UNWE Welcomed 62 Participants from 9 Countries for the First ENGAGE.EU Student Conference

The First ENGAGE.EU Student Conference in the history of the European University was officially launched and hosted by the University of National and World Economy. The Rector of the University Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, the Secretary General of ENGAGE.EU Sabine Saint-Rose /University of Mannheim/, the Institutional Coordinator of ENGAGE.EU Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michael Musov, the Chairman of the Student Council at UNWE Ilian Chabukliysky, the Chairman of the Student Board at ENGAGE. EU Giulia Tranchina /Luiss University/ and the main organizer of the Conference Daniel Zhelyazkov welcomed 62 participants from 9 countries during the official opening in the Large Conference Hall. These include the conference participants, the winners in the ENGAGE.EU Online Student Competition 2024, the ENGAGE.EU Board of Learners members and volunteers from the UNWE.

Daniel Zhelyazkov, Ilian Chabukliisky, Sabine Saint-Rose, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Prof. Michael Musov, Giulia Tranchina /from the left to the right/

The Rector Prof. Dimitar dimitrov welcomed the participants saying: "Dear students, dear guests, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the UNWE for the First Student Conference within the ENGAGE.EU. This year we celebrate the 105^th Anniversary of the University and I am glad that this event is part of the celebration. This year we remember the successes of our alumni who are now ministers, occupying important positions in international organizations and in business. But their way has started as students - just like you. So we will expect you to repeat and exceed their successes in the future and make us proud. I am happy that you have taken the initiative to participate in this Conference and I believe that bringing together so many students from ten leading business universities in Europe will be a step forward for you. Your presence fulfils the main objective of our Alliance – joint work, Europeanization and future development".

Sabine Saint-Rose, the Secretary General of ENGAGE.EU added: "My heart is full seeing so many participants and their enthusiasm and commitment. We build an Alliance that is a huge and complex machine, but our ultimate objective is a global citizenship. This is a concept that is often misunderstood - that it is elite and only valid for a select few, but I am glad that you make it accessible and spread it to everyone. I strongly believe that the international education has a role to play in building a better world".

The ENGAGE.EU Coordinator for UNWE Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michael Musov also welcomed the guests: "Our university is proud to host this first edition of the Student Conference, bringing together students from all universities in the Alliance. You already know the motto of the UNWE – The Spirit Makes the Power. But why does it say exactly that? Because the spirit can only be passed to students by people who have it inside them. These are my colleagues at the University as well as our guests today".

The first session of the Conference included the keynote presentations by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetla Boneva who presented the topic Emigration of Young People - a Problem or Opportunity for Bulgaria's Economic Future, and Sabine Saint-Rose who spoke on the Introduction to European Perspectives: European Universities in a Shifting World and Leading and Speaking across Cultures.

During the two days of the Conference the students will continue the discussions and joint work on non-verbal communication, public speaking and debates with Prof. Ignacio Rigau, as well as the collaboration and work in an international environment with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Plamen Ralchev, Head of the UNWE International Relations Department.