Care for the future

The strategic policy to internationalise the University of Ljubljana is also supported in communications. Hence, we will communicate with different audiences abroad pursuant to our plans and targets. In the first half of 2016, this was the way to attract future students from Serbia and we also issued the University of Ljubljana Echo bulletin, intended for the foreign academic sphere.

Mag. JANA LUTOVAC LAH
Rector’s Assistant for Organisation and Communication and Head of the Rector’s Cabinet

A university can only be successful in its mission if it has highly motivated, engaged and excellent professors, researchers, experts and students. Therefore, the University of Ljubljana provides creative conditions to work and study that promote engagement in work and studies among students and employees while providing them with a quality career and student life. Summer schools in various disciplines are organised regularly and alumni clubs have been set up to establish and develop cooperation with graduates and promote the economy and public sector.

Aware of the importance of knowledge applicability and ability to obtain own financial resources, we have also developed commercial activities, closely linking the University with the Slovenian economy and foreign companies. Our partners are multinational corporations and top Slovenian companies.

A high-profile event held in 2015 was the opening ceremony for the high-tech research and development centre Renishaw Tehnični inženiring at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, which is the result of long-standing successful cooperation between the Faculty and the leading Renishaw engineering company from England. The centre will take care of the design, development and supply of integrated circuits and sensor technologies for the Renishaw Group. Faculty graduates will be invited to participate and seek employment.

Within the scope of the Technological support for people with dementia in the community project, the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, cooperated with Comsensus Company. The project was implemented within the scope of the “Creative Way to Practical Knowledge” tender. It was co-financed by the European Social Fund within the frame of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

The Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana has collaborated with different companies for several years, preparing various challenges for students. In 2015, the world renowned Zemanta Company again prepared a competition for the best programming solution, where the winners also got the opportunity to do paid summer internship at Zemanta Company. The international Comtrade Company has enabled students for the 4th time in a row to obtain credit points based on resolving challenges and a chance to acquire further knowledge.

To identify and improve student satisfaction with courses and lecturers, the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, started the campaign Your opinion matters. Students were encouraged to submit their opinions and were kept informed of their wishes and of the changes made based on their opinions through a communication campaign. Communication was carried out in Slovenian and English.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, opened a Creative classroom FE or KUFE, i.e. a new multi-purpose room intended for secondary school and university students. It hosts different workshops, lectures, courses and other topical sessions. At the end of 2015, the new creative classroom was a place where creative electronic New Year’s decorations were made. By moving the computer classroom, the lobby of the Faculty was turned into a quality ‘living room’ where students and employees socialise and hold social events.

The Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport, University of Ljubljana, provides comprehensive and financial support for student involvement in extracurricular activities, where the men’s and women’s rowing teams and the sailing team have achieved top results at international regattas. This way, we strengthen collective spirits, sportsmanship and the sense of belonging to the Faculty as well as develop its public profile.

The Faculty of Administration at the University of Ljubljana introduced a tutor classroom in the Moodle system. All interested students can access frequently asked questions and answers in this open source system used for setting up online classrooms. Tutor assistance can hence be more effective.

In 2015, the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana placed more attention on the satisfaction and health of its employees. Among other, we started doing physical exercise and promoted walking up the stairs of the Faculty. We organised sports activities within the scope of the Dean’s Day, lectures to the topic of healthy diet and exercise, set up an intranet site to the topic of health promotion and provided employee training on occupational health and safety and fire safety.

The University Rectorate arranged a self-service corner for food preparation, allowing for a pleasant break during working hours. Once a week, employees can attend recreation at the gym.

In 2015, we continued the weekly Rector’s Colleges, monthly Colleges of the Deans, regular Secretary General Colleges and Colleges of Associate Secretaries, meetings with representatives of the University of Ljubljana Student Council and regular monthly colleges of public relations associates within the scope of internal communication.

Special attention was placed on students for whom we organised the “Freshmen Welcome” event. For the first time, foreign students studying at the University of Ljubljana were actively involved in the event. During the 2015 University Week, we presented top university awards and titles, paid tribute to the best student athletes at the Rector’s reception and met with former rector teams. We started issuing an internal newsletter for all employees called e-Univerzitetnik.

In media relations, the University of Ljubljana for the first time measured the appearance of the University and its members in Slovenian media. The University of Ljubljana appeared in the media in 2587 cases. In more than 70 percent of cases, the publications were neutral, while 15 percent of publications in the first half of the year were unfavourable; this percentage fell to 5 percent in the second half of the year. In that period, the favourability of reporting also rose, i.e. from 14 to 23 percent.

Environmental goals are closely related with a number of activities to reduce energy consumption and limit emissions in the environment. In 2015, the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, completed the energy rationalisation project, aimed at rational use of energy, and obtained the energy performance certificate for the building.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana has disposed of waste in an ecological manner for a number of years. All waste is separated and most of it is recycled, for which environmental waste disposal certificates are received. Waste stationery is redeemed and the amount is accounted for under waste removal services, which represents considerable savings on annual level. Offices and restrooms are cleaned using ecological cleaning agents.

The Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana has been involved in the Eco-School programme since 2014. The programme brings together educational institutions striving to achieve the goals of environmental upbringing and education and actualise sustainable development among young persons. Within the scope of the environmental programme implemented, we cooperate with employees and students. In 2015, emphasis was placed on raising the students and employees’ awareness on the importance of sustainable management of available resources, reducing and preventing waste generation as well as on training students and future teachers to teach sustainable contents.

The Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana put into service a charging station for electric cars, donated by Schneider Electronic Slovenija. Its installation will provide the Faculty with the necessary infrastructure to develop electrical mobility. Electric cars can be charged by employees, students and visitors to the Faculty.

At the students’ initiative, the Veterinary Faculty at the University of Ljubljana commenced activities to arrange an eco-point for hanging out in the Faculty park. With the help of employees, students created a pleasant setting with benches and a table for student and employee socialising.

Responsibility to the society is included in everyday activities through various projects and events, thus realising the mission of the University of Ljubljana. In 2015, we organised the founding meeting of members of the University of Ljubljana global alumni and associates network (SMUL), which was established as one of the activities to raise the quality of study programmes and strengthen the international cooperation and reputation of the University. We put into action the Slovenian Innovation Hub, the basic objective of which is to contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy and raise our international competitiveness. In 2015, our humanitarian activities were largely related to the European migrant crisis.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana supported several humanitarian actions organised by student clubs or other interest groupings. In December, we collected school supplies and books, and donated the funds collected in the sale of cards and pastry to the Draw a smile on children’s faces action, organised by the Kameleon Slovenija Society. We also organised the traditional charity concert and donated the proceeds to the Red Noses charity organisation.

In the Laboratory of Robotics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, a physically impaired Faculty student participates in Team Avalanchewithin the scope of the international Cybathlon competition. The team is creating a prototype of a wheelchair powered by an electric motor in order to enable physically impaired persons to overcome obstacles in the urban environment, including walking up and down the stairs.

Since the end of September 2015, the Department of Slovenian Studies was reopened at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, after 23 years and the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, reopened the Slovenian Language Department, which was terminated years ago by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Slovenian Language Department in Sarajevo is vital for strengthening academic relations, joint projects, cooperation in culture and economy as well as for the Slovenian community living there.

The Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana, for the first time held the event Administration goes in the right direction in cooperation with the Student Organisation and Student Council. The event was organised to develop ideas to improve the operations of public administration.

During intensive migrant flows, the Slovenian Red Cross and regional coordinators invited the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, to participate in treatment of migrants/refugees at holding centres. Faculty staff and students included in activities at holding centres. In parallel, the Faculty held a campaign to collect second-hand clothes and shoes.

The Faculty of Medicine also prepared a scientific conference to the topic of Migrations and healthcare in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. The meeting was intended for an exchange of knowledge and experience in the medical treatment of refugees and migrants in Slovenia and for the presentation of good practices. Furthermore, a high-profile humanitarian campaign entitled Collecting aid for refugees was carried out at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana. Employees and students collected blankets, clothes, shoes, food, hygienic and cosmetic products and toys.

The Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, has established a Legal Clinic for Refugees and Foreigners. Its purpose is to raise awareness among the expert public on the refugee issue and foreigners` rights, as well as to accelerate the education of law students and increase their interest in these special fields of law.