The UNWE General Assembly Elected Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov as Rector for a Second Term

The Rector of the University of National and World Economy Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov was elected for a second term by the unanimous vote of 309 out of 337 voting members of the UNWE General Assembly.

Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov`s Management Concept for the period December 2023 - December 2027 is under the motto Sustainability, Reasonable Change, Internationalization. The strategic vision for the management of the UNWE according to the term programme is to develop the University as a benchmark for innovative educational, research and employer practices as well as proactive behavior and presence in the global market of educational services.

Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov emphasized that the principles which would continue to be a basis for the management of the University are several. Upholding the academic spirit and autonomy of the Departments and Faculties in their decisions regarding the staff and academic growth, the curricula and programmes as well as external relations; high quality in all areas of activity - teaching, research and administrative services; motivation and stimulation of the development of academic staff, collegiality and respect for the personal dignity, objectives and interests of each lecturer, student and employee; rule of law, rules and procedures; guaranteeing the student self-management; development of innovation in teaching methods, technological environment and communications; and proactiveness in behaviour towards the external environment.

The main priorities of Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov in the next term are the development of research, internationalization of education, digitalization and continued development of UNWE as a green university.

Professor Dimitrov expressed thankfulness to his colleagues and promised not only to not decrease the pace but also to apply for Chairman of the Council of Rectors of the Republic of Bulgaria in March.

Prof. D. Sc. Pencho Penchev, Deputy Chairman of the UNWE General Assembly, Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, Chairman of the UNWE General Assembly, the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Prof. Dr. Daniela Feschiyan, Chairman of the UNWE Control Council, Ilian Chabukliysky, Chairman of the Student Council at UNWE /from the left to the right/

Observing the tradition the event started with the sounds of the three anthems - the national, the European and the student anthems.

The Term Commission chaired by Prof. Dr. Snezhana Basheva recognized the legitimacy of the quorum

The General Assembly unanimously adopted both reports presented by Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov - Annual Report on the Status and Results of the Activities of the UNWE for the Period December 2022 - December 2023 and for the Term 2019 - 2023.

In his report the Rector reminded the biggest challenges he has had to deal over his four years term and noted: "Most of us had other ideas about the development but on 13 March 2020 a lockdown was announced as a result of COVID-19 and we had to close the University and go to online training, to hold all events with masks.

To our honour and pride the UNWE succeeded to cope with these challenges and it is not only a merit of the Rector or the Rector's Managing Body but it is due to all of us who had the necessary capacity, had the necessary infrastructure, had the necessary enthusiasm and spirit to cope. The other big challenge that our team faced was the completion of the construction of the newest Campus "K" of UNWE. We managed to cope with it and finish the construction on time. If it had not been completed our university would have had to return 5 million BGN to the Operational Programme.

The Rector also noted that over the 4-year period there has been an increase in salaries at the UNWE, highlighting that the increase in individual salaries of non-teaching staff over the period was 55.30% and the average percentage increase in individual salaries of teaching staff over the period was 53.41%.

"We have established very good relations with the business. We have joint business academies with leading companies. We offer excellent opportunities for internships, we hold many career-oriented events and it leads to almost 100% realization of our graduates from the student bench. The number of prospective students increased significantly and the state admission plan in all disciplines was filled. Paid tuition has grown tremendously", said the Rector and commented: "Regarding the learning environment I would like to note that 70% of all the facilities have been upgraded. Six of the student dormitories have been renovated, three of them, Bl.55B, Bl. 55G and Bl. 61A have been completely renovated. For the comfort of our students we have provided comfortable living conditions, shared spaces for study and recreation, video surveillance. In block 53B and 55D we have also equipped the first two children's rooms to help the students with families. We made efforts to be a green university by opening a photovoltaic park - one of the largest in the field of education in general. The photovoltaic installation will cover 50% of the University's electricity requirement on an annual basis", said the Rector.

A number of other measures have been taken regarding the energy efficiency and to improve the teaching and administrative process. As part of the Energy Efficiency Programme, a Smart Home system is currently being built at the UNWE which will allow savings of up to 40% of the energy consumed by the electricity and the heat systems.

In international scale the success  is also visible. The efforts for student exchange with China are already bearing results and the first 100 Chinese students are expected to start their studies soon. But the greatest pride of UNWE is the participation in the European project ENGAGE.EU.

Prof. Dimitrov empjasized: "We are included in a real European university with an exchange of teachers, an exchange of students, an exchange of resources, a digital and virtual campus, a common information system - it is the future and we are happy to be on this path. Our university is one of the few to participate in such a European network. We have achieved all this together. Thank you for your trust and support."

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rosen Kirillov, Vice Rector for Digitalization and Cyber Security, Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michail Musov, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Matilda Alexandrova, Vice Rector for Educational Activities, Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanova, Vice Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies, Gergana Kirilova, Director of Rector's Office, Prof. D.Sc. Kiril Stoychev, Assistant Rector, Desislava Paunska, Head of Public Relations and Marketing Division /from the right to the left/

The Chairman of the the Control Council of the UNWE Prof. Dr. Daniela Feschian also presented a report on the activities of the Control Council of UNWE for the period December 2022 - December 2023 and for the term 2019 - 2023 emphasizing that over the 4-year term the Control Council has been performed its functions as a guarantee for the legality of the acts of the governing bodies and the actions of all academic staff, undergraduates and Doctoral students.

She divided the work done in the last year into two main areas. The first area covers the work on the verifications which are more than 45 for the legality of the construction of the General Assembly, for updating the numerical and list composition, for the full and partial elections of the sole and collective management bodies of the University, its Institutes, Faculties, the chair of the General Assemblies as well as checks on the implementation of the UNWE budget and its subdivisions for 2022 and on the legality of the draft budget for 2023.

The second line of work involves the organization of control activities. In this area are reported the updated methodological materials developed and retained for use to support the work on organizing and holding meetings of collective bodies at the University for the conduction of elections.

"Actually, the UNWE Control Council is the only university control council in the country that has developed methodological guidelines and made them public on its website. We have also developed a number of model documents for the control activity at the University, we have systematized the basic provisions in the organization and conduction of elections at the UNWE. These materials are published on our website. We believe that we have ensured a recognition of the Control Council outside the University as well", outlined the Chairwoman of the UNWE Control Council Prof. Dr. Daniela Feschian.

The UNWE General Assembly unanimously adopted the report on the activities of the UNWE Control Council for the period December 2022 - December 2023 and for the term 2019 - 2023.

On behalf of the Student Council statements made its current and former Chaitmen. Ilian Chabukliysky greeted the delegates and noted that over the last four years the environment in which the undergraduates and Doctoral studnets of UNWE are trained has changed in a positive direction.

"Exercises in key subjects have been brought back. There is perhaps no curriculum that has not been updated in the past period. Admission in our university is on the base of specialties and colleagues year choose the specialty they want to study from their first. It leads to an increase in the quality of training and motivation to acquire new knowledge and skills among the young colleagues. Over the past four years the world has been faced to the challenges that Covid-19 has brought before us. I would like to mention that our university was an example and for 48 hours it turned on completely to online training. While other universities were wandering around we had a system where every student could access the classes and access all professors from anywhere in the world", said the Chairman of the Student Council.

Ilian Chabukliysky emphasized: "I would also like to mention the opening of the Campus "K" - a convenience that is useful to the entire academic community at the University to be able to safely distribute classes during the day. A lot of efforts have been made to upgrade the student dormitories. At the end of this term of Prof. Dimitrov the students are proud of what they have achieved and we can bravely say that our University has the best accommodation facilities in the country. During the past term the Student Council and the Rector's Managing Body had a very good cooperation".

"It was a great honour, pleasure and pride for me to be part of the General Assembly", emphasized Angel Stoykov was spent most of his term as Chairman of the Student Council during the term of Prof. Dimitry Dimitrov and the term of the current General Assembly. "I would like to express thankfulness to Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov and the Rector's Managing Body for the good communication, for the great work that was intended to the students and to our University. It is very important that from the very beginning Prof. Dimitrov set up a portfolio related to the student community. And the results were not late - very good communication, development for the student community".

At the Rector's suggestion, the General Assembly also elected an Academic Ombudsman. The responsible function will be fulfilled by Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, the current Chairman of the General Assembly.

"I would like to express my thankfulness to the UNWE Managing Body in the face of the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov for recognizing the true role of the UNWE General Assembly because for me it is an institution, and I thank him for the support he has given so that the General Assembly really stands where it belongs.

Two thirds of my professional life has been spent in parallel with commitments outside the University at various management positions in the public and financial sectors. And I have always shared a guiding principle that has helped me a lot - every beginning has an end. I'm a person that has understood it from the beginning, it's important to come out with contentment at the end". Prof. Dulevsky addressed a message to the audience: "Colleagues and friends, don't look at this University only as a place for receiving your salary or just as a working environment. If I had not been a representative of this University, if this University had not stood behind me with its image and prestige, I wouldn't have had this personal professional biography outside the UNWE. Keep the UNWE! It is the place where you could find  shelter and peace no matter what happens to you in the outside world. That`s what the people who founded the University 103 years ago have bequeathed to us - to keep this tradition and this spirit that creates our strength. We live in complex times - a confused world with so many discouraged people, no hope, no future. Nevertheless we must be hopeful because Bulgaria has overcome and has existed in much more difficult times".