Public Call for Applications for the Co-Funding of Doctoral Study Programmes for Students of the UM – 2023/24 Academic Year

This is to inform you that on the website moja.um.si > Study > UM Doctoral School, a public call for co-financing of doctoral studies of University of Maribor students for the academic year 2023/24 has been published. The deadline for submitting applications is September 22, 2023 by 12:00 p.m. Read more here.

INSTRUCTION FOR PART-TIME STUDENTS WHO HAD LECTURES IN ENGLISH

Dear students.

We are sending you the instructions for enrolment in a higher year or repetition of the year for the academic year 2023/2024, once you meet the terms.

WHEN - electronic registration in AIPS will be possible from 15 August to 27 September 2023. We must receive your physical documentation in the paper no later than 25 September 2023 by 10 am.

HOW - enrolment in a higher year and re-enrolment in the same year will be done by mail.

CONDITIONS - for enrolment in a higher year and repetition of the year:

1st cycle/BACHELOR:

A student can progress to the 2nd year if he/she collects at least 48 ECTS with the completed obligations of the 1st year, whereby he/she must complete all obligations in the subject: Introduction to Tourism.
A student can progress to the 3rd year if he/she has completed all the obligations of the 1st year and accumulated 48 ECTS from the 2nd year, whereby the student must complete the obligations in the following subjects: Events in Tourism and Sports Tourism.

2nd cycle/MASTER:

A student advances to the 2nd year if he/she collects at least 45 ECTS with the completed obligations of the 1st year

PROCESS

ENROLLMENT IN THE HIGHER YEAR (for all who meet the conditions)

Once you have met all the conditions for enrolment, you enroll electronically via the AIPS system.
Print out the completed REGISTRATION FORM/ENROLMENT SHEET and sign it wherever necessary. If you do not sign the registration/enrolment form, your registration is invalid.
Please send the documentation per register post to the address: Fakulteta za turizem, Cesta prvih borcev 36, 8250 Brežice, footnote: for Students Affairs Office - enrolment in higher year + also send a student card with the documents so we can add a new sticker (for study year 2023/2024). The proof of enrolment and the card will be sent to you by post.
If you need a certificate of passed exams, you can also order it through the AIPS system.

EXCEPTIONAL APPROVALS OF STUDENT ENROLMENT

Students who will not have completed all obligations for enrolment in a higher year may, in accordance with Article 85 of the UM Statute, apply for enrolment in a higher year under special conditions. The student must submit a request to the Academic Affairs Committee. Mandatory to enclose: form + relevant evidence + a proof of payment for the issuance of the decision. The documentation must reach the Student Affairs Office no later than 6 September 2023.

IMPORTANT: A student who submits an application for enrolment in a higher year and also meets the conditions for repeating the year is advised to submit an alternative application (item 8 on the form) if the enrolment in the higher year would not be approved.

REPETITION OF YEARS

In order to repeat the year, in accordance with Article 121 of the UM Statute, a student must submit a request to the Academic Affairs Committee no later than 6 September 2023. Mandatory to enclose: form + relevant evidence + proof of payment for the issuance of the decision.

https://www.ft.um.si/en/study/study/#student-status

EXTENSION OF STATUS

Students with other legitimate reasons may have their student status extended (Article 214 of the UM Statute), for one year between studies or at the end of their studies. The student must submit a request to Academic Affairs Committee no later than 6 September 2023. Mandatory to enclose: form + relevant evidence + proof of payment for the issuance of the decision.

ENROLMENT IN THE ABSOLVENT YEAR

Instructions are the same as for the enrolment in the higher year. Students can check if they can enroll in the absolvent year at the Student Affairs Office (https://www.ft.um.si/en/study/study/#student-status).

Action in case of problems in completing the electronic registration form/enrolment sheet:

If you qualify for enrolment and the AIPS does not allow you to enroll/complete the form, please send an e-mail describing the problem to referat.ft@um.si.

The Call on ECTS Accredited Extracurricular Activities of the University of Maribor in the 2023/2024 Academic Year is now available!

You can choose from 79 courses with content from various fields, such as sports, economics, technology, human rights, and many others. In the 2023/2024 academic year, for the first time, a larger number of courses from the field of green and digital content is also included, since the University of Maribor as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan strives to equip students with knowledge and competences for sustainable development and a sustainable way of life.

Application Conditions:

Students enrolled in study programmes of the University of Maribor who hold a valid student status in the current academic year may apply to the Call. The University of Maribor's exchange students may also apply to the Call.

Application Deadline:

Students may apply for the ECTS accredited extracurricular activities at the time of enrolment in a higher year of study in line with enrolment periods determined by each faculty, but no later than 6 October 2023. The deadline does not apply to the course Practical training in the 2^nd-cycle study programme as KOOD 1, 2, 3, 4. Students may enrol in this course anytime during the accademic year.

More information on the Call and individual courses is available on the Extracurricular Activities subpage.

Associate Professor Dr. Marjetka Rangus has been appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor for a term of four years, from July 8, 2023, to July 7, 2027.

"I want to build primarily on existing solid foundations and involve all teachers, researchers, students, administrative staff, and external contributors as much as possible. I see the faculty as a community of all those who jointly strive to achieve goals in the areas of quality research and education, internationalization, and the broader mission of such an institution. I aim to promote collaboration and excellence and ensure suitable facilities and other material conditions for everyone involved. Key to this will be good cooperation with the university leadership and other members."

Dear students,

At the Faculty of tourism, University of Maribor, we are participating in an Erasmus+ project called "From research to working life: students as knowledge brokers for entrepreneurial development (ReWo)". As you can infer from the title, the project focuses on the transfer of knowledge generated by students into real-life situations. Within the project, we are developing educational content that will be specifically designed for students. This is where we need your help and offer you an opportunity for active participation.

What is it about?

In two different phases, each of the partner faculties in the project (Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Slovenia) will provide 4 students who will participate in an intensive week of workshops. During these workshops, we will test teaching methods and content for the purposes of the project.

When and where?

The first intensive week will take place between November 5^th and November 11^th, 2023, in Estoril (Lisbon), Portugal. The second intensive week will be at the end of August or the beginning of September 2024 in Stavanger, Norway.

How much will it cost me?

In both cases, transportation and accommodation expenses will be covered by the project funds. Please note that flight tickets and accommodation arrangements will be organized collectively for all participants from the faculty. Therefore, your participation mainly requires your time. However, you will likely need to spend some of your own money for independent exploration of these fantastic cities.

What are the participation requirements?

The most important and crucial condition is that the individual participates in both meetings. By applying, you commit to participating in both Estoril and Stavanger.
Student status.
You must have a high level of motivation and a desire to participate in the project.
All project phases will be conducted in English. Proficiency in both written and spoken English is mandatory.

How and when do I apply?

Please submit your applications via email to the project leader, professor Mitja Gorenak Ph.D., at mitja.gorenak@um.si

Application deadline: Monday, July 19^th, 2023, 12:00 PM.

Application contents:

Cover letter, including your basic information (name, surname, student ID, study program, year (indicate the academic year 2023/2024 in which you will be enrolled)), and a statement committing to participate in both project phases - Estoril and Stavanger.
Motivational letter in English explaining why you are the right choice for this project and why you would like to participate in it.

Application review and results:

Timely received applications will be reviewed on Monday, July 10th, 2023. Based on the quality of the application content and motivational letter, selected candidates will be invited to participate in the project before the end of July 2023.

I want to know more!

For further information, please contact the project leader, professor Mitja Gorenak Ph.D., directly via email at mitja.gorenak@um.si.

Looking forward to your applications.

Mitja Gorenak

A group of students and employees of the University of Maribor, Faculty of Tourism, took part in the 15th edition of the International Tourism & Hospitality Academy at Sea between May 6 and 13, 2023. The topic of the academy was "Managing tourism in world heritage sites", and it combined theoretical lectures, meetings with local tourism experts, as well as practical experience in terms of witnessing good and less good examples of physical planning in the real environment.

Among the ITHAS lecturers were Erik Cohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Yoel Mansfeld (University of Haifa), David Fennell (Brock University) and Richard Butler (University of Strathclyde), the most prominent tourism professors.

Besides the University of Maribor, Faculty of Tourism and the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business, which was the host institution, three more international universities participated in this year's programme: Brock University, Canada; Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany; University of Pécs, Hungary. The programme took place on a cruise along the Adriatic Coast. It included visits to five tourist destinations in Croatia - Trogir, Split, Šibenik, island Rava, Zadar, and island Zlarin. One hundred nine participants from many different countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Hungary. Canada) participated this year.

On June 8, 2023, the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor celebrated the eighth generation of graduates from its undergraduate and master's study programmes. The graduates received their diploma certificates in the ceremonial setting of the Knight's Hall at Brežice Castle.

The diplomas and master's certificates were awarded to 12 graduates from the professional study programme, 8 graduates from academic study programme, and 5 graduates from the master's programme who completed their studies between March 2022 and February 2023. The Dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Prof. Dr Boštjan Brumen, presented the diploma certificates.

The event was attended by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Bogdan Palovšnik, who greeted and addressed the attendees on behalf of the Municipality of Brežice. He emphasized that tourism are people and reminded the graduates that they are always welcome in Brežice. The keynote speaker, Ms Dubravka Kalin, the Director-General of the Tourism Directorate at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sports, highlighted the advantages of working in tourism at the beginning of their careers and reminded the graduates that being a good tourism professional means more than just doing a job - it means being on an everlasting mission.

Representing the students, Lara Praznik, a graduate of the academic study programme, thanked everyone who contributed and helped them succeed. She also humorously reflected on their shared student days.

The Mixed Choir Viva enriched the event with their musical performances, while the event was hosted by Assist. Prof. Dr Barbara Pavlakovič and Assist. Prof. Dr Tomi Špindler. The attendees continued their gathering in a relaxed atmosphere in the beautiful courtyard of the castle.

The Faculty of Tourism takes pride in the 2023 generation and extends their sincere congratulations to the graduates, and master's graduates, wishing them good luck, perseverance on their further path, and successful application of their acquired knowledge.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Slovenia, Her Excellency Ms Namrata S. Kumar, honoured our Faculty of Tourism with her visit. The visit took place at the headquarters of the Faculty in Brežice. In addition to the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Slovenia, the meeting was attended by Mr Rok Capl, Acting Director of SPIRIT Slovenia, Ms Patricia Čular, Director of the Municipal Administration of the Municipality of Brežice, as well as Dr Boštjan Brumen, Dean, Dr Marjetka Rangus, Vice Dean for Education at the Faculty of Tourism, and Mr Mebin Benny, representative of Indian students at the Faculty.

At the Faculty of Tourism, we aim to strengthen the connections and cooperation with the Republic of India, as we have more than 150 Indian students enrolled in our programs, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We presented the Ambassador with our previous work in the field of education and research and discussed potential opportunities for collaboration, particularly in promoting education, research, and collaboration with the business sector, as well as promoting Indian culture in Slovenia.

Last week at FT UM, we were hosting Dr. Charles Mansfield, a retired professor from the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, where he served as the head of the doctoral program and lectured on literary tourism, travel narrative, and French. As a researcher, he has also collaborated with the University of Edinburgh and Paris1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

On Tuesday, he delivered lectures with a workshop for employees and students, and some students had already had the opportunity to get to know Dr. Mansfield through online lectures.

He is a specialist in travel literature and creative writing, as well as the study and preservation of heritage. He has led several projects in this field and has published multiple books and numerous articles.

This year, as a result of collaboration between our faculty and the University of Plymouth, his monograph "Travel Writing for Tourism and City Branding: Urban Place-Writing Methodologies" (by Mansfield & Potočnik Topler) was published by Routledge. In recent years, Dr. Mansfield's research has focused on the history and theory of travel literature, as well as travel narrative as a creative process. His work is important for understanding travel literature and creative writing in general and has influenced many students and researchers in this field.

Have you ever wondered what makes a successful tourist agency tick? You are invited to peek behind the scenes and attend a guest lecture held by Mr Tomaž Juvan, the CEO of Roundabout Travel. The lecture is part of the course The Power of Digital Platforms in Tourism and will take place on Monday, May 15^th at 1 p. m. in Classroom 1 at the Student Campus in Ljubljana. The lecture is open to external visitors and will be held in English.

The lecture will focus on the journey of the incoming tourist agency Roundabout Travel, from the very beginning in 2005 to the present day, when most reservations for tourism services happen through online platforms. The agency is a holder of the TraveLife sustainability certificate and is designated by the Slovenian Tourist Board as a Slovenia Green Tourist Agency and boasts the largest market share in the Slovene incoming tourism business for individual travelers.

Tomaž Juvan is an entrepreneur, traveller and innovator in the field of Slovenian tourism. He is a strong proponent for sustainable development and for quality, boutique experiences. He is working on his various business endeavours in accordance with this philosophy.