Conferral of the Commemorative Document, Awards and Scholarships of the University of Nova Gorica Foundation

As the President of the FUNG Management Board, Prof. Dr. Mladen Franko, said in his address, the management of the FUNG has set high goals for itself: “On one hand, they are related to increasing the number of scholarships for students studying at the University of Nova Gorica, which on the other hand, requires a lot of commitment in attracting new donors and donations. At the same time, I am pleased to see that in 2023, we have been able to carry out both planned calls for applications for the scholarships of the “Edvard Rusjan” Fund for Talented Students and for the scholarships of the “Matija Franko” Scholarship Fund for Student Athletes, and also to select the recipients of the Jožko Markič Awards.”

The commemorative document was presented during the continuation of the event. The title of Silver Donor was awarded to Prof. Dr. Tanja Urbančič. “I believe that we can do a lot of good by creating and supporting pathways to knowledge. I have dedicated most of my work at the University of Nova Gorica to this, and I am glad that through my collaboration with FUNG, I can also help others who are striving towards the same goal”, summed up Prof. Dr. Urbančič upon receiving the commemorative document.

Prof. Dr. Tanja Urbančič is also the founder of the Fund for Development and Innovation in Education, which provides scholarships for students in the field of open education, and supports innovation activities of teaching staff, and thereby the development of staff, methods, tools and other advanced solutions for increasing access to knowledge and quality education.

The conferral of the commemorative document was followed by the presentation of scholarships and awards to students of the University of Nova Gorica. Awarded for the first time ever, the scholarship of the “Edvard Rusjan” Fund for Talented Students was granted to a student of the School of Science, Amalija Rafaj Škriljevečki.

“I am extremely honoured to be the recipient of this scholarship, and of course I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the University of Nova Gorica Foundation for awarding me this scholarship, and for recognising and rewarding talented students. I am delighted that my efforts so far have been rewarded, and this scholarship is an additional motivation to continue my successful studies. I plan to use the scholarship to cover the costs of my student life, and if there is any money left over, I will be happy to save it for future plans”, said Amalija Rafaj Škriljevečki.

Ena Đurić, a student of the School for Viticulture and Enology and member of the women’s team of the ND Primorje Ajdovščina football club, is this year’s recipient of the scholarship of the “Matija Franko” Scholarship Fund for Student Athletes for the 2023/2024 academic year.

She said she was very honoured to receive the scholarship: “Having been involved in football for many years, and having dedicated a lot of my time to improving in the sport as much as possible, I see this scholarship as an even bigger inspiration for future success. I want to use it to cover my accommodation costs and the costs of travelling to the School, and to buy some sports equipment. This university is a great place for me to develop all my interests, because in addition to the programme I’m enrolled in, it is very understanding towards student athletes.”

Awarded for the fourth year in a row, the Jožko Markič Awards for the 2022/2023 academic year were handed out to School of Arts students Karin Likar and Luka Carlevaris.

Karin Likar was very happy to receive the award, which was donated by A-media, d.o.o., in memory of its co-founder Jožko Markič. “I will invest the award in buying equipment that will allow me to continue working on my study and extracurricular projects, which I really have a lot of this year.”

“I am sincerely grateful and excited to have made a good impression with my work at the School of Arts. My efforts have paid off, but my professors and all the classmates I worked with during my studies also played a big role. This also gives me a lot of motivation to continue working on my master’s degree, which I am completing this year. The award will help me develop the final project, and will be a nice addition to my CV”, said Luka Carlevaris on receiving the award.

Finally, Prof. Dr. Franko thanked all the donors, both the University of Nova Gorica colleagues as well as the companies. He stressed that the success in raising donations is also a great incentive for the FUNG Management Board, which is therefore setting high goals for itself. “One of them is to get FUNG back on the list of institutions that are entitled to a fraction of the Slovenian taxpayers’ personal income tax in order to finance the organisations eligible for donations. Another priority of the FUNG Management Board is to attract regular and long-term donors, especially from the economic sector. In 2024 and 2025, we plan to provide scholarships and financial support for as many as 17 students. We also plan to introduce new forms of support for promising young scientists and artists for postdoctoral training, participation in major scientific meetings, art festivals or residencies, and for additional incentives for individuals in important research projects. In view of these goals, one of the priorities of the FUNG Management Board remains, of course, to attract regular and long-term donors, especially from the economic sector.”

Andreja Leban, Public Relations