The 26th Graduation Ceremony occurred today, April 11, 2024, at the UP Faculty of Management. Once again, it was held in the pleasant premises of our faculty, where the graduates received their diplomas fittingly, and the accompanying persons could enjoy this important moment for their loved ones. The diplomas of the graduates and the awards to this year's recipients were presented by the Dean of the Faculty of Management of the University of Primorska, Assoc. Prof. Tatjana Horvat, and the Vice-Rector for Economics and Finance of the University of Primorska, Prof. Rok Strašek also addressed the audience.
A graduation ceremony is an important event for graduates, celebrating their efforts and achievements in education. Preparing for this occasion involves a lot of work, effort, and sacrifice, and graduates can be proud of their success.
Between January 1st and December 31, 2023, 124 students graduated, including 80 Bachelor's and 41 Master's students and 3 PhDs.
This year, we also handed out awards to the best, most successful and most deserving students, graduates, higher education teachers, researchers, and collaborators of the Faculty.
The award for the best final thesis went to Uroš Štefe, a Professional Bachelor in Management graduate, for his final thesis entitled »Integracija migrantov v osnovnih šolah v Republiki Sloveniji«. The award was also granted to his mentor, Assoc. Prof. Igor Rižnar.
The award for the best Master's thesis went to Karin Dobrinja, a graduate of the second cycle Master's degree programme in Economics and Finance, for his Master's thesis entitled »Dejavniki strukture kapitala v izbranih slovenskih podjetjih«. The award was also granted to the mentor Prof. Igor Stubelj.
The following students were awarded for their academic achievements:
- Maja Jovanov - the highest average grade in the Professional Bachelor programme Management;
- Metodija Naumcheski - the highest average grade in the Academic Bachelor in Management;
- Tijana Despinić Furlan - the highest average grade in the Master's degree programme in Management;
- Anita Starc - highest average grade in the Master's degree programme in Law for Management;
- Klara Čalušić - highest average grade in the Doctoral study programme in Management.
The award in the field of extra-study activities went to the Student Tutor, Narajan Mehmedović.
Maurizio Dessardo is awarded the Research Achievement Award.
Maurizio Dessardo obtained his Master of Management degree at UP FM in 2022, when he defended his thesis entitled Analysis of trends in sales using the case of consumer goods under the mentorship of Associate Prof. Dr. Armando Faganel. Retailers need to understand how the ever-changing shopping experience affects today's consumers. Such insights enable them to make decisions with market intelligence, which is the result of analysing shopping habits in stores and online. After completing the training, he expressed a keen interest in further research work and, based on the research he and his mentor had conducted, prepared a paper Eco-friendly FMCG products and premiumisation purchasing habits, which was accepted for publication in the Scopus-ranked journal Applied Marketing Analytics.
The award for teachers and colleagues for their achievements in the field of education was presented to Assoc. Prof. Aleksander Janeš.
Associate Prof. Aleksander Janeš is a long-standing member of the Department of Management, where he teaches mainly courses in the fields of operational management, leadership, quality management and natural resource management. He is also the Programme Director of the postgraduate programme in Management, and is responsible for the networking of students in research projects. In 2023, he was a mentor for students in the CRO-Wayv project, in which students developed a marketing model for the company Emigma d.o.o. He is extremely dedicated in his work with students, and he is also able to approach professionals, whom he has lectured in the framework of his participation in the workshops offered by the faculty to the Primorska Regional Chambers of Crafts within the framework of the GDI project.
The award for the teachers and colleagues who received the highest scores in the student survey went to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dušan Jovanovič.
In the academic year 2022/2023, students rated Associate Prof. Dr. Dušan Jovanovič with an average score of 5.85 (on a scale of 1 to 6). In the academic year 2022/2023, Associate Prof. Dr. Dušan Jovanovič taught the courses Law of Human Resources Management and Legal Regulation of Social Systems in the Master's programme in Management Law at the UP FM. Students particularly praised the very interesting lectures, the large number of practical examples, and the encouragement of critical thinking among students.
The award for the teachers and colleagues who received the highest scores in the student survey was awarded to Assoc. Prof. Ana Grdović Gnip.
In the academic year 2022/2023, students rated Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Grdović Gnip with an average score of 5.66 (on a scale of 1 to 6). Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Grdović Gnip was awarded the prize for her performance in the academic year 2022/2023. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Grdović Gnip was awarded the prize for her performance. Ana Grdovič Gnip taught the courses Econometrics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Financial Economics from an Information System Perspective at the Master's programme in Economics and Finance and Economic Statistics at the Bachelor's programme in Management at the UP FM in the academic year 2022/2023. Students praised her professionalism and considered her to be very demanding towards students.
The award for teachers and colleagues in the field of tutoring was presented to Asist. Dr. Jan Frančeškin.
Dr Jan Frančeškin has only recently accepted to participate in the tutoring system. However, his involvement in this field became immediately recognisable. In his work with students, he has shown exceptional enthusiasm, a willingness to achieve the main goal of tutoring, helping students to study as successfully as possible.
The award for the contribution to quality improvement in the field of the organisation was presented to Blaž Korent.
Blaž Korent is a research assistant who has been working for many years in the Student Affairs Office, where he is responsible for postgraduate students, both Masters and PhD students. He is an outstanding expert in all processes involved in the completion of degree programmes and an indispensable administrator of the Committee for Professional and Scientific Work of Students. His work is characterised by exceptional accuracy and conscientiousness, as well as a sense of responsibility.
The award for the contribution to quality improvement in the field of the organisation was presented to Vesna Ahlin.
Vesna Ahlin is a Research Associate who has been working at the Faculty since its foundation. A great expert in the processes of the Academic Affairs Office, she has been keeping a watchful eye on the first-year students, those who are just getting acquainted with the academic world, and has been providing them with her advice and experience throughout the years. He participates in all events related in any way to students' activities and demonstrates his commitment to working with young people.
The Award for outstanding contribution to the development of the Faculty was awarded to Prof. Anita Trnavčević.
Prof. Anita Trnavčević, former Dean of our Faculty in the period 2010-2014, is Full Professor of Management in Education and Associate Professor of Research Methodology in Social Sciences. In recent years, she has been working as the Programme Director of the Management PhD programme and as the Director of the MIC International Scientific Conference. She has been successfully involved in the implementation of the GDI project, especially in the field of curriculum renewal. At the end of 2023, she also became the President of the Academic Assembly of UP FM, which is a testimony to the reputation she enjoys among her colleagues and the wider public.
The Award for Research Achievement was awarded to Prof. Mirko Markič.
Prof. Mirko Markič has been committed to research excellence for many years. His research interests cover a variety of topics in the field of management and occupational health. In 2023, he has been particularly successful. He has published 10 scientific papers, 7 of which are indexed in Scopus and two in SCI. His works also show a high citation rate, as evidenced by the fact that he has 186 citations in Scopus and 60 in SCI. In addition, he is editor of 5 scientific journals and mentor to many bachelor, master and PhD students.
The UP Faculty of Management external collaborators award went to Blaž Gregorin, INVIDA d.o.o.
Blaž Gregorin and the company INVIDIA d.o.o. have established a cooperation with our faculty through the UP FM CRPZ. The Fortisssimo project, developed within the EEN network, has been recognised as the winning EU Entrepreneurial Innovation Project for 2023 and represents an innovative tool for interactively learning classical music. The collaboration with our faculty enabled Invida to connect with partners and obtain funding of almost €1.7 million through the EEN Slovenia network. Through this success story, a collaboration has been established which we hope will grow into a lasting success story of cooperation between the faculty and the company.
In the gallery below you can see some of the highlights. More photos will be available soon.