AUBG Today Magazine Winter 2011

The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria

Diversity

Issue 45, Winter 2011

Students from 40 countries on 4 continents

In this issue:

Cosmopolitanism.

Does Diversity Matter?

Multiculturalism and Diversity in Higher Education Today

AUBG Tops Bulgarian University Ranking

Better People, a Better Community

The new academic year began with a traditional picnic and record enrollment

Editorial Board Pavlina Stoycheva Sylvia Zareva Albena Kehayova

Student Writers

Alexander Ovnarski Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag Dessislava Jeleva Elitsa Levendova Gereltsetseg Badamdorj Katerina Lovtchinova Nadzeya Zhuk Nataly Fedchenko Severina Mangusheva Simona Atanasova

Photographers

Students celebrate their diversity and unleash their creativity during International Week 2010

Alexander Acosta Osorio Denitsa Gospodinova Dmytro Grama Galina Fedulova Ioana Mura Nataly Fedchenko Stan Godlewski Sylvia Zareva

The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria

Diversity

Issue 45, Winter 2011

students from 40 countries on 4 continents

in this issue:

4

Professor Balkanski, a generous supporter of AUBG, discussed civic education at the eponymous Balkanski Academic Center

Cosmopolitanism.

Does Diversity Matter?

Multiculturalism and Diversity in Higher Education Today

AUBG Tops Bulgarian University Ranking

Better People, a Better Community

Copyright 2011 AUBG. All rights reserved.

Contents: IN FOCUS

Cosmopolitanism. Does Diversity Matter?

NEW

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FACES

Faculty

Business Professor Asli Goksoy: AUBG Is a Good Challenge 4 „AUBG Students Have a World of Potential!” Says Christopher Piranio 4 Eminent Journalist Edward Alwood Spends Semester at AUBG 6 Emilia Zankina Came to AUBG to Teach Talented Students 6 Students

Kyrgyz Altynai Mukambaeva Feels at Home at AUBG 8 Georgi Manolov, Bulgaria: Debating Widens Your Horizons 9 Academic Quality, Reasonable Cost Attract Georgian Chess Ace to AUBG 10 Khafiz Kerimov, Russia: AUBG Is a Great Place 11

LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION

The Role of Philosophy in Modern Education Living the Liberal Arts Diversity in the Journalism Classroom

NEWS @ AUBG

News Roundup International Week 2010: A Cosmopolitan Community Celebrates Its Differences Dr. Cyrus Reed Is AUBG’s New Provost Mission London Author Alek Popov, Noted Poets Partake in AUBG Literary Series AUBG Tops First Official Ranking of Bulgarian Universities

A VIBRANT COMMUNITY

Better People, A Better Community Computer Science beyond the Classroom Mastering the Art of Debating Students on the Move FlashNews: One Step Ahead Student Government at AUBG

THEY MAKE US PROUD

Elena Chadova, Class of 2004, Kyrgyzstan Nemanja Grujicic, Class of 2008, Serbia Ivan Shaliastovich, Class of 2003, Belarus Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, Class of 2001, Kazakhstan

FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

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Multiculturalism and Diversity in Higher Education Today 36

Cosmopolitanism.

Does Diversity Matter?

In Focus

By David Huwiler, AUBG President

Recently, as I was giving a short campus tour to a visitor from a U.S. university, we stopped to chat with a group of students who were sitting together in the lounge of one of our residence halls. As it turned out, the six students represented six different nationalities: an American, a Spaniard, a Belarusian, a Macedonian, a Russian, and a Tajik. A few minutes later in the library our visitor encountered students from Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. The visitor had been told of AUBG’s diversity, but the statistics had not prepared him for the reality. Our small campus in Blagoevgrad has become one of the most extraordinary multicultural living communities in the world.

But does diversity matter? Why do we make such an effort to bring students to AUBG from 40 different countries? Well, nearly everyone will agree that AUBG’s diversity provides our students with a fascinating living-learning environment. It’s simply more interesting to live with people who are not just like us. We do know, as well, that our graduates’ “cultural literacy” makes them particularly attractive to international employers – and that it is one of the reasons that AUBG’s graduates earn about three times more than graduates of other Bulgarian universities. But does this intensive, four-year cross-cultural encounter have a deeper value? Does it contribute to our students’ academic or intellectual development? Does it continue to touch their lives after they leave AUBG?

In his recent book, Cosmopolitanism, Anthony Appiah, a Ghanian philosopher currently teaching at Princeton, describes how rapidly our world is shrinking. Appiah points out that even our very recent ancestors would, on a typical day, see only people that they had known most of their lives: “Everything that our ancestors ate or wore, every tool they used, every shrine at which they worshipped, was made within that group.” Most

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people did not expect to connect with any of the billions of human beings outside of their “tribe,” and certainly they could not imagine sending outsiders something worth having, such as “a radio, an antibiotic, a good idea” – or sending them something harmful, such as a pollutant, a virus, or a bad idea. But in the 21st century the unimaginable has become unavoidable, and humanity faces a very new paradigm. The challenge to educators, according to Appiah, is “to take minds and hearts formed over the long millennia of living in local troops and equip them with ideas and institutions that will allow us to live together as the global tribe that we have become.”

Our diverse campus is a powerful tool for accomplishing exactly that. On the most elementary level, the living environment provides a particularly conducive context for exploring the theoretical questions that university students have always explored: are there values that are universal, that transcend culture? To what extent is morality relative? What are our individual and collective responsibilities to one another? What special obligations do we have to members of our own “tribe”?

What happens when morality and culture seem to be in conflict with one another? Are the liberal, democratic values so cherished in the West appropriate for all peoples in all circumstances? To what extent can governments legitimately limit the personal freedom of their citizens? Classroom conversations about these and other fundamental questions become quite different – and richer – when they include participants not just from the U.S. or the West, but from countries such as Russia, from Belarus, from Uzbekistan, and from the Middle East.

But the intercultural engagement that every AUBG student experiences is more than an exercise in critical thinking. It is one thing to study other cultures and to explore abstract philosophical questions in the classroom; it is quite another to live, work, study, eat, and develop close friendships with people whose life experiences, political perspectives, and religious faiths are very unlike our own. At AUBG, the debates do not end, but are just beginning, when students leave the classroom.

We should not overstate the case. We do not expect that cross-cultural conversations will always lead to consensus. When our students leave Blagoevgrad and go their individual ways, they will continue to disagree on many fundamental questions about morality and faith and values and politics. It is unrealistic to expect that Kosovars and Serbs will achieve a meeting of the minds when it comes to questions regarding the future of the Balkans. Russians and Georgians are not likely to return home agreeing on what should be done about

In Focus South Ossetia or Abkhazia. But we do know that the AUBG experience produces graduates better prepared to understand other points of view – and more respectful of those who hold them. The experience here makes our students less suspicious and less fearful of “the other,” of that which once seemed alien and threatening. In Appiah’s words, “cosmopolitanism begins with the simple idea that in the human community, as in national communities, we need to develop habits of coexistence: conversation in its older meaning, of living together, association. . . . But conversation doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything, especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people get used to one another.”

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Business Professor Asli Goksoy: AUBG Is a Good Challenge

NEW FACES

By Nataly Fedchenko

In its attempts to attract new talent, AUBG recruits scholars from around the world. Both scholar and corporate backgrounds are valued, while academics who also have experience in non-academic occupations bring added value to an institution that strives to impart practical knowledge in addition to providing a broad education. Turkey native Asli Goksoy, an assistant professor in AUBG’s Business Department since Fall 2010, is just such a scholar, whose background spans both hands-on business training and excellent academic preparation.

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Without understanding economic trends, you cannot succeed in business.

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Professor Goksoy received her bachelor’s degree in Economics in English from Istanbul University in Turkey. Economics was to be the foundation for an MBA from Pace University in the United States. “When you want to work in business, first of all you have to see the big picture,” Professor Goksoy says, by way of explaining her educational trajectory. Without understanding economic trends, you cannot succeed in business, she adds.

Its leadership in education, and business education in particular, made the U.S. a natural choice when the young graduate evaluated different graduate school options. “If you are an engineer, you know that you are supposed to go to Germany, and if you are a business

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

major you have to go to the United States,” Professor Goksoy states.

Studying international business and working in the United States was an amazing adventure and an invaluable experience for the future professor. After completing her MBA, Goksoy worked in the U.S. corporate world for several years but soon she felt she needed a different challenge. Doctoral studies at the best university in her home country provided the intellectual stimulation Professor Goksoy sought. She enrolled in an English-language Ph.D. program in Organizational Behavior at Marmara University. After successfully defending her dissertation, she taught at Istanbul Commerce University for almost seven years, where she was also a program chair and Erasmus coordinator.

Professor Goksoy moved to Bulgaria and AUBG in 2010 following a friend’s advice – a providential decision that helped open new possibilities for the business professor. “This is a good challenge, and you don’t get these challenges too frequently in life,” she says.

AUBG compares very favorably with universities in the United States and Turkey because of its solid academic credentials and first-rate faculty, but above all because of its talented and respectful students, Professor Goksoy says. “Students are a big part of our job and life, and I really enjoy being with them,” she says of her AUBG students. Being able to impart knowledge to and swap ideas with such talented young adults is a real privilege, she adds.

Research is another big part of her life and one that Professor Goksoy devotes a great deal of time and energy to. Her research interests span topics such as organizational change, employee responses to change, communication in organizations, work-family conflict, organizational culture, employee burnout, and organizational justice.

„AUBG Students Have a World of Potential!”

Says Politics Professor Christopher Piranio Hearing from his office “In the Name of Love,” “Like Rolling Stone,” “You Learn,” you get a sense he wishes he were a rock star like Bono or Dylan, or better, a male Morissette. Yet owing to a severe lack of talent he admits – with the exception of singing in the shower, he adds – he’s opted for the next best thing: to be a student of politics and philosophy, and an advocate willing to “fight the good fight.”

Levine, used the vehicle of litigation and media attention to highlight the disdain displayed for the poor.

Notably, they managed to save hundreds of community gardens critical to the fabric of indigent communities.

In another case, they saved a famous community arts center, Charas/El Bohio, from auction, which would have deprived the poor youth of “Loisaida” from its many artistic opportunities. These cases gained support from celebrities such as Bette Midler and Susan Sarandon, and garnered national and international attention.

After securing a fellowship, Piranio moved on to Oxford where he studied under political philosophers Gerald Allan Cohen, Alan Ryan, and Adam Swift, and then on to Amnesty International where he led research on the rise of security legislation following 9/11.

At Amnesty, he also supported developing notions of

on a Harvard fellowship to serve what are probably the most destitute workers in America – the hundreds of thousands of migrant farm workers who find themselves, after surviving the perilous journey from the wilds of Mexico or Central America, at the behest of criminal henchmen employed by elements of “Big Agriculture.” In the Everglades, Piranio worked with legendary attorneys Sister Maureen Kelleher, Greg Shell, and Robert Williams on a number of class claims for farm workers who suffered terrible injuries in the field, or who were caught in a vicious cycle of debt peonage which keeps them in a perpetual system of “slavery.”

On his return to New York City, Piranio resumed civil rights litigation with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund where he led a number of suits against Mayor Giuliani. In what can best be described as “community development litigation,” he and what was declared the “Dream Team” of Sara Rios, Foster Maer, and Alan

international criminal justice which has since been his focus. Indeed following a stint as legal director of London’s Interights, and another at the International Criminal Court, he has sought to develop a primary humanitarian organization on the front for “victims of atrocity.” His Oxford War Crimes Centre is a developing initiative which provides assistance to persons and peoples who suffer cyclical violence and severe deprivation of human rights. In partnership with the African Foundation for International Law, it looks forward to establishing an “African Justice Clinic” in Arusha, Tanzania.

NEW FACES

Christopher Piranio is a new professor of international law and political theory at AUBG. He earned his B.S. at Cornell, his J.D. at Harvard, his M.Phil. at Oxford, and is due to complete his Ph.D. at Cambridge. A critical thinker, he cringes when called “professor.” “Just call me teach, or rather C,” he responds. One immediately senses he has one foot in the academy, the other in the ghetto. One also senses a deep love for life and a passion for justice.

After graduating from Cornell – following his first employ at Yankee Stadium – Piranio, a native Bronxite, worked as a caseworker in the South Bronx. Sensitized to the severely compromised opportunities of the “truly disadvantaged,” he moved on to Harvard Law School where he devoted himself to international human rights and civil rights litigation. Following stints at the Center for Constitutional Rights, he continued

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Eminent Journalist Edward Alwood Spends Semester at AUBG

NEW FACES

By Elitsa Levendova

Former CNN news reporter and five-time Emmy nominee Edward Alwood spent the Fall 2010 semester at AUBG, teaching in the journalism department.

Alwood, who is a tenured professor at the Journalism School of Communication at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, USA, came to Bulgaria as a Fulbright Scholar.

The Fulbright program is one of the most prestigious faculty exchange programs in the world. People with remarkable achievements in their field take part in it. During his stay in Bulgaria, Alwood also conducted research on journalism during the Cold War.

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Looking through previously undisclosed information, he says, makes him feel like Indiana Jones.

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Alwood has a richer and more extensive experience than most journalism veterans. He began his journalistic career at the age of seven when he became one of the youngest newsboys in the U.S. state of Florida.

Later, he wrote for his high school newspaper and worked at a local radio station.

Although he studied newspaper writing and reporting, Alwood began his professional career as a television news reporter at a small TV station. He swiftly

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

progressed to work for larger television companies.

One of them is the Cable News Network (CNN), for which he worked as a correspondent covering financial news from the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Federal Reserve. Alwood received several awards for writing and producing during his period there, along with five Emmy nominations. Having conquered the journalist’s Everest, Alwood decided he needed a change and left television for public relations. At the same time he devoted himself to research on journalism history. His hard work resulted in two books. The first, Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media, received many positive reviews and was named Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times. In 2008, his second book, Dark Days in the Newsroom: McCarthyism Aimed at the Press, was named Best Book of the Year in the adult non-fiction category by the Connecticut Press Club.

Alwood continued his research after earning his Ph.D., gaining access to private archives in the United States and Eastern Europe. While explaining the numerous hurdles he had to overcome in order to acquire the revealing data, his eyes literally light up. Looking through previously undisclosed information, he says, makes him feel like Indiana Jones.

Blagoevgrad and AUBG were the backdrop for his adventures over the past five months, where he taught communication and investigative reporting. He said AUBG and universities in the United States are “very, very much alike.” However, students at AUBG have one major advantage over their U.S. peers – their diversity.

The lack of it, he stated, can be a hindrance because students in homogenous communities have very little to learn from one another.

Emilia Zankina Came to AUBG to Teach Talented Students

By Katerina Lovtchinova

Dr. Emilia Zankina is not only an expert political scholar but also a well-rounded intellectual whose interests span East European politics, dance, modern languages, and journalism. In August 2010, she brought her immense experience to AUBG by accepting a position in the University’s Political Science and European Studies department.

She considers teaching at the University both a privilege and a challenge. “Educating students from Bulgaria and the region is indeed very rewarding. I do feel I have a rare opportunity to make a difference,” Zankina says. The opportunity to teach AUBG students in par-

“

I view teaching as guiding students through the forest – they do the walking, but they have someone to rely on for advice and feedback.

”

Prior to her arrival at AUBG, she occupied the position of Associate Director at the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Between 2004 and 2006, she worked as editor-in-chief for a Bulgarian newsletter and managing editor for the East European Politics and Societies academic journal. Zankina holds a doctorate in International Affairs from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh.

At AUBG, she teaches courses in public policy and Bulgarian government and politics and supervises senior theses. Her teaching philosophy focuses on empowering students – building their confidence, giving them the tools to discover their talents and improve intellectually, teaching them to think critically and be able to see the bigger picture. “My success as a professor is measured by the success and knowledge of my stu-

dents. I view teaching as guiding students through the forest – they do the walking, but they have someone to rely on for advice and feedback.”

Political science will always be relevant and worth studying, she says. It is an intriguing discipline that explores an important side of human life and allows for an interdisciplinary approach and great theoretical variety. “Politics is not only about political systems, election outcomes, or voting behavior; it is also a study of people as a society that influences the political processes, a study through which we could better explore ourselves,” Zankina says.

The young scholar has a rich personal history. Born and raised in Bulgaria’s capital, Zankina received her high school diploma from the National School of Choreography. Later, she studied Japanese philology at Sofia University before accepting a double scholarship in 1995 to pursue a degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. In addition to an academic grant, she received a scholarship from the Duquesne University Tamburitzans, an ensemble specializing in East European folk dances and performing all across the United States and Canada.

At Duquesne, she was an advertising major and intended to come back and work in Bulgaria’s rapidly developing advertising sector. In addition to advertising courses, she took electives in journalism and communication. At the same time, she became really fascinated with rhetoric and after her first year at Duquesne she transferred to the University of Pittsburgh to major in Communication and Rhetoric.

At Pittsburgh, she discovered her interest in political communication. After fulfilling the requirements for her major, she was left with a year’s worth of electives.

Therefore, in her senior year she declared a second major, Political Science. “This was perhaps an accidental choice, but one that proved very important for my life. I really found a perfect fit for myself in Political Science,” she says.

Zankina is fluent in English, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, and Italian, and speaks some French and Japanese. “I have extreme love for the study of languages,” she says, adding that her personality has been equally marked by all her activities and pursuits. “Dance has given me both discipline, a channel for creative expression, and appreciation of the human body and the importance of health. My education has been the most enjoyable part of my life and I hope that I never really have to leave school. My life in the U.S. has put me through a lot of difficulties and challenges, and at the same time, it has given me a positive view of people and the world that I hope I manage to keep even in the rainiest and grimmest days.”

NEW FACES

ticular appealed to Zankina, who met several graduates of the University through her previous job. “Some of my best students at the University of Pittsburgh were AUBG alumni,” she says. Zankina also had the chance to meet AUBG faculty at conferences and was extremely impressed by their knowledge and research.

Her own research experience includes a grant from the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars for 2005-2006 and participation in a three-year project, which kicked off in 2010 and is funded through the Ideas 2009 FP7 Program of the European Commission.

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Kyrgyz Altynai Mukambaeva Feels at Home at AUBG

NEW FACES

By Dessislava Jeleva

Kyrgyz Altynai Mukambaeva is one of the extraordinary students who got accepted to the American University in Bulgaria this year. In addition to demonstrating high academic potential in her application, she achieved a perfect math score of 800 on her SATs. Her merits earned her a full four-year Open Society Institute scholarship for study at the University.

The OSI scholarship facilitated her decision to enroll at AUBG, which she chose over studying at a university in her native Kyrgyzstan or nearby Russia. “The University is academically better than those in my home country and the language of instruction is English,” Altynai recalls some of the reasons that brought her here.

“I find English language undergraduate education important because it opens many doors for postgraduate education,” explains Altynai.

The free SAT and TOEFL options that AUBG offers to applicants and the helpful admissions office staff also helped Altynai in her decision to come to Bulgaria.

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During her first weeks in Blagoevgrad, Altynai was happy to find a big Russian-speaking community at AUBG who along with the friendly Resident Assistants assisted her in getting used to life in a foreign country. She finds Blagoevgrad to be a perfect student town – “quiet and small with no additional transportation costs.” Altynai admits that from her observations Bulgaria is similar to Kyrgyzstan in many ways: reasonable living costs, a mild climate, and rich flora. “Bulgaria does not seem that foreign to me,” she summarizes.

“Yet, the community is truly diverse: I have roommates from Moldova, Albania and Ukraine!”

Altynai’s first semester at AUBG was challenging yet exciting. She admits that she found Exposition hard because of her mathematics background but she enjoyed the opportunity to develop her reading skills in English. The accessibility and openness of her professors impressed her as well. “They always encourage discussion,” she adds. Altynai is especially excited about her microeconomics course. “I like my microeconomics professor Nadeem Naqvi because he relates economic theory to real-world social problems like child labor and human trafficking,” Altynai says.

Besides her classes, Altynai looks forward to joining in one of the many extracurricular activities available at AUBG. “I studied very hard in high school: we had many physics and mathematics classes and very tough assignments so I did not have the opportunity to pursue my hobbies then. Now, I have the opportunity to make up for this here: the Hiking Club and the Horse Riding Club seem really interesting,” Altynai elaborates. She is also very pleased about how well equipped the gyms in the Skaptopara residence halls are: “They offer a really good opportunity for the students to keep a healthy lifestyle.”

After a semester at AUBG, Altynai has already made up her mind about her main fields of study: she will major in Business Administration and Economics.

“The finance programs in these two departments are very good and I want a career in finance later in my life,” Altynai declares.

By Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag

Georgi Manolov is one of the 300 new students AUBG welcomed in Fall 2010. What sets him apart is that Georgi is not such a new face to the University after all.

When he was still in high school, Georgi took part in both the 2009 and 2010 AUBG Debate Tournaments.

He won first prize in the latter. The same year, Georgi was also awarded a full, four-year America for Bulgaria Foundation scholarship to study at AUBG for his excellent SAT score and overall achievements.

Georgi attended one of the best high schools in his hometown, the Plovdiv Language School, where he studied English intensively. Georgi got excited about debating when he was in the eleventh grade thanks to AUBG graduate Ivaylo Vasilev, an avid debater himself.

Georgi’s first official debate tournament was held in Bulgarian in Shumen, Bulgaria, where he won all debates in the preliminary rounds. He has since acquired extensive debating experience. He participated in national and international competitions starting with the AUBG Debate Tournament 2009, American College of Sofia (ACS) Open 2009, and the Bulgarian National Championship where he won third place.

Other triumphs followed. The young debater took part in several international tournaments, including the World Online Debating Championship, Macedonia Open Championship, IDEA Youth Forum, and World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC), which is the premier international competition for secondary school debaters. In the 2010 edition of WSDC, which took place in Qatar, Georgi was part of the team representing Bulgaria. The WSDC was the most challenging and enjoyable tournament Georgi has participated in so far, he says, adding that international tournaments are a great opportunity to “meet new people and learn about new cultures.”

Georgi says he took up debating because he has always been interested in political and economic issues.

Through debating, he has been able to test his opinion and theories on others as well as to engage in stimulating debates over topical issues. Moreover, he believes that debating gives him extra knowledge that he otherwise would not have acquired. “It really widens your horizons and makes you look at the world in a different way,” Georgi states.

Apart from debating, Georgi enjoys reading history books, swimming, hiking, and mountain biking. He loves Bulgaria’s Pirin, Rila, and Rhodope mountains, which he visits as often as he can. He has also tried his hand at journalism by writing for his high school newspaper and trains aspiring debaters. Organizing a debating championship in his former high school is among the projects he is working on right now.

At AUBG, Georgi leads an active student life. Naturally, he is a dedicated member of the Debate Club and has already taken part in a public debate that pitched students against professors. Georgi teamed up with Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag, a senior from Mongolia, to argue that striptease should be made an official sport against professors Molly Burke-Kirova and Emilia Zankina, who defended the opposite claim. In addition to debating, Georgi attends German Club meetings and plays volleyball.

NEW FACES

Georgi Manolov, Bulgaria: Debating Widens Your Horizons

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Academic Quality, Reasonable Cost Attract Georgian Chess Ace to AUBG NEW FACES

By Dessislava Jeleva

Her low-key persona and slightly timid smile belie the fact that Irma Geldiashvili is a chess heavyweight and a promising softball player. The 18-year-old Georgia native is also an AUBG student of strong potential.

Irma is an active chess player with a FIDE rating of 1750, which makes her the seventh-best female chess player in Georgia. Furthermore, her qualities as a softball player earned Irma a spot on the Georgian national softball team for the European Softball Championship.

Her team was the runner-up in the championship in 2010 last summer but just prior to that Irma managed to win a scholarship for the university of her choice – the American University in Bulgaria.

In high school, Irma distinguished herself not only by playing chess but also by being selected to spend a year on an exchange program in the United States. “I went to Virginia and I became the Chess Center Champion in 2008. I also started playing softball there; my team, Chaos, became the seasonal champion in 2009,” Irma recalls. In addition to starting her softball career, her time in the United States convinced Irma to continue her education at an American institution. She got admitted to several U.S. universities but chose AUBG because it combined high-quality education with reasonable tuition and living costs. Recommendations by alumni from Georgia and the personal approach of the admissions staff tipped the balance in favor of AUBG.

Irma had an enjoyable first semester here. The large Georgian community at the university made her feel like she never left home. Irma was also positively impressed by the Skaptopara campus: “The pictures in the recruitment brochure felt real when I moved into the residence halls.” She finds the town to be a great place

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to study, adding that “Blagoevgrad is small and quiet and its streets are beautiful.”

Irma plans on majoring in Political Science and International Relations and European Studies, which would be helpful should she decide to enter into politics – a long-term plan of hers. Her main focus at the moment, though, is doing well in her classes. She found Statistics challenging but useful, whereas her Introduction to Politics and International Relations and Exposition classes were really enjoyable because she likes writing, she says. Her new-found interests haven’t displaced her love for chess and softball though. “I will join the AUBG Chess Club and continue playing softball in Blagoevgrad,” Irma declares. “I am happy because I can pursue all my interests here.”

Khafiz Kerimov, Russia: AUBG Is a Great Place

NEW FACES

By Nadzeya Zhuk

Khafiz Kerimov, a freshman from Yekaterinburg, Russia, has much to be proud of. A stellar student, he earned a full four-year scholarship in 2010 to study at AUBG. Barely a few weeks into his first semester here, Khafiz had already made a strong impression on peers and professors alike, so much so that Political Science Professor Christopher Piranio picked him for participation in a prestigious international moot court competition.

Moot court competitions usually feature law students and consist of simulated court proceedings that test students’ debating and brief-writing skills.

Success doesn’t go to Khafiz’s head, though. He has a practical approach to work: he doesn’t overload himself and tries to finish everything he starts to the best of his abilities.

In high school, Khafiz spent a year in the U.S. as a Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) participant.

FLEX proved to be a priceless personal experience for him. “It was very useful to leave my comfort zone and live somewhere else for a year,” Khafiz says. “I came out of the airplane that took me to the States overconfident but very soon realized how hard it really is to live on my own and not have the support I was used to,” he admits. Another important lesson for Khafiz was learning to live with other people.

During his exchange year, Khafiz got involved in various community projects. One of his interests was the environmental club at his U.S. high school, where he helped draft the school recycling plan. Along with other exchange students, he organized a clean-up of the local park on Global Youth Day.

Volunteering was at times hard for Khafiz. “I remember sweating over huge piles of clothes that I had to sort out and fold in a local thrift shop,” he recalls with a smile.

On returning to Russia, Khafiz realized that his English proficiency had improved, and so had his academic prospects. Like many AUBG students, he chose to get affordable American style education closer to home. The fact that his outstanding SAT score qualified Khafiz for a full scholarship at the University also played a part in his decision.

“When I started researching AUBG, I found out it was much better than I had previously thought, and when I came here, I realized that it is even better,” he says.

“Despite its being a relatively young college, the quality of AUBG faculty, the stories of alumni success, and the richness of the library make this university a really great place,” Khafiz adds.

Because of his keen interest in philosophy and law Khafiz has decided to major in Political Science and International Relations. The high quality of teaching in the Political Science Department was another factor that helped him pick the major. Modern and Contemporary Political Philosophy, which he took with Professor Lucci, turned out to be the hardest yet most exciting class during Khafiz’s first semester at AUBG.

Other things that positively impressed the future political scientist were Blagoevgrad’s surroundings and AUBG’s multinational community. “The diversity at AUBG is especially important for me as a future International Relations major,” Khafiz says.

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Liberal Arts in Action

The Role of Philosophy in Modern Education

By Diego Lucci Associate Professor of History and Philosophy

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The purpose of a liberal arts education is to promote well-rounded persons.

”

Why study philosophy? Is it really worth making so many efforts to understand Descartes’ “cogito,” Hobbes’ state of nature, or Kant’s categorical imperative?

After all, what is the purpose of philosophy?

These are some of the questions that a professor of philosophy must be prepared to answer when teaching undergraduate students. Philosophy might indeed appear useless, abstract, and unrelated to everyday reality in the eyes of young people who are starting to frame their lives. In fact, why should a future financial analyst, business person, or computer scientist care about the sense of being, the meaning of human existence, and the difference between right and wrong? To this question I would answer: because also a future financial analyst, business person, or computer scientist is, above all, a human being, and the purpose of a liberal arts education is to promote well-rounded persons.

AUBG aims to educate competent and serious professionals, free and fair citizens, and open-minded, active human beings, able to fulfill their lives and contribute to the lives of others, in a spirit of reciprocal understanding and appreciation of diversity. For this reason, our university offers a number of courses in moral and philosophical reasoning, mainly focusing on philosophical thought, ethics, and political theory.

At AUBG, students may take a minor in philosophy and religion, and our courses in philosophy are an essential part of the general education program. In fact,

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

when taking philosophy courses, students are given an opportunity to investigate, methodically and systematically, issues that otherwise would only emerge occasionally and questions that, without the benefits of a philosophical mindset, would probably lead to vague and puzzling concerns.

The need to philosophize arises from wonder and doubt, which are always ready to assail our minds. How often do we cope with moral dilemmas, involving not necessarily the supreme questions of life and death, but also everyday situations? And how often do we wonder about the best way to live a meaningful life? In such cases, philosophy can provide a framework to deal with ethical and existential questions and, therefore, to promote self-knowledge and personal development.

Moreover, a philosophical education can help us answer the fundamental questions of political life: who must define our rights and duties, our obligations and liberties, how, and in the name of what? The issues of freedom and self-government are necessarily interrelated, because there can be no real freedom without self-government, and there can be no self-government if citizens do not have the means to properly exercise their power. Philosophical questioning is thus at the basis of democratic and open societies, for it helps us improve our analytical and critical skills and consider our rights and duties as members of society.

Finally, philosophy can prove to be not as useless as most people think. In fact, in today’s ever-changing world, flexibility and systematic thinking are more important than a set of passively memorized notions. This is one of the main tasks of philosophical reasoning: to enable future professionals to organize their thinking, adapt to different scenarios, and understand how specific contexts may affect the anticipated outcomes.

Therefore, it is no accident that, in the last few decades, numerous employers in various fields have hired young professionals with a background in philosophy.

These are the reasons why a philosophical education is a fundamental element of the liberal arts curriculum of AUBG. In the diverse and engaging environment of this university, philosophy can indeed lead our students to perfect their logic, to reflect on their position in the community, to know themselves, and can therefore help them draw a plan for their lives.

Living the Liberal Arts

My own education began in a small liberal arts college in the southern United States and followed a liberal arts thread: undergraduate degree in foreign languages, master’s in mass communication, another master’s in public health, and a doctorate in organizational behavior and communication. Over my thirty years of teaching, I have taught at big and small schools, at graduate and undergraduate schools, and at professional schools and liberal arts schools. Consistently, I find myself drawn back to the liberal arts environment of a small college which provided me with the education to become the person I am today.

It is my belief that no one can be a fulfilled human being without exploring the depth and breadth of knowledge – without tasting literature, philosophy, arts, science, history, and politics. We have a basic need to understand the world around us, to give it order and meaning, and this is done through a broad-based education, and the study of liberal arts provides the basis to do this. AUBG is an institution founded upon, and driven by, its commitment to liberal arts.

I believe AUBG offers me, as a professor of business, the best of both worlds – I can work and teach in a professional, career-focused area within a liberal arts environment. I work where an integrative type of education is valued and I am able to bring my liberal arts background to the learning environment to help students understand the context of business and the full implications of business decision-making. I also get to live professionally and personally in an environment that allows me to bridge specific fields and focus on a broader understanding of events and knowledge.

In the classroom, I have the opportunity to use the liberal arts nature of our education in a way that helps students develop their broader knowledge and to understand, through the classroom, how it forms the base for any professional field. One way I offer integrative learning experiences is by using discussions in the classroom. These can be on current political or business events, on demographic or economic trends, or on ethical issues faced by decision-makers.

The recent (and ongoing) world financial crisis offers opportunities for analysis from multiple perspectives.

The practice of awarding executives short-term financial incentives, a major contributor to the crisis, needs to be analyzed from many perspectives, not just that of internal corporate policies. This crisis has to be studied in terms of the behavioral, ethical, financial, and societal implications. When exploring the historical and political context, one would discover that the financial

crisis is far from new. In 1937, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his second inaugural address to a country facing a financial crisis turned depression: “We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics.”

Bringing together past events and outcomes with current events offers a unique opportunity for analysis and learning, and for the application of principles and ideas across areas of study. Furthermore, it enhances decision-making skills by encouraging interaction, communication, persuasion, and collaborative problem-solving.

“

Liberal Arts in Action

By Lucia Miree, Professor of Business Administration

Our graduates are intellectually curious and fully engaged with the larger world.

”

There are daily events that also can be used in the classroom for learning. For example, faced with financial problems related to a recent public and embarrassing environmental disaster, British Petroleum (BP) announced in late October 2010 that its fourth-quarter management bonuses would be based entirely on safety outcomes. While no one will argue that safety is important, and that BP needs to make safety one of its priorities, it raises some of the same issues seen in the recent financial crisis: rewards based upon shortterm versus long-term outcomes. Further discussions of the environmental responsibilities of companies, the economics of safety, the importance and roles of corporate leadership and public relations, and the necessity for crisis planning could be useful and contribute to student learning.

Another useful discussion could be based upon the well-known and respected company, Google. Google

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Liberal Arts in Action

has announced its most recent investment in energy, a multi-billion dollar investment to build a wind farm off of the east coast of the United States. In examining this investment, students could raise questions about whether this is a corporate diversification strategy, a change in technology, support for a technology (e.g., cloud computing), or a move to “Google-ize” the world.

Some students may argue that Google is trying to be a “good citizen” by going green, while others may theorize that they merely want to reduce their electrical bills, thus increasing their profits.

Such activities can serve to expose students to new ideas, encourage them to analyze situations, and facilitate the development of alternative explanations.

In this, students are bridging content areas, building upon knowledge, and integrating experiences. In other words, they are increasing the value of their education through the integration of liberal arts and their professional studies.

The key to success in a career in any field is not the technical knowledge one possesses. It becomes obsolete almost as soon as it is acquired. Organizations know this and seek individuals who can think strategically – who can identify, analyze, problem-solve, and act. Companies such as Procter & Gamble, CocaCola, General Electric, Nestle, and Hewlett-Packard report that they consider strategic thinking much more important in their leaders than technical skills.

At AUBG, we have built an environment that encourages and supports a liberal arts approach to learning and interaction for students. This is true for faculty, too.

In many larger, professional schools, I would be surrounded by colleagues who teach and study in my field.

While that can have its advantages in terms of sharpening my knowledge of my specialty area, at the same time it narrows my focus overall. At AUBG, our faculty members are intermixed in office locations across areas of expertise and departments, thus facilitating the development of cross-field interests. For example, my office is near a colleague in European Studies who will often stop by and discuss our common interests in laws and their applications within the EU. I spoke last week with a faculty member in Economics and, in discussing a student thesis she is directing, we found that this research on oligarchs offers an opportunity for collaborative research in the area of leadership.

AUBG is proud to be a liberal arts university. We do not just “teach” liberal arts, but like to think that we “live” it. Our graduates are intellectually curious and fully engaged with the larger world. What more could one want from an education?

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

Diversity in the Journalism Classroom

By Sandra Earley, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication

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At AUBG, we teach the principles and ideas of Western journalism – objectivity, fairness, transparency.

”

There’s a banquet of nationalities in my advanced reporting and writing course here at the American University in Bulgaria. Among 13 students, nine countries are represented. There are two Bulgarians, two Russians, an Armenian, a Georgian, an Italian, a Kazakh, a Romanian, a Turkmen, and an American. The American isn’t me.

Because of my students, I know that the Turkmen flag is particularly beautiful – a forest-green background with a vertical band of five, deep red, tribal patterns of the kind used in oriental rugs. When I mention my delight in that flag to the Kazakh student, she teases, “I like mine better.”

In a journalism classroom, a bounty of nationalities and points-of-view makes for vivid assignments and stories and for a myriad of opportunities to learn about remote countries and their cultures. I’m tempted to cheer for diversity each time I enter the classroom.

To take advantage of the variety, I encourage students to write about their home countries whether the topics are serious or light. The assignments resonate with students and they perform. Who knew, for example, that the Caucasus country of Georgia gave foreign aid to a tiny Pacific Island nation called Tuvalu?

Many graduates solve the problem themselves by going home to work in public relations or to start their own advertising agencies, steering clear of journalism and earning substantially more than they could reporting and writing. A few look for jobs covering their home countries from inside the comparative safety of Western wire services or nonprofit websites writing on issues in English.

Those alternatives aren’t good enough for other international students. They want, they say, to work for indigenous media, writing in their own languages, speaking directly to the citizens of their own countries, while holding on to their principles. They see the elephant in the Western journalism classroom when the university serves students from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

What do we do? What do we teach?

At the moment, we often detour around such questions with, for example, a class that analyzes investigative reporting rather than practicing it in the field. As a former chair of our journalism and mass communication department used to say when he turned down a student request to pursue an investigative project, there was no way he would call a student’s mother to say her child had been hurt working on a story for class.

Is this solution cowardly? Not in the best tradition of Western journalism? Maybe. But perhaps the stakes are simply too high in the novice setting. Even a former Associated Press bureau chief working in the region during one of its wars made it a practice to tell her employees that no story is worth a journalist’s life.

And so it goes with diversity and differences among countries and cultures. Sometimes the challenges are too big to meet at the moment. The dark side of diversity wins. The elephant remains in the classroom. For a time. Diversity demands the long view.

Liberal Arts in Action

Yet, there’s a price to be paid for diversity in the journalism classroom, compromises to be made in Western journalism’s principles and best practices. Twenty-first century journalism students should be pushed to get out from behind their computers and the Internet and go to see their stories. They should experience firsthand the fact that interviews conducted over the telephone or by electronic message are leaden when compared to live ones full of visual details and context.

What do they do when news happens a 24-hour bus ride away from the university and the deadline is in two weeks, with a German class after the journalism one?

They do the story anyway. Reporting important stories in the trenches of their own countries teaches journalism at a high, demanding level. We compromise. I permit and encourage international students to interview by telephone, and the university provides a longdistance line when they don’t use a free Internet phone service.

Students can also use surrogates for in-person interviews at home, although it’s another technique that, as a professional journalist, makes my teeth itch. Whether it’s a cabinet minister or a small-town butcher, they can arrange to send a local journalist, a local university student or even their mothers to collect an interview.

These compromises turn out to be worth the effort because teaching can happen through them, too. Even as students use phone calls or surrogates, they learn that getting the story and solving reporting problems as best they can is more important than how-to rules.

A good, important story must get out, somehow. The readers need it to participate as citizens in their country, and it’s the journalist’s job to deliver.

Other difficulties caused by differences among countries, governments and media also creep into the journalism classroom and in a particularly insidious way.

They often don’t lend themselves to a simple or happy solution.

At AUBG, we teach the principles and ideas of Western journalism – objectivity, fairness, transparency. Many of our students come from countries emerging from a Soviet past into some form of democracy or remaining authoritarian to one degree or another. Indigenous media reports, distributed by government-controlled or political party-owned media outlets, hardly count as news in Western terms. In some countries, nosy Western style journalists can be killed or badly hurt for plying their trade. In Turkmenistan, one student says, journalists who report against the tide disappear.

So, students ask, how do I practice at home what I’ve learned at AUBG without endangering my family and myself?

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News Roundup

News @ AUBG

Student Programmers Launch Robots Three AUBG students presented their work in robotics at AUBG on Nov. 23, 2010. Boyan Barnev, Ergys Ristani, and Boyan Spassov demonstrated virtual robot simulations as well as real robots that talked and surmounted obstacles as they zipped around the room.

Community Celebrates Language Learning, Culture Studies

The annual Language and Culture Week was held between Nov. 22 and 25, 2010 and featured four events organized by instructors and advanced learners of German, Spanish, Bulgarian, and French.

President Zhelyu Zhelev Discusses World’s Future at AUBG On Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, AUBG hosted a talk with former Bulgarian president Zhelyu Zhelev, who discussed scenarios for world developments in the 21st century.

Belgian Ambassador Pays Tribute to European Studies Program

On Nov. 17, 2010, H.E. Marc Michielsen, Belgian ambassador to Bulgaria, took questions from AUBG community members about the EU’s Belgian presidency and the challenges the Union is facing today.

Meglena Kuneva Discusses Europe’s Internal Market at AUBG

Meglena Kuneva, an AUBG trustee and European Commission official, talked about the EU’s internal market at an AUBG-hosted lecture on Sept. 27, 2010.

Student Club Fundraises for Local Family

Students from the Better Community Club, as well as faculty and staff, handcrafted jewelry and made origami in October 2010 to be sold in a drive to raise money for a local father and son who were diagnosed with cancer and needed surgery abroad.

Minko Balkanski Lectures on Civic Education

Civic education was the theme of a roundtable-style discussion on Oct. 8, 2010, between students and celebrated physicist Minko Balkanski at the eponymous Balkanski Academic Center. Participants attempted to define the role of civic education in a democratic society and debated approaches to integrating civic training into school curricula.

Cooperation Agreement Envisions Scholarships for AUBG Students

In October 2010, Delchevo municipality in Macedonia pledged to offer scholarship support to excelling Delchevo students who wish to attend AUBG. This is

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

one of the provisions of a partnership agreement between AUBG and the Macedonian town signed on Oct. 7, 2010.

Fall 2010 Sees Stronger Enrollment

More than 310 brand-new students enrolled at AUBG for the Fall 2010 semester. With 240 first-year students alone, representing a 20% increase on Fall 2009, the freshman class this fall is one of the largest in AUBG history. Every fifth student among fall admits is a visiting student from Europe or the United States.

International Week 2010: A Cosmopolitan Community Celebrates Its Differences

Story by Sylvia Zareva, reporting contributed by Kiril Kuculoski and Yulia Shenderovich

In what was a quintessentially AUBG moment, over 100 students came together at the Balkanski Academic Center on Thursday, Nov. 11, to try their hand at making origami, writing their names in Mongolian script, practicing yoga and Chinese martial arts, and knitting. The workshops were part of a week-long series of events between Nov. 8 and 13 through which the AUBG community celebrated its diversity.

The AUBG Millionaire Show, roughly similar in format to the popular British export “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” premiered on Tuesday and gave three AUBG students the chance to test their knowledge of geography, culture, and history in front of a demanding– yet supportive – audience of students from AUBG and Blagoevgrad high schools.

The rest of International Week’s lineup of events included presentations by students who shared littleknown facts about their birthplaces. In the packed Andrey Delchev Auditorium on Monday evening, community members learnt about Italian New Year celebrations and Turkmen engagement traditions, among other things.

AUBG has a long history of debating competitions, and the Debate Club is one of the largest organizations at the University. As a result, International Week could not go without a debate competition. Student-professor teams engaged in a verbal contest over whether “AUBG should Easternize.” The debate focused on the interplay of Eastern and Western influences on the University while trying to define the evasive concepts of East and West.

The annual Taste Fest offered the numerous guests a taste of more than 90 traditional dishes from 18 countries. The assorted pies, dumplings, pastries, soups, dips, fresh salads, and finger food were not only a delicious introduction to different world cuisines but also a visual delight. Later in the evening, to burn off calories, participants practiced different national dance moves.

The Student Government always takes on an active role in the annual International Week, and this year was no exception. The student senators threw a mega-party on Friday to celebrate their differences and to give students a chance to let their hair down after a long week of exams, presentations, and papers.

“We hope to have, throughout the year, more events, at which members of the community can enjoy learning about different cultures from each other. Everyone is welcome to join,” said Lyudmila Uzunova, vice president of the AUBG Chapter of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society. Students from the Society, with the support of AUBG’s Diversity Group and a number of dedicated students, professors, and staff members, made International Week 2010 possible this fall.

News @ AUBG

Thursday evening’s distinctiveness was not so much in the array of customs and practices on display as in the enthusiasm students from 40 countries demonstrated in learning about one another’s cultures. Nor was eagerness to partake in a diversity-promoting event just a one-time thing at AUBG. Multiculturalism is a way of life at the University; day in and day out, students, faculty, and staff embrace one another’s differences, keeping up an ongoing cross-cultural conversation.

Few universities in the world have such a varied student body, and even fewer incorporate diversity and inclusiveness in their educational philosophy to the degree that AUBG does. The annual International Week is a public declaration of the community’s pride in their ability to live and learn together in an increasingly divided world.

Some of the crafts and practices demonstrated on Thursday evening were firsts in International Week’s history. The “Arty, Crafty, Sporty” challenge gave attendees the opportunity to practice knitting and origami, do yoga and more, under the guidance of AUBG and ELI students, as well as a few guests.

First-year student Rovshen Chariyev trained students in the Chinese martial art Wing Chun, showing punching and kicking techniques to fend off attackers. Junior Todor Kostov taught a class in origami-making, and his group created intricate shapes from colored paper.

Vedic Club member Simeon Vasilev instructed a small group in yoga. Several yogis said that it was one of the most relaxing things they had done in a long time.

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Dr. Cyrus Reed Is AUBG’s New Provost

News @ AUBG

By Sylvia Zareva

In August 2010, Dr. Wm. Cyrus Reed assumed his new responsibilities as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the American University in Bulgaria, where he will also serve as a professor in the Political Science Department.

Dr. Reed brings a unique background to AUBG. He has lived and worked around the world both as a senior administrator and faculty member, most recently at the American University in Cairo and the New York Institute of Technology in New York City.

Dr. Reed’s own academic background includes study at the University of Innsbruck, the University of Cologne, an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. He has also lived, traveled, and conducted research throughout the

Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Reed visited Rwanda immediately after the genocide and once worked on a gold mine in South Africa. He has held fellowships from Rotary International and Fulbright. His research has focused on the link between domestic and international politics as liberation movements make the transition to governments.

“I am deeply committed to the liberal arts,” said Dr. Reed. “Learning how to ask questions, assemble data, identify relationships, and articulate conclusions are not only critical to making decisions in life, but are essential elements of a successful career as well.”

AUBG’s commitment to the highest academic standards, the development of its students, and the remarkable achievements of its alumni are the factors that attracted him to this new post and to Bulgaria.

“The transition from New York to Blagoevgrad has

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

been easy,” Dr. Reed noted. “In both, I walk to work and can find a shop on every corner. One big difference is that Blagoevgrad has more outdoor cafes and restaurants than any other place on earth. It’s a remarkable university town.”

“Dr. Reed’s outstanding career and extensive international experience will benefit AUBG immensely,” said AUBG President David Huwiler. “I look forward to working with this seasoned professional, and believe that we will build on the successes achieved over the past few years.”

Dr. Reed is taking over from Dr. Ann Ferren, who served as AUBG Provost from 2005 to August 2010.

Under Dr. Ferren’s leadership, the University successfully passed two accreditations, saw its campus expand, and achieved wide recognition for its top academic programs. Dr. Ferren has also given generously to the University over the years.

Mission London Author Alek Popov, Noted Poets Partake in AUBG Literary Series

By Alexander Ovnarski

In the evening of October 18 – despite midterm exams and projects – AUBG’s Red Room was fuller than usual. The hall was abuzz with chattering voices eagerly discussing scenes or characters from Mission London, a 2010 movie hit and one of the most compelling stories to come out of Bulgaria in the past 20 years. The story’s author, Alek Popov, was visiting.

Mission London is a contemporary satirical tale depicting the clash of cultures playing out at the Bulgarian embassy in London and exposing the absurdities re-

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The trio treated the audience to a truly triple performance – poetry, live music, and video.

Stefan Ivanov

Nikolov national poetry prize, while 22-year-old Vassileva is a Petia Dubarova laureate and has a degree in literature from Harvard University. The poets read from their work – Stefan from his Lists and Maria from her book Close Portraits – captivating the audience and stirring a wide of range of emotions in them – from curiosity to sadness, from laughter to meditation.

One of the following events in the series, aptly called “Three,” treated the audience to a truly triple performance – poetry, live music, and video – by a trio of celebrated poets, two of them members of the Bulgarian ethno-rock poetry group Gologan. Ivan Hristov, Kamelia Spasova, and Petar Chuhov read from their most popular and enduring works.

Don Schofield was the only international participant in the series last fall. Currently the dean of Perrotis College in Thessaloniki, Greece, Schofield is the author of Dust and Approximately Paradise and the recipient of a 2006 Allen Ginsberg Award for poetry.

News @ AUBG

sulting from raw political ambition. It is widely known that Popov borrowed from his own experience as a cultural attaché at the Bulgarian embassy in the United Kingdom to write the book.

With two novels, several radio plays and screenplays, and over nine collections of short stories and essays, Popov was an established writer in Bulgaria even before the publication of Mission London. But it was the successful screen adaptation of the book that made Popov a household name in the country and catapulted him to international fame. The 2010 film broke all box office records in Bulgaria and became the year’s most watched movie.

At the October 18 talk, Popov talked about his current projects, giving away that he has been working on a new book and a script based on his 2007 novel The Black Box. Popov also read an unpublished story that sparkled with his unique satiric humor while dissecting modern social ills. Collective bursts of laughter punctuated the fine story-telling and Popov’s playful linguistic turns.

Popov’s visit to AUBG was part of the Poets and Writers Series, an initiative of renowned Bulgarian poet and AUBG literature professor Vladimir Levchev. The series aims to bring Bulgarian and international authors to Blagoevgrad, giving students a chance to engage with their work and discuss literature with practitioners.

In Fall 2010, the series kicked off with a powerful performance by Bulgarian poets Stefan Ivanov and Maria Vassileva. At 24, Ivanov has published three books and won several awards, including the prestigious Ivan

Maria Vassileva

”

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AUBG Tops First Official Ranking of Bulgarian Universities

News @ AUBG

By Sylvia Zareva

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Standart: American University in Bulgaria Guarantees 2,000 BGN

The American University in Bulgaria leads all Bulgarian universities in terms of the employability of its graduates and the incomes they earn, according to a national ranking system launched by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education in November 2010. In addition, AUBG has the best academic and residential facilities in the country.

All five of the academic programs at AUBG evaluated by the system – Economics, Computer Science, Business Administration, Political Science, and Journalism and Mass Communication – were ranked among the top in the country, with Economics rated as Bulgaria’s best.

Bulgaria’s first university ranking system compares academic disciplines in Bulgaria-accredited highereducation institutions. The system ranks programs based on more than 50 indicators, such as teaching and learning conditions, scientific research, career development opportunities, prestige, academic resources, and facilities.

The ranking system, commissioned by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and developed by independent consultants, draws information from international and national data banks, public opinion polls, and universities’ databases. The rankings are dynamic – as data from these sources change, the rankings will automatically adapt.

“We welcome this effort by the Ministry of Education to provide accurate and objective information to Bulgaria’s young people. We are particularly pleased that the results recognize AUBG’s excellence and our University’s contributions to the higher education landscape in Bulgaria,” said AUBG President David Huwiler.

“AUBG follows the model of the highly selective, residential, liberal arts university – the classic American model. We emphasize a very selective admissions process, very high quality academic programs, small classes, and personal attention. In addition to being the most selective of all of the American universities abroad, we are one of the most international universities in the world: 70% of our entering students are international, and our students come from 40 different countries,” Huwiler added.

AUBG Today, Issue 45

The system’s website is hosted at http://rsvu.mon.bg/.

An English version of the portal is also available.

The prestigious U.S. newspaper International Herald Tribune (the global edition of The New York Times) carried the story of AUBG’s excellent showing in the Bulgarian University Ranking system. The Dec. 5, 2010 article reads: “The American University of Bulgaria, founded 20 years ago after the collapse of communism to bring the U.S.-style college experience to Bulgaria and the rest of southeastern Europe, now ranks No.1 in the country, according to a new survey by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education.”

Major Bulgarian media outlets also carried the news, with some highlighting AUBG’s leadership on their front pages. A page-one headline in Dnevnik daily reads, “The American University Heads First Ranking System in Bulgaria.” The article in the same paper notes that “the best career development is provided by the American University in Blagoevgrad… Economics education should preferably be obtained from AUBG because the university provides the best education in this major among all other universities.”

Another front-page headline, in Monitor daily, announces that “2,000 BGN Salary for [Graduates of] the American University in Bulgaria.” Trud daily headlined its story similarly, “The American University [in Bulgaria] Assures the Best Pay.”

Bulgarian newspaper Standart published a whole spread in which AUBG featured prominently. The article read: “One of the most important indicators is internship opportunities. It is here that the American University leads most significantly… Among AUBG graduates in Computer Science and Information Systems the level of unemployment is practically zero.”

Better People, A Better Community

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Dnevnik: The American University Heads First Ranking System in Bulgaria

Trud: The American University in Bulgaria Assures the Best Pay

A Vibrant Community

By Simona Atanasova

A kind heart is the best company for a smart mind.

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Mahatma Gandhi’s famous maxim “be the change you want to see in the world” best describes what the Better Community Club has been doing since its founding in 2004 – living and acting in a way that shows care and respect for others, thereby strengthening the overall community.

This student-run club has since helped save a life, raise awareness of important social issues, and make their campus and town a better – and cleaner – place to live in. Believing that every effort counts, club members even like to remind fellow citizens that smiling prolongs lives. On Oct. 1, 2010, World Smile Day, BCC members lifted passersby’s spirits by making colorful chalk drawings in front of the Skaptopara residence halls and encouraging onlookers to smile on camera.

“I believe in the enthusiasm and power of young people. They are the ones who make the difference between ignorance and humanity,” says second-year student Venelina Miteva, the club’s PR officer. Yavor Kiryakov, the club’s current president, states that “young people are the ones who possess all the qualities needed to influence our world and push its development into a positive direction.” Venelina and Yavor possess an impressive amount of positive energy and desire to make a difference in the world. They believe that to bring about meaningful change, one has to start by tackling local issues first.

The BCC today consists of more than 40 students from Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, USA, Moldova, Russia, Mongolia, Belarus, and many others. When it comes to social action, these students have more that unites them than sets them apart: they share a heightened

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sense of social responsibility and empathy. According to Language Professor Sabina Wien, who advises the club, her colleagues often express their admiration for club members, who in addition to their involvement with community work are also among the top students at a very competitive institution. “No wonder, a kind heart is the best company for a smart mind,” Wien adds.

In the fall of 2010, club members worked on a number of projects, including a fundraising campaign for a cancer-stricken local family, orphanage visits, antiAIDS events, a Christmas charity auction, and various community-building events.

One of the BCC’s major ongoing projects is their work with children from the St. Nikolay Mirlikiyski orphanage in Blagoevgrad. For the past two years volunteers from the club have visited the orphanage on a regular basis to help teach the kids English and communication skills. Periodically, club members also organize talent shows and parties to celebrate the children’s achievements. The preparations for a Halloween party last October helped the children unleash their creativity on making costumes and decorating the orphanage.

“The mentoring program at the orphanage empowers the children, as well as me. The experience helps me feel grateful that I have the chance to make positive changes in the children’s behavior and build trust in them,” says Lyudmila Uzunova, a club member in her final year at AUBG.

The orphanage was the beneficiary of another BCC project last fall – an international clothes and toys collection drive. Supported by a municipality allowance, the campaign attracted student, professor, and staff volunteers from all over the world – the entire AUBG community – who collected over 40 bags of clothing and toys. The items were distributed among several local institutions, such as the day care center for the elderly and the center for kids with mental disorders.

AUBG Today, Issue 45

The cancer fundraiser was the BCC’s most memorable initiative in the past year. As soon as the club’s members learnt that Stoycho Angelov, an eighth grader from Blagoevgrad, was diagnosed with cancer and needed urgent surgery abroad that his family could not afford, they decided to act. From the sale of jewelry and ornaments they handcrafted for the purpose, the BCC raised over 2,500 Bulgarian levs for the Angelovs.

Professors, administrators, and students from both of Blagoevgrad’s universities turned out in overwhelming numbers to take part in the drive. “The outcome was stunning! I was amazed that we actually reached so many people and they cared,” says BCC secretary Mayya Romanova.

The club’s activity reached a peak in December when three events took place. The first one was a traditional anti-AIDS campaign held to mark the international day for the fight against AIDS, December 1, and organized together with local civic organizations and students from South-West University. “Frosty Winter, Warm Memories” was the club’s second December project.

By celebrating the winter season, it aimed to bring together people from different ethnic and religious communities at the university and in town. A charity auction took place the week before Christmas, organized in cooperation with Blagoevgrad municipality and the Women in Business Club. The auction items – Christmas cards, decorations, and paintings – were crafted by people with disabilities from local institutions. The initiative raised 1,420 levs, which was donated to the two Zornitsa daycare centers for people with disabilities.

Cooperation with other organizations is vital for the success of any initiative, Yavor says, adding that he hopes to involve more clubs and local institutions in future projects. And he and his club already have a few lined up for the next few months: a Martenitsa workshop, Environmental Week, more visits to the orphanage, and a campaign to help stray dogs. Two of the more ambitious goals of the club, Yavor says, is improving the university’s recycling record and starting a lecture series that will attract prominent social activists to campus.

A Vibrant Community

Computer Science Student Union: Computer Science beyond the Classroom

By Elitsa Levendova

CSSU members resolve computer issues during Fix-a-PC Day

During the fall semester, the Computer Science Student Union (CSSU) was responsible for some of the most interesting events organized at the American University in Bulgaria. Through weekly presentations, workshops, and social events, the independent student organization, famous for its enthusiasm and fresh ideas, showed the university community how the Internet works, taught them the importance of password security, demystified the art of encrypting for them, and helped them repair computer bugs during Fix-a-PC Day.

Thanks to members of the Union and their adviser, Professor Volin Karagiozov, who also heads the Computer Science Department, the community was granted the unique opportunity to observe a robot demonstration presented by students Ergys Ristani, Boyan Barnev, and Boyan Spassov. For their final and most high-profile event of the semester, the CSSU invited Jason Beres, a noted lecturer and product management director at Infragistics Corp, to talk about HTML5, the newest Microsoft development platform, and its rivals.

Not only is CSSU one of the most proactive student organizations; it is also one of the most diverse groups at the University – and not just in terms of ideas. Four of the 13 active CSSU members are female, among them the Union’s president, Boriana Goncharenko. A common interest in computer science has brought together students from different parts of the world, among them Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Serbia, Russia, Macedonia, Albania, and Moldova.

Some of CSSU’s best ideas are born at the frequent team meetings where members brainstorm and plan their activities. “We believe it is very important and beneficial to provide the students majoring in Computer Science and Information Systems with the opportunity to take part in extracurricular projects and also undertake projects on their own,” Goncharenko says by way of explaining CSSU’s purpose. “The major lays solid foundations of knowledge and this allows various specializations afterwards. Being part of a club, however, is a completely different experience.

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A Vibrant Community

“

Computer science is about being able to adapt fast.

”

The weekly events of the club broadened my knowledge and introduced me to new technologies, which are not covered in the COS curriculum. Getting involved in CSSU taught me to communicate to the group members, manage my time and responsibilities, and strengthened my organization skills,” she adds.

Goncharenko didn’t set out to be a computer scientist; she had enrolled at AUBG with the intention of studying journalism. However, the opportunity to take classes in different disciplines and to participate in the Union’s activities made her sign up for computer science. CSSU also gave Goncharenko teamwork experience, which she considers to be great practice for her future career. “On the one hand, you have to do your best for the team, on the other, the result depends on all group members. CSSU taught me that the enthusiasm and willingness of the members are vital for the outcome,” she says.

Atanas Dyulgerov, a CSSU founding member and former president, agrees that the liberal arts style of education and participation in CSSU have given him an edge in his current job. “As a software engineer, I am not just doing codes – that is only 60% of my job. I still need to deal with marketing [and] talk to customers,” he says, adding that the business and writing courses he took at AUBG were really helpful. “You see the larger picture.”

Thanks to CSSU, AUBG students can also keep track of developments in the field of Computer Science and

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learn about the software business by attending important conferences like DevReach. The most important symposium on Microsoft technologies in Southeast Europe, DevReach had an edition in Sofia last October, where the company’s newest projects and future plans were presented.

“By the time a computer science student graduates, the technologies he has studied are useless, so what you really learn at AUBG is not the particular technologies; you [develop] the mindset to adapt to new technology.

Computer science is about being able to adapt fast,” Dyulgerov says.

CSSU has helped many of its members distinguish themselves. Ristani, a third-year student from Albania, is one of them. He created the online voting system used in Student Government elections at AUBG. Ristani and fellow CSSU members Spassov and Barnev’s experiments with robot behavior were supported by funding from the newly established Teaching Development Fund through the project “Artificial Intelligence: Improving the Robotics Studies and Teaching Environment at AUBG.”

CSSU’s work over the years has been recognized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a leading international computing society. In 2008, ACM awarded CSSU chapter status, an achievement followed by three consecutive Student Chapter Excellence Awards. The latest ACM distinction, in 2010, recognized the students’ work on the CSSU website’s new feature dedicated to women in computer science.

By Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag

The Debate Club, founded in 1995, is one of the oldest and most distinguished student clubs at AUBG. During its 15-year existence, the club has established itself as one of the most vigorous student groups on campus.

A platform of free expression and intellectual stimulation, the club supports the development of individuals capable of formulating distinct, informed opinions.

And while any rhetorical practice improves one’s ability to speak, the art of debating teaches something even more valuable – it teaches one to listen.

The Debate Club follows the American Parliamentary format of debate during regular weekly meetings. Participants choose a topic from a variety of fields, such as politics, economics, education, and ethics. Two twoperson teams state their definitions and main arguments regarding a motion in their opening speeches.

Teams are then given a chance to provide additional information and refute opponents’ arguments.

“Practice makes perfect,” says club treasurer Baasanjav Ochirkhuyag, a fourth-year student from Mongolia majoring in Business Administration and Economics.

“That’s why we officers of the club try to build an environment where challenge-seeking thinkers can imbue their varied knowledge into passionate speeches, improvising while honing their skills.”

Martin Andreev, a freshman from Bulgaria, says he likes being part of the club because it gives him the opportunity to meet new people and exchange ideas.

“Although we argue all the time, the atmosphere is full of fun moments,” Martin adds.

In addition to practice debates, the club organizes simulation games, workshops, roundtable discussions, and public debates. In fact, holding public debates at the beginning of each semester is becoming a tradition for the club. President Nadezhda Naydenova, a Bulgarian majoring in Political Science, says that this is a great way to recruit new debaters and promote the club’s activities to the student body.

The most important event the Debate Club organizes is the annual Open Debate Tournament. The event is, arguably, the biggest intellectual challenge organized by AUBG students. Last year’s Open included a tournament for high school students in addition to the university-level competition, providing a unique opportunity to the region’s younger talents to partake in a rewarding competition.

AUBG’s Debate Club has prepared some of its members for prestigious international competitions. Debating and adjudication teams from AUBG have joined the International Debate Academy Slovenia Championship, Amsterdam Open Debate Tournament, Stockholm School of Economics Debate Tournament, and Jacobs Open Debate Tournament. One of the club’s most significant achievements came in 2006 as members Nemanja Grujicic from Serbia and Katia Georgieva from Bulgaria became champions of IDEA International, one of the world’s most renowned debate tournaments.

Nadezhda hopes to send AUBG debaters to such prestigious tournaments as the European Universities Debating Championship and World Universities Debating Championship, two of the most challenging university-level debate tournaments. Club Vice President Vladimir Betov has even taken up the initiative to host additional weekly meetings focusing on subject matter frequently addressed in these competitions, such as environmental pollution, human rights, corporate responsibility, and conflict zones.

AUBG Philosophy Professor Diego Lucci, who advises the club, says that the Debate Club often proposes interesting topics and helps students develop public speaking skills and learn how to formulate strong arguments. For first-year student Ivan Markovic, from Serbia, debating is both challenging and rewarding. He says: “Arguments, beliefs, pros, cons, adrenaline, and victory. You expect nothing less.”

A Vibrant Community

Mastering the Art of Debating

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A Vibrant Community

Students on the Move AUBG students take advantage of the many exchange opportunities the University offers. Spending a semester or a year in Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the U.S., among other places, enriches their educational experience and allows them to explore the world. Through the Erasmus program and exchange agreements with U.S. universities, AUBG also hosts tens of foreign students each year.

Yavor Kiryakov AUBG, Bulgaria

Spent a semester at the University of Mannheim, Germany

My exchange program in Germany helped me choose the most appropriate field to continue my studies in. Now I feel more confident in what I do and this positive attitude enhances my academic and extracurricular performance.

Andria Esakia AUBG, Georgia

Spent AY 2009-2010 at Virginia Tech, USA I missed the warm, friendly atmosphere of AUBG. Spending one year in a technical university with more than 30,000 students, changed my attitude towards AUBG and its philosophy. As a result, I became more emotionally attached to our small liberal arts university.

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

Jelena Komele University of Latvia, Latvia

Spent a semester at AUBG

I chose AUBG because it is an American university, all classes are in English, and I had never been in Bulgaria. I like the system of studies, being able to choose my subjects, the professors, and the friendly people.

A Vibrant Community

Rylee Rawcliffe University of Maine, USA

Spent a semester at AUBG

I love the diversity here: the array of ethnicities at AUBG is completely different from home. I also like being able to walk to go shopping, to get my groceries, or to go to the movies.

Aliaksandr Burblis AUBG, Belarus

Spent a semester at Howard University, Washington D.C., USA Living and studying in Washington D.C. was a perfect opportunity for me to attend numerous conferences, seminars and public lectures on topics related to comparative politics and investigative journalism.

Jelena Vic AUBG, Seric bia

Spent a se m Las Cruces ester at New Mexic o State , USA

University ,

The semes ter of my majo abroad expanded my rs and gave knowledge in the area me anothe American s r perspecti system of e ve on the ducation. Th provides co e mpares ver education AU y fa and I felt m ore than pre vorably to the one in BG the U.S., pared to ac tively parti cipate in cla ss.

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FlashNews: One Step Ahead

A Vibrant Community

By Gereltsetseg Badamdorj and Sylvia Zareva

The current FlashNews team

With the motto “One Step Ahead,” FlashNews serves its 1,300 subscribers from six continents by publishing weekly reports on the “life and struggle” of the community at the American University in Bulgaria. It has done so for the past 11 years, making it the University’s longest-lived student-run publication.

FlashNews started as a news section in a print student publication. In September 1999, Moldovan Ilya Vedrashko, then in his final year at AUBG, and a few enthusiastic collaborators struck out on their own to establish what would become the most reliable source of news about the university. The new periodical first appeared as a news digest, sent out to subscribers weekly. In 2001, FlashNews acquired its first website and expanded its product line to include features, profiles, poetry, op-eds, and photo stories. A few years later, student reporters began producing video stories to supplement the already-diverse lineup of stories FlashNews offered. Advertising revenues trickled in as well, allowing team members to invest in small equipment

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

and web hosting. The publication’s website underwent several overhauls over the years. The current portal has interactive features, allowing readers to leave feedback and discuss content.

As the publication’s scope and features grew so did its readership. The digest reaches alumni, students, parents, former exchange participants, administration, faculty, university donors, other media organizations, and local businesses, among others. According to Google Analytics, the FlashNews website had 4,206 visits and 10,549 page views coming from 88 countries in a single month between September and October 2010. Today, anyone can subscribe to the website for free and get weekly updates sent to their e-mail address.

For Flash-ers, as members of the FlashNews team call themselves, this has meant increased responsibility to produce interesting and trustworthy content. Therefore, although FlashNews reporters’ work is not remunerated, strictly speaking, the experience is no less demanding than a real job. An email digest still goes out

FlashNews is not only a first job for its reporters and editors; it is also a bonding experience par excellence that creates lifelong friends. Former reporters and editors stay in touch no matter which part of the world they live in. A special Facebook group for editors provides a forum for discussing FlashNews-related issues, reminiscing, and swapping news about one another.

Vedrashko is not only the publication’s founding father, but also a regular contributor and chief troubleshooter who provides advice to team members to this day.

The current FlashNews team has 28 members coming from Bulgaria, Albania, the U.S., Kosovo, Georgia, Mongolia, Serbia, Colombia, and Moldova. National diversity is only outmatched by the variety of academic disciplines Flash-ers pursue – journalism, business administration, European studies, economics, computer science, and political science. Team members’ dissimilar interests represent a real perk in a publication trying to cover all aspects of the community’s life. And while it is helpful to have taken at least a couple of journalism classes before setting out to write a story, cub reporters and students of non-journalism backgrounds receive plenty of feedback and support from their editors to produce quality work.

In October 2009, FlashNews celebrated its tenth anniversary with a cocktail party. AUBG community members, former reporters and editors-in-chief, and special visitors from the U.S. embassy and the Blagoevgrad Theater turned up to celebrate the big occasion.

A Vibrant Community

every week, while new web content is added sometimes on a daily basis. Reporters, photographers, and editors scout for stories daily and FlashNews team members are fixtures at university events.

“Had it not been for Flash, my whole experience at AUBG would have been a lot more bland,” former editor Jovana Miocinovic said, conveying all former members’ feelings about the FlashNews experience. “If I ever in my professional career reach the same level of motivation, passion, and inspiration that I invested in Flash, I will consider myself a very lucky person,” Miocinovic adds.

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Student Government at AUBG

A Vibrant Community A Vibrant Community

By Robert Phillips, Professor of Political Science

In 1991, President Laverty asked AUBG’s first students to organize a student government, so, armed with a blue folder full of constitutions, by-laws, and policies from the University of Maine’s student government and my experience as student government president at Spring Hill College, a small group of students began to discuss the idea. Despite some initial skepticism and a few derogatory comparisons with their Komsomol experience, AUBG’s first class convened the first AUBG Student Government.

Today, the AUBG Student Government is an integral actor in our university community. Any given week will find members communicating student concerns to a particular office, representing a student in a meeting with university officials, working with university offices to solve a problem, or providing financial support to student clubs. Student government is neither always correct nor always successful, but its work on balance builds a better university community. Curiously perhaps, much of this work performed by the student government president and student senators goes unnoticed by the larger university community.

While the president and student senators are commonly associated with student government, many do not know that student government is also composed of student representatives who serve on university committees, several Faculty Assembly committees, academic departments, faculty search committees, and various ad hoc committees. These positions also provide valuable input and feedback throughout the university community.

One of the more surprising secrets, given AUBG students’ desires for acquiring practical skills, is that student government provides some of the most practical training opportunities on campus: speaking extemporaneously, communicating across cultures, planning projects, crafting budgets, delegating tasks, working in groups, and reaching compromises. These are just some of the very no-nonsense job skills that members can develop – skills that strengthen a university, a business, or a democratic society.

I decided to join the SG, because I felt I needed to give back to a community that has given me so much. It is such a rewarding experience on so many levels. Not only do we, the students of AUBG, learn leadership skills, but we also become global citizens, we are taught tolerance and appreciation for other cultures.

Manjola Prenga, Albania senator

Working in a multinational body is challenging and pleasant at the same time. The key is to be flexible, tolerant and balanced. It is a unique opportunity that prepares us to take important leadership roles in multinational organizations in our future careers.

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Teodora Toneva, Bulgaria SG Treasurer

AUBG Today, Issue 45

In the SG, I am learning teamwork, leadership, cooperation, service, and communal approaches to solving problems.

Abdugani Baidildayev Kazakhstan, senator It’s a huge learning experience, an interesting adventure and a lot of work. You learn about national differences and learn to keep your head in hot discussions. I think this year’s SG represents diversity on campus: there are senators from 7 countries in a 15-member Senate.

A Vibrant A Vibrant Community Community

Marko Čeperković, Serbia senator

Darya Pak, Kazakhstan, senator

The Student Government is one of the best ways to contribute to the community. Serving in the SG is also a great way to enrich your knowledge about other countries. Prejudices disappear and students become more open to differences.

Diana Li, Kazakhstan senator

It is truly a joy to be around intelligent people from other countries I never thought I would communicate and be friends with. I’ve learnt not only to support my point of view, but to respect the opinion of others. Our community is diverse, but all of us have a lot in common, and I want to represent the common interests of AUBG students.

Elitsa Nacheva, Bulgaria SG President

At AUBG I have a great opportunity to communicate with students from 40 countries, and this shapes the way I think and perceive the world.

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They Make Us Proud

AUBG Today talked to four graduates and asked them about their lives now.

Name: Elena Chadova Country: Kyrgyzstan Class: 2004 Majors: Journalism and Mass Communication Extracurriculars/Clubs: The Aspecter (reporter, 2003-2004), Verve (copy-editor, 2004) Current occupation: Academic editor / Freelance journalist / Copy-editor for Balkan Strategy, a Turkish analytical magazine about the Balkans

By Nadzeya Zhuk

Hobbies: Photography, poetry, reading, traveling

If you think that a person from a modest-income postSoviet family is doomed to be unsuccessful, think again. Elena Chadova, class of 2004, is living proof to the contrary. After graduating from AUBG with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, she received a full scholarship for a non-degree liberal arts program in Germany and after that won a fellowship from the U.S. State Department to pursue an M.A. degree in the University of Missouri, Columbia. Just six years after graduation, Elena finds herself working as an academic editor, freelance journalist for EurasiaNet.org, and a copy-editor for Balkan Strategy, a Turkish analytical magazine about the Balkans.

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It may seem that for a person to achieve such professional and academic success one has to have a clear-cut career path in mind long before entering university; however, this is not the case for Elena. She switched from a more mathematical business major to journalism just three semesters before graduation inspired by her journalism professor Laura Kelly. Naturally, she deeply appreciates flexibility and the freedom to choose that AUBG offered her along with profound general education in various fields that now comes in handy in her editorial work.

AUBG has been formative for Elena not only in her intellectual development but also in her personal growth.

During her four years as an AUBG community member, Elena learnt to accept other cultures, reconcile differences, cope with hardship, meet deadlines, and successfully handle workloads. AUBG imparted many vital skills for professional success. Above all, her alma mater has put in place an important structure without which it would be impossible to build new skills and make further progress in life, Elena concludes.

They Make Us Proud

By Severina Mangusheva

As a person who values diversity, Nemanja found himself right at home in AUBG’s multicultural community.

The 2008 graduate says the experience was not only enjoyable but also very beneficial. He embraced AUBG’s pluralism from the very start, expanding his worldview through provocative discussions with classmates and professors from different backgrounds in classes that challenged and enriched him. He also enjoyed informal contacts with students from 35 other countries through on-campus living and the many extracurricular activities he pursued at college. Through its academic rigor and emphasis on cultivating cross-cultural communication, the AUBG education trained him well for the demanding international atmosphere at McKinsey, a consulting firm and his current employer.

Nemanja first met with McKinsey representatives at a company presentation at his alma mater. His University experience had prepared him to approach them with confidence. By that stage, he had served as a Resident Assistant, played for the University’s Griffins American football team, distinguished himself at debating, and proven his abilities at the 2007 Kraft Business Case, where he applied in practice the skills and knowledge he learnt in class.

Nemanja says he owes his successful professional start to the mixture of in-class challenges and out-of-class pursuits at AUBG, a combination characteristic of liberal arts education. He has always appreciated the advantages of liberal education, but as its beneficiary, he has come to be its champion because it gives you “scope and freedom.” The freedom to explore different

Name: Nemanja Grujicic Country: Serbia Class: 2008 Majors: Business Administration, European Studies minor Extracurriculars/Clubs: Debate Club, Griffins American Football Club, Resident Assistant, international competitions Current occupation: Management Consultant, McKinsey & Co. Inc. Hobbies: Biking, gadgets

options and select a major once he felt confident about his choice was crucial for Nemanja. Moreover, the scope of liberal arts education, with its compulsory general education component, helped him broaden his knowledge.

Above all else, AUBG taught him that “different is usually good and always interesting, meaningful hard work pays off, and staying true to yourself can get you a long way and help you find friends for life.”

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By Teodora Marcheva

At AUBG, Ivan came to appreciate the value of friendship. As most students come from countries other than

They Make Us Proud

“

AUBG professors often have fascinating and non-linear life trajectories.

Name: Ivan Shaliastovich Country: Belarus Class: 2003

”

Majors: Economics, Mathematics Education: Ph.D. from Duke University (2009) Current occupation: Assistant Professor of Finance, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania Hobbies: Traveling

The small-town location, international faculty, diverse student body, and relatively small size make AUBG a very unique place, unlike many traditional U.S. institutions. Ivan Shaliastovich, a 2003 AUBG graduate, knows that very well. He is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, the highest ranked business school in the world, and he can definitely tell the difference between AUBG and a U.S.-based institution.

“I can hardly imagine any other school where I’d talk Bulgarian to my roommate in the morning, English during the classes in the afternoon, Russian to my friends in the evening, and then top it up with Bulgarian/English/Russian depending on whom I meet in Napoli at night.” According to Ivan, this day-to-day exposure to a variety of languages, cultures, ethnicities, and religions is what distinguishes AUBG students and makes them more prepared for the modern world and more sensitive to its globalism and internationalism.

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AUBG Today, Issue 45

Bulgaria, they quickly have to learn some Bulgarian basics in addition to doing coursework in English. “This journey would have been impossible if not for the relationships we developed with close friends,” Ivan says.

He grew to cherish and rely on the help of friends in situations when “ordering a pizza proved a bit of a challenge, getting through the final exam in accounting, or starting a fall semester with a trip to the beach.” Even after graduation, alumni rely on each other for career, grad school, or relocation advice, while reconnecting with old friends from AUBG is always special.

The close interaction between students and faculty is another aspect of the AUBG experience Ivan appreciates. Professors are accessible outside the classroom, be it in their office at school or over a beer at a restaurant. Ivan remembers that out-of-class discussions he had with his professors “would very often drift away from today’s topics in class to a different or broader agenda or even away from academic subjects to their life stories and experiences.” AUBG professors often have fascinating and non-linear life trajectories, which makes such conversations interesting and eye-opening.

For him, these interactions were as important as all the formal coursework he had to do. “Chatting with professors in an informal environment and seeing what it is like to have an academic job definitely helped shape my own career.”

Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova’s professional journey started thirteen years ago at the American University in Bulgaria, where she served the community by publishing a campus news bulletin. Today, she tries to make the world a better place by working as a Research Associate and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, the United States.

The 2001 graduate says the comprehensive nature of the AUBG education widened her professional and academic horizons. Moreover, at AUBG she learnt multitasking and the value of public service: While completing a double major in Journalism and American Studies, Gaukhar also made time to launch and edit FlashNews, the first entirely online-based AUBG student publication.

At AUBG Gaukhar also learnt to appreciate diversity.

“In the United States people have to study ‘intercultural communication,’ learn that the world is big and diverse, at AUBG, we lived, rather than studied, the multicultural, multilingual life,” she says. “We learned each other’s languages without taking classes, mixing our cultural backgrounds with new and different ways of thinking, and in the global marketplace today, this is one of our great advantages.” At college, Gaukhar became fluent in Serbian and Bulgarian in addition to speaking several other languages.

Professionally, her four years in Blagoevgrad meant “practically everything,” Gaukhar says. “The skills, the knowledge, the experience, the motivation I got at the university defined who I was professionally and personally.”

Her AUBG experience helped her get a job as an account manager at McCann-Erickson in 2001 and as Media and Outreach Officer in the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan between 2002 and 2005. Working for the UN encouraged her to start an M.A. in International Policy Studies with a Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. While studying Gaukhar also served at the Center as a Graduate Research Assistant and obtained a position as a junior officer in the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs in New York City. After completing her M.A. degree, she continued working for the Center for Nonproliferation Studies and represented her home country in the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Her fondest AUBG memories are connected to people though: favorite professors who mentored her and dear friends who helped her grow as a person. “There were many other important experiences, lessons, and people before and after my life in Bulgaria, but I spent the defining years there, made the best friends, and will always be an AUBG-er.”

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Friends and Supporters

Multiculturalism and Diversity in Higher Education Today

By Karen Boucias, AUBG Trustee and Student Affairs Committee Chair

Diversity: difference; unlikeness; variety Culture: a particular form or stage of civilization; the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Also, the quality in a person or society that arises from an interest in what is generally regarded as excellence in arts, letters and scholarly pursuits; development or improvement of the mind by education.

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Cultural diversity has been central to higher education from the beginning, when foreign students at the University of Bologna, established in 1088, had their own student union, the ultramontani, signifying those who came from beyond the mountains (today’s student stranieri). The Dutch scholar Erasmus personified educational and cultural diversity by furthering his studies in Paris, at Oxford, and in Italy. The early universities espoused the trivium: grammar, rhetoric and logic, followed by the quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy, embracing what became the liberal arts. Apart from added business courses reflecting modern educational interests and societal needs, AUBG today offers a rigorous curriculum based on the liberal arts tradition to a culturally diverse student body representing 40 countries. Through history, Bulgaria itself has been a geographical crossroads, with the Danube River and Black Sea for borders, and closely situated to the Aegean and Adriatic Seas, as well as to the Bosphorus, providing avenues for communication with diverse cultures.

The global perspectives of cultural diversity recognize, support, and promote respect among existing cultural groups. Rapid advances in technology, coupled with the rapidly increasing interconnectedness of nations bring non-stop opportunities for shared learning experiences. AUBG’s diverse student body, faculty, academic course offerings, living arrangements, lectures and cultural celebrations provide energy, excitement, vitality and richness to both the student experience and to the entire university experience. The electrified atmosphere of experiences that are shared and learned creates forward thinking and a vision that is outward looking, cosmopolitan, less prone to stereotyping, and more cultured, in the best sense of the word. This atmosphere allows all in the community to rethink our values and our own identities.

As the world grapples with global challenges involving the environment, over-population, climate change, human rights, and economics, and as AUBG continues to offer a curriculum that results in cultural literacy, the University will continue to be in the forefront of higher education by providing a supportive, cultured environment of mixed perspectives to explore and analyze different solutions to global problems. The world needs new alternatives and new ideas. We need to understand areas of conflict. AUBG offers this by bringing together sharp young minds, the first globally educated generation, from many backgrounds and from many experiences. How better to move forward as educated citizens in today’s world?

AUBG Students exhibited their work in robotics at a public demonstration in November 2010

European Commission official John McClintock showed students that agriculture can be a fun subject

An agreement between AUBG and the Macedonian town of Delchevo envisions scholarships for Delchevo students

American University in Bulgaria Blagoevgrad

Main Building 1 Georgi Izmirliev Sq. Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria President’s Office: (+359 73) 888 307 Development: (+359 73) 888 366 Fax: (+359 73) 888 344

Balkanski Academic Center

Published by: University Relations Office Phone: (+359 73) 888 215 Fax: (+359 73) 888 399

54 Alexander Stamboliyski St. Skaptopara Campus Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria Admissions: (+359 73) 888 235 American University in Bulgaria Sofia

Elieff Center for Education and Culture 1 Universitetski Park St., Studentski Grad Sofia 1700, Bulgaria Switchboard: (+359 2) 960 7910 Fax: (+359 2) 961 6010 U.S. Mailing Address: American University in Bulgaria 910 17th St., N.W. Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20006

www.aubg.bg