Skapto 3 construction begins
Photo from defacto archive
AUBG community discusses university’s future
By Raman Faminou and Mariya Manolova
December 1, 2008
Administration gets student feedback
Students, faculty, staff and administration gathered to discuss the Strategic Plan of AUBG at the first Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, November 27. More than thirty members of AUBG community attended the meeting. The first study group discussed their draft report on Liberal Education and Demand for Knowledge Workers.
Throughout Fall semester, three study groups held weekly meetings where AUBG members identified challenges the university community faces. Before the Town Hall Meeting, the groups came out with draft reports, each of which will be discussed in public.
“Everybody […] was very interested and very involved,” Dean of Students Lydia Krise, co-chair of the first study group, said. As part of preparing the AUBG Strategic Plan, students will be asked for feedback, where they can express their concerns and ideas. The administration also considers conducting a survey among students, Krise added.
Thursday’s Liberal Education and Demand for Knowledge Workers study group presented a draft report that identified three main points: how to promote active learning among students, enhance AUBG’s involvement in academic environments, and enhance faculty-student interaction.
Attendees at the Town Hall Meeting were divided into five groups and given around half an hour to discuss the report draft. Then, a member of each group gave feedback on the draft.
Chair of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) Department Dinka Spirovska said it is important to improve communication across AUBG, specifically student-faculty interaction outside classrooms. “Students open up when they know a faculty member is someone they can talk to,” she said.
“When students come here they don’t have a clear idea of what liberal arts is,” Elena Bardarova, Human Resources Manager for Expatriate Employees, said. Journalism professor Phelps Hawkins said it is important to “communicate what liberal arts is, not only in terms of recruitment, but also [within] the university.”
Presenters also talked about the importance of internships as a part of AUBG education. Practical experience is clearly something students should have here,” Hawkins said. Bardarova said it is important to establish long-lasting relationships with companies to secure internship opportunities.
“There was a general concern that the report is too broad,” co-chair of the study group, Political Science professor Ivelin Sardamov said.
“This is a first draft, a starting point,” Krise said. The final report will come out next semester, she added.
The second Town Hall Meeting will be held on December 2, and will focus on the Environmental Forces affecting AUBG. Provost Ann Ferren urged the AUBG community to attend and participate in the meeting.
