A NEW UNIVERSITY FOR A NEW WORLD

A NEW UNIVERSITY FOR A NEW WORLD Dr. Ksenia Kisselincheva At first, it was the daunting dream of a few inspired intellectuals. They fully realized the need for a new educational institution which will offer a new strategy to education in the world after the fall of the Berlin wall. The new institution was conceived to radically modernize Bulgarian higher education and bring it up to scratch to the best standards of leading universities worldwide. The Association for a new Bulgarian university was set up on May 3 1990. It has been asserted in its Statutes that the new institution is to be politically independent and autonomous of any state structures. The major goal of the Association at the time was to set up a fund for financing of an alternative type of university along the lines of a private foundation. It had to promote a flexible and open-minded strategy, in opposition to the rigid and outdated strategy of the existing educational system in the country. Initially, the Association relied mainly on financing through donations, sponsorship and international sources, as well as revenues from a wide range of relevant courses. To achieve its high-minded goal, it established contacts with a number of international educational and academic institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, churches, political parties and other public and private entities, both in, and outside Bulgaria. Another major goal of the Association for a New Bulgarian University was to work out and implement alternative approaches to knowledge and devise new syllabuses. It certainly implied the setting up of an adequate library stock to serve the major purposes of the Association. As a result of the intensive and creatively inspired activity of a number of eminent figures in the humanities, law and economics, the NBU was given the status of a higher education institution by a Decision of the Seventh Grand National Assembly of September 18,1991. The following ten years were pivotal in the implementation of its educational philosophy which is based on the liberal idea of education, relating acquisition of knowledge and professional specialization to general spiritual development. This was a difficult period of growth and assertion, a trial period for the viability of the new goals and strategies of the NBU which had to compete with a number of state and private universities. But, it evolved and flourished, mostly because it combined in a selective manner the good elements of the traditional education with radically new concepts and approaches. As Prof. Bogdan Bogdanov says “…we perfect, add and redo endlessly. Some have left us due to this perseverance. Yes, but for most students and faculty members it is a positive aspect, and the remarkable positive mood in NBU is felt immediately by newcomers…” It is a highlight in NBU history when, it received institutional accreditation on July 2001– a watershed not only in its own development but a new era in our national history of education. This was the public recognition of a new vision of higher education, in harmony with the most vibrant trends in education, both in the EU and worldwide. …I finally got off the route taxi with relief- the experience is close to an off- road ride in Africa- and I was eager to enter this oasis of civilization which reminds me of a modern version of a campus. I was taken on a half hour tour of the complex by a young lady from the PR Department, who acted like a guide, paid by the hour. She was prepared to answer any question and to make any possible remark, as we galloped through endless corridors. Some of them were decorated with portrait pictures of persons who have been awarded the honorable title of Doctor Honoris Causa. It’s already a long list of illustrious names who have made a mark in science, art and culture. Among them there are a few Bulgarians - Raina Kabaivanska, Milcho Leviev and Prof. Vera Mutafchieva whose creative achievement trespasses national boundaries. Most of them are world-famous scholars, politicians and artists whose virtual presence gives an awsome aura to the ambience of the institution and contributes to its fast rising reputation. “NBU consists of two large corpuses- says the young lady, while discreetly muttering into her mobile-there is an aula, a library and Artes restaurant and a few cafeteria. Altogether, there are 80 lecture halls with a capacity of over 2200 seats.” At some point, she decided to switch off her phone, her voice suddenly acquiring a solemn ringing note, “The halls, as you can see, are well equipped with multimedia and interactive technologies and the aula is fully equipped with the most up-to-date audio-visual technology, simultaneous translation cabins, an organ and a grand piano.” This seemed to be the highlight of her presentation and she rushed me into a café, bustling with to share a coffee with me, while putting her mobile again into full swing. I was ticked off her agenda, so I could look around in a relaxed manner and take in the lively atmosphere of the place. On the spur of the moment, I decided to hop over to a neighboring table and try to interview someone out of the blue. My “victim’ name was Biliana, a plump blond girl who was a forth year sociology student. At first, she was reluctant to respond, but on second thought, she found it exotic to be quoted in an English newspaper. When asked how she felt, being educated at the NBU, that’s what she had to say: “I think that if you know what you want, you can definitely find it here, there is such a variety of courses and modes of education. At first, this might be confusing because you have to make difficult decisions on your own. But in the process of doing this, you turn more mature and independent, so it’s good preparation for your future life.” On leaving the campus, I felt a bit envious of all those young people who had the opportunity to take advantage of this new approach to higher education. NBU is the first university in Bulgaria which introduced the credit system as a measure of the workload of students. In this way, the students combine specialization in a certain area with broad basic education and interdisciplinary programs. NBU is also a pioneer in offering distance learning, continuing education and internal and external mobility, that is a transfer in NBU programs and studying abroad. And, last but not least, the diplomas students end up with, are recognized not only in the EU, but worldwide. In this way, they are well equipped to compete on the international labor market and to enjoy the status of citizens of the global village who have a good chance of choosing the right place for their professional and personal fulfillment. Sofia Echo weekly, 2010