Project work possibilites - ReWo project - potential to visit Portugal and Norway

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Dear students,

As you might be aware we are participating in the project ReWo – From research to working life: The Importance of Transferring the Knowledge to Working Life. Within this project there will be several on-line events that you will be invited to join. First one will happen next week on Tuesday May 16^th, 2023, in between 13.00 and 14.45. within this event we will present good practices of how final thesis from previous years students have been implemented in practice. You will be able to listen to cases from Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Slovenia.

Since participation is one of key performance indicators you are kindly invited to join us. For extra motivation there is also an information that we will send out on the next few weeks a call for 4 students to join us within this project, visiting Portugal (Lisbon) in November 2023 and Norway (Stavanger) in fall 2024. In both cases this will be a study visit that will have all the logging and travel costs covered by the project. Being present in this event will bring extra points for the selection procedure of who will join us in Portugal and Norway.

You can join the event by clicking here: Click here to join the meeting

We would like to inform you that the building of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor will be closed from Thursday, April 27th, 2023, until Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, due to a collective vacation and holidays. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear voters!

We would like to inform you that the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor will hold elections for the dean of the Faculty of Tourism for the period from 2023-2027:

1. EARLY ELECTIONS, April 21, 2023

Early elections for the dean of FT UM will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 9 am to 3 pm, at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission, in the hall of the Faculty of Tourism UM (ground floor), Cesta prvih borcev 36, 8250 Brežice, for voters who are absent on the day of the vote (April 26, 2023).

2. ELECTIONS, April 26, 2023

On the day of the elections, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, between 9 am and 3 pm, each eligible voter can vote for the dean of FT UM at the polling station, which is located in the hall of the Faculty of Tourism UM (ground floor), Cesta prvih borcev 36, 8250 Brežice.

Here are some important information for all voters:

When a voter enters the voting room, they go to the table of the electoral board. The president or a member of the electoral board verifies the identity of the person who wants to vote. Identity is verified on the basis of a personal document that shows the voter's personal data (identity card, passport, driver's license). Then, the president or a member of the electoral board checks whether the voter is registered in the electoral register and whether the voter has already voted early. If the voter is registered in the electoral register and has not voted early, the president or a member of the electoral board marks their sequential number in the electoral register as a sign that they have voted, and the voter must sign the electoral register. Then, one ballot paper is handed to the voter. The voter is obliged to put the ballot paper in the appropriate ballot box - depending on the group of eligible voters (university teachers/employees/scientific workers or students or other employees). At the faculty, in the spirit of academic integrity, a one-day election silence is expected before the elections and on the day of the elections, as stipulated by Article 22 of the Rules on the Election of Deans of the University of Maribor, No. 012/2018/2.

President of the Electoral Commission UM FT Prof. Dr. Boštjan Brumen

On April 5, 2023, the Student Campus in Ljubljana and the lecture halls there were occupied by students of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor. The third traditional Mix & Mingle Day took place, when Ljubljana students were joined by their colleagues, Brežice students. The sunny weather only encouraged joy, good will and getting to know and socialize with students from different parts of the world.

Thus, all students of the Faculty of Tourism had lessons in English in the morning in mixed groups. The topics of the event were climate change and sustainable tourism. In this spirit, we also organized a swapmeet boutique.

After the SloveIndian lunch, the international team went to an educational and entertaining team competition in Tivoli Park, where the students calculated their carbon footprint and the beneficial impact of trees, cycled and ran, and picked up trash.

The MM trophy for the 'coolest' FT team was awarded to the students of the group LJ Cool J, where Sambodhi was the leader of the group.