New Ljubljana University Chancellor Pledges to Improve Quality

Ljubljana, 01 October

Andreja Kocijancic, who assumed the post of chancellor of the University of Ljubljana on 1 October, is starting her four-year term full of optimism. Four years from now, the university will be "shining" in terms of qualify of research and teaching, as well as student and teacher satisfaction, she said.

She says her priorities will be to preserve the university as an autonomous entity, forge closer ties between research and teaching work, raise quality across the board, and open the university into Europe and the world by promoting the mobility of staff and students.
We need to overhaul study programmes in line with the Bologna declaration; students have to get more practical skills so that they will be better able to start taking part in the work process, she stressed.
"This means a content-based restructuring of study programmes. Most faculties have already started to tackle this difficult work, whereas those who have fallen behind will be helped with advice and international models," according to Kocijancic.
She also said the university will make a focused effort to make it to the Shanghai list of the world's top 500 universities. "The university is ranked higher in certain other rankings...but I think it important for national self-confidence that we make it to this list."
Kocijancic also labelled as unprecise the assessment that there is too little research work going on, and that the links with companies are too weak. There are quite a few projects that the university conducts in association with the companies, it is only that they are not publicised enough, she noted.
Kocijancic backs the position that the university should not be split. "I do not see a single good reason why we should destroy what is best in Slovenian higher education," she stressed.
However, she acknowledges that the number of students is quite high so additional universities will probably have to be established.

New Ljubljana University Chancellor Pledges to Improve Quality

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