The Magazine of the American University in Bulgaria

ISSUE 53 | 2015AUBGINSIDE

THIS ISSUEIN

| LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION

| ADMISSIONS HIGHLIGHTS

| A VIBRANT COMMUNITY

| THEY MAKE US PROUD

| EMBA NEWS

| FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

Published by:Office of Communications and Marketing© Copyright 2015 AUBG. All rights reserved.

Editorial BoardDimana Doneva, Teodora Georgieva, Albena Kehayova

Consulting EditorsMark Wollemann

CONTENTS: PAGE

AUBG is committed to protecting the environ-ment and has adopted a new way of producing its promotional materials. Since last summer the majority of the University printing materials are produced on recycled paper. Each ton of recycled paper will save 17 trees, conserve energy and in general make our planet a better place.

In addition to using recycled paper for communi-cation materials, the Office of Communications and Marketing will continue to issue the Universi-

ty’s official magazine, Inside AUBG, in digital for-mat available on the ISSUU viewer.

Through various initiatives, the University nur-tures social responsibility in its students from the very start of their academic career. By engaging whole-heartedly in environmental activities, they are able to think of themselves as active citizens of the town, the region, and the world. The majority of AUBG students take part in eco activities, such as cleaning up urban areas and along the Bistritsa River, planting trees, and promoting recycling and healthy leaving on campus. As a result, they make a lasting impact on the wider community and pre-pare themselves to make a difference in the world after graduation.

WritersAleksandar Cakic, Emanuil Dimitrov, Dimana Doneva, Diana Elagina, Martin Georgiev, Teodora Georgieva, Nikoleta Ilieva, Maria Markina, Nikol Meshkova, Anu Molor, Nelly Ovcharova, Daniel Penev, Sorin Petrov, Aliaksandra Salanevich, Tatyana Ten, Toma Tetimov, Tsvetiana Zaharieva.

PhotographersVeselina Apostolova, Anna Bashuk, Dimitar Bratovanov, Kris-tina Chernikova, Dimana Doneva, Katalina Dimitrova, Nikoleta Ilieva, Katerina Kostiuchenko, Bobby Manov, Rumina Mateva, Anu Molor, Ivan Sharkov, Tatyana Ten, Ekaterine Tchelidze, Tsvetiana Zaharieva, Anna Zahorodnyuk.

| NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

| CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

| FAREWELL, GRADUATES!

| LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION

| ADMISSIONS HIGHLIGHTS

| A VIBRANT COMMUNITY

| THEY MAKE US PROUD

| EMBA NEWS

| FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

| COMMUNITY NEWS

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AUBG GOES GREEN

This is only a glimpse of what you will find in our magazine. The full version of Inside AUBG can be found electronically at www.aubg.edu/inside-aubg

I am thrilled to come back home to AUBG,” President Kulinski said. “As a member of the first gradu-ating class, my commitment runs on a deep and personal level. This is not merely a career shift – it is a reunion with my extended family that is the American University in Bulgaria. As I take on the role of President of AUBG, I am excited to contribute my time and energy and work closely with our students, faculty, staff, Board, University Council, supporters, and com-

munity stakeholders locally and worldwide to ensure the long-term success of our mission.

RAMI MAJZOUB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT: “TOGETHER, WE CAN ACHIEVE GREAT DEVELOPMENTS FOR AUBG”

AUBG WELCOMES HOME ONE OF ITS OWN AS THE NEW PRESIDENT

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

AUBG’s new Executive Director for Institutional Ad-vancement has traveled all the way from Lebanon to Bulgaria to become an integral part of the universi-ty’s development. A truly multicultural person and an established leader, Rami Majzoub found AUBG to be the appropriate place for his next career step.

“I am excited to be here and I look forward to great achievements for AUBG,” Majzoub said.

Majzoub has a rich experience in academia to guide his work at AUBG. He spent six years mastering the ins and outs of fundraising as the Associate Director of Development at the Lebanese American Univer-sity (LAU).

Majzoub got his bachelor’s degree from LAU and acquired an MBA in Management from the ESA Business School. Prior to returning to LAU as a staff member, Majzoub worked as Media Manager at Thomson Reuters, Sales Director at Abu Dhabi Media Zone and Advisor to the Minister of the Leb-anese Ministry of Telecommunications.

For the first time in its history, the American Uni-versity in Bulgaria will have an alumnus for Presi-dent. The Board of Trustees unanimously support-ed the election of Stratsi Kulinski, class of ’95.

President Kulinski has been a longstanding sup-porter of AUBG, and is an accomplished profession-al with global business and cross-cultural exper-tise. He was one of the very first students to attend AUBG in 1991 and graduated in 1995. President Ku-linski holds an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He brings to AUBG a global perspective, entrepreneurial mindset, people management focus, and a versatile skillset in partnerships, strategy and finance, legal and regulatory matters, and marketing.

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ISSUE 5301

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCEAUBG CELEBRATES ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AT THE 22ND HONORS CONVOCATION

A month before the end of the spring 2015 semester, the administration, faculty, students and guests gathered to celebrate academic excellence at AUBG. The 22nd Honors Convocation took place at the Dr. Carl Djerassi theater Hall on April 8.

The university has established the tradition of inviting a special guest for each Honors Convocation ceremony. This year’s keynote speaker was Nita Gojani, an AUBG alumna of the class of 2007 and a presidential medalist for the same year. She is now a project coordinator for the United Nations Women in Kosovo.

PRESIDENTIAL MEDALIST TIMUR HUSEYNOV’15

The 2015 presidential medalist is Timur Huseynov, an Azerbaijani senior who has consistently maintained excellent grades but who has also served as pres-ident of the student government and exemplified high levels of social responsibility throughout his studies.

Having completed a three-month internship with Google in Wroclaw, Poland, last summer, Huseynov joined the tech giant as a full-time associate account strategist in June 2015.

ISSUE 5302

AUBG WISHES THE BEST OF LUCK TO ITS CLASS OF 2015 AT THE 21ST COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

Boryana Petrova

Bulgaria, BUS and INF, Valedictorian, Outstanding Achievement Award in Business Administration and Outstanding Achievement Award in Information Systems“AUBG opened my eyes for the innumerable opportunities waiting for us out there and gave me the chance to face and experience real-life challenges while developing and improving my personal skills.”

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FAREWELL, GRADUATES!

The vice-president of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva and the Bulgarian Minister of Education and Science Todor Tanev wished good luck to the AUBG class of 2015. 249 bachelors from 22 countries and 19 EMBA graduates tossed their mortar boards in the air at the Twenty-First Commencement Ceremony on May 17.“It is a great honor to be with the class of 2015 on your commencement ceremony and for that there are two rea-sons,” Georgieva said. “First, I am a proud mother of an AUBG alumna and I know from first hand that you are graduating from a university with excellent academic credentials. And second, as the vice president of the com-mission in charge of human resources I am always on the lookout for people to hire.”

Bojan Mladenovski

Macedonia, POS and EUR, Outstanding Achievement Award in European Studies“AUBG is a perfect place where you get to realize as much of your potential as possible. My advice: take as many courses as you can, choose the field that you like, get involved in as many extracurricular activities as you can, and please, party and hang out with people as much as you can.”

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ISSUE 5303

Viktoria Antonova

Russia, POS and BUS, Outstanding Achievement Award in French“My advice to the future generations would be: apply what you learn in the classroom outside of it and bring great experience to other AUBG students by doing this.”

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LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION

AUBG laid the foundations of the program for Entrepreneurship in spring 2015. Eight business experts participated in a panel discussion on entrepreneurship in Sofia. Among the major takeaways from the fo-rum was the power of entrepreneurship to create social impact and promote sustainability. The panelists also discussed the university’s key role in contributing to the development of an entrepreneurial mindset in Bulgaria, cooperating with partners and educational institutions across the region and uniting different disciplines for a diversity of ideas.

THE PROGRAM FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT AUBG:AN UP-AND-COMING ENDEAVOR

Klajdi Sallaku

Albania, BUS, Outstanding Achievement Award in Bulgarian“Try to make friends with people from different countries, especially when your home country’s culture is opposite to theirs, so by the end of these four years you will be more open-minded, you will get to know different cultures and understand different languages.”

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Veselina Apostolova

Bulgaria, Outstanding Achievement Award in JMC and Award for Outstanding Resident Assistant“When you come to AUBG, or wherever you go, find something that you really, really love, and however hard it is at some points, this love is going to push you working on it.”

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ISSUE 5304

AUBG INTRODUCES A MINOR IN MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

AUBG students will be able to complete a minor in modern languages and cultures starting fall 2015. The team behind the new minor consists of associate professor of German Diana Stantcheva, instructor of French Krastanka Bozhinova, in-structor of Spanish Yavor Gueorguiev, and adjunct instructors of Bulgarian Sabina Wien and Senem Konedareva.

FILM STUDIES MINOR NOW AVAILABLE TO AUBG STUDENTS

The American University in Bulgaria has launched a new minor, film studies, which it hopes is at-tractive to both current and prospective students. While the minor is new, film theory and produc-tion have played a prominent role on campus for several years. AUBG students have shot their own documentaries as part of journalism classes, Cap-stone projects or individual projects. Some of these documentaries have been screened at film festivals in Europe and the USA.

AUBG LAUNCHES A MINOR IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AUBG’s academic offerings continue to grow when the university’s Faculty Assembly approved a new mi-nor in entrepreneurship starting fall 2015 semester. There have long been a number of student initiatives embracing entrepreneurship on campus and the minor in entrepreneurship has been specifically designed to benefit students from all majors.

Realizing the challenges of today’s world, AUBG students always strive to gain both valuable hands-on experience and in-depth theoretical knowledge. Eager to meet the students’ needs, the expert JMC faculty and the established professionals from the BUS department at AUBG joined forces to create a new minor in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).

THE NEW MINOR IN INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS: UPGRADE OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND EXCITING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

ISSUE 5305

ADMISSIONS HIGHLIGHTSALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AUBG’S NEW ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES

The university’s admissions office implemented a new selection procedure that includes TOEFL scores, high school GPA, portfolios and interviews. The interview process “has been beneficial for all parties involved,” said admissions director Boriana Shalyavska. “The interview can tell you a lot,” she said. “It’s a complement to everything else that the students have presented in their application in addition to their test scores.” Following the new selection procedures, AUBG welcomed 225 high-achieving first-year students in fall 2015.

A VIBRANT COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL WEEK 2015:JOY, TALENTS AND CULINARY TREASURES

AUBG once again dived into a six-day diversity celebration marked with laughter, talented performances, fun games, and delicious food. The International Week, traditionally organized by the University Phi Beta Delta Honor Society, is the annual event honoring the atmosphere of respect and curiosity among AUBG’s multina-tional community.

ISSUE 5306

SHOW ME HOW YOU “BURLESQUE!”

JOB FAIR: JOINING STUDENTS AND EMPLOYERS

The curtains closed for the last time for “Burlesque”, but its spirit continues to take over the campus and to live in the hearts of those who were part of it. “Burlesque” is the eight project of the Broadway Performance student club and is based on the musical movie with the same title, which starred Christina Aguilera and Cher.

STARTUP CONFERENCE 2015: HOW TO GET STARTED? JUMP IN!

BEYOND AUBG AND BEYOND NATURAL: TEDXAUBG

Innovation, progress, success. Those are the goals every young entrepreneur pursues. But the path is rough and full of obstacles and it’s easy to get lost along the way. That’s where fourth annual StartUp Blagoevgrad conference comes in.

Anyone who has watched a TED Talk online is fa-miliar with the adrenaline rush of sitting in front of the screen and breathing in the inspiration. On March 14, 100 people experienced the TEDx phe-nomenon in person with the fourth annual TEDx-AUBG: “Beyond Natural.”

This year’s event at the Dr. Carl Djerassi Theater Hall triggered imagination with talks that included gamification in education, press freedom, misunderstandings in intercultur-al communication, overcoming absence, and finding happiness.

Fifty registered corporate recruiters offering positions in IT, marketing and finance highlighted the 22nd an-nual Job Fair organized by the AUBG Career Center April 1 at the ABF Student Center. The companies attracted students to their booths with offers for full-time employment, internships or training programs. Representa-tives of Bright Consulting, Coca-Cola and Gameloft said that they were looking for highly motivated students fluent in business English and capable of working in a team environment.

ISSUE 5307

STUDENTS GO GREEN DURING ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK

Turning trash into artistic treasures was one of the many activities that launched AUBG’s campus into environmental awareness March 22-28. The university’s Green Campus Committee sponsored the seventh annual Environmental Week at AUBG with the goal of reminding students of the impor-tance of protecting our planet.

AUBG OLYMPICS CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AUBG TALKS

The people who are usually behind the cameras of AUBG Talks stepped into the spotlight to share a bit of knowledge about the group that has recorded and published more than 100 university- related videos since it was formed in 2012. AUBG Talks records guest lecturers who come to campus so the students who are unable to attend can watch them later.

STUDENT RADIO AURA TURNS 22

AUBG students followed the flame of the 10th annual AUBG Olympics on Sunday, April 19 to Blagoevgrad’s Porter Baseball Field for another chance to show their athletic skill in competition with other students, alumni and faculty.

A three-day-long birthday bonanza took over AUBG to celebrate the student-run Radio AURA’s 22nd anniversary. The first event was on March 11, when Radio AURA in cooperation with the AUBG Documentary Club hosted a screening of the documentary “The Voices Behind the Mike: The History of Radio AURA.” The movie was the Capstone project of Nevena Dragoshinova, who is also an alumna of the radio station.

ISSUE 5308

AUBG alumni Rostislava Ivanova (‘07), Daniella Gruwell (‘07) and Ani Gesheva (‘07) received the Tchapra-chikoff Scholarship in 2015 for being accepted in top graduate programs in the U.S. Ivanova was accepted to the MBA program at the University of Virginia-Darden School of Business, Gruwell will pursue a Juris Doctor Degree at the prestigious school of law at the University of Texas at Austin and Gesheva will acquire an MBA from the Columbia Business School.

AUBG AWARDS THREE TCHAPRACHIKOFF SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2015

THEY MAKE US PROUD

NEW YORK AREA ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP LOOKS TO BUILD A LEGACY

KOSOVO ALUMNI ESTABLISH A NEW SCHOLARSHIP

TeodorDimitrov ’14 “I would forever and ever advise

AUBG students to do an exchange”

Тhe university encourages all AUBG students to take part in an exchange program in Europe or the U.S.One of the AUBG students who dared to cross theglobe and gain an unforgettable academic andcultural experience in the U.S. is Teodor Dimitrov(’14). Dimitrov spent a semester of his junior year atthe Miami University of Ohio.“I always wanted to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in a full American environment,” Dimitrov said.

Years after they have completed graduate stud-ies and started successful careers, many AUBG alumni have found ways to show their gratitude to the university. Such is the story of the U.S.-based graduates who established the New York Area Alumni Scholarship, which continues to support some of the university’s brightest students.

The announcement of a new scholarship creat-ed with donations from Kosovo alumni was the highlight of an Oct. 30 event for prospective stu-dents in Pristina. Current AUBG students, alum-ni, professors and staff members were there to share all things AUBG and to learn of the schol-arship that will support future generations of Kosovar students.

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ISSUE 5309

EMBA GRADUATES REVEAL THE SECRETS OF COGNITIVE BIASES

AUBG HOSTS THE FIRST EXECUTIVE MBA ALUMNI DINNER

AUBG Executive MBA graduates reunited with their colleagues and professors June 9 in a first of its kind EMBA Alumni Dinner in Sofia. All agreed the event featured a cheerful mood and inspiring presentations celebrating the EMBA program at Elieff Center.

THE AUBG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFERS A SCHOLARSHIPFOR SOPHOMORE STUDENTS

THE EMBA PROGRAM: DEDICATION, PERSEVERANCE AND GROWTH, ONE WEEKEND AT A TIME

Why do we fear snake bites more than smoking? Why do we stay in unsatisfying relationships? And how can we tell confident from competent? These were just a few of the questions that AUBG Exec-utive MBA graduates Stoyan Nedin (2014) and Dr. Slaveyko Djambazov (2010) answered at the leader-ship seminar “Cognitive Biases in Business.”

After a successful fundraising campaign at the Mega Alumni Reunion in the spring of 2015, the AUBG Alumni Association (AAA) continues to give back to its alma mater. The association recently an-nounced two $2,500 scholarships will be available to all current sophomore students.

The students who receive this aid will also get the chance to work closely with the AAA. They will help with organizing alumni events on campus and be the bridge between the association and the student body.

It’s a sunny Sunday morning. It’s a few minutes before 9 a.m. and a group of people wearing smart clothes approaches the Elieff Center in Sofia. These are the 22 students in AUBG’s Executive MBA program. Among them are business people, doctors, lawyers and PR specialists, and they’re headed to room 301 where the Managerial Accounting class is about to begin.

EMBA NEWS

ISSUE 5310

FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERSTHE ABF THEATER BECOMES THE DR. CARL DJERASSI THEATER HALL

ALARIC SECURITIES AWARDS AUBG STUDENTS WITH 5,000 BGN IN TRADING COMPETITION

In 2013, legendary scientist Dr. Carl Djerassi saw a performance of his play “Insufficiency” at the then brand-new America for Bulgaria Student Center. The play was among the first few productions to be performed in AUBG’s new theater hall. It is only fitting, then, that the theater now bears Dr. Djerassi’s name.

AUBG students got a chance to apply their knowledge in finance to practice trading this past semester. In September, the Investment Portfolio Management Challenge was organized by the Asset Trade & Management Club at AUBG in cooperation with Alaric Securities trading company. For 12 weeks, the students bought and sold assets in order to make money online. All the trades were simulated, but the experience and the prizes that they got were real. Alaric Securities sponsored the winners with 5,000 BGN: 4,000 BGN for first place and 1,000 BGN for second.

ISSUE 5311

A SUCCESSFUL AUBG ALUMNUS MEETS WITH SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

TRUSTEE ILIYA LINGORSKI: AUBG IS “LIVING UP TO ITS MISSION”

AUBG’s 22nd Honors Convocation welcomed a spe-cial guest for the April 8 ceremony. AUBG Board of Trustees member Iliya Lingorski visited the cam-pus and attended the official ceremony. In addition to being a member of the Board of Trustees, Lingor-ski is also a parent of a current AUBG student.Being a member of AUBG Board of Trustees is “a great honor,” Lingorski said. “It is really an institu-tion living up to its mission. It’s a university offer-ing a new example in our country and in the region of ethical leadership and a positive enthusiastic vi-sion of excellence.”

Whether as a speaker, board member, university benefactor, or proud alumnus, Elvin Guri continues to be devoted to AUBG’s liberal arts mission. That devotion brought him back to campus recently to speak at a conference and to meet with students. Guri leads Empower Capital, an investment fund implemented under the EU’s JEREMIE Program, which has already funded more than 20 undertak-ings. Guri firmly believes that education is a power-ful tool that can advance development in the region, and he said he fervently supports several educa-tional initiatives and institutions like the American University in Bulgaria and Teach for Bulgaria.

ALBANIAN AMBASSADOR:AUBG EDUCATION IS A ‘GOOD INVESTMENT’

Albania’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Qirjako Kureta and Counselor and Consul Anita Shaqiri visited AUBG on March 17 and offered congratulations for the success of Albanian students and promised to build upon the strong relationship that exists be-tween the school and the country.

ISSUE 5312

BRIGHT MINDS FROM 29 COUNTRIES ARRIVE AT AUBG FOR THE 13TH INTERNATIONAL LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD

COMMUNITY NEWSTEDXBlagoevgradWomen 2015 SHOWCASES THE POWER OF WOMEN TO DRIVE CHANGE

THE FRANCOFOLIES FESTIVAL, A PIECE OF FRANCE

High school students from 29 countries gathered for the 13th International Linguistics Olympiad hosted at the American University in Bulgaria July 20-24. The opening ceremony took place on Mon-day, July 20 at the Dr. Carl Djerassi Theater Hall where it brought together competitors, organizers and guests.

The International Linguistics Olympiad is one of 12 International Science Olympiads for high school students. Each year more than 100 students from around the world compete with each other in solv-ing tasks in language and linguistics.

Six successful women from Blagoevgrad and the region shared knowledge and inspiration at the 2015 conference. The independently organized TED event gathered the Blagoevgrad community at AUBG’s BAC Auditorium on May 29.

Led by AUBG alumna Despina Koleva-Hristova (‘05), the event in Blagoevgrad is part of an ini-tiative held across 68 countries and dedicated to the power of women and girls to be creators and change-makers.

A traveling festival celebrating French culture, language, values and music made a three-day stop in Blagoevgrad Sept. 24-26 that featured big crowds on Georgi Izmirliev Square in Blagoevgrad city’s center. The festival, called Francofolies, is touring worldwide from New York to Buenos Aires to Berlin and now Blagoevgrad. Gérard Pont, a film producer, journalist, co-head of the Morgan group and the patron of the Francofolies organization, said the visit to a place like Bulgaria is a perfect fit for the festival that promotes French culture around the world.

ISSUE 5313

American University in BulgariaMain Building1 Georgi Izmirliev Sq.Blagoevgrad 2700, BulgariaPresident’s Office: (+359 73) 888 307Development: (+359 73) 888 366Fax: (+359 73) 883 227

Admissions OfficeAmerica for Bulgaria Student Center12 Svoboda Bachvarova St.Blagoevgrad 2700, BulgariaPhone: (+359 73) 888 111E-mail: admissions@aubg.edu

Elieff Center for Education and Culture1 Universitetski Park St., Studentski Grad Sofia 1700, BulgariaSwitchboard: (+359 2) 960 7910Fax: (+359 2) 961 6010

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AUBG Goes Green This brochure is printed on 100 % recycled paper

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