Polytechnic became the University of Nova Gorica

At its meeting on 17 March of this year, the Council of the Republic of Slovenia for Higher Education confirmed the application of Nova Gorica Polytechnic for a change of status to university, thus enabling the creation of a fourth Slovene university.

The efforts to establish a university in the Gorica region are over a century old. With the foundation of the School of Environmental Sciences – the predecessor of Nova Gorica Polytechnic – in 1995 began the intentional development of an institution which today meets the strict demands for attaining university status. Since its creation, Nova Gorica Polytechnic has systematically developed its research character, hence all of its fully employed university teachers are above all top-level researchers, who function in eight research units and lecture in five undergraduate and five graduate study programmes. At Nova Gorica Polytechnic the study process was executed in pedagogical units – schools. The new university currently comprises four schools: School of Environmental Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, Stanislav Škrabec School of Slovene Studies and a Graduate school . Soon the establishment of a School of Engineering and Management and a School of Viticulture and Enology is expected. In addition to the research and pedagogical units, the new university has set up all the accompanying activities: a student office, library, publisher, and the Edvard Rusjan Foundation.

At the same meeting, the Council of the Republic of Slovenia for Higher Education awarded public validity to the undergraduate higher education expert study programme of Viticulture and Enology (1st level). It is the first study in Slovenia that, following the example of foreign contemporary studies, combines knowledge from viticulture and enology, and enables the students a great selectivity of subjects. Similarly as with other study programmes, the quality of study is additionally ensured with work in small groups, which enable personal contact between the student and the professor.