place on March 18-20, 2011 at AUBG. This year, the event brought together student participants from 16 nationalities, coming from seven different universities across Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Albania. Participants assumed the roles of diplomats and debated pressing international issues within the framework of two United Nations committees. The event was organized by the student-run Model United Nations (MUN) club at AUBG. At the opening ceremony on Friday, March 18, MUN president Simona Atanasova welcomed the guests in a full Andrey Delchev Auditorium. Besides the 50 conference participants, AUBG professors and non-participating students came to listen to this year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Srgjan Kerim. An acclaimed diplomat from Macedonia and former president of the UN General Assembly, Kerim delivered an inspiring speech, charging the student delegates to work for the improvement of international institutions like the UN. He emphasized the need for reform at the UN and the paramount
News @ AUBG
“ role that today’s youth will play in that process. MUN initiatives around the world, Dr. Kerim said, are “the stem cell of the future of the United Nations.” After the opening, BLIMUN participants had the chance to converse with Dr. Kerim in an informal setting. “I am positively surprised and impressed that I can feel here a very pleasant academic atmosphere, as well as to see students from so many nations. This multiculturalism, I believe, gives a special charm to the learning process,” Dr. Kerim said of AUBG. The official sessions took place during the second day of the conference. The Economic and Social Council delegates sought to devise a more coordinated UN approach to tsunami alerts. A lively discussion took place, as the delegates considered different options and moved to express support for the delegate of Japan regarding the recent tsunami-caused crisis in the country. The UN Security Council, chaired by AUBG first-year student Georgi Manolov, tackled the issue of Iran’s weapons of mass destruction. Both committees adopted resolutions at the end of the conference.
I am positively surprised and impressed that I can feel here a very pleasant academic atmosphere.
”
“The speaker at the opening ceremony was a particular highlight for me. Having someone who actually knows the inner workings of the GA and UN as a whole was an enlightening experience,” said Alexandra Genovese, president of the MUN Society at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. Dzhafar Dzhafarov, a first-year student at AUBG, said he was glad he had the opportunity to experience a model UN event in his first year of study. “It gave me the opportunity to develop public speaking skills, conduct research, and acquire knowledge about political conditions of the countries represented,” he said. The conference organizers, a group of nine students from AUBG, unanimously agree that the organizational process was the most challenging task they had undertaken so far but that it had been a rewarding experience. “We are very satisfied with the outcome. We have learned a lot and gathered feedback for improvements for next year,” organizer Mile Tasevski said.
Four participants received diplomas for outstanding performance, while AUBG student Ivan Markovic was recognized as the Best Delegate.
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Employers Offer Jobs, Internships to Students at Job Fair 2011 News @ AUBG
By Sylvia Zareva
The annual on-campus Job Fair was held on April 5-6 this year and attracted 35 recruiting organizations, a 20 percent increase on last year. Two-thirds of recruiters were returning participants, while newcomers include companies such as Eurohold, Infragistics, Microinvest, the U.S. Embassy, Philip Morris, Raiffeisenbank, and Pentagon Recycling Ltd. In the space of two days, head hunters conducted over 700 interviews with students and alumni of the University to fill vacancies at their companies or find new recruits for their clients. A variety of opportunities were on offer, among them full-time and part-time jobs, internships, and training programs. Participating companies represented a wide swathe of industries, including financial services, banking, HR, auditing, consulting, telecommunications, software, manufacturing, and the NGO sector. Companies had many positive things to say about the quality of candidates and overall organization of the 2011 Fair. Metro Cash and Carry were particularly
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
impressed with the students who are “very focused and clear about their future,” while the staffing agency Manpower Bulgaria expressed their satisfaction with the “good candidates who are very well prepared for the fair.” “We were delighted to be a part of the 18th Job and Internship Fair,” said representatives from TMF Services EOOD, part of the TMF Group, who offered internships to several students. The AUBG Job and Internship Fair is the only institution-specific career fair in Bulgaria. AUBG pioneered job fairs in Southeastern Europe, beginning in 1994 when the first institution-exclusive fair was held. Since then 18 job fairs have taken place on an annual basis under the supervision of the AUBG Career Center. The AUBG Job Fair is organized specifically for the benefit of AUBG students, making it the only such event in the region. The Career Center holds special workshops where students do mock job interviews and get help writing cover letters and resumes.
2011 HONOR ROLL OF CONTRIBUTORS AUBG ANNUAL GIVING DONORS IN FISCAL YEAR 2011 (1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011)
Leadership Gifts Anonymous America for Bulgaria Foundation Philippe Bertherat** Elvin Guri* Marianne M. Keler* and Michael Kershow US Embassy in Turkmenistan 1991 Club Pavel Ezekiev* Robert and Nellie Gipson Claude Janssen** Ministry of Education, Bulgaria J. Dimitri and Yvonne Panitza* Alex Porter President’s Circle American Foundation for Bulgaria Chris von Christierson* Citibank N. A. – Sofia Branch Lumina Foundation for Education HRH Princess Maria Luisa of Bulgaria** National Academic Library System, Bulgaria Jan Protogerov Bulgaria Foundation Richard J. Ramsden** Sustaining Gifts Stephen and Evelyn Auth* Thomas and Tracey Bird* David T. Flanagan** Mary Lee Herbster David Huwiler + Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) EAD Telerik AD Provost’s Associates Bogdan Cosmaciuc ‘99 Ronald D. Vanden Dorpel* Postbank/Eurobank EFG Iveta Gigova** John Gulliver* Thomas Higgins* Michael E. McGoldrick Melon Inc. Gerard van der Sluys**
U.S. Commission for Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad Second Decade Contributors Asya ’02, ’07 and Alex ’96, ’05 Alexandrovi + Craig and Barbara Barrett Karen Boucias* Thomas C. Celli* Antoine Cheneviere Spas Dimitrov** Dean Dinev** Carl Djerassi Charles Fagan III* Ann S. Ferren and Jonathan D. Fife Penyo Hadjiev** Gates H. Hawn HRH The Duke of Bavaria, Herzog Franz von Bayern Inspress Ltd. Youlia Berberian-Maleeva** Todor Mitev Louis Amedee De Moustier The Palmer Family James and Kathy Pardew Sol Polansky** Frank P. Popoff Pauline J. Porter David L. Reich Francois Riston* Nelson Schaenen Margaret and Katherine Talev Ivan Vargoulev ’95 Anne Woodbury Ronald Woodbury Supporting Gifts Simo Atanassov ‘02 AXXON Bulgaria Embassy of the United States of America, Sofia Kim Campbell Victoria Entwistle Janet Gunn Konstantin and Paulina Ivanov Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Stanimir Kostov
Lydia Krise + Tzvetelina Kumanova + Microsoft Matching Gifts Program Andrew Norman Julian Popov* Gregory Prince* Leon M. Selig** Slavi Slavov STEMO Ltd. Steven Sullivan + Vejen Stoilov ‘95 Vassil Terziev ‘01 Dean’s Associates AVON Cosmetics Bulgaria Marenglen Berisha ‘06 Olga Borissova Vladimir Borachev* Barbara Brittingham Nicholas Christierson Andrey Delchev* Diliana Deltcheva ‘99 John A. Flint Irina Gigova ‘97 Nemanja Grujicic ‘08 Rossana and Dentcho Ivanov Stefan A. Kantardjieff Metodi Kazaliev + Elizabeth Kostova* Peter Lakov ‘97 Andrea Leskes* Logodaj OOD Ralitza Nikolaeva ‘96 Lorraine Gelli-Palmer Svetlozar Petrov* Marisue and John Pickering Joseph Pilov ‘96 Elena Poptodorova* Iliyana Russeva + Antoniya Shulekova + Christine Sutherland Theodore O. Sippel Roger Whitaker Yanko A. Yankov-Bossia, M. D. Century Club Anonymous + Kiril Alexiev ‘98
summer 2011
Christo Angelov ‘95 Ina Basho ‘04 Miladin Bogetic ‘03 Stoyan Bonev + Svetla Boycheva + Ventsislav Daskalov + Geoffrey Dean + Devin AD Nikolai K. Dimitrov ‘99 Zhivko Dimitrov ‘03 Lyudmila Dzakova + Monika Evstatieva ‘05 Paul Fairbrook Ilya and Hanna Firman ‘02 Marie Galbraith GlobalGiving Foundation Goethe Institute, Sofia Google Matching Gifts Program Kendra D. Gray Richard Hibbits Maria Ilcheva ‘00 Diana Iossifova Ivan Ivanov + Gergana Jostova ’96 Boyan Kalchev ‘96 Violin Karagyozov + Jules T. Kortenhorst Daniela Kostova + Orlin Krumov Ilyas Kulzhanov ‘02 Ilona Lalova ‘05 Virginia Lawton James G. Lowenstein Victoria Lazarova ‘01 Diego Lucci + Meran Lukic ‘04 Charles T. Magee Kymbat Mambetalieva ‘01 Krassimira Marinova + Redmond I. McConnell Evgeniya MacDonald + Mariana Milanova + Sita D. Milcheff Gergana Murtova + Luc and Hedurgede Nantes Jeffrey Nilsen + Vladimir and Gigi Ossenov Andrei Panici ‘04 Samuel F. Perkins Marie-France Pochna Alexandru Popovici ‘03 Charles F. Rauch, Jr. Helene Rochefort
Robert F. Rothschild Valbona and William Schwab Barbara and Rudolph Snowadzky Anna S. Sofianides Lyuba Stevasarova ‘07 Peter ‘02 and Vera ‘05 Svarc Evelina Terzieva + Wayne C. Thompson Philip R. Tilney Nikola Tomic ‘08 William A. Weary Ludmilla G. Popova-Wightman World Bank Kseniya Zhytko ‘04 Friends of AUBG Rabbi Haim and Elaine Asa Maya Angelova + Fidanka Bacheva ‘00 Snezhana Bangacheva + Nikolina Ivanova-Bell + Yuliyana Beleva ‘07 Elena Bikova + Elka Bogusheva + Toshka Borisova + Krastanka Bozhinova + Petar Brishimov ‘01 Irina Burunsus ‘08 Katerina Chatzi + Elena Dencheva ‘09 Victor Dimitrov + Maria Dimitrova + Nestor Dinkov ‘97 Kristina Doneva + Ambassador Ralph Earle II Petia Eckler ‘01 Vladimir Elezov + Khulan Enkhbold ‘07 Stefka Evstatieva Vania Filipova + Simona Genkova + Angelina Georgieva + Gergana Georgieva + Dane R. Gordon Denver Graninger Andrey Gurov + Marla Howard + Jacob and Sofya Hundt Boris Ivanov + Kamelia Ivanova + JustGive Krumi Kaishev + Georgi Kalchev +
*Member, AUBG Board of Trustees
HONOR ROLL OF CONTRIBUTORS
**Member, University Council
Sophia Katzarska + Todor Kehayov + Evelina Kelbecheva + Blazhka Klyumbova + Valentin Kovachev + Maria Lazarova + Dan Levinschi ‘07 Patricia Loubeau + Kevork Marashlyan ‘00 Teodora Marcheva ‘08 Robert L. Marion Tania Markova + Mariya Mehandjiiska + Venislava Mitova ‘03 Elena D. Murphy Milena Nikolova + Rozaliya Pandauzova ‘03 Maia Parmakova + Yulia Pechanova + Maria Pencheva + Margarita Petkova + Samuel Perkins Alexander Philipov Slava Popova + Sophia Poster Thomas A. Roncevic and Pamela A. Shaw Anton Roussev ‘96 Andrei Rusanovshi ‘07 Yvonne Schexnayder J. Michael Schultz Boriana Shalyavska + Zlatka Simeonova + Georgi Smilkov + Maria Sotirova + Vassia Stoilov ‘02 Camelia Stoitzova + Aneliya Stoyanova + Vasil Strelkov ‘05 Tamara Todorova + Nikola Tomic ‘08 Liuba Tomova + Norma S. Tucker Ioana E. Uiorean ‘01 Vasile Valcov ‘09 Ilko Vangelov + Mitko Vodenicharski + Ivan Yakimov + Yulia Yordanova + Zdravko Yovev + Emilia Zankina + Vassil Zashev + Ani Zlatkova + + Member, Faculty or Staff
AUBG Annual Giving Levels Leadership Gifts from $50,000 1991 Club from $25,000 President’s Circle from $10,000 Sustaining Gifts from $5,000
Provost’s Associates from $2,500 Second Decade Contributors from $1,000 Supporting Gifts from $500
Dean’s Associates from $250 Century Club from $100 Friends of AUBG below $100
SPECIAL GIFTS In Memoriam Todor Alexandrov Magdalena A. Daskaloff Stephen P. Dimitroff Giuseppina Giangrande William Herbster
In Honor Dr. Jacob Hursky Milen Janeff Vanche Mihailov William Porter Robert L. Woodbury
Mark Coleman Janet E. Connolly, Ph.D. J. Dimitri Panitza Maia Parmakova Robert Phillips Jr. L. Ruman Schultz
ALUMNI GIVING Class of 1995 Ivaylo Aksharov Christo Angelov Dimitar Atanasov Elena Bardarova Vladimir Borachev Stoyan Kurtev Stratsimir Kulinski Vejen Stoilov Ivan Vargoulev Class of 1996 Alexander Alexandrov Elvin Guri Gergana Jostova Boyan Kalchev Ralitza Nikolaeva Joseph Pilov Anton Roussev Class of 1997 Irina Gigova Nestor Dinkov Boriana Jeleva Peter Lakov Vladimir Rusev
Diliana Deltcheva Nikolai K. Dimitrov Class of 2000 Fidanka Bacheva Maria Ilcheva Kevork Marashlyan Class of 2001 Petar Brishimov Petia Eckler Victoria Lazarova Kymbat Mambetalieva Vassil Terziev Ioana E. Uiorean Class of 2002 Asya Alexandrova Simo Atanassov Ilya and Hanna Firman Ilyas Kulzhanov Vassia Stoilov Petar Svarc Class of 2003
Kiril Alexiev Vera Yordanova
Miladin Bogetic Zhivko Dimitrov Venislava Mitova Rozaliya Pandauzova Alexandru Popovici
Class of 1999
Class of 2004
Bogdan Cosmaciuc
Ina Basho
Class of 1998
Meran Lukic Andrey Panici Margarita Petkova Kseniya Zhytko Class of 2005 Monika Evstatieva Ilona Lalova Vassil Strelkov Vera Svarc Class of 2006 Marenglen Berisha Class of 2007 Yuliana Beleva Khulan Enkbold Dan Levinschi Andrei Rusanovshi Lyuba Stevasarova Class of 2008 Kiril Alexiev Irina Burunsus Nemanja Grijicic Teodora Marcheva Nikola Tomic Class of 2009 Elena Dencheva Vassile Valcov
summer 2011
AUBG SOCIETY OF FELLOWS The AUBG Society of Fellows recognizes private cumulative giving, since 1991, in support of AUBG
University Benefactors America for Bulgaria Foundation George Soros - Open Society Institute Anna K. Tchaprachikoff Athanas A. Zamphiroff Panitza Fellows Alex Balkanski Minko Balkanski Philippe Bertherat ** Brother’s Brother Foundation Eliot Elieff The International Media Fund The Salgo-Noren Foundation Davidson Fellows Ralph P. Davidson Elvin Guri Marianne M. Keler J. Dimitri Panitza
Richard J. Ramsden John C. Whitehead The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Pew Charitable Trusts The Sallie Mae Fund Presidential Fellows Chris von Christierson Gordon E. Cadwgan David T. Flanagan Norris Darrell Jr. Nellie & Robert Gipson William J. Hume Claude Janssen Lumina Foundation for Education Charlotte S. Metcalf MobilTel EAD Nancy R. Newhouse-Iovenko The Nando Peretti Foundation The Starr Foundation
Fellows Thomas W. Bird Duke Franz Foundation Craig Hall Ann S. Ferren and Jonathan D. Fife Freedom Forum Nan Frederick Mary Lee Herbster Terry Hopkins ING Bank – Sofia Branch Jules T. Kortenhorst HRH Princess Maria Luisa of Bulgaria Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria Harrison Richardson Leon M. Selig
AUBG Society of Fellows University Benefactors from $1m Panitza Fellows from $500k
Davidson Fellows from $250k Presidential Fellows from $100k
Fellows from $50k
ENDOWMENTS Endowments are permanent legacies that support AUBG in perpetuity 2002
USAID Endowment
2007
Anna K. Tchaprachikoff Endowed Scholarship Michael & Louise Easton Endowed Scholarship Ann S. Ferren and Jonathan D. Fife Scholarship for Community Service
2008
Michael Iovenko Endowed Scholarship Athanas A. Zamphiroff Endowed Scholarship Ilya V. and Katherine K. Talev Endowed Scholarship David Huwiler and Svetlana Khamatova Endowed Scholarship Fund
2009
Metcalf/Ramsden Endowed Scholarship Stephane Groueff Distinguished Endowed Scholarship
2010
Robert L. Woodbury Endowed Scholarship
Note: Every effort has been made to make this listing 100% accurate. If, however, your name has been omitted, misspelled, or misplaced, we sincerely apologize. Please let us correct our mistake by contacting the AUBG Development Office at development@aubg.bg
HONOR ROLL OF CONTRIBUTORS
By Tsvetelina Kotsova & Sylvia Zareva
James B. Warlick Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, and Bulgarian Investment Agency chief Borislav Stefanov were participants in an AUBG-hosted debate on March 16 that aimed to provide career guidance to graduating seniors. Representing opposing teams in the debate, Ambassador Warlick and Stefanov discussed whether students should go for socially responsible jobs or aim for corporate occupations. Professors Diego Lucci and Mark Trocinski also helped defend the two career tracks. The event was organized by Teach for Bulgaria, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide quality education to Bulgarian children by recruiting and training young professionals to teach in Bulgaria’s neediest schools. Teach for Bulgaria is part of Teach for All, a global network of organizations that work toward enhancing educational opportunities worldwide. Teach for Bulgaria CEO Evgenia Peeva moderated the event. “This discussion is in line with AUBG’s mission – to teach students to make a difference in addition to simply making money and also to convince other people to make a difference,” said AUBG president David Huwiler, who introduced the speakers. Although Stefanov and Trocinski, who teaches business courses at AUBG, had to defend the corporate track, they both ended up explaining why they left the corpo-
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Teach for Bulgaria is part of Teach for All, a global network of organizations that work toward enhancing educational opportunities worldwide.
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News @ AUBG
U.S. Ambassador Recommends Socially Responsible Careers to AUBG Seniors
rate world for a government job and academia, respectively. They also pointed out that one can do business in a socially responsible way. All guests agreed that it is more important to enjoy what you do than to be motivated by financial rewards only. Lucci, who teaches history and philosophy at the University, advised students to “try to know yourself. You cannot become leaders of other people if you are not leaders of yourself. This is a good recipe for a happy life!” Stefanov, who received his B.A. from AUBG in 2001, talked about his own professional experience. “Don’t do something just because everyone is doing it. Get to know what you like. Don’t go for the easy solutions” was his advice to participants. Ambassador Warlick added that the best indicator that you are on the right track is waking up every morning feeling stimulated and looking forward to the rest of the day. After the debate, Peeva gave a presentation about the idea and purpose of the Teach for Bulgaria project as well as the opportunities that Teach for Bulgaria alumni have. “We’re looking for people who aim high, who don’t get scared of difficulties, who want to make an impact and want to develop themselves. You learn the kind of skills that don’t make you a follower,” she said.
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A Vibrant Community
AUBG Community Members Plant Trees, Clean River during Earth Week
short feature on the interdependency between human beings and nature.
By Sylvia Zareva, reporting contributed by Venelina Miteva, Dessislava Jeleva, Yavor Kiryakov, Radosveta Miltcheva
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Mid-week, students from Blagoevgrad’s two universities – AUBG and South-West University (SWU) – joined forces in cleaning Bistritsa’s riverbed and in planting over 200 acacia trees near Blagoevgrad. The portion of Bistritsa’s riverbed running alongside the Skaptopara campus was thoroughly cleaned by AUBG and SWU students. The enthusiasts dedicated two hours of their time in the chilly Tuesday afternoon for this initiative. During the event more than 35 students from different countries got to know each other better as they worked under the encouraging eye of passersby.
Students learned how to re-use and decorate items normally seen as trash.
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During a weeklong lineup of events on March 19-26, 2011, AUBG students, faculty and staff worked to make their community a better, and greener, place. They cleaned the Bistritsa riverbed, planted trees, made art out of discarded objects, and discussed ways to make AUBG more environment-friendly. AUBG’s Earth Week was a resounding success, which attracted hundreds of enthusiastic participants and enjoyed the support of several AUBG clubs, Student Services, and Blagoevgrad institutions. The kick-off event in this year’s Earth Week was a Labyrinth game organized by the AUBG Olympics Committee. The choice of opening event was not a coincidence as it proved that “healthy living, sportsmanship, and environmentalism go hand in hand,” according to Tihomir Dyankov, a fourth-year student and member of the AUBG Olympics Committee. On Monday, March 21, aspiring moviemakers from AUBG showed environmental movie shorts they produced for a competition organized by the Green Campus Group. Nina Brkuljan and Temenuzhka Panayotova were awarded a $200 scholarship for their depiction of recycling practices on campus. Fourth-year student Lyudmila Uzunova was presented with a special Artistic Value award for her short animation representing the bond between nature and humankind. Senior Edi Piqoni also participated with a beautifully executed
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After the movie screening, students talked about whether AUBG is sufficiently green. Moderated by Science Professor William Clark, the discussion attempted to outline practical steps to achieving better energy efficiency and improving the University’s recycling record.
AUBG Today, Issue 46
On March 24, students learned how to re-use and decorate items normally seen as trash. Resident Assistant Mariya Atanasova organized the event as a wellness program and had collected, along with AUBG maintenance staff, items like burnt lightbulbs, water, wine, and beer bottles, and plastic containers. Using ribbon, glue, paint, and beads, students transformed the “trash” into attractive vases, pencil holders, and knick-knacks. The lightbulbs were particularly popular and became room decorations, wall hangings, and even Earth Week 2011 mementos. Students commented that they enjoyed redecorating things they would normally throw away and just taking a break from studying to do something fun and relaxing. Another wellness activity included in Earth Week’s program was a healthy eating workshop. Vedic Club president Lenko Slavov showed participants how to make healthy snacks that taste good. Earth Week ended on March 26 with an open-air concert on the Skaptopara campus featuring student and faculty. All electric lights were shut off and hundreds of candles lit up as participants danced and sang along with the performers.
By Elitsa Levendova
The More-Honors (MH) Awards show once again became the crowning event of the academic year, proving to everyone that AUBG students are not afraid to aim high. Although the MH Academy – the team that puts the show together – is “a small part of the AUBG student body” by their own modest admission, the efforts of the 20 or so students who are actively involved with the production are keenly watched by the entire university community, alumni, and many guests from Blagoevgrad every April. More than 1,500 people thronged the Skaptopara Sports Hall in Blagoevgrad on April 15 this year to honor students, faculty, and staff who enrich and spice up life at AUBG, but above all to enjoy two hours’ worth of creative and deftly executed videos and witty repartee between show host, contributors, and award winners. Third-year student Martin Georgiev, this year’s host, steered the two-hour production with the help of two black-clad bodyguards, his commentary and his gang’s antics providing seamless transitions between category presentations. Each of the 12 award categories was introduced by a short video clip that poked fun at an aspect of AUBG life. Even though most of the categories are tongue-in-cheek or have a bite to them, namely Public Enemy, Alcohol Friendly, and Lick-a-fessor, the Academy also bestows the Epic and Lifetime Achievement awards on deserving community members. The cast of the Moulin Rouge! musical were officially hailed as Epic event makers of the year while the 2011 Lifetime Achievement prize went to Language Professor Sabina Wien. Not only is Wien a tireless proponent of language study, she also advises several student clubs, among them the socially engaged Better Community Club, and is the main driving force behind numerous community initiatives, such as the action to fundraise for a Blagoevgrad family diagnosed with cancer. For the third consecutive year, the MH Academy awarded scholarships to excelling student video-makers who entered their work in the More-Honors video-clip contest. The scholarships are funded by MH alumni contributions.
bers and townspeople. The show aims to capture “the funny and bright side of student life,” according to the MH Academy’s website. “Our main policy this year was humor,” says Alexander Nestorov, co-president of MH14. He believes that humor gets people’s attention and helps them assimilate the message behind. And this year’s message is: we are all a part of a great community – let’s stick together. The show is not about ridiculing faculty, staff, and students, but about bringing them closer together, Nestorov says. At a time when the university is becoming ever larger and when “it is easier for us to fall apart as a community,” he wants people to “remember they are a part of something bigger than the sum of its parts.”
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The 2011 Lifetime Achievement prize went to Language Professor Sabina Wien.
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A Vibrant Community
More-Honors: A Community that Laughs Together Stays Together
Another objective of the show is to voice student concerns that might otherwise remain unaddressed. “What we do might not change anything, but it will tell the people responsible that students notice and they care,” Nestorov says. For Vladimir Gerasimov, who shares the MH presidency with Nestorov, More-Honors is also about showing students they are not alone and about hopefully inspiring them to take action or work out a solution to their concerns. MH is also about creating art, Gerasimov says. “This is the most important part, that it doesn’t matter what type of humor, or how you present it, it’s the fact that those people go in that hall, and really, hopefully, at least a percentage of them, forget about everything else and have an experience, even if it is not too meaningful or eye-opening, they have an experience that makes them forget about their problems and differences. And this is art, for me.” Working for the MH Academy is much like a real job as well, where money needs to be raised, budgets managed, different personalities accommodated, and conflicting schedules resolved, all while Academy members maintain full-time student status. Putting together a show like More-Honors teaches Academy members “skills that are just essential in real life,” Nestorov says. “With the resources we have here, and the people that are in the Academy, we try to work as professionals, so that we give our best,” Gerasimov adds.
The MH Awards have been around since 1998 and over the 14 years of their existence have established themselves as a can’t-miss event for both community mem-
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They Learned by Doing Tamta Gelashvili, Georgia
A Vibrant Community
Business Administration Political Science and International Relations In addition to providing high-quality education, AUBG enables you to take part in extracurricular activities thereby helping you develop different skills. Participation in conferences, seminars, and contests gives you a chance to learn by yourself, to learn by doing and not only by studying. Such activities involve interaction with students from various parts of the world, giving you a chance to explore traditions of other countries and to celebrate diversity. Such intense interaction is the best way to overcome prejudice about different cultures and to appreciate racial, ethnic, and religious differences. Model United Nations, European Youth Parliament, Better Community Club, Spanish Club
Vladimir Gerasimov, Bulgaria
Journalism and Mass Communication Extracurricular activities helped me find myself and my true calling. They kept me awake at night doing research, reading, practicing, editing‌ The stage taught me how to see things from a variety of perspectives (and also what actual fear is). My work at the radio taught me what it is to work in a team of 40-plus people, all united by no other motivation but enthusiasm. My work in MoreHonors taught me what it is to manage 20 very different and creative individuals, but most importantly what humor is and how you capture it on camera. More-Honors, Radio AURA, Acting
Mayya Romanova, Russia
Political Science and International Relations, European Studies I have been a Better Community Club member for two years now, and it has been one of my most valuable experiences at AUBG. I learned a lot from the various projects we worked on, for example, how to manage a team, coordinate tasks, and find solutions. I learned that anything is possible with the proper amount of enthusiasm and dedication. The biggest reward is to see your project come to life and make a positive difference in someone’s life, be it by organizing a concert with kids from the orphanage or just a Free Hugs Day to help fellow students unwind. Better Community Club, Earth Week, Anti-AIDS campaign, Model United Nations, Climbing
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
Martin Ilievski, Macedonia
Political Science and International Relations European Studies
Business Administration Journalism and Mass Communication
The European Youth Parliament helped me broaden my knowledge in the European Studies field and gave me a better perspective on the issues faced by Europe today as well as on the ways those issues are being tackled. I have organized, chaired and reported on various EYP events. The last event I attended was a management training in Paris, which helped improve my organizational skills.
I worked as a brand and account manager in a marketing and advertising agency in Hyderabad, India, where I had to adjust to a business and living environment very different from Eastern Europe’s. Thanks to its highly diverse environment, AUBG prepared me to live, work, and learn far from my comfort zone. In the end, my company trusted me with 10 clients. I found this internship thanks to my involvement with AIESEC Blagoevgrad.
European Youth Parliament, Theater
A Vibrant Community
Dmytro Grama, Ukraine
Six-month managerial internship in India, Phi Beta Delta Honor Society, AIESEC Blagoevgrad
Dzhafar Dzhafarov, Tajikistan
Economics Political Science and International Relations Extracurricular activities give you the opportunity to use practically the knowledge that you gain in class. In Persuasion, for example, I learned how to build arguments. I used this knowledge in the AUBG Open Debate Tournament to construct better arguments. The Model United Nations conference in March was a good test for my knowledge of politics and international relations. Student Ambassadors Club, Debating, AIESEC Blagoevgrad, Model United Nations
Bisera Savoska, Macedonia
Business Administration Peer education is extremely important, probably as important as formal education, and I am happy I had the chance to have great peer mentors. In my freshman year, I directed a theater play with a lot of help from Art Club members. Later, as the club’s president, I helped others to develop their own projects. Meanwhile, I directed two more theater productions and worked with an amazing team to produce two short movies, one of which participated in the Balkan Beyond Borders Film Festival in Athens, Greece. Theater & Film, Student Government, Art Club 23
Behind the Scenes of Moulin Rouge! A Vibrant Community
By Mariya Marinova
Moulin Rouge! was the fourth musical staged by AUBG students after the successful rendition of the world-famous Hairspray in 2010, West Side Story in 2009, and Chicago in 2008. The student performance was based on the 2001 Oscar-nominated feature film Moulin Rouge! starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman and was the first time the show was adapted for the stage. The production premiered on March 28 and after three wildly successful performances in Blagoevgrad, the cast went on to captivate audiences in Sofia, Varna, Bourgas, Stara Zagora, and Plovdiv. This year’s show featured a live orchestra. Moulin Rouge! was directed, cast, and produced entirely by students. Thanks to their hard work and enormous talent, the students from the AUBG Broadway Performance Club have earned a reputation for creativity, excellence, and ability to thrive in any situation. Here is a Moulin Rouge! team member’s account of what it is like to be in a musical. It might seem like an overstatement to say that this year’s musical was epic, but it was certainly a momentous event for the cast and supporting team, and I feel honored to have been a part of the show. The More-Honors Epic of the Year award is a testament that the musical made a significant impression on the wider AUBG community as well. We chose to stage a difficult musical this year. Moulin Rouge! involved plenty of acting, much of it dramatic. I believe Gergana Petkova, who played the lead role of Satin, had the hardest part; she had to change dresses and switch moods from jolly to sad and from dreamy to
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
resolute in literally no time. The performers not only had to master complicated dance numbers and a challenging score, they also had to get under the skin of complex characters. The cast of Moulin Rouge! had a tougher job than their predecessors because last year’s Hairspray had raised the audience’s expectations very high. Moreover, it was hard to reproduce satisfactorily a blockbuster, especially a hit film starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. In the end, however, many in the audience who had seen previous productions said that this year’s was the most impressive one so far. Moulin Rouge! toured around Bulgaria in April, just like Hairspray did last year; yet, this year’s itinerary included two additional destinations. We had something different to offer audiences in every city we visited, which made each performance distinct and charming in its own way. Smajo Bajramspahic, a Montenegrin who plays one of the lead characters in the musical, adapted his lines during every show to include phrases specific to the region we were performing in. The audience roared with laughter at his improvisations. Being part of an AUBG musical is a school of its own. We learned a lot from fellow participants and from the experience of putting the show together, which took about eight months. Everyone had to learn a little bit about fundraising and marketing, and we all pitched in selling tickets and putting up posters. Rehearsals tended to be time-consuming, so they actually forced us to manage our time better, a key skill for doing well at university and at any job.
During 20 sessions, AUBG students and professors as well as guests demonstrated the products of months of hard work in such areas as computer programming, philosophy, journalism, economics, history, business, mathematics, and natural science. Students in the computer science department demonstrated exciting applications of the knowledge they acquired in class. Juniors Genti Tola and Ergys Ristani presented their work on the new AUBG room selection system, which was launched in April 2011 to help ease the process of room selection at AUBG. Ristani teamed up with another third-year student, Deni Vangjeli, to work on experimental projects in robotics. At the April 9 event, Vangjeli and Ristani demonstrated a contraption that folds shirts and a robot that orders domino pieces.
A Vibrant Community
place on Saturday, April 9 at AUBG’s Balkanski Academic Center.
Most presentations were interdisciplinary in nature. Panelists in the mathematics and science sections highlighted the links between different scientific disciplines while senior Tatyana Geldimamedova, a presenter in the history panel, examined the influence of NGOs on international environmental treaties and policy-making. Cvete Koneska, a 2005 AUBG graduate who teaches in AUBG’s Political Science and European Studies Department, moderated a special workshop devoted to national identity. Koneska is currently completing her doctorate in political science at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
The musical not only taught us new skills but also helped us develop a fantastic personal and professional network. Rehearsals as well as promotional activities were great ways to bond with other cast members. Setting the stage, distributing flyers around town, looking out Two panels highlighted students’ achievements in the area for each other by remembering to buy extra water and of language study. In philosophy, students tackled such snacks – all we went through strengthened the bonds complex subjects as intuitive dualism and explored early between us. definitions of human rights. Even though there is no drama or arts major at AUBG, Economics students focused on financial themes this year. and most of us are unlikely to pursue an artistic caCurrency exchange rates, credit risk, real estate prices, and reer, the knowledge, skills, and recognition we gained GDP growth were among the themes covered by the ecothrough the musical will always give us confidence in nomics panel. our abilities and spur us on to aim higher. The symposium ended on a classical note. A duet of local high school students delivered a spirited violin performance, to the delight of conference participants.
Research Conference Highlights Diversity of Talent at AUBG By Sylvia Zareva
AUBG’s annual research conference “The Fellowship of the Mind” featured more than 50 speakers and engaging presentations on a wide variety of subjects this year. Boyan Znepolski, a sociology professor at Sofia University, was keynote speaker of the conference, while the symposium included, for the first time, a section dedicated to research in high school. The fifth edition of the Fellowship took
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A Vibrant Community
Bulgarian Sports Minister, Sports Celebrities Attend 2011 AUBG Olympics By Sylvia Zareva
The 2011 AUBG Olympics took place on April 17 at the Porter Baseball field in Blagoevgrad. More than 300 students, staff, faculty, and alumni took part in the sixth edition of the annual sports championship. Special guests this year were Bulgaria’s Sports Minister Svilen Neykov and his wife, gold-decorated Olympic rower Rumyana Neykova, Bulgarian short-track Olympic champion Evgenia Radanova, and Nayden Naydenov, assistant coach to the Bulgarian national volleyball team. Athletes competed in more than 13 disciplines, including tennis, volleyball, long jump, arm wrestling, tug of war, 100-meter dash, bench pressing, and soccer. The event also included several charity competitions in dodgeball, horseshoe throwing, batting, and three-legged racing, while fencing and lacrosse presentations in the afternoon provided entertainment to participants and spectators alike. Lacrosse is one of the oldest competitive team sports played in the Americas and is still relatively popular today. Lacrosse games were played as part of the religious rites of some native tribes. La crosse means “the stick” in French, an appellation given to the game in the 17th century by a French missionary. The purpose of the AUBG Olympics is “to promote health and sports spirit, bring diversity to the lifestyle of its participants and give them [the] opportunity to practice their favorite sport and promote the image of AUBG,” according to the event’s official webpage. The competition is entirely student organized and has taken place every year since 2006. Over the past six years, the Olympics have grown in popularity, driving up participation and attendance rates. The organizers estimate that around 500 community members got involved in the 2011 edition of the games. The competition has also attracted some media attention in Bulgaria. More than 30 media outlets covered the event this year.
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
AUBG Gifts 2 Alums with Distinguished Alumni Awards at Reunion’11 They Make Us Proud
By Sylvia Zareva
A full canteen erupted in enthusiastic applause as Anguelov stepped forward to retrieve his prize. A fixture at AUBG reunions and other events and a generous supporter of the More-Honors show, Anguelov is perhaps the best-known and most-admired of AUBG graduates. He is the owner and manager of NetMerit, a consultancy that helps clients enhance their Internet presence. Ivanov, who could not attend Reunion 2011, sent a thank you note, saying: “I feel truly honored by this recognition. It has been exciting and rewarding to stay in touch with AUBG, my fellow alumni and the students currently studying at the university through various formal and informal events – celebrations, recruiting forums, discussion encounters and social occasions.” Anguel “Mostuna” Anguelov, class of 2000, and Stefan Ivanov, class of 1995, are this year’s Distinguished Alumni for their service to the University and achievements in their respective fields. The two awards were given out at the Alumni Reunion banquet on Saturday, May 21. AUBG bestows the Distinguished Alum Award on graduates “who have made a considerable contribution to AUBG or Alumni Association, and/or [have rendered] distinguished service to society in any of the following areas: environment, politics, humanitarian/social concerns, NGO/open society development, science, academics, or similar.” Anguelov received the Distinguished Alum Award for his long-standing support for and service to AUBG. Ivanov’s distinction honors his achievements in the sphere of business. The business award is given to graduates who “have made significant contributions to his or her profession, business, community and/or society, and have consistently maintained the pursuit of excellence as a representative and graduate of AUBG.”
Ivanov has been instrumental in attracting scholarship contributions to the University and has helped recruit students for AUBG at alumni-admissions events. He was the CEO of Citibank in Bulgaria between 2007 and 2011. Reunion 2011 attracted over 150 alums, friends, and family members. The three-day event featured a variety of participants – from alums from AUBG’s first class (1995) to guests as little as a year old. Some alums traveled from as far away as Lebanon, the US, and the UK to attend the reunion. In addition to the traditional beer pong and trip to Underground on Friday evening and barbecue on Saturday afternoon, this year’s alumni get-together featured a “surprise” speed networking event, where people who didn’t know each other could exchange business cards and brief information about themselves. Sevdalina Yontcheva, Class of 2005, moderated the exercise. Reunion 2011 participants received small gifts – AUBGbranded key chains – in recognition of their presence and ongoing efforts to stay in touch with their alma mater. 27
They Make Us Proud
Eight AUBG Graduates to Attend Ivy League Schools Thanks to Tchaprachikoff Scholarships In 2011, AUBG awarded Tchaprachikoff scholarships to eight graduates to attend universities such as Yale, Stanford, Cornell, and Columbia. The grants total more than a quarter million dollars. The Tchaprachikoff scholarship fund allows Bulgarian AUBG alumni to pursue graduate degrees at prestigious U.S. universities. The fund was created through the estate of Anna Tchaprachikoff, a patriotic Bulgarian who firmly believed that education is the best investment in the future, and that the best way to help Bulgaria is to provide its youth with firstclass education.
Teodora Tsankova ’11
le University Teodora will attend Ya al an emphasis on practic AUBG professors place ared y I believe to be well prep knowledge, which is wh t at e. The four years I spen for the global marketplac ic em ad ac d my professional an AUBG were crucial for ny ma e opportunity to study success because I had th -related topics. economics and business
Pavel Velkov ’05
Pavel will attend Columbia University AUBG provides a top-notch academic preparation, comparable to what you get at the world’s top schools. When I studied for the first CFA exam I had a considerable headstart because of my studies of financial and investment theory at AUBG. The quality of the faculty and students puts AUBG in a league of its own in the Balkan region.
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AUBG Today, Issue 46
Yordanka Martin ’07 Yordanka will attend Yale University AUBG has a strong advantage as an educational institution – it teaches critical thinking. The classes, extracurricular opportunities, clubs and competitions focus on applying your knowledge, not merely testing it. I learned to think on my feet, work in a team, do research, and make tough choices. You can only absorb so much in four years, but how you apply that knowledge determines your professional success. My AUBG experience has definitely been the most enriching, challenging, and satisfying time of my life so far.
Dimitri Avramov ’11 Dimitri will attend Cornell University AUBG offered me the majors and courses that are essential for someone pursuing graduate education and career in quantitative finance. My professors have always been very supportive and have accommodated my specific interests, occasionally taking some of their free time. They have offered me advice and criticism that helped me find the best professional direction.
Hristina Tisheva ’09
Hristina will atte
Mirela Spasova ’11 Mirela will attend Stanford University I believe that AUBG has prepared me well for the challenges of the global marketplace, and I hope I can prove that at Microsoft, where I am doing an internship this summer. Moreover, the university prepares you to pursue graduate degrees at worldrenowned universities. I was accepted to the Master of Science Program in Computer Science at Stanford. Most probably I will specialize in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
nd Columbia Uni
versity At AUBG you have the opportunity to learn about various things. Yo u can never be a su ccessful journalist (or business man or politician for that matter) without know ing how the world works and the liberal arts form of education gives yo u a perception of how ever ything functions by prov id ing you with a great variety of courses and topics . AUBG also helped me realize that journalism is what I want to do with my life.
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They Make Us Proud
AUBG Today talked to three graduates and asked them about their lives now.
He was also one of the first professionals in Bulgaria to work in the sphere of marketing. “Marketing at the time was basically nonexistent,” Emil says. “Product placement was secured by the state, so things like branding and competition were completely foreign.” Even so, Blagoevgrad BT’s forward-thinking management hired Emil to implement the lessons he learned in marketing classes at AUBG. “I daresay we succeeded.”
By Sylvia Zareva
Name: Emil Tsenov Country: Bulgaria Class: 1995 Majors: Business Administration Education: English Language and Literature, Sofia University (1996); MBA, INSEAD (1999) Extracurriculars/Clubs: Radio AURA Current occupation: International Marketing Manager, OMV AG Hobbies: Bridge, Numismatics
Sepia-toned photos from the University’s early days feature him alongside AUBG founders. He can identify all the University’s founding members by first name. He was the one to organize the first SAT exams at AUBG. More than anyone, Emil Tsenov, who graduated from the University’s first class, is a true founding father of AUBG. He was part of many AUBG firsts. A Blagoevgrad native, Emil helped orient the first American faculty who came to teach at the newly opened institution. First as an employee and later as a student, he helped the University’s first class settle in and feel at home in Blagoevgrad. He helped set up AUBG’s Radio AURA, sat on the first University committees, and attended the first university parties.
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Emil is also one of the first in his generation who successfully combined work and study. In addition to studying at two universities (he has an M.A. in English language from Sofia University), he taught at the local language school, worked as a translator, and served as marketing manager of Radio AURA. The radio experience taught him how to approach and work with customers and fulfill contractual obligations punctually.
AUBG Today, Issue 46
Emil spent four years as marketing manager at Blagoevgrad BT, where he developed several best-selling product lines like Melnik and GD Lights, and helped build the marketing function. In 1999 he won a Seagram Scholarship to pursue an MBA at INSEAD, a move that jumpstarted his international career. After working on a temporary project at Ford in the UK, he became Philips’ IT manager based in Vienna, Austria. By the time he left the company in 2006, Emil had become Philips’ senior business intelligence and strategy manager. A stint as vice director for market exploration for Central and Eastern Europe at Zurich Insurance followed before he accepted a top job at OMV’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria. As OMV’s international marketing manager for Lubricants, he is responsible for OMV BIXXOL, a fast-growing oil brand launched in 2007. While he worked for Philips, Emil helped establish a scholarship and a traineeship program for AUBG students because he felt he had to give back to the institution. “I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for AUBG,” he says, adding that the University “is the best educational opportunity in the whole of Eastern Europe. My experience as an employer confirms that too. We have been hiring graduates of different institutions, and I can say that the quality of AUBG graduates is extremely high; I am impressed and so were my colleagues.” What makes AUBG alumni different is “the flexible, liberated way of thinking. They are quick thinkers and quick decision-makers. Also, when they come to us, they already have some experience.” He says that he counts AUBG students’ summer work as valid experience because it gives them exposure to the real business world. “The whole American education is based on teamwork. If you go to work in the West, you have to be trained to work with people, and this is what you get at AUBG,” Emil says.
You’ve got to work hard to achieve great results, but you shouldn’t forget about the fun side of life. By Severina Mangusheva
Name: Jamilia Rahmanova Country: Azerbaijan Class: 2006 Majors: Business Administration, minored in Fine Arts Extracurriculars/Clubs: Theater, Hiking Club, Photo Club, Debate Club Current occupation: Business Development Manager, Strategic Planner, McCann Erickson Azerbaijan Hobbies: Dancing, skiing, partying, roller-blading
Flexibility, collaboration, teamwork, cross-cultural understanding, and the opportunity to engage in diverse activities, meet different people, and experience interesting situations – 2006 AUBG graduate Jamilia Rahmanova sees those as the core aspects of a successful education. She experienced them all at AUBG. During the four years she spent at the University, open-minded professors helped her gain knowledge, acquire skills, and broaden her horizons. Most importantly, AUBG’s excellent faculty made her education relevant and practical by discussing real-life situations and instilling in her a strong business ethic. In addition to preparing her for a career, the AUBG education enabled Jamilia to pursue her passion for art. Juggling business classes and artistic pursuits not only taught her better time management, but also helped her strike the right balance between work and play, making her university experience exciting and memorable. “You’ve got to work hard to achieve great results, but you shouldn’t forget about the fun side of life,” Jamilia says. The 2006 graduate took as many acting, music, and drawing classes as her busy schedule allowed, and even managing to complete a minor in fine arts. She acted in theater plays every semester and performed at most music events at the University. She never sought recognition for her artistic pursuits, and yet in her final
year Jamilia was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award in Music at the annual Honors Convocation ceremony. Just five years out of college, Jamilia has already held a variety of jobs and risen in the ranks of one of the world’s top advertising agencies. She says that her AUBG education prepared her to excel in the business world because it taught her crucial “success drivers,” such as flexibility, ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines, analytical and presentation skills, and most importantly, the ability to see things from different perspectives. Being able to build and defend an argument, as well as clearly express their viewpoints, is what distinguishes AUBG graduates and helps them achieve the results they want. For all these reasons, the successful graduate from Azerbaijan has nothing but praise for her alma mater: “AUBG so far had the strongest and the most positive influence on my personal development. It taught me not only to win, but also to fail and learn; it taught me to strive to be among the strongest; to see things not only from my own cultural or personal background; and what’s more important – it taught me to believe in myself.”
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They Make Us Proud
By Teodora Marcheva
Name: Mikhail Nahorny Country: Belarus Nickname: Misha Class: 2002 Majors: Business Administration, Computer Science Extracurriculars/Clubs: Tennis, Basketball Current occupation: Investment Banker, Royal Bank of Canada Favorite AUBG moment: Hilltop Russian parties
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AUBG prepared him for an international career because it exposed him to people from a variety of backgrounds.
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Belarusian Mikhail Nahorny plays in the professional league of the investment banking world. The 2002 AUBG graduate holds a challenging, high-powered job at the Royal Bank of Canada in the United Kingdom that his AUBG education prepared him to tackle headon, he says. The sports metaphor is especially appropriate for someone of Mikhail’s drive and competitive spirit. Moreover, Misha, as his friends call him, is an avid sportsman who was often seen playing tennis or basketball at AUBG. Misha believes that the time he spent at AUBG has had an immense impact on his life. Most importantly, it prepared him for an international career because it exposed him to people from a variety of backgrounds, he says. Independent thinking is another skill he credits the University with cultivating in him. AUBG also taught him that opportunities are only limited by one’s lack of ambition; ability and hard work always pay off. At AUBG, Misha was a presidential medalist nominee in his senior year. He was also on the Dean’s List for a few semesters and on the President’s List for a semester. But the best prize AUBG gave him was true friends and valuable life lessons, he says.
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Misha’s experience has taught him that the American approach to higher education is the most competitive one globally. The liberal arts model stands out because of its emphasis on learning by doing and professors’ encouragement of open discussion. “AUBG is blessed with excellent professors,” Misha says, adding that the “most important contributors to the success of an academic program are strong professors who can present the subject matter in a way that is applicable to every day life.” AUBG professors make complex theories accessible by using case studies and examples from real life. An undergraduate degree is the single most important developmental stage for any individual nowadays, and an AUBG diploma gives graduates a strong competitive edge over peers worldwide. Rising in the hierarchy of global investment banking in just eight years is a testament to that.
Why an EMBA?
This is a question junior managers ask themselves before deciding to enroll in a graduate program in business. Whether it is to improve their chances of professional advancement or to embark on an intellectual challenge or to get up-to-date knowledge in their field, many individuals find that pursuing a graduate degree is personally and professionally fulfilling. Three graduates of AUBG’s Executive Master of Business Administration program in Sofia talk about their experience.
Daniela Todorova
EMBA
Three EMBA Graduates’ Perspectives
EMBA Class of 2005 Director Finance Supply Chain Europe at Wrigley The business environment is ever-changing and getting up-to-date knowledge is key to progress these days. Doing an EMBA is a great opportunity to do that and reset the start button for achieving new successes. It is a great step to make after a couple of years of professional experience. It serves as a check of one’s knowledge, expands one’s career prospects, and broadens one’s understanding of the business environment and its complexity. It requires students to work in a structured way and organize their lives in a way that accommodates family, work, and learning.
Todor Jekov EMBA Class of 2011 Manager, GPSC Field Planning for Central and Eastern Europe & the Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa, HP Global Delivery Center Bulgaria The EMBA program broadened my knowledge and management skills, helped me look at my work from different angles and new perspectives, made me more knowledgeable and flexible in my decisions, and will no doubt support my career advancement. The EMBA program would be extremely beneficial for every professional, especially at the beginning of their career. Professionals who aim to grow and develop as managers will be very much supported through this program in terms of learning valuable and practical things and gaining experience applicable in real life. In addition to that, they will have the opportunity to create a great professional network through their contacts with fellow students.
Slaveyko Djambazov, MD EMBA Class of 2010 CEO, Bulgarian Cardiac Institute After nine years in managerial positions in the health care sector, I was aware that I had the professional experience I needed. Experience alone doesn’t make anybody an expert. I wanted to understand the rationale, knowledge, and research behind my decisions. So I decided to enroll in the EMBA program at AUBG. Now, having successfully completed the program, in most cases I know what to do – as well as how and why – when I find myself in the middle of an operational or strategic decision-making conundrum. When I don’t know something, I know where I can find the right solution or at least what the current research shows. 33
Friends and Supporters
“Здравейте, моето име е Сани Силвенноинен”
I look forward to being a part of the next two decades.
Sani Silvennoinen joined AUBG as its new director of development in May 2011. It was his wish to address the readers of AUBG Today directly. I am the new vice president for institutional development at AUBG. When I started in early May, I received many friendly warnings that I would fall in love with the University. It didn’t take me long to realize what these people meant. The excitement and vibrancy of AUBG is ubiquitous and infectious. The students are very impressive, the faculty are truly dedicated to their craft and AUBG, the staff is one of the nicest and most capable I have come across, the facilities are worldclass and the town is truly a university town in the best sense of the terminology. In short, I am already falling… On May 3, I landed in Bulgaria and arrived in Blagoevgrad. During my first few weeks on campus, I witnessed commencement and the excitement and pride of the students receiving their hard-earned diplomas. I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new America for Bulgaria Student Center, the future focal point of the University campus. I traded stories with faculty in their offices, the canteen, over lunch in a local eatery and even the grocery store. I chatted with students in the hallways and at the graduation ball. I met several alumni on campus and in Sofia. I had the pleasure of getting to know early on some of the greatest supporters of the University at the Board of Trustees meeting in May. I have learned a lot about the impressive first two decades of the University, and the more I learn, the more I look forward to being a part of the next two decades. AUBG’s mission is admirable and its vision ambitious – both of which were very attractive to my wife and me as we were deciding on this new job. It is also clear to me that fundraising will have a central role in helping AUBG reach those ambitious goals and that there is plenty of work ahead. We need to raise more funds to
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help improve our ability to recruit the finest students regardless of their financial status. We need more funds to complete the campus and the residential halls. We need to raise additional funding to ensure that our teaching facilities and resources are up to the necessary standards. And we need to raise additional support to retain our stellar faculty and recruit more top teaching talent. To help reach these targets, the University launched its $50-million Fulfilling the Promise – The Campaign for AUBG last December. We are halfway to our goal and I look forward to taking us across the finish line. In my new role as the chief fundraiser for AUBG, I am ready for this challenge. I have over ten years of experience in higher education fundraising, both in North America and Europe, and have spent half of my development career adapting North American fundraising methods to fit the European setting. I have worked as a major gifts officer at my alma mater, Yale University, built a new fundraising program at a high-ranking European technological university, the Helsinki University of Technology in my native country of Finland, and helped create the foundation for successful and sustainable fundraising at a new American business school, the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. But none of the above is why I called my wife toward the latter half of my first week on campus and told her that I was very happy with the decision we had just made. I called because I had just realized what had drawn me to a small town in Southwestern Bulgaria: I also have a personal connection to AUBG, or at least to its mission. I, too, left home at a young age to go abroad to a liberal arts institution which gave me an education that I could not have attained in my home country. It was a struggle for my family and me to be able to pay for my education, but in the end it was worth it. The door was now open for a Finnish kid to be able to take on the world – one university and one country at a time.
Friends and Supporters
AUBG Breaks Ground on America for Bulgaria Student Center By Sylvia Zareva
The American University in Bulgaria will begin construction on a state-of-the-art student center on the grounds of the Skaptopara campus this summer. The center will bear the name of the American for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF), which provided $8 million toward the project. Officials from ABF and AUBG officially broke ground on the new building at a ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Guests at the ceremony included Blagoevgrad Deputy Mayor Georgi Skrizhovski, Dimcho Tilev, the building’s chief architect, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell, Canada’s first female premier, AUBG trustees, faculty, staff, students, and Blagoevgrad community members. Scheduled to begin on the eve of AUBG’s twentieth anniversary celebrations in fall 2011, the center’s construction is a testament to the University’s continuing efforts to provide its students with a world-class academic, residential, and recreational experience. Featuring a performing arts center, a professional gymnasium and fitness center, and dining facilities and
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In AUBG, we see a partner, a model for modern education in an international setting that prepares not only the future business and political leaders of Bulgaria and the region but also socially responsible citizens.
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cafes, the Center will be the most modern facility of its kind in Southeast Europe. The 10,000 square meter Center will also offer the full array of student services found at top U.S. institutions, such as a career center, an advising and counseling center, and medical services. “It’s hard to imagine a more exciting way to mark the University’s twentieth anniversary than beginning construction on the America for Bulgaria Student Center,” said AUBG President David Huwiler. ABF Executive Director Desislava Taliokova commended the University’s “impressive academic achievements,” including AUBG’s showing in the official ranking of Bulgarian universities last fall, adding: “I am extremely proud that the America for Bulgaria Foundation is a major supporter of this historical undertaking because, in AUBG, we see a partner, a model for modern education in an international setting that prepares not only the future business and political leaders
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Friends and Supporters of Bulgaria and the region but also socially responsible citizens.” In addition to contributing to the development of the AUBG campus, ABF has also donated over $2 million in scholarships for the best Bulgarian students over the past two years. The goal of ABF is to support Bulgaria’s transformation into a successful modern European nation by assisting in the development of a vibrant private sector in the country. Founded in 2008, ABF is a successor to the Bulgarian American Enterprise Fund. The grants provided by ABF build on the legacy of goodwill and friendship that exists between the American people and the citizens of Bulgaria.
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ABF has also donated over $2 million in scholarships for the best Bulgarian students over the past two years.
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Board Chair Marianne Keler presents Ambassador Elena Poptodorova with a Distinguished Service Award
AUBG graduates picnic on campus during a reunion in May 2011
Top banker Levon Hampartzoumian and students talk economics
American University in Bulgaria Blagoevgrad
Main Building 1 Georgi Izmirliev Sq. Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria President’s Office: (+359 73) 888 307 Development: (+359 73) 888 366 Fax: (+359 73) 888 344
Balkanski Academic Center
Published by: University Relations Office Phone: (+359 73) 888 215 Fax: (+359 73) 888 399
54 Alexander Stamboliyski St. Skaptopara Campus Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria Admissions: (+359 73) 888 235 American University in Bulgaria Sofia
Elieff Center for Education and Culture 1 Universitetski Park St., Studentski Grad Sofia 1700, Bulgaria Switchboard: (+359 2) 960 7910 Fax: (+359 2) 961 6010 U.S. Mailing Address: American University in Bulgaria 910 17th St., N.W. Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20006
www.aubg.bg