AUBG Today Magazine Winter 2010

The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria

Issue 43, Winter 2010

IN THIS ISSUE: Strategic Planning

Practical Education for the Future

Thomas Celli: AUBG Students Are Going to

AUBG Reaches Out to Bulgarian Community in Chicago

Change the World

More than 70 AUBG alumni gathered for Alumnistock 2009, a picnic reunion in the Simeonovo Lakes Park near Sofia in September 2009

Editorial Board Pavlina Stoycheva Sylvia Zareva Albena Kehayova

Student Writers

Simona Atanasova Boryana Gotsova Stefka Ivanova Antoniya Parapanova Dimitriya Paunova Adelina Pavlova Vesselina Shestorkina Yavor Stratev Nadzeya Zhuk

Photos

Serbia – Belgrade Reception – November 28, 2009 Alumnus Nikola Tomic ’08, who just earned a master’s degree from Maastricht University, talked about his AUBG experience with prospects and parents

John Byford Chavdar Hristozov Albena Kehayova Theophan Konstantinov Ivailo Minov Alexander Acosta Osorio Lusil Pyzhikava Marin Shagov Iliya Tanchev Valentin Velikov Larysa Zaneuskaya Sylvia Zareva and telerik archives Published by AUBG with the participation of AUBG student writers. Fore more information please see the contact information on the back.

Moldova – Chisinau Reception – December 11, 2009 Alumni from Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria and current students shared positive experiences of Blagoevgrad and recommended AUBG to prospective students

Copyright 2010 AUBG. All rights reserved.

Contents: IN FOCUS Just Imagine

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NEW FACES Faculty

Nevena Bentz: Places like AUBG Give Me Hope for the Future Asen Parachkevov: “The Opportunities Are Here, Take Advantage of Them!”

Hernando Zuleta: AUBG Students Are Determined and Creative

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Students Adeliada Mehmetaj, Albania: Dream Big A Chinese-American’s First Impressions of AUBG Yumjirmaa Ser-Od, Mongolia: Why I love AUBG Anastasiya and Yulia Chernavskaya, Russia: Dancing Toward a Bright Future Nadzeya Zhuk, Belarus: “We Make Progress by Making Headway” Martin Tsenkov, Bulgaria: “A Man Is as Big as His Dreams”

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ACADEMICS Yes We Can! Liberal Education 2.0 Re-inventing Society through Art The Mystification and Demystification of Undergraduate Research European Studies at AUBG: Opportunities and Challenges

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NEWS AND EVENTS AUBG Opens New Horizons of Opportunities AUBG Choir Wins Second Place at Turkey Festival Prominent Speakers and AUBG Students Discuss Hot Regional Issues AUBG Students and Orphanage Children Put On a Christmas Show Face-to-Face Recruiting: Being There for the Student

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STUDENT LIFE AUBG Student Distinguishes Himself in Global Microsoft Contest Practical Education for the Future AUBG Students Take a Stand against Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Educating Tomorrow’s Responsible Leaders: Zhikica Pagovski

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS Building the Future, One Student at a Time telerik: A Success Story Ilir Fani: AUBG Graduates Make a Difference in the World

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BOARD NEWS Thomas Celli: AUBG Students Are Going to Change the World

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EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES New Investment Portal Offers Pioneering Solutions to Investors in Bulgaria

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DEVELOPMENT MATTERS To Chicago and Back: AUBG Reaches Out to Bulgarian Community in Chicago AUBG Gets 5 Million Dollars from America for Bulgaria Foundation

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IN FOCUS

Just Imagine

By David Huwiler, AUBG President

What will AUBG become by 2015? What will the campus look like? How many students will we have, and where will they be from? What new programs will we offer? How will we be affected by the ongoing revolution in learning technologies? More fundamentally, how do we adapt to an ever-changing world while, at the same time, holding fast to our core values and our institutional identity?

These are just a few of the questions that AUBG faculty, students, staff, alumni, and trustees considered during a year-long strategic planning process that concluded in October with the AUBG Board of Trustees’ approval of a new strategic plan for the University. This exercise in communal imagination is repeated every few years, and while it is never easy to step back, to assess honestly what we have achieved, and to consider the most basic questions of mission and purpose, it is always an exciting and rewarding exercise to come together as a community and to dream about a future for AUBG that is rich with possibilities.

The strategic plan that emerged from the process is an ambitious one that defines many new goals and initiatives, such as integrating cutting edge technology into the teaching-learning process, completing the new campus, developing additional academic majors and minors, doing more to integrate campus residential life with academic goals, increasing the number of opportunities for student internships and practical experience. But there are two recurring themes that run through the entire document:

Commitment to Excellence From the very beginning, a distinguishing characteristic of AUBG has been an uncompromising approach to quality and academic rigor.

In 1991, the year in which AUBG opened, we received 1,200 applications and admitted just 160 outstanding students. Since then the University has become even more selective and our academic programs even more rigorous. We are among the few universities anywhere to require that applicants have an SAT score of at least 1,000 in order to be considered for admission, and our average SAT score of about 1,200 ranks us among excellent US-based liberal arts institutions. Yet we know that we will be successful only to the extent that we continue to improve,

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to raise the bar even further. The strategic plan calls for the University to build upon and expand the tradition of excellence in a variety of ways: to introduce more original research at the undergraduate level in order to enhance student critical thinking skills and to prepare students for top graduate schools; to offer our students additional opportunities for practical experience so that our graduates who seek employment immediately after graduating will be prepared to “add value” immediately to the organizations that hire them; to implement an “honors track” in order to challenge our particularly gifted students; to increase support for faculty development and to redouble our efforts to recruit and retain the very best teacher-scholars from around the world; and to raise the average AUBG student SAT score to even higher levels.

Diversity and Global Engagement AUBG’s first class was 99 percent Bulgarian, and an important part of AUBG’s original mission was to support economic and social development in Bulgaria and neighboring countries.

AUBG accomplished that mission admirably, playing an important supporting role as Bulgaria evolved into a prosperous and democratic member of the European Union. Beyond Bulgaria’s borders, AUBG served as a beacon of tolerance and diversity to the Balkan Peninsula during periods of turmoil and conflict.

More recently AUBG has begun the process of extending our reach well beyond Bulgaria and the Balkans. This past fall 65 percent of AUBG’s new students were international – an institutional record. AUBG’s residence halls have become remarkable multinational communities as we have brought to Blagoevgrad students from 37 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe. Without in any way diminishing our commitment to Bulgaria and the region, AUBG’s diversity will become an increasingly important part of our identity as we continue to serve new

IN FOCUS

populations of students who can benefit from the AUBG experience. This is significant for two reasons: • Our world is more interconnected than ever, and working successfully in this environment requires much more than technical competence.

It requires the ability to interact with people of diverse cultural, political, and religious backgrounds. After spending four years living, working, and learning with other students from all over the world, our graduates are well prepared to take their places in a global marketplace. Employers know that AUBG graduates are able to participate in a vast, interconnected global economy – and this is one of the reasons that AUBG alumni are in such demand among international organizations. • As important as it is to give our students the skills that will enable them to achieve personal success, it is equally important that they leave

AUBG prepared to contribute to economic and social development in their home regions, which include Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.

When students graduate from AUBG, they return home with the understanding and the attitudes that will enable them to promote peace and prosperity in their respective countries and regions.

AUBG is a very different place than it was in 1991, and the University will continue to evolve and to mature. The next five years will, perhaps, see more change on campus than we have ever experienced in such a short span of time. But even as AUBG adapts and grows in order to better prepare students for a world with rapidly changing political and economic realities, we will hold fast to the core values that have guided the University since we opened our doors nearly 20 years ago.

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International Law Professor Nevena Bentz:

Places like AUBG Give Me Hope for the Future

By Stefka Ivanova and Sylvia Zareva

International Law is a fitting subject for an internationalist like Nevena Bentz, a professor at AUBG’s Political Science and International Relations Department. A native Bulgarian, she grew up in Blagoevgrad. She spent her early twenties in Dijon, France, studying European and International Law at the University de Bourgogne. She completed a doctoral degree in law at Texas Tech University, in the U.S., following which she worked as an assistant to the Attorney General of Texas in Austin. After more than a decade in America, she came back to Bulgaria so her two children would benefit from being closer to her family. She also got a job at AUBG, an international experience all unto its own, which is what Professor Bentz likes best about the University.

“Everybody brings their knowledge and experience from every part of the world. [AUBG] is a force of change here... It does a lot more than teaching courses, but instills values about community service, about ethics, it exposes students to another way of doing things, another way of thinking, thinking outside the box,” Bentz says.

Teaching at AUBG is a very enriching experience for her as being among young people refreshes her thinking, while students remind her of what it feels like to be in your twenties again.

Of all the academic systems Bentz has experienced, the liberal arts model offers the most serious advantages in a globalized world, she says. Liberal education exposes students to many disciplines, many areas of knowledge, at an age when they do not exactly know what to do with their lives. It offers young people the ability to remain flexible for four years while

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they mature, allowing them to better define their interests, Bentz says.

The primary benefit of liberal education for Bentz is that it gives students a great general culture and an understanding of various subjects. “You can intelligently talk about politics, business, accounting and many other subjects.

It makes well rounded people.”

Professor Bentz says that the world today is so complex that specializing in just one area is not enough. Distances have shrunk so much that people have to know more about more things in order to perform any job. For example, in order to do business in today’s world one has to speak English, have some notion of the law, while some background in anthropology is a requirement for dealing with people from other cultures.

Globalization has affected many aspects of human life, not just education. “People are starting to understand that they are part of one planet, and when there is pollution in China, that has an effect on neighboring countries and on all of us. The future [belongs to] an internationalized … world, where countries are ready to set aside some of their national interests and work towards a common solution to problems.”

Therefore, AUBG offers a good model for the future. “Places like AUBG, where you can see this kind of diversity, where people start putting their prejudices aside, and start realizing that we are all part of the same are small precursors to a Global Village type of future,” Bentz says.

She adds that places like AUBG give her hope for the future.

NEW FACES

Business Law Professor Asen Parachkevov:

The Opportunities Are Here, Take Advantage of Them!

By Dimitriya Paunova

Students talk about him with excitement but also a little incredulity. Why would a Harvard graduate and a successful lawyer abandon his American dream to become a professor? The answer is simple: A lucky set of circumstances led to a spontaneous decision that Business Law Professor Asen Parachkevov has not regretted for a second since he arrived at AUBG in September 2009.

Parachkevov left his hometown Silistra, Bulgaria for the United States in the 1990s. He received an undergraduate degree in government and a professional doctorate in law from Harvard University, after which he settled in the Big Apple to work on Wall Street. In 2009 he returned to Bulgaria after more than ten years, craving to reconnect with his roots and give back to his country and its youth. By sharing his experience and knowledge, Parachkevov hopes to help young people make it in the business world, he says.

Parachkevov, for whom AUBG is a first teaching job, says his students are “very bright, diligent, and open-minded.” He is nothing short of impressed by the diversity of the student body here. “I consider that as the university’s biggest plus,” he says. With students like that, AUBG’s future can only be bright, Parachkevov adds.

AUBG graduates “get a very good start in terms of education,” he says, so much so that “if you are looking for a quality experience in terms of academics and valuable international experience, you don’t have to necessarily go out of Bulgaria.” Parachkevov points out that AUBG awards an excellent degree that is recognized all over the world. AUBG-ers’ employment prospects are therefore excellent – even in times of an economic downturn.

“The opportunities are here, take advantage of them!” Parachkevov says. He is certain that if you put enough effort in your work and studies it all pays off in the end.

At AUBG, he tries to give his students a taste of what the real world of business is like – challenging but quite intriguing. Such enthusiasm never fails to win the students over, which is why Parachkevov has attracted a large following. In Spring 2010, around 10 percent of all AUBG students are registered to take a class with him.

Economics Professor Hernando Zuleta:

AUBG Students Are Determined and Creative

By Antoniya Parapanova

Colombian by descent, U.S. citizen by birth, a world traveler by choice, Bulgaria resident by marriage, and a professor of the world economy by vocation: Hernando Zuleta is one of the new faces this year who fit right in with AUBG’s international population. He joined the University’s

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economics department in the Fall 2009 semester to teach courses on international trade relations and the global financial industry.

Zuleta earned a doctorate in Economics from the University of Pompeu Fabra in Spain, from where he went on to work as a research assistant at Robert Bates, Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Later, he took a job as an economist and subsequently director of the Financial and Monetary Screening Department at the Central Bank of Colombia in Bogota. “My idea back then was to have a career related to the banking system,” Zuleta says. Everything changed when he started working on a Ph.D. degree. “It turned out that I enjoy teaching, interacting with students and writing a lot more.

So I changed my career plans.”

The pursuit of a different career led Zuleta to Mexico, where he was hired to teach at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology) in the Business and later Economics departments between 2003 and 2006. Later, he transferred to Brown University in the United States as a visiting professor in 2008-2009. But this was not going to be his last stop. Having married a Bulgarian national, Zuleta traveled around the world in search of a suitable place for a mixed couple.

“Our journey led us to America for a year. I was looking for teaching opportunities everywhere I went but my wife was looking for a particular lifestyle as well. This is why … we decided to continue our search further, which led us to Bulgaria,” he explains. So the couple packed up their bags and moved to Bulgaria – even though Zuleta speaks little Bulgarian – after AUBG offered him a teaching contract.

The University proved to be a good choice. “It is much different from what I am used to. But I like it,” Zuleta says. “If I have to compare it to Brown University it is a lot smaller, with fewer faculty members and students in a particular class.” Whereas at Brown, he had classes of up to 100 students, at AUBG class capacity never exceeds 35. Furthermore, at the Providence-based university he taught mostly American students, with the same manners and attitudes; AUBG’s diversity was a pleasant surprise. Each lecture here is like a small world within the classroom walls, representing a plethora of cultures and interests. “Students here are determined and creative,” Zuleta says of his AUBG students.

Teaching is only one of Zuleta’s activities.

Widely published since 1993, the economics

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professor has many projects and publications in the pipeline. He is also a regular participant in international economics congresses and seminars. AUBG’s own lineup of conferences is a bonus for students, he says, as it expands their knowledge of different fields. “Teaching is not only delivering information during lectures,” Zuleta says, explaining that access to outside scholars and experts will contribute to students’ education immeasurably.

Zuleta’s plans for the future? Learn Bulgarian and make a home for his wife and little son in Bulgaria, while enjoying being part of AUBG’s multinational community.

Adeliada Mehmetaj, Albania:

Dream Big, Get Involved, Have Faith in Your Abilities

By Vesselina Shestorkina and Sylvia Zareva

Nineteen-year-old Adeliada Mehmetaj is a biology whiz kid. First place in a national biology competition in Albania takes pride of place among a string of other awards she has won in the sphere.

Despite her predilection for science, Adeliada chose AUBG, a liberal arts college, as her alma mater. AUBG’s reputation for academic excellence with a career focus made it the obvious and practical choice, she says. She considers majoring in Political Science and Economics at AUBG, an unusual combination but one that best fits Adeliada’s diverse interests and inquisitive nature. “Since I was a little girl I wanted to discover more,” she says.

For her academic accomplishments, she was awarded a full scholarship to study at AUBG. In addition to pursuing an ambitious academic program, Adeliada has

Adeliada Mehmetaj (middle) enjoys study sessions with friends

NEW FACES

taken up dancing, singing, and acting. And if that’s not enough, she says she plans to be even more involved in extracurricular activities in the coming semesters.

For Adeliada, student clubs are an important part of the educational process at AUBG as they help students expand and hone their abilities and interests, hardly a surprising position from someone as versatile as she is. Moreover, outof-class activities help students mix and learn about each other.

The opportunity to live and learn in a multinational student environment was one of the chief reasons she chose to come to AUBG. Here you can free yourself from prejudice against other nations and cultures and get a different perspective on many issues, she says. She adds that she doesn’t restrict herself to friendships with people who carry the same passport as she does; she loves making friends from other countries. The incredible mix of nationalities at AUBG is what makes on-campus life so fun, Adeliada says.

Success comes to those who dare to dream big, get involved, and have faith in their abilities, Adeliada says. And dream and plan she does: She is already thinking of a master’s degree after receiving her B.A. from AUBG. Adeliada then wants to dedicate her time to working for her country as she is dissatisfied with the political direction Albania has taken. Until then, she plans to focus on making the most out of AUBG – “to enjoy studying and socializing” – and brace herself for a big, exciting future.

A Chinese-American’s First Impressions of AUBG

By Michelle Zhang

With two huge, overweight suitcases and exhaustion from two days of traveling, I arrived at the Skaptopara Residence Hall on a bright Saturday afternoon. Looking up at the beautiful buildings, I was relieved that I finally got here and a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. I had hardly stepped into the building when a cheerful girl with a bright smile welcomed me and guided me through the registration process. When she learned my name, she exclaimed with excitement: “Michelle, you are my roommate!” What? I was completely shocked: My roommate is a Resident Assistant?

And I met her when I was totally exhausted and sweaty? For a second I didn’t know what to think. But I had to admit, her personality was so charming and delightful. Her smile was contagious; looking at her sparkling face, I felt my tiredness being swept away by a friendly breeze, and I knew that a semester of wonderful adventure was about to start.

Is everyone at AUBG that welcoming and pleasant? The answer is positive. It was the first thing I noticed and it still holds true today.

Later that week, I learned just how diverse the students here are, and I was totally amazed by it.

Without any doubt, AUBG is the most interest-

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ing and accepting campus I have ever been on. It offers a sense of community and belonging that one could not experience anywhere else.

Yet, no matter where we were from, we were all one big family, living and studying under the same roof.

Of course, AUBG had more to offer besides wonderful people. The second I stepped out of the taxi and saw the nice dormitories, I knew immediately that I had chosen the right place.

I love my home university in the United States, but the Skaptoparas are literally ten times better than the residence hall I stayed in last year. Even better, every room has its own bathroom and shower. I was so glad that I didn’t have to wait in line to use the community showers again.

Every time I go to the Panitza Library, I am struck with disbelief at just how lucky I am. It contains thousands of books to read, and provides a study environment of utmost comfort. If there were a rule against craving for more books and being greedy to read them all, then I would definitely end up in detention!

A few words leap to mind when people ask about my first impressions of AUBG: friendly, diverse, comfortable, and full of surprises! I have no doubt that I will have more to add onto the list as time goes by, but for now, I’m extremely pleased with what AUBG has to offer. If I could summarize my experience so far into one word, it would be AWESOME!

Why I Love AUBG

By Yumjirmaa Ser-Od, Mongolia

At my former university, being a student, studying, and earning good grades were duties, and not something I was passionate about. I reached a point where I realized that I needed to step out of my ordinary, run-of-the-mill life and experience different things, so I decided to study abroad.

The American University in Bulgaria seemed like an appropriate place for me both academically and geographically. I’ve always wanted to study in an environment that provides peace, comfort, and safety. Even though I didn’t know what Bulgaria and AUBG would be like exactly, I got on the plane courageously, certain of one thing – that I was in for a big change in my life.

I instantly fell in love with AUBG. My surroundings were green, calm, sunny, and safe – exactly the kind of place where I wanted to live and study. The new academic building looked very inviting and I marveled at the way all AUBG buildings looked from the outside. At an outdoor blanket party in my first week I met people from so many different countries that I knew right away that this was the place where you could experience the true meaning of diversity.

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As soon as classes began, I knew that choosing AUBG was the right choice. Professors treat us as equals and stimulate an eagerness to learn.

Although a university with so many other bright students can get competitive, AUBG provides you with all the necessary tools for success.

In addition to attending lectures, students get involved in extracurricular activities and clubs through which they can truly discover themselves and interact with the rest of the community.

Learning these days is a passion and not just a duty. AUBG has helped me discover myself in many ways and inspired me to pursue my dreams, something I did not know how to do before. I can now dare to dream big and accomplish great deeds. I couldn’t have done it without the help of AUBG Admission Counselor Lyubomila Borisova, my academic advisor Professor Lucia Miree, and all my professors who have greatly inspired me with their knowledge and approach to teaching. School is not a chore anymore; instead, it is a happy place where I learn, have fun, and grow.

NEW FACES

Anastasiya and Yulia Chernavskaya, Russia:

Dancing Toward a Bright Future

By Nadzeya Zhuk

Graceful movements. Perfectly executed somersaults. Smooth backbends and effortless side splits. Synchronized leaps and flips. And yes, dazzling smiles.

The Chernavskaya twins danced their way into AUBG – literally so. At the “AUBG’s Got Talent” show in August 2009, having just arrived in Blagoevgrad from Russia, Anastasiya and Yulia Chernavskaya drew cheers for their expert acrobatic performance from an enthusiastic crowd of AUBG-ers.

Appreciative audiences are something the Chernavskayas are used to. They started taking dancing lessons at the age of two, at five they took up gymnastics, and at ten were already specializing in sports aerobics. In addition to practicing various sports, the girls are expert horse riders.

Furthermore, snowboarding is a huge passion, and the sisters cannot wait for the moment when they will be able to slide down the slopes of the nearby Pirin and Rila mountains, which offer great conditions for winter sports. For their numerous sporting achievements the Chernavskayas are listed in The Book of the Most Gifted Youth of Russia.

Through their participation in various aerobics tournaments, the girls visited many countries, and there is a story to tell about each place they have been to. Bulgaria really struck them: With its warm people and natural beauty, it is one of the most fabulous countries they have ever seen, they say.

The twins are also artistically talented. They took several drawing and music courses, successfully balancing them with studying at school.

Nastya, which is the way Anastasiya’s friends call her, enjoys playing the guitar, while Yulia cannot imagine her life without a camera.

The sister team also manage to pack frequent trips to the theater into their busy schedules,

For their numerous sporting achievements the Chernavskayas are listed in The Book of the Most Gifted Youth of Russia

with both girls admitting to being obsessed with theater. Back in Russia, they spent whole days in the local theater, talking to actors, discussing the plays, or simply admiring someone’s performance. “Observing your friends acting on stage is terrific,” Yulia says. “They are completely different people in everyday life.” Nastya adds, “We’d like to keep up with this habit in Blagoevgrad. It’s fabulous to watch people play and the language doesn’t really matter to us.”

Choosing a university was a daunting task for such multitalented individuals. Nastya was considering an artistic or journalistic education or advanced English studies while Yulia had theatrical and medical careers in mind. But after weighing all the pros and cons of studying in Russia and abroad, the girls decided that a liberal arts education at AUBG would allow them to best develop their versatile interests. They were fascinated by the possibility of studying in one of the most diverse communities in Europe and getting a top-notch diploma recognized all over the world. They say they couldn’t have made a better choice. With Nastya as a first-year student, and Yulia having just completed an intensive English prep program at AUBG’s English Language Institute, the girls are already involved in numerous extracurricular activities that allow them to apply their various gifts.

Nastya and Yulia have achieved a lot so far but they never brag about their accomplishments or make a big deal out of their success. They’re confident, persistent, and incredibly hardworking. The girls don’t have any exact career paths in mind yet and say they don’t plan to limit themselves to any particular profession. The Chernavskayas can rest assured that the future holds ample opportunities for people who can handle multiple tasks at the same time and can quickly adapt to different circumstances while remaining calm and positive.

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Nadzeya Zhuk, Belarus:

We Make Progress

by Making Headway

By Antoniya Parapanova

AUBG entered the Zhuks’ household through the stories of two of their daughter, Nadzeya’s best friends, already students at AUBG. Initially, the family’s reaction was anything but positive.

They preferred to have their daughter stay at home in Vitebsk, Belarus, or alternatively, go to university in Russia; Bulgaria was too far away.

However, the two AUBG-ers’ inspiring stories of university life in Blagoevgrad proved too irresistible to ignore; AUBG was a perfect match for Zhuk daughter’s talent and ambition. Through perseverance and sheer force of will, Nadzeya Zhuk – now a first-year student already sporting an impressive resume of academic achievements and extracurricular activities – not only managed to quiet her family’s misgivings but also achieved top scores on her entrance tests, thereby earning a full presidential scholarship for study at AUBG. Nadzeya’s interest in foreign languages, especially English, which she began studying in first grade, foreshadowed her choice of an Englishlanguage university with a multilingual student population. From a very early age she demonstrated a great aptitude for languages, a talent her teachers encouraged. In high school, she had a special program designed for her, with an emphasis on English.

“It was hard but I really enjoyed it,” she remembers. Now, Nadzeya is fluent in German, English, Belarusian, and Russian.

Toward the end of her secondary education, Nadzeya distinguished herself at a national English-language competition, a triumph that granted her admission to any Belarusian university automatically and significantly boosted her chances of being accepted at Russian universities. “But I didn’t want to study anywhere else but at AUBG. I was stubborn enough and here I am now,” she says.

Nadzeya has also participated in competitions in German, Russian, and Belarusian, and has also

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earned praise for her writing ability. A second place in an essay contest in Poland is just one in a string of accomplishments.

Nadzeya has many opportunities to practice her gifts at AUBG, and since she arrived, she has wasted no time in finding fulfilling ways to do that. She is a reporter for the student publication Defacto and also writes for AUBG Today magazine. The list of clubs she is a member of is impressive: the Student Ambassadors Club, the German Club, the European Youth Movement, the Debate Club. “I just really like interaction and communication with people,” she explains.

The quality of interaction among students and faculty at AUBG is unmatched. Nadzeya puts it down to the community’s diversity and the opportunity to live and study together on a residential campus. “The atmosphere of living and studying here allows students to develop academically and personally,” she adds.

Nadzeya says she really appreciates the flexibility and freedom of AUBG’s liberal arts system, which allows her to pursue her interests and choose her own courses. In her home country, where the government strictly controls education, she would not have had that freedom, she says. “Here I can make up my mind on what I want to study after I have enrolled and what is more – I don’t need to choose between two majors. I can do both. And even though sometimes the atmosphere may look relaxed, everyone knows their responsibilities and studies accordingly,” Nadzeya adds. She is considering a double major in Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication, and is also interested in Economics.

How does she manage all that? “We make progress by making headway” is her simple explanation and a motto that perfectly suits such a hard-working and determined individual.

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Martin Tsenkov, Bulgaria:

A Man Is as Big as His Dreams

By Dimitriya Paunova

A tradition at U.S. universities is to reward individuals who in addition to academic achievements also excel at other disciplines. AUBG is no different: the University recognizes outstanding accomplishments in sports by awarding a special sports scholarship. His seven years as a player for the two most prestigious Bulgarian basketball teams Levski and CSKA earned firstyear student Martin Tsenkov just such an honor.

Fall 2009. Instead, he dedicated himself mainly to his studies, but also to hanging out with his new friends and adjusting to his new life. Now that he is fully settled at AUBG, Martin is eager to start playing basketball again next semester.

What is more, he is positive that he could help improve the performance of AUBG’s basketball team and prove that his scholarship was not given to him in vain.

Martin’s remarkable resume does not end with success on the court. He graduated with flying colors from the First Language High School in Sofia, a school rated among the best Bulgarian high schools. While at school, Martin distinguished himself in the field of mathematics, which is also his major at AUBG. To those who might find sports and science to be an unusual combination, Martin explains that they are in fact complementary and interrelated.

Sport trains you to work in a team, to make quick decisions, and to intuit other people’s wishes and intentions, while science develops your reasoning skills and logic. Motivated by this belief, Martin looked for universities that would help him develop both sets of skills. He discovered AUBG. “I had heard a lot about this university and I was very excited about being accepted,” Martin says.

“And it is even better than I expected.”

Sports is an integral part of the AUBG experience. In addition to participating in sports clubs, students can test their athletic strength in the annual AUBG Olympics

“It’s great to be among so many nationalities and people who are so different from one another,” says Martin, and adds that the University’s greatest asset is the unique small community it has managed to create over the years. Until his arrival at AUBG in August, he had never had the chance to live with people from such diverse cultures and backgrounds. Having flatmates who come from 5,000 miles away and whose native language sounds nothing like his has broadened his horizons, Martin says. It has made him a better citizen – more tolerant and understanding.

“I have learned how to interact with people no matter how distant they’d seemed to me before and that would have never happened if it weren’t for this university and its campus.”

Martin doesn’t lack self-confidence, but he says he wants a low-key life for himself. For him, the University’s mission of educating leaders has a broader meaning: A leader is anyone who works toward the betterment of society, and there is a place for everyone who wishes to do so, and it doesn’t have to be at the very top. He intends to contribute to society by building a career that would help make life a little better for everybody. Thus, he hopes to pave the way for responsible individuals who wish to stand at the helm of society.

Because of an injury and a busy schedule, Martin had to take a break from intensive practice in

“I want to be good at what I do, not simply dream about it,” Martin says. But dream one should, he adds as “a man is as big as his dreams.”

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Yes We Can!

By Ann Ferren, AUBG Provost

Change is inevitable, but planning for change and managing change is challenging. The AUBG community — faculty, students, staff, alumni, and trustees — spent the 2008-2009 academic year working together to create a vision and a plan for the University in 2015. The Strategic Plan is appropriately called Fulfilling the Promise — a direct reference to the purposes for which AUBG was founded. Just as in 1991, it will take energy and unflagging commitment to make the vision a reality.

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Our recent employer survey revealed how highly prized adaptability and innovative thinking are, and, therefore, we will also increase the learning opportunities that encourage creativity. Nurturing curiosity and encouraging inquisitiveness calls for both faculty and students to rethink traditional academic activities. Clearly, a course focused on covering many facts in preparation for quizzes, a mid-term and a final will not release the potential of a student to make his/her own meaning, to apply knowledge to complex problems, or to create something new. There are many faculty teaching courses in areas such as the arts, creative writing, science, entrepreneurship, and design, who can help stimulate new methods in other disciplines.

AUBG has always strived for excellence and the Strategic Plan reflects a tradition as well as a new direction. The Plan outlines a number of goals related to academic programs, faculty, students, and facilities that will continue to raise standards and ensure progress. To make the plan come alive, each year an Annual Action Plan will outline the initiatives, individuals responsible, measures of achievement, and deadlines for completion. Tangible results will keep the community energized. We follow the old adage, “If you are not moving forward, you are falling behind!”

The plan also recognizes that a student is never just a student, but also a citizen, a member of a community, a profession, and a family. AUBG aims to develop not just intellectual capacities but also an understanding of the social and personal responsibilities of an engaged citizen.

AUBG has long been committed to helping students develop their leadership potential, reflect on their values, and test their views against competing perspectives, both in and out of the classroom. Co-curricular activities such as community service and conferences on social issues are planned by students with sensitivity to their civic role. The Senior Survey results show that AUBG does a good job helping students increase their integrity and respect for others— but we hope to do more. Helping graduates be centered and resilient is essential as the daily news shows us too many examples of unethical business practices, failed political processes, and corrupt behavior.

The plan aims to reassess, adjust, and connect the values, significance, and impact of the Liberal Arts program to a rapidly changing world.

The Liberal Arts program is the foundation of AUBG’s institutional and educational identity and develops a well-rounded graduate with the capacity to adapt, take risks, and continue learning. Many faculty use simulations, projects, case studies, and practical exercises to help students test theory and turn ideas into action.

To be job ready with transferable skills, students need many opportunities to apply their learning, including internships and supervised practice.

The Strategic Plan is our blueprint for the future and, as such, it is a promise we make to ourselves and our future students. As we strive to be the best we can be—by raising academic standards, increasing enrollment, recruiting and retaining excellent faculty, developing new majors, supporting research, building out the campus, and continuing outreach to the community—we will do so with many small steps and, perhaps, the inevitable missteps. I have been part of organizational change efforts on other campuses and know that questions will be raised such as: “Whose idea was that?” or

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Planning together was the first step in building an appreciation of common purpose; the Plan provides a touchstone or framework for change so we do not lose our focus. The challenge, however, is to also stay open to new opportunities and integrate new ideas along the way, such that the work of planning and developing is ongoing. As we do this work between 2010 and 2015, we will also achieve one of our most important goals: “To increase school spirit, pride, and loyalty to the institution on the part of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to create a stronger sense of community and commitment to the future of AUBG.” We are a young university with a bright future. And we are not afraid to work hard for what we believe in.

Liberal Education 2.0

By Ivelin Sardamov, Associate Professor of Political Science

In the current economic crunch, liberal education faces intense pressure to justify its utility.

Instead of emphasizing how a broad education helps individuals become fuller human beings and better citizens, the easiest response is to recast the abilities students develop under this educational model as “transferable skills.” This marketing ploy is not much of a stretch. In today’s “knowledge economy,” global corporations and even smaller businesses do seek young people who, in addition to specific professional preparation, have skills that can be used in different business environments: written and verbal communication (often in English), the ability to address complex problems creatively, the aptitude to work with others, and adaptability for a dynamic and diverse workplace.

the focus was often too narrow and limited to involvement in hands-on community projects.

These are important initiatives, yet insufficient as stepping stones to a stronger sense of social commitment. This sense is premised on an ability to relate to larger social issues and enduring moral categories, strong empathy with the needs and aspirations of others, a sense of fairness, and a definition of accomplishment in life that goes beyond financial and even career success.

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“When will we know we are done?” or “Will we always be making change?”

Understanding of the social world and one’s calling has never come naturally or easily. In today’s fast-paced and technologically saturated environment the task becomes even more difficult.

The minds and brains of students are too often crowded with personally relevant information – movies, pop charts, electronic gadgets, video games, and Facebook updates. This existential clutter requires strong conceptual thinking to cut through the bits and pieces of fleeting information bombarding the senses in order to see patterns and meaning. Acquiring such intellectual ability is made ever more difficult by the information overload generated by our hurried and relentlessly mediated world. This is the ultimate irony of the information age: It requires ever greater focus and intellectual acumen, yet the hectic complexity and multiple distractions make attaining such mental sharpness an ever more difficult task.

In this fast-changing world, AUBG has not lost sight of its central purposes. Indeed, it has committed to redoubling its efforts to help students develop a sense of stronger civic engagement and social responsibility – qualities highlighted by the recklessness and naked greed of well-qualified finance executives that fueled speculation in the run-up to the current financial crisis. In discussions during the development of AUBG’s Strategic Plan the issue of social responsibility attracted much attention from faculty and students. But I had a sense that

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In addition to the ability to develop an integrated intellectual grasp of the world beyond the immediate relevance of pop culture and instant communication, social responsibility is also premised on a proper emotional sensitivity to the hardships and hopes of others. This may be the hardest nut to crack. “Empathy” has now become a buzzword, and the usual approach to helping students develop it is to involve them in service learning and various community projects. The challenge is to link the experiences and feelings these activities generate to a sense of how we fit in the larger social world. It strikes me as entirely plausible that many of the traders involved in the frenzied transactions which brought about the current financial calamity did volunteer work and discussed tricky cases in business ethics classes; yet they somehow failed to grasp the link between those two activities.

Empathy can also be developed in the classroom through engagement with great works of literature, history, and social theory – from the interplay of passion and power in Shakespeare to the analysis of the depressing banality of evil in Hannah Arendt, or the fusion of fantasy and eery reality in Aldous Huxley and other dystopian visions. In this arena liberal education has the strongest competitive edge – an advantage which should not be blunted in the unavoidable pursuit of more direct and transparent vocational relevance. Yet, the torrents of distractions and temptations we all face can easily undermine our ability to engage in sustained internal dialogue with great ideas expressed sometimes on hundreds of pages uninterrupted by visual stimulation.

Faculty face this challenge to no lesser degree than students, as we lag behind in our ability to tune into multiple communication channels and multitask like “digital natives.” Living up to the promise of a comprehensive liberal education will therefore require a renewed partnership between students and faculty in a joint effort to reach across the generational divide – with students accepting our assistance in their efforts to put their immediate experiences into a larger social context, and helping us ground abstract concepts in issues they find relevant and stimulating, yet not entirely familiar (like, for example, the need to draw a meaningful distinction between the concepts of greed – praised so memorably by Gordon Gekko in Wall Street – and self-interest). This is an upgrade to AUBG’s educational model we cannot afford to postpone.

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The Black/North SEAS project has received ample media coverage

Re-inventing Society through Art

By Boryana Gotsova

“The existence beyond the material. The assumption that there are territories, even entire worlds, invisible to the eye. The freedom to uphold your opinion even when it is contrary to the commonly accepted one. The spiritual strength to go through failures and try again and again. And to continue believing when everyone says you are wrong. This is madness. But also sanctity.” Nedyalko Delchev’s inspiring definition of creativity, however, is more than beautiful words. It is a credo that he puts into practice every day and that has motivated his participation in social art projects over the past decade.

A professor of theater and acting at AUBG, Delchev is on leave from the University during Fall 2009, but he is hardly resting. During the past several months, he has been busy working on a Europe-wide social art project called Black/ North SEAS and funded by a European Union Culture Programme grant. The program consists of over 15 artistic projects run by artists from the Black and North Sea regions and addresses social, political, and environmental issues facing East European cities. According to the Black/ North SEAS website, the project is more specifically “an ongoing investigation of how artistic initiatives can lift urban re-invention and environmental issues to the forefront, through the very act of concretely confronting the contemporary city scape.”

SEAS creator and artistic director Chris Torch describes his vision for the project thus: “Today our urban environments are rapidly privatized,

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with a focus on consumption rather than intellectual or community exchange. The ‘piazza’ becomes the ‘market’ – and if you are not consuming than you have no right or reason to be there... The Arts might inspire courage – in citizens, politicians and civil servants – to resist the temptation to sacrifice our cities for shortsighted economic gains.”

As the Bulgaria coordinator of the program, Delchev has had the opportunity to work with talented artists from all over Europe. His contribution to the project is called The Suitcases, a street spectacle he produced in conjunction with the Plovdiv Drama Theater, and whose central theme is migration.

The SEAS program has so far toured numerous festivals in Bulgaria, Turkey, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with shows in Georgia and Ukraine scheduled for 2010.

Delchev believes that art plays a vital role in people’s lives, especially at a time of social upheaval. “Art … is an island for each of us. It This is not Delchev’s first social art project of is a church for the spirit, where everyone seeks that scope. In 2000, he participated in the Hotel and finds comfort… I guess the time is such – a Europa initiative, a mega-production conceived time for destruction of communities, of the and realized by Torch and ten of the best East physical communities, and for creation of virtual European performing arts ones. And in my temple – a professionals. laptop – I have a narthex of “Art ... is a church for the spirit, an altar to Chagall, In addition to his involvewhere everyone seeks and finds Fellini, several volumes by St. Dosment with Black/North comfort…” toyevsky, icons of Buñuel, SEAS, Delchev’s interNedyalko Delchev Tarkovsky, Marquez, Piazpretation of the Bulgarian zolla… Art has never been comedy Poker premiered in October 2009 at more accessible.

And paradoxically, while it used the Nikola Vaptsarov Drama Theater in Blagoto socialize the individual – theater, cinema, evgrad. concert, literary reading, recital – everything At AUBG, Delchev directs plays with all-student forms communities, today all of this could hapcasts. He views his work with young people not pen, without leaving the room.” as a one-way delivery of knowledge, but as an Yet, despite modern man’s increasing preferopportunity to help them develop their talent. ence for virtual communication, conventional Delchev says that art cannot be taught the way a theater is unsurpassed in allowing audience and craft can. “I once read Plato and, of course, I fell actors to interact and help each other build a in love with Socrates. He says that the teacher is performance and give it meaning, he says. “The a maia. This is an ancient Greek word for midaudience comes as if to a festivity, to something wife. Socrates claims that the Teacher helps the different, something outside the logic of Dow Student get born for a second time. He helps.

Jones and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The audiThat is all. The will to be born is personal, but ence comes to live for a while in a world that is we can help,” he says. more enchanting than the one of the screen… A Delchev finds it rewarding when former stuworld impossible and wonderful.” dents tell him that classes with him have enriched them. Two active alumni troupes, which have carried on the Delchev legacy beyond AUBG, are a testament to the inspirational power of his mentorship.

Top and right: The Suitcases, a street spectacle Delchev produced in conjunction with the Plovdiv Drama Theater, whose central theme is migration

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The Mystification and Demystification of Undergraduate Research

By Cosmina Tanasoiu, Assistant Professor of European Studies

In the past, research was limited to research universities, to doctoral candidates, and to faculty.

Now, it is like the Holy Grail of quality higher education. Everyone likes to boast about funding it. Administrators like to report it to accreditation agencies. Faculty like to supervise it because it takes the “under” out of undergraduate education. Students like it for the added value it brings to their CVs and their graduate applications.

The surge of interest is reflected in the growing number of undergraduate research conferences, research grants, and journals. AUBG is part of this movement: Senior theses across majors, dedicated resources (from funding to faculty), and annual student conferences have become over the years part of the AUBG institutional fiber.

Encouraged by students, the Strategic Plan focuses on how best to encourage and extend this work — not as a career booster or as a fancy section in the annual achievement report, but because creativity and new knowledge are a fundamental purpose of higher education. And above everything else, research is an exciting intellectual exercise. It is a question waiting to be answered and, as such, it carries all the mystique of an unsolved puzzle. Like creative writing it requires imagination, but unlike creative writing it is constrained by rules and regulations. Research will not transcend the stage of a nice idea unless supported by discipline.

Undergraduate research does not have to be a new version of Einstein’s theory of relativity to be good. Neither should it be allowed to be an agglomeration of words, occasionally supported by indiscriminately selected sources, with little to offer the reader. Gathering anecdotal information or recycling already existing data is not research.

While surveys of undergraduate research show that at this level students are less likely to produce conceptual, theoretical research, they are capable of producing empirical studies which have the advantage of engaging the student directly and intensely with the subject.

Like all undergraduate education, research at this level is about learning the ropes. Great students do not automatically transform into great

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researchers. The illusions most students seem to have when deciding to do research is that quantity matters, that pilling up information is enough.

In fact, a student should approach research the same way one approaches any new field of study.

Academic research has its own rules, norms, and requirements one needs to follow to be allowed to play. Students cannot expect and cannot be expected to write more than they read. Therefore, basic research skills develop with each course which requires a significant amount of academic reading. Throughout their sophomore and junior years, students should consolidate their understanding of what an academic source is and how to use it (the difference between a quote and paraphrasing, between references and bibliography). Critical reading and disciplined writing do not happen in a vacuum and not through writing assignments for which faculty feedback is limited to “no thesis” and “could be better.” Courses in theories and methodologies of research teach students how to ask a question, explain that there is no one true direction (be it theory, method, methodological approach, reference styles), and demonstrate that almost anything can stand if consistent, coherent, well supported, well argued, and well written.

Though the final responsibility for the quality of research lies with the student, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to challenge the student every step of the way. Research is a process where self-directed work mixes with mentoring with the purpose of exploring an issue of interest to students and communicating the results to others.

These projects involve inquiry, design, investigation, research, scholarship, discovery, application, and writing to a greater or lesser degree depending on the topic or field of inquiry.

Research, for both student and faculty member, is not a smooth process. And for a researcher, it is not just the process that is important (generally frustrating, annoying, and head-scratching but also self-empowering), but also the ending point that is exhilarating — an end point that you can defend, and possibly publish. And most important for an undergraduate student is the ability to say: I did this.

ACADEMICS

European Studies at AUBG: Opportunities and Challenges

By Jean Crombois, Assistant Professor of European Studies

Since its inception in 2001, the major in European Studies at AUBG has gathered considerable pace and has established itself as a popular subject among students. The program was built in the context of Bulgaria’s pre-accession negotiations with the European Union, and EU membership has brought new challenges and opportunities to the curriculum.

Because of our very diverse student population, the major has to respond to different demands.

Bulgarian students are eager to grasp the growing impact of membership on the country.

Students from countries either officially on the path to EU membership, such as Macedonia, or potential future member states, such as Albania and other Western Balkan countries, are still viewing the European Union in terms of pre-accession. Finally, students from countries not yet headed toward EU membership appreciate the growing significance of the European Union for the future of their respective countries. In view of these demands, the European Studies program faces the constant challenge of keeping a balanced approach that takes into consideration the interests of all students.

EU membership has opened up new possibilities to Bulgarian and Romanian students majoring in European Studies. First, job opportunities are more numerous than ever before as students can apply for positions across the European Union, albeit with some remaining restrictions. Second, students are now admitted to graduate programs in European Studies on an equal footing with their EU peers, most notably in terms of tuition costs. As a result, a growing number of our graduates are successfully pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees at universities across Europe – in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

as we are already partially doing, that deal not only with the institutional framework of the EU but also with the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of membership. Such courses would be of interest to students considering working as consultants, public servants, or NGO officers.

Based on student demand, the major in European Studies currently offers courses focusing on the legal aspects of EU integration. But there is also room for greater cooperation between the European Studies major and the other academic disciplines at AUBG. Such cooperation already exists with the Department of Economics with the effect that the University offers very useful courses on the economic aspects of European integration. The interdisciplinary approach could be further expanded to Business and Journalism, as well as to some scientific subjects such as Environmental Studies. This would allow students to grasp the importance of the European dimension in their respective fields, a valuable addition to their chosen specialization which, without a doubt, will enrich their educational experience and expand their career options.

These circumstances would certainly lead the European Studies program to put more emphasis on practical preparation that can be useful in the European job market. For example, our language requirements already put our students in a privileged position in multilingual Europe.

We could build on that by developing courses,

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AUBG Opens New Horizons of Opportunities

By Lacey Cope, USA

I quicken my steps as I hear the first sounds of the gajda preparing to launch into a melody. It is twilight and I’m walking through the woodlands, being careful not to trip over the redwood trees’ roots that have managed to push through the dirt. I hear the tambura, gadulka, and tupan begin to play along. I cannot wait to reach the dance hall and join the line – I can already tell it is a pajdushko, one of my favorite rhythms to dance. As I burst into the room, I am overwhelmed with happiness at being surrounded by friends and family who share my passion for Balkan folk culture.

This is a common scene from my childhood.

My father is a multi-instrumentalist who was very involved in the formation of the Eastern European Folklife Center (EEFC), a nonprofit organization that celebrates and teaches folk music and dance. Every summer, the EEFC organizes week-long workshops to educate people about the traditions of the Balkans. It is through these workshops that I discovered my passions: clarinet, saxophone, singing, and dance. It was through this connection to the Balkans that I was able to travel to Bulgaria with my family in the summer of 2005. We went to immerse ourselves in folk culture at the Koprivshtitsa festival and wound up falling in love with the people.

Ever since I returned home from that trip, I have dreamed of the day I could return to Bulgaria.

The road that led me to finally attending AUBG was lengthy. Initially, I stumbled upon the school while looking up summer or semesterlong volunteer programs in the area, specifically Lacey Cope was co-organizer of and enthusiastic participant in the Bulgarian Language and Culture Evening at AUBG

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working in orphanages. By chance, I found an article describing a partnership between students at the American University in Bulgaria and a local orphanage. Upon doing further research, I became more impressed by the institution and all it had to offer and decided it was where I needed to study. Because my home university, San Francisco State, denied me spending a semester abroad at a non-sponsored school, I made the decision to apply independently as a visiting student. At the same time I completely readjusted my life goals and decided not to pursue nursing, as had been my original plan. With newly aligned priorities, I also decided to take a leap of faith and transfer to AUBG. After being accepted to AUBG as a regular student, the months leading up to my departure from California were full of mixed emotions and second-guessing. Though my friends and family were supportive of my decision, saying goodbye was bittersweet. Immediately after arriving here, I felt confident I had made the right choice.

The overabundance of extracurricular activities available enticed me to become very plugged into the community. Every day of the week, I am committed to rehearsals and meetings for the Better Community Club, Musical, AUBG Choir, and the “Biser” Ensemble. Being so involved has led me to some incredible experiences so far, including traveling to Kemer, Turkey with the choir in early November. Not only did we win second place in the international choir competition, but I also got the opportunity to bond with a diverse, talented, and impressive group within the larger AUBG community.

AUBG Choir Wins Second Place at Turkey Festival The AUBG Choir participated in the first Antalya International Choir Festival held Nov. 3-9, 2009. In the Children and Youth Choirs category AUBG-ers competed with three other choirs from Bulgaria and a choir each from Turkey, Egypt, and Lithuania. The jury, with a representative from each of the participating countries, selected the choir from Vilnius, Lithuania as the absolute winner unanimously. Choir “Bodra Pesen” from Shumen, Bulgaria was also awarded first place. The AUBG choir shared second place with the choir from Ankara, Turkey.

The repertoire of the AUBG choir included a diverse selection of pieces. For the competitive part, choir conductor Hristo Krotev chose a Latin chant, a Bulgarian folk song, and a Russian piece whose lyrics were penned by the Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin. In addition, the choir performed a swing song, an aria by Giuseppe Verdi, and an Eastern Orthodox chant. The choir’s performance made a strong impression on the audience, who gave them a standing ovation.

Choir conductor Hristo Krotev and students

Prominent Speakers and AUBG Students Discuss Hot Regional Issues

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Aside from the groups I am already involved with, there are many more I look forward to joining. For example, recently I helped organize the incredibly successful Bulgarian Language and Culture Evening. I anticipate my continued involvement with increasing students’ awareness of the rich folklore surrounding us here in Blagoevgrad, especially in the fields of music and dance. AUBG is such an eclectic school full of possibilities for the future. I cannot help but continue to be thankful for the decision I made and for the new horizons of opportunities presented to me since coming here.

By Adelina Pavlova Prominent Serbian intellectual and political figure Ivan Vejvoda, former Bulgaria Ambassador to the U.S. Elena Poptodorova, and French political science expert Pierre Hassner were the first distinguished guests to visit AUBG as part of the Ambassador Elena Poptodorova Distinguished Lecturers Series. The series kicked off in September 2009 with the support of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad and bears Ambassador Poptodorova’s name in honor of her contribution to strengthening the American-Bulgarian partnership. The lectures aim to acquaint AUBG community members with and give them a chance to discuss pressing political and socioeconomic issues pertaining to Eastern Europe, such as NATO’s role in the region, U.S.-EU cooperation, and environmental, social, and political challenges facing the countries of the region. Upcoming speakers include Hungarian academic and politician George Schopflin and former Bulgaria Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Ivan Stancioff.

“Ivan Vejvoda is one of the public intellectuals that went out of [the] intellectual ivory tower and assumed civic responsibility by engaging in the political transformation of his country” was how AUBG European Studies Professor Cosmina Tanasoiu introduced Ivan Vejvoda, the first speaker in the series.

Vejvoda is the executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, a project of the German Marshall Fund dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions in Southeastern Europe. During his remarkable professional career he held the office of Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to ex-Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Vejvoda is also a prominent scholar who wrote and co-edited a

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number of well-known scientific publications on Balkan politics and democratization. He visited AUBG on November 3, 2009, and met with students, faculty and staff.

Vejvoda talked about how international aid organizations have contributed to ethnic stability in the Balkans. After the lecture, the audience had the chance to ask questions. The diverse gathering of students and faculty members, coming from different academic backgrounds, laid the foundations for a remarkable and enriching discussion.

Vejvoda competently responded to the audience’s queries, which ranged from national traditions and European integration to leadership and cooperation in the Balkan region. When the topic of nationalism, regional wars, and ethnic prejudice came up, Vejvoda emphasized the need for cooperation and pointed out that AUBG was “an example of overcoming our differences.”

“Ivan Vejvoda’s visit at AUBG was of great importance since he represents the transition towards democracy on the Balkans. I believe that it is crucial for AUBG to invite such guests since they broaden the intellectual horizons of the students and provide them with unique experiences,” said senior Vesela Bodurova, who showed Vejvoda around the AUBG campus.

The second guest in the series was Ambassador Poptodorova herself, who talked about the geopolitical and economic importance of the Black Sea region. “Speaking of the Black Sea, I think it is not just a job unfinished, it is a job hardly ever started,” Ambassador Poptodorova said, emphasizing the need to strengthen regional cooperation and to work within organizations that aim to promote such cooperation.

Ambassador Poptodorova visited AUBG on the date that marked the beginning of democracy in Bulgaria – November 10. “I really want us to feel that we are talking tonight in the context of history making, of a unique event,” she said.

The frank and direct manner in which this remarkable and experienced Bulgarian diplomat presented the facts and encouraged students to freely

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discuss the hot issues of energy, environment, and security made an impression on everyone. Ambassador Poptodorova received many questions after her talk and congratulated the students on their insightful remarks, using her outstanding expertise in those fields to satisfy the audience’s curiosity.

From 2002 to 2008 Poptodorova was Bulgaria’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America. Upon her return home, until August 2009, she served as Ambassador-atLarge for the Black Sea Region at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Ambassador Poptodorova took the position of director of the Security Policy Directorate as of August 1, 2009. She also serves on AUBG’s Board of Trustees.

On November 26, the AUBG community had a chance to meet another outstanding guest – Pierre Hassner, a wellknown scholar in the field of international relations and Research Director Emeritus of the Centre for International Studies and Research (CERI), Paris. Hassner’s provocative discourse started off with an analysis of whether U.S. and EU leadership is important for world stability. Hassner reminded the audience of how fragile peace and democracy are in our world and questioned the existence of real leadership and stability in this complex system.

Senior Sofiya Tsvetkova, who is majoring in European Studies at AUBG, thought Hassner’s lecture was inspiring. “His ‘expose’ on the EU-U.S. relations in the realm of security was impressively concise and simultaneously thorough. It was a pleasure to listen to his analysis,” Tsvetkova said.

“We are very happy about the reaction the series has had so far. Both the impressions that students shared with us and the atmosphere one can feel in the audience during the lectures show that there is a need for such a forum for discussion on campus,” says third-year student Asen Dimitrov, who helps organize the series. “AUBG-ers show interest in what is happening in the world and the region, and the chance to have a discussion with people who influence or are involved in many timely events is crucial to support this interest and help it develop.”

NEWS AND EVENTS

AUBG Students and Orphanage Children Put On a Christmas Show

By Simona Atanasova and Yavor Stratev

Excitement, curiosity, and thrill could be read on the children’s faces as they were getting on stage to perform their numbers. Clad in their best outfits, the young performers were eager to show what they learned after months of working with AUBG student tutors on music and dance acts, as well as language skills. The Christmas concert “Bright Little Stars” took place on December 16, 2009 in front of a 100-strong audience of AUBG community members and guests. The stars of the show, children aged 4 to 16 from the Blagoevgrad orphanage, treated the spectators to a variety of songs in Bulgarian and English and showed off their dancing skills, their cheerful mood infecting the audience, who sang and tapped along with the performers.

The concert was part of an educational project aimed at kids from the “St. Nikolay Mirlikliyski” Orphanage in Blagoevgrad and initiated by the AUBG student-run Better Community Club (BCC) . Over a year ago the student club and the Blagoevgrad municipality reached an agreement that AUBG students could pay regular visits to children from the orphanage. Yavor Kiryakov, then vice president of the BCC and now an active member, says that at the beginning the idea was met with great enthusiasm from both

AUBG students and orphanage children. Apart from Yavor, who headed the project, around twenty other student volunteers started doing weekly visits to the orphanage. During three weekly sessions AUBG students taught the kids English and communication skills.

There were also bumps along the way. Because of the pressure of class schedules and school workload, only a third of the student volunteers stuck with the project. Language Professor Sabina Wien, who advises the club, says that she understands the difficulty of keeping up such a commitment. “One has to go regularly, not just on and off. Otherwise kids feel betrayed!” Wien says.

Some tutors dropped out because the daily contact with orphaned children was too hard for them, Kiryakov says. Another challenge was finding the right pedagogical approach with children of diverse ages and abilities. At their end, the pupils grew tired of being given so much homework and lost interest in studying.

“The moment came to think of something new that would revive children’s enthusiasm and improve the communication between them and the students,” Kiryakov says. This is how the idea of a musical performance was born. Because it involved mutual learning and engaged both teachers and pupils equally in the process, putting on a talent show was the perfect way to breathe new life into the project.

Language is never a barrier when it comes to friendship

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The first performance took place in April 2009 and featured songs, poems, and short sketches.

Since the show was a success, preparation for a second performance in December got under way. Kiryakov says that the rehearsals helped tutors and children develop a closer relationship.

The project gathered pace again, attracting even international students despite their inability to speak Bulgarian. The language barrier, however, didn’t turn out to be a substantial hindrance, and students from Albania, the U.S., and the Czech Republic managed to communicate and bond with the kids. The AUBG-ers became role models for them while learning a few invaluable lessons themselves – how to be more patient and listen to one another. “It was mainly about teaching them that working on a project with vigor and consistency is worth it,” Wien says.

For Kiryakov and the several other committed project participants the experience was difficult but highly gratifying. “When I see the smile on the kids’ faces, I know I’ve reached my goal and I feel extremely happy,” Kiryakov says. Anyone who saw his face beaming with pride at his pupils during the concert in the Blagoevgrad Youth Center would know he really means it. The presence of Kiryakov’s family, who had traveled all the way from the Bulgarian seaside town of Varna to see the concert, was a further testament to how strongly he feels about his work with the orphans.

Face-to-Face Recruiting: Being There for the Student

By Sylvia Zareva

This fall Azerbaijani Sona Mammadova visited AUBG for the second time. The repeat trip impressed her no less than her first visit to the University the year before. This time around, Mammadova had a chance to attend classes and sit in on student-organized events, which reaffirmed her conviction that AUBG is a great place for young people.

“I liked its system of training, and all the opportunities that are available to students for learning and improving themselves. Students are not only taught, also they spend their student life in activities and developing their potential, which is very important for their future,” she says.

Mammadova recruits for and deals with applicants to AUBG out of her office in Baku, Azerbaijan. She visited AUBG in September 2009 as part of a yearly training program that the Admissions Office conducts to help international coordinators receive firsthand knowledge of the University and get to know their Bulgariabased colleagues. The experience helps them gain personal impressions of the place, identify students who would benefit the most from an AUBG education, and answer prospective students’ questions more adequately.

The experience is invaluable, says Valentina Yuchenkova, AUBG’s coordinator in Belarus.

“When you get first-hand knowledge of students’ life [at the University], you have something to share with your prospects and their parents.” Talking to AUBG students from Belarus, Yuchenkova learned that living in the University’s international community, students become more tolerant but also more aware of their culture and come to appreciate it more.

It struck her as a wonderful example of what the University stands for, which is why she includes the anecdote in presentations about AUBG.

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Thus, recruiters not only give presentations about the University but inquire about students’ educational preferences and concerns. It is not unusual for AUBG recruiters to act as education counselors, pointing students in the right direction.

*** Over its nineteen-year history the University has grown tenfold to include students representing over 35 countries and a variety of age groups, religions, academic backgrounds, and interests.

In order to maintain quality and meet the needs of such a diverse student population, AUBG recruiters travel near and far to meet personally with high school students and identify those who would best fit into AUBG’s liberal system.

For the purpose, the University’s Admissions Office employs coordinators in selected countries while its staff, aided by current students, alumni, and professors, make frequent trips to target countries, talking with potential students and learning about their cultures and educational aspirations.

One thing that most college-bound high school students look for in a university education is personal attention – a human touch – recruiters have found; in a globalized, open world students are increasingly displeased with the formality of administrators and an impersonal education process.

In order to attract top candidates, AUBG’s recruitment model mirrors the educational model the school offers, namely its openness and encouragement of dialogue, says AUBG History Professor Diego Lucci, who went on several recruitment trips with AO staff. That is, AUBG approaches recruiting new students the same way it educates: by encouraging dialogue and critical thinking, by engaging students and helping them realize what they really want.

NEWS AND EVENTS

Lucci explains. Individual attention, interactive teaching, and respect for students’ opinions are the norm at AUBG.

And what better way to do that than a personal touch? Svetozar Dimitrov, an AUBG alum employed by the Admissions Office, learned that telling a personal story about his University days is often more effective in convincing high school students that AUBG is the right place for them than a detailed presentation. Moldovan Anatolie Cernii, another AUBG graduate employed by the University, says that to win the hearts and minds of potential students, “face-to-face communication can’t be replaced by anything, even in this era of hi-tech communication. This is the most powerful way of interaction that will never go away.” What Cernii learned is that “young people tend to understand better informal communication, it creates a bond.”

The most important goal of face-to-face recruiting is mutual comprehension. Sofia-based admission counselor Iliana Bobova said it best: “It is important that prospective students and their families understand AUBG as well as we, admission counselors, understand the applicants so that we can be convinced that AUBG will be a good fit for them.” Recruiting is not about being a sales person; student and university should be carefully matched. “Otherwise, neither the student, nor AUBG will be satisfied. This will be a lose-lose situation,” Bobova adds.

For Mammadova the best thing about recruiting is knowing that one can be useful, that “you can really help [students] choose the best future.”

“When talking of AUBG to high school students, I try to be as friendly and informal as possible. I try to give them an idea of how things are at AUBG, an American-style college, very different from many European-style universities,” AUBG President David Huwiler talks to prospective students in Turkmenistan, March 2009

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AUBG Student Distinguishes Himself in Global Microsoft Contest

By Sylvia Zareva

Ergys Ristani, a third-year student from Albania, came in twelfth in a Microsoft robotics competition in the summer of 2009. Microsoft Imagine Cup 2009 attracted 60,000 college students from 142 countries and included disciplines, such as Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Design, IT Challenge, and Robotics and Algorithms, among others.

“The Imagine Cup encourages young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. Now in its eighth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real world issues,” reads the Imagine Cup website.

Ristani competed in the Robotics and Algorithms category, successfully completing two rounds and coming ahead of several hundred other participants. In the first round, Ristani had to design a sumo wrestler robot that was able to push its Microsoft opponent out of the ring.

The second round upped the challenge by having contestants design an autonomous Mars rover. Only 32 out of 255 qualified participants succeeded in completing the task.

Ristani’s work was ranked twelfth.

“This is a great achievement,” wrote Computer Science Professor Stoyan Bonev in a congratulatory note.

Ristani’s latest achievement is just one in a series of accomplishments. The recipient of an Elvin Guri scholarship and an active member of the student body, Ristani received a certificate for an Outstanding Achievement in Programming at Honors Convocation on April 12, 2009.

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Ristani also helped develop an online voting system for the Student Government elections last year. “I wanted to do something for the community,” Ristani said.

His contributions to the community do not end there. His online voting program was later used to facilitate voting in the popular student entertainment show More-Honors. Ristani also wrote and filmed a promotional video clip for one of the biggest community events at AUBG, the Albanian national day party.

“As a recipient of an Elvin Guri scholarship, Ergys is just the type of student Elvin aimed to attract to AUBG,” said AUBG Provost Ann Ferren. Elvin Guri, a 1996 AUBG graduate from Albania, is a successful entrepreneur who founded JetFinance International and currently sits on the AUBG Board of Trustees. Guri donated $500,000 to AUBG for scholarships for talented Albanian and Bulgarian students.

Practical Education for the Future

By Ergys Ristani

My participation in the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2009 competition in the Robotics and Algorithms category earned me twelfth place among hundreds of other contestants.

What I discovered in the process is a passion for computer vision algorithms, a subject area I learned a lot about as I was building my robot entries for the competition.

In the 2010 edition of Microsoft Imagine Cup I am switching to the Software Design category and I am already part of a team consisting of four AUBG students. Our goal is to develop a system where many people can have access to the same computer simultaneously. A big screen is projected onto a flat table and split into as many sections as there are

Every team member has chosen a role that he likes and through which he can give his best.

Based on the experience that I gained last year, my duty is to recognize and interpret hand gestures acquired by a webcam mounted on top of the table. We have already laid the groundwork for developing the software, which will be used mainly for educational purposes and for communication among young people. I am very optimistic about our chances of success and pleased to have AUBG’s support in this: Our team has been given all necessary resources to work efficiently on the project.

What I have really enjoyed since childhood is learning through competing, and AUBG provides the right mix of competitiveness and support to aid my education. Here students get a chance to participate in different contests and the opportunity to apply in practice the concepts that they learn in Computer Science classes. It is not just about the experience that you gain through winning or being defeated, but also about the creativity you develop in a liberal arts system. Professors are supportive and willing to help you apply your ideas. What I consider most valuable in their courses are the practice sessions and project assignments that help you develop hands-on skills in addition to theoretical knowledge. Students come out of AUBG prepared for the job market or further studies.

In the short term, I would be pleased to work and train together with other AUBG students in the near future again. Furthermore, I would like to help organize more competitive on-campus events. Beyond that, I would like to pursue graduate studies and do research in the field of computer vision and, following that, either work in the field or study further to become a professor or a researcher.

AUBG Students Take a Stand against Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking

STUDENT LIFE

users sitting around it. Every user will be able to interact with his own screen region only by using hand gestures.

By Adelina Pavlova

In November 2009 AUBG students ran a weeklong campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking and domestic violence in Bulgaria and the region. The initiative featured a panel discussion with Bulgarian government and NGO officials, high school visits, a research conference, film screenings, as well as a poster awareness campaign. Co-organizers of the drive were People to People International (PTPI) AUBG Chapter and Rotaract Blagoevgrad-Centrum.

Representatives from the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the Animus Association, Face to Face International, and the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation participated in a panel discussion on November 23 which attracted over 200 students, faculty, staff, and Blagoevgrad community members. The panellists talked about preventive government measures, as well as resources for victims of trafficking and familial violence.

The panel discussion was followed by a cocktail and an auction of artistic photographs taken by AUBG students. The raised funds were donated to the Samaritans Crisis Center for Women, a shelter for victims of household abuse in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. The highest bidder for a picture was a representative of the American Embassy in Bulgaria. AUBG students and professors also participated actively in the auction.

AUBG volunteers, together with government and NGO representatives, visited high schools in Blagoevgrad between Nov. 23 and 27, acquainting adolescents with the gravity of the problems and educating them on where and how to get help in an emergency. Teenagers also had a chance to talk about their concerns and ask questions.

As part of the campaign, a research conference on the theme of “Women Over the Globe� took place on November 24. Anthropology Professor Mark Stefanovich opened the event with a talk about women in the global workforce. Students touched on the problem of domestic violence in

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the Middle East and the position of women in the media. Other events in the campaign included a workshop with a leading Bulgarian psychologist, who trains people in combating domestic violence, and screenings of movies and video clips dealing with these themes.

AUBG senior Slavena Ivanova, who participated in some of the events, said: “The campaign was of great importance not only for AUBG students but also for the Blagoevgrad community. It is vital that we start talking about these serious problems in our society. I believe that they have been silenced for too long.”

The campaign was widely covered by local and national media, which, according to the organizers, is a testament to its effectiveness.

Educating Tomorrow’s Responsible Leaders: Zhikica Pagovski

By Antoniya Parapanova

The quality of a university is measured by different criteria, such as the diversity of its student body, the quality of its faculty, and the facilities it offers, among others. In recent years, youth activism has emerged as an important yardstick for measuring a school’s caliber. And as far as

active student involvement with social, political, and environmental issues is concerned, AUBG rates among the world’s top universities as it not only attracts but also encourages students who demonstrate a commitment to social action.

Macedonian Zhikica Pagovski is one of those students who lend substance to AUBG’s mission of educating “students of outstanding potential in a community of academic excellence, diversity, and respect and to prepare them for democratic and ethical leadership in serving the needs of the region and the world.” The AUBG third-year student’s achievements so far fill several pages, yet they are only a preface to his current projects and future plans. Always busy organizing a conference or getting signatures for a student project or running to a Student Government meeting, Pagovski has had very little down time for the past three years. And he revels in being so involved. He always has.

From an early age, Pagovski has demonstrated strong ambition and a proclivity for social involvement. In addition to being a top student throughout primary and secondary school, he signed up for leadership conferences and training programs that would help him gain knowledge and identify areas in which his contribution would be most beneficial. He participated in European Union, leadership, and public relations learning programs. Among the highprofile events he has attended are the Third Forum for Approving the National Strategy of Youth in Macedonia, Youth Forum, and the Mosaic Project Training Seminar. Positions he has held include project manager, assistant coordinator, and peer educator. Because building youth activism transcends national boundaries, Pagovski decided he needed to look for a university abroad that would support him in his endeavors.

After talking to AUBG students he knew Pagovski was immediately sold on the idea that AUBG is the right place for him. Once here, he realized that the University was even better than he expected. “Here you have great opportunities for extracurricular activities, good education, the choice to do a double major… You receive a strong push in life,” Pagovski says. Furthermore, the University “assists you in pursuing ideas, plans and dreams. This was one of the best choices of my life.”

Pagovski got to work as soon as he set foot at AUBG. Student peers voted him into the Student Government two years in a row. He puts

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As a senator, Pagovski had a chance to meet with fellow senators from student governments worldwide at a conference in Rome, Italy. “This was a great opportunity to share experience about constitution creation, structural issues, functioning and many more,” Pagovski says, expressing excitement about having learned something new.

Apart from serving as a senator, Pagovski is part of the Student Ambassadors Club at AUBG and co-president of the Youth Empowerment Initiative Club, a forum allowing him to identify problems of the youth, promote and protect student rights, strengthen AUBG’s relationship with Blagoevgrad’s other institution of higher education, South West University, and help integrate AUBG in the Blagoevgrad community.

He is on the Dean’s and President’s lists and was awarded the Dimiter Lozanov Scholarship at AUBG during his sophomore year for a “demonstrated high level of intellectual and personal achievements.”

During his junior year Pagovski met with other world youth leaders from Europe at the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Award ceremony in London, United Kingdom where he was honored with a Goldman Sachs Leadership Award.

Only several months after the award ceremony Pagovski attended a conference in Krakow, Poland on the topic of “European Identity: Idea? Reality?” Students from eleven different countries took part in the conference. Zhikica presented a paper titled “Balkan Patriotism: The Necessity Which Is Unnecessary.”

The choice of topic is no coincidence. In tune with his commitment to social change, Pagovski wants to help Balkan youth overcome their prejudice of one another.

Thanks to his achievements, Pagovski received an invitation to become a member of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society. Typically, he does not like resting on old laurels and is already making plans about the future. Those include taking advantage of AUBG’s exchange program and continuing his studies after graduation in the area of Political Science and International relations with a focus on Europe.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

his success down to working hard and making sure everyone’s life got a little better because of his efforts. “My main goal has always been ‘improvement’: improvement of the evaluation process at AUBG, improvement of the feedback from students to professors, improvement of society as a whole…”

Building the Future, One Student at a Time

By Petya Eckler, Class of 2001

It’s 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I am at St. Louis International Airport waiting for my plane. As I count the minutes to departure, I go back to the last time I was here. It was a few months ago, in August, when I flew to Boston for the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), which gathers professors in mass communication and journalism. This event has become a regular treat for me since I started the doctoral program at the University of Missouri School of Journalism three years ago.

My first AEJMC conference was in 2006 in San Francisco. It was then that I realized I was not alone. While looking through the conference program, I saw a presentation on a familiar topic: portrayals of female politicians in the Bulgarian press. Afterward, I met with one of the authors to find out she was a former AUBGer like me: Dr. Elza Ibroscheva, assistant professor in mass communication at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She came to the United States in 1997 for a master’s degree and later a doctorate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “For me the reason to start a PhD was research,” she said. Her interest in science dated back to the Mathematics High School in Burgas, but she also loved English, which drew her to AUBG. It all came together through research.

“You find this passion for doing what really touches your interests… AUBG prepared me 100 percent for this state of natural curiosity.”

In much the same way, I ran into two other alumnae since then: Dr. Daniela Dimitrova, associate professor in new and electronic media at Iowa State University, and Dr. Nadia Kaneva, assistant professor in strategic communication

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daily interaction with students, doing research, and advancing in your scholarly work in one day.

“It just hits you like a tsunami and you try to swim out of it and you slowly move toward the top. It’s not immediate survival, but gradually you must move towards the top, you must find a balance,” she said. This year for the first time, after six years on the job, Ibroscheva is finding the balance.

Dr. Nadia Kaneva in Budapest, June 2009, for the conference “Beyond East and West: Two Decades of Media Transformation after the Fall of Communism” at the Central European University

at the University of Denver. They both graduated from AUBG in 1997 and found their way to graduate school quickly afterward. Dimitrova went to the University of Oregon for her master’s degree and later to the University of Florida for her doctorate. She wanted to get more education initially but was not quite sure what she wanted to do. She said AUBG prepared her very well for graduate school in terms of education and English skills but she was not so well prepared for a U.S. lifestyle.

Kaneva did her master’s degree at Syracuse University and her doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She went for the former for professional reasons, as she wanted to learn more about the advertising industry she was working in. But in the back of her mind, she knew she would end up in academia. “I was always interested in ideas, and curious about theories and how things worked,” she said. She also did not enjoy the corporate environment.

“Coming from Bulgaria and growing up under communism, I really had no idea what the corporate world was like,” she said. “I had fun and I definitely learnt a lot but I was just curious about bigger questions and wanted the freedom to ask the bigger questions. In the corporate world, there’s no room for that.”

Back at this year’s AEJMC conference, I got together with an old friend from my class of 2001: Dr. Gergana Nenkov, an assistant professor in marketing at Boston College. As we sat in a small café on Boston’s see-and-be-seen Newbury Street, we started catching up and talking about life in academia. One of her surprises after becoming a professor was with the number of duties one has to juggle. “As a student you also juggle courses but these are very different demands,” Nenkov said. This is also the best part of the job for Ibroscheva – fitting teaching, service,

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One advantage is Ibroscheva’s undergraduate education which gave her the drive to be resourceful and motivated about finding a solution. “We graduated from an institution that’s constantly reinventing itself. It was so perfect, even if it was imperfect,” she said. “This sense of doing something new and untested was totally exhilarating.” Nenkov also shared a sense of resilience that came from her days in Blagoevgrad. “The people there were so ambitious and smart and competitive, that it prepares you to be competitive in a different environment,” she said. “I was prepared for the workload coming from AUBG. It wasn’t a surprise that you have to study through the night.”

Now that all four have been professors for a while, they can see AUBG’s role from a different perspective. For Dimitrova, the University should strive to broaden students’ horizons about other cultures and communities. “That’s one of the most successful things about AUBG,” she said. This involves teaching students how to think critically, says Kaneva. “If we want students to be agents of change … they need to have the time and space in college to explore larger social questions and find out their own positions on them,” she said.

The trend toward specialization of the curriculum is common in American higher education and something which Kaneva finds problematic.

“I would try to strengthen the liberal arts core and not make AUBG a professional school that produces human cogs for the corporate machine. I don’t believe in extreme specialization because it narrows people’s horizons.” Ibroscheva, however, emphasized the need for teaching students to be professional, while still considering the big picture. “We must prepare students Dr. Daniela Dimitrova, associate professor at Iowa State University

to be professional in everything they do. We have to refocus on the issue of what’s considered to be the responsibility of the profession itself.”

For her, AUBG students must be prepared to be leaders in their profession through their norms, behavior, ethics, and innovative spirit.

The idea of contribution and giving back to society is frequently emphasized at Boston College, where Nenkov teaches, through its social justice mission. She hopes to see more of that at AUBG as well. “The culture of volunteering doesn’t exist in Bulgaria. But AUBG was a pioneer in that direction and maybe that’s something that needs to be emphasized and maybe included in the mission.”

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Elza Ibroscheva and Megan McClure at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s commencement ceremony held May 9, 2009

at Iowa State. Kaneva wrote her dissertation on Bulgaria’s efforts to launch a nation-branding campaign and keeps in touch with colleagues from AUBG who work in the Bulgarian media.

She’s currently working with Ibroscheva on a book chapter about the rise of consumerism in post-communist countries and hopes to continue this collaboration in the future. “One of the things I’ve run into is that research on Bulgaria doesn’t draw the same attention as work on larger countries like Russia, China or India, so it’s neat to find other people who are interested in doing research on Bulgaria.”

As for Ibroscheva, although she has not been back to Blagoevgrad in 10 years, she vicariously returned for a semester in Fall 2008, when a student of hers, Megan McClure, studied there.

“What a sweet and fortuitous moment to be a professor who now has a student at AUBG,” she said. As a director of graduate studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Ibroscheva plans to publicize the master’s program at her school among AUBG-ers. “I’d love to see some students from AUBG in our master’s program,” she said. “AUBG has a very special place in my heart for many, many reasons.”

telerik: A Success Story Edited excerpt from “Innovation in Process and Management in Bulgaria: the Case of telerik” by Lucia F. Miree, Ph. D., and John Galletly, Ph. D.

Dr. Gergana Nenkov and her husband Valentin Nenkov are avid bikers and often go on trips in the area. Here, Nenkov on a biking trip to Cape Cod

But perhaps the most important aspect of AUBG is that it will continue to be connected to their future, both personally and professionally. Three of the ladies, Nenkov, Dimitrova, and Ibroscheva married their college sweethearts.

Dimitrova is looking into working with students and professors from Bulgaria through online seminars or exchange programs related to John Atanasoff, the father of the electronic digital computer and a surprise Bulgarian connection

We are sitting in a bright and airy conference room in a new building in a growing part of Sofia, Bulgaria, awaiting the arrival of the two Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Bulgarian software company telerik (spelled with a small “t”). The route to the conference room lies through the reception area where one wall is completely covered with awards for everything from product quality and excellence in service to being a top employer in the region, and through clean and light hallways, past large, open, work areas where pairs of individuals consult around computers. At the end of the route is the long modern conference room lit on two sides by walls of windows and opening to a full balcony overlooking the city. The chairs and other furniture are in the telerik colors of black and bright

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spring green, and the table is laid with cups, coffee, bottled water, dried fruits and nuts, all set for an official meeting in one of the world’s top three .NET component development corporations.

One of the co-CEOs, Svetozar Georgiev, enters, wearing shorts and a colorful short-sleeve shirt, and sits at the side of the table. The other, Vassil Terziev, also in shorts but with a bright t-shirt, hobbles into the meeting; he sports a large black brace on his left ankle, and begins animatedly recounting the morning practice of the company five-a-side football team and his resulting injury.

Terziev, who prefers the informal use of his first name, also settles in on the side of the table away from the accoutrements of a formal meeting.

Vassil plays in telerik’s football team with other employees in the “IT Football League” in Sofia.

The company rents an indoor football field so the team can play weekly games of five-a-side football, in friendly competitions with other company teams, including one from the British Council. Sports and physical activity at telerik is not limited to football because of its CEO; the company also supports volleyball and basketball teams and provides free memberships to clubs for other fitness activities, including swimming and tennis.

The sports focus, the informal dress, the friendliness of the senior management, and the new and spacious physical environment are all part of the telerik culture. It is what they do and how they do. Both action and achievement are part of the telerik culture. Work is serious here, but work is also fun. telerik is young in its history and has a workforce dominated by employees in their 20s and 30s.

Everything from the creative titles used within the company (e.g., Human Capital Manager,

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Evangelist) to the office appearance to the expansive employee benefits are befitting a company with innovative products for Microsoft’s .NET technologies such as ASP.NET AJAX, WPF, and Silverlight.

In order to seek out young talent and maintain the quality of services offered by telerik, strong relationships have been developed with certain universities, including the American University in Bulgaria, where three of the founders graduated.

Who They Are: The History of telerik In 2002, four young friends (Vassil Terziev, Svetozar Georgiev, Boyko Iaramov and Hristo Kosev) – not long out of university and with an interest in computers, decided to leave their current jobs and pool their savings to set up their own software development business in Sofia.

This was the start of telerik – a name derived from an ancient Bulgarian ruler, Khan Telerig, with a twist on the end spelling. As Hristo, the only technically-minded person among the four, had already developed a User Interface (UI) control in his spare time for the newly-introduced Microsoft ASP.NET framework, they decided that the focus for telerik would be the development of rich, customizable controls for ASP.NET – controls that could be sold to customers who were developing their own ASP.NET applications but did not have the time or expertise to develop their own controls.

The four started with their own PCs, and worked from a rented room in an old office building.

The initial control was an instant success with their customers, and, buoyed up by this, the four decided in the same year to hire their first employee. During 2003, the existing controls were significantly improved and more controls were added to the suite, and the workforce increased to 12. telerik started to become a factor in the ASP. NET market for UI controls in 2004, with even more controls being developed. The company received a number of industry awards for its products, and accordingly raised the workforce to 29.

By 2005, telerik had become a recognized leader in web development controls for ASP.NET. More awards followed, and telerik became a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a fantastic accolade in itself. As well as more new controls, the Sitefinity content management system for websites was launched. To keep up with customer demand, the workforce was stepped up to number 47.

In 2006, more awards and recognition were won. telerik started presenting its products at industry

2007 was a big year for telerik. It was named number one employer in Bulgaria for small and medium-sized companies by Hewitt Associates.

As in the previous years, other awards also came in. And product evolution continued with the release of a control suite for the newly-released Silverlight technology. By now, the workforce numbered 125. In 2007, the company moved in to a brand-new office building in Sofia – telerik’s corporate headquarters.

In October of 2007, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu ranked telerik as third place in its “Rising Star” Technology Fast 50 program for the 50 fastest growing technology companies in Central and Eastern Europe. This award, which includes fast growing companies in technology, media and telecommunication, ranks companies based upon the percentage revenue growth over the previous three years. Rising Star winners, including telerik, automatically enter Deloitte’s EMEA Technology Fast 500, which ranks the 500 fastest growing technology companies in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The ranking is based on the financial percentage growth over the course of five years.

For the year 2008, telerik also received other awards, including being named the number three Best Employer in Central and Eastern Europe for Small and Medium Scale Companies by Hewitt Associates. Clearly, the company founded by these four young people was growing in many aspects and being recognized within the industry and within the larger business environment for its achievements and future.

If 2007 was a big year for telerik, then 2008 was remarkable. It introduced three new product lines: WPF, Silverlight and .NET ORM. telerik received an infusion of capital from Summit

Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm, which would be used to fund both organic growth and acquisitions. Part of this investment was used to acquire the German firm Vanatec, the ORM product line and open its Munich, Germany office. The workforce had now grown to 180.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

conferences and gatherings, and even organized a conference in Sofia for .NET developers – a yearly event which has continued since. Controls for ASP.NET AJAX were introduced. Following its philosophy of continuous product improvement and development, the workforce climbed to 76. During this year, a major step forward for the company was the opening of a telerik office in Boston (U.S.A.) for sales and customer support for the North American market. At the same time, the company adopted agile development and its components, changing the overall corporate culture.

telerik continues to produce high-quality products and to manage its company in ways that gain attention and respect. Today in 2009, those four young friends are still with the company and compose the top management team at telerik.

Vassil and Svetozar are co-CEOs; Boyko is Chief Information Officer (CIO); and, Hristo is Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The total workforce presently numbers over 200. The home office of telerik is in Sofia, Bulgaria, where most of the employees work. The U. S. office of approxi-

mately 10 is integrated with the Bulgaria sales team, while the Munich office of four is fully integrated with the .NET ORM team in Bulgaria.

The company also employs a small number of telecommuters from Russia and other countries who participate in synchronized sprints with the Bulgarian team. telerik also employs other individuals in the United States, who are known as company Evangelists (a term taken from Microsoft). These technical employees are employed to “create a buzz” about telerik products through webinars, conference presentations, interaction with user groups, and other activities and venues that facilitate interest in, and enthusiasm about, telerik. telerik is a recognized, world-wide leading vendor of ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, WinForms and WPF controls and components, as well as .NET Reporting, .NET ORM and .NET CMS solutions. Its controls portfolio alone now numbers over 160 products. Thousands of organizations in more than 70 countries use telerik’s products including Fortune 2000 companies such as Vodafone, Citigroup, Kodak, and Nike, as well as some of the world’s leading educational and nonprofit organizations including NASA, the World Bank, and Harvard University.

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

Ilir Fani, Albania, Class of 1997:

AUBG Graduates Make a Difference in the World

By Ana Tzalovska and Sylvia Zareva

Sixteen years ago, Ilir Fani, now Senior Credit Manager at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), came to AUBG all the way from Tirana in pursuit of better educational opportunities. He found that, and much more in Blagoevgrad: He made lifelong friends.

He had mentors open new horizons for him. He felt confident to face the unknowns of the big world out there.

Ilir says that AUBG “was for me a place where we were taught first how to think, rationalise and present our thoughts in a different way to what we were used to.” The University gave him the confidence that he was able to think and act as an equal partner in the business world, where he has risen high since his graduation from AUBG in 1997. He double-majored in Applied Economics and Business Administration.

To Ilir, AUBG is the place where he met inspiring professors and good friends. “Kaz Dadak and Symeon Giannakos were among the first professors I met at AUBG and was taught by. They taught fundamentally different subjects and were excellent teachers, as well as good advisors in what seemed at the time a huge but complicated world of opportunities for the AUBG freshmen,” he remembers.

Another mentor to Ilir was Professor James Derleth, who always pushed students to “open up our minds and look at different points of view, and be smart and creative.” Ilir adds that Professor Derleth “played an incredible role in mobilizing AUBG students out of apathy into thinking and creating a real student community in those early years.”

The place, as well as friends and mentors, left a mark on Ilir. Throughout his four years at AUBG, he lived in Volga, which was “small and old” but “I had some of the best years of my life there.”

Ilir Fani (right) with Professor Derleth (middle) and AUBG alumnus Dimitar Dimitrov, Class of 1997, some 16 years after the AUBG days

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Immediately after graduation Ilir did a summer internship with EBRD in London. He stayed on at the bank for almost nine years, working in various capacities. Then between 2006 and 2009 he worked for ING Group, the investment and insurance giant. As a director in the leveraged syndicated finance division of ING, Ilir was in charge of lending to companies who acquired other, ailing companies in order to turn them around.

In May 2009 following the market downturn he returned to EBRD, which he describes as “banking with a mission.” He talks of his career at EBRD as a very interesting time as it has involved “building something unique during the transition process in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and further into Russia and the former CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries.”

Ilir remembers experiencing a very tangible sense of accomplishment when he saw the finished product of an investment in an underdeveloped area in Kazakhstan – a brand-new brewery. “The place where it was standing, only 12 months before that was just a green field with grass… I remember the general manager getting so excited explaining how it was all going to work out, that the rail, and the road, and the electricity and water, etc., were all there and the surprise of seeing it shining under the sun was just incredible.”

Even with his busy work schedule, Ilir still finds the time to keep in touch with his college friends and attend AUBG events around the world. Because of AUBG-ers’ mobility he doesn’t actually have to seek them out to hang out with them.

“I have met AUBG graduates all over the world from New York to Almaty passing through London, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Sofia, Varna, Istanbul, Bucharest, Tirana,” he says. When business associates, surprised at the ubiquity of AUBG graduates, ask Ilir how big AUBG is, he answers, invariably, “I don’t think we are that many, but we are certainly making a difference out there!”

BOARD NEWS

Thomas Celli:

AUBG Students Are Going to Change the World

By Katerina Chochova

“It’s the handsomest building I ever saw,” President Theodore Roosevelt said at the Pennsylvania State Capitol dedication in October 1906.

On an October afternoon 103 years later, the man personally responsible for the still-magnificent appearance of the same building sits in Blagoevgrad’s old town Varosha talking about his newest affiliation – the AUBG Board of Trustees. The first architect to join the University’s Board, Mr. Thomas Celli is president of CelliFlynn Brennan Architects and Planners. He was brought to AUBG by his friend Board member Yvonne and Dimi Panitza Charles Fagan but says that many of his friends and colleagues in the field know about AUBG. “What I can say about AUBG so far is that it has become the academically strongest of all American universities overseas,” Celli says.

He believes that under its current leadership the University is on the right track: A top priority is increasing the quality of education and number of students as well as expanding the Skaptopara campus and offering new generations of students the best learning and living environment in the region possible.

Campus planning and recruitment are directly linked since prospective students all over the world have plenty of requirements concerning their physical environment. To have a campus along a river with beautiful scenery around it and yet so close to the center of town is something not many universities in the world are happy to have, Celli says. The University’s proximity to a gorgeous natural world and the myriad opportunities for travel in the region are assets that further enrich the AUBG experience.

A modern, functional interior is also essential.

Since 75 percent of learning at universities happens outside the classroom, building residence halls with good visibility, interactivity, and opportunities for socializing is key in creating an attractive living environment, Celli says, quoting the findings of a recent study.

The architect says that the Skaptopara campus meets these criteria to a great extent, while the

new Student Center, construction for which is scheduled to begin in May, will complete the campus plan beautifully. Until then students have much to benefit from the largest Englishlanguage library in Southeast Europe, the Panitza Library. With its carefully crafted interiors that emphasize functionality and comfort, the library provides cutting-edge facilities. The furniture and spaces are all attractive and elegant, he says.

But what particularly impressed Celli was the students. During his stay in Blagoevgrad he had the chance to talk to some amazing young people, he says. One of them was a student who accompanied Board members on their day trip to historical and cultural sites around Blagoevgrad.

Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the world gave him a reason to think that AUBG is a place that cultivates the new and better destiny of this part of the world.

“If most of the students here are like her, these people are going to change the world!” he says.

Thomas Celli was descended from the Cherubini family back in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy. Architecture running in the family Celli admits he became an architect because his father was one but adds that his profession is intriguing and rewarding because of the human story inside every project his company worked on. And it has worked on various major projects; Celli-Flynn Brennan is involved in historical and religious restoration and preservation including additions to historic and governmental structures among which stands out the company’s most valuable project – the East Wing addition of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.

The company works successfully with college and university clients and has gained experience in advising on issues such as strategic planning and recruitment.

Currently Celli lives in Pittsburgh, USA. He has two children – a daughter and a son. He is actively involved in volunteer projects and activities of the Order of Malta and enjoys hunting.

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EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES

New Investment Portal Offers Pioneering Solutions to Investors in Bulgaria

By Adelina Pavlova

As the shakeup in the world economy is beginning to wear off, institutions, businesses, and investors are facing new challenges. With worldwide investment flows shrinking or at best stagnating, financiers are cautiously looking for competitive advantages that can secure a profitable return on their investments.

Through the InvestNet.bg project (www.InvestNet.bg), the American University in Bulgaria, in partnership with the AUBG alumni-founded software company Eastisoft and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, is offering an innovative solution to the growing demand for attractive and unconventional opportunities.

The Bulgarian Investment and Business Network is a pioneering networking and information exchange platform for promoting investments and doing business in Bulgaria. The initiative, which is funded by the Bulgaria Fund – a grant-making mechanism of USAID and the German Marshall Fund, seeks to provide comprehensive and up-to-date investment information about Bulgaria. The InvestNet. bg team cooperates closely with the national InvestBulgaria Agency, as well as with different chambers of commerce represented in Bulgaria, embassies, sectoral organizations, associations, and numerous companies.

“One of the main contributions of InvestNet.bg is to promote extensively Bulgarian investment advantages and to turn this website into a primary crossing point of the foreign investment community in Bulgaria. It serves as a networking tool for communication, interaction and exchange of information among investors, governmental institutions, sectoral organizations,

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AUBG Today, Issue 43

private companies, and foreign commercial attachés in Bulgaria,” said Dr. Olga Borissova, Project Manager of InvestNet.bg and Director of AUBG’s Centre for European Programmes.

InvestNet.bg assists investors by providing them with relevant information about existing investment projects in different sectors, as well as about opportunities related to the European Union post-accession funds and the public procurement market. Furthermore, the portal aims to connect governmental and sectoral organizations, associations, private companies, professional experts, and current and potential investors. Whether a company needs consulting, research, marketing, audit, accounting, or legal help, InvestNet.bg will find a match at the touch of a mouse-click. The variety of services the portal offers makes it a one-stop solution finder for investors seeking opportunities in a growing market.

“We utilize modern Internet technologies which allow foreign investors to quickly and easily find the necessary economic or sectoral information and to receive legal, tax, or any other consultancy through the Targeted Enquiry Service,” Eastisoft CEO and AUBG graduate Deyan Vassilev said.

Another important task the founders of InvestNet.bg have undertaken is to smooth the transition following the boom in real estate investment in Bulgaria and to assert Bulgaria’s image as a versatile investment destination.

“Let’s do more business!” is the slogan chosen by the portal’s creators, who believe that InvestNet.bg has the potential to spearhead a renewed investment interest in the country.

By Venislava Mitova and Sylvia Zareva

As part of its mission to attract and educate young people of outstanding potential, AUBG has embarked on a new initiative of building connections with expatriate Bulgarian communities, thereby also giving Bulgarians abroad a great opportunity to reconnect with their home country. The venue for the first in a series of planned events was Chicago, home to one of the largest Bulgarian communities in the United States.

Organized with the help of the Bulgarian-American Association and the St. John of Rila Orthodox Church in Chicago, the event included a reception at the Church’s hall in the evening of November 21 and a visit to the Bulgarian school John Atanasov earlier that day. The evening reception was a great success, attracting an enthusiastic crowd of more than 85 people.

Among them were AUBG graduates, Chicagobased Bulgarian community members, and the Bulgarian general consul in Chicago. In attendance were also some high school students and their parents who came to learn more about the academic programs AUBG offers.

The introductory presentation by AUBG President David Huwiler generated a lively Q&A session. In addition to queries about tuition, academic programs, and the availability of scholarships and internships, attendees wanted to know more about the history of the University and its role in Bulgaria and the region. Additional questions featured on the Eurochicago.com website, which serves the Bulgarian-speaking community in Chicago, were also read out to the AUBG representatives.

The meeting with students at the Bulgarian school also attracted much interest and enthusiasm on the part of the hosts. Students demonstrated a keen interest in the University and its academic programs.

AUBG’s visit was widely covered in the Bulgarian-language media in Chicago. Bulgaria Sega,

a newspaper with a readership of Bulgarian speakers living in both in the United States and Canada, noted that “the American University in Bulgaria is the ideal place for Bulgarian expatriates’ children, where they can continue their education in the familiar-to-them American system and at the same time be in their home country.”

DEVELOPMENT MATTERS

To Chicago and Back: AUBG Reaches Out to Bulgarian Community in Chicago

At the reception, Romanian Magdalena Ionescu, who graduated from AUBG in 2000, gave a spirited endorsement of the education she received at the University. She is currently the Director of Electronic Marketing for North America for HSBC Bank.

Ivan and Tomislava Stoyanov, William Kirschke, Nikoleta Kravchenko (Class of 2008), Magdalena Ionescu (Class of 2000), Sylvia Notskova, and David Huwiler

Bulgarian Nikoleta Kravchenko, from the Class of 2008, who is currently enrolled in a master’s program in journalism at Roosevelt University, Chicago, said of the AUBG evening: “The event brought me many positive emotions and nostalgic memories of past times at AUBG.” She remembers the University fondly and says it gave her a lot “in terms of knowledge and experience, relationships and friends. The most valuable thing is that it gave me the opportunity to discover myself and introduced me to the major that allows me to be myself – journalism.”

Darina Veleva, a college-bound high school senior of Bulgarian origin living in Chicago, says the AUBG evening there made up her mind about applying to the University. “Many things attract me to AUBG. Most important are the quality of the University and the fact that it is located in Bulgaria, because I want to go back and see what it is like to live there,” she said. “Hopefully I will be an AUBG student by next fall.”

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DEVELOPMENT MATTERS

AUBG Gets 5 Million Dollars from America for Bulgaria Foundation

By Albena Kehayova and Sylvia Zareva

The American University in Bulgaria has received a grant of $5 million from the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF). $1 million will be used for scholarships for the best Bulgarian students. The new scholarship program will be launched in the fall of 2010 to help talented young Bulgarians gain access to quality higher education. Ten full and 50 partial scholarships will be given and will cover students’ full four years of study. Partial scholarships will cover 30 percent of tuition and will be given in addition to financial aid that the university awards based both upon students’ academic achievements and their financial need.

“This gift from the America for Bulgaria Foundation is a milestone in the history of the University – not only because it strengthens our ability to provide quality education to talented Bulgarian students, but also because it is a very powerful endorsement of what AUBG has achieved over the years and an acknowledgment of the important role AUBG graduates play in Bulgaria’s development,” said AUBG President David Huwiler.

“In the educational sector, ABF seeks to improve the dissemination of knowledge by supporting existing successful models and by creating new ones. AUBG is a model – the model of top-quality American liberal arts education in Bulgaria – which develops future leaders of the country and the region. This is a solid reason for us to choose the University as one of our first partners in the country,” ABF President Frank Bauer pointed out.

The America for Bulgaria Foundation also donated $4 million to help fund construction of

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AUBG Today, Issue 42

a state-of-the-art Student Center on the University’s Blagoevgrad campus. The Center will be equipped with a gym, a fitness center, a food court and cafes, a performing arts center, as well as space for student government and student recreation activities. The building of the student center is yet another important step toward completing AUBG’s ambitious campus construction program. The Student Center will be the fifth major building on AUBG’s new campus, which also includes three residence halls, an academic building, and the Panitza Library, which houses the largest English language collection in the Balkans.

“AUBG is home to a community of diverse and creative students of outstanding potential, living and learning together in an engaging and rigorous academic environment on a campus that offers world-class academic, recreational, and residential facilities. This gift will enable us to offer one of a kind residential life experience – one of the most important characteristics of a liberal arts education,” Huwiler said.

The America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) was established in 2008 to contribute to Bulgaria’s continued prosperity as a modern, free-market democracy. The ABF is a successor to the Bulgarian American Enterprise Fund, an investment fund created by the U.S. government acting through the U.S. Agency for International Development. The grants provided by ABF will build on the legacy of goodwill and friendship that exists between the American and Bulgarian people.

“We want AUBG to continue to be a competitive international university and to attract students from all over the world. We believe that our support to the ambitious construction program of the university helps them to become a model university of the 21st century which provides its students with the most appropriate environment stimulating their academic achievements,” Bauer said.

Student Center - sectional model

A state-of-the-art third residence hall opened in AUBG’s Skaptopara complex in January 2010

Students hang out in a cozy Skaptopara III lobby

A traditional house-warming treat in Bulgaria is bread dipped in salt or honey

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

New Academic Building

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