The new school year at the University of Sports “Union – Nikola Tesla” started solemnly, with the sounds of the students anthem Gaudemaus igitur and the presence of a respected guest. The generation of 2018 students’ booklets were delivered by one of the most challenging basketball trainers of all time, President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, Bozidar Maljkovic, and in that way greatly contributed to keeping our students first day at the Faculty in good memory.
Dean of the Faculty of Sports Ivanka Gajić, PhD, first welcomed the new students:
– We are all here on a joint mission that, with the commitment of all employees, the talent and commitment of our students, strengthen the position of the Faculty as a leader in the field of education of sports trainers, managers and journalists. We are aware that you have great expectations from the studies at the Faculty of Sport, but we are ready to do our maximum to make you through this important life chapter more motivated and more capable of the challenges of modern times. Serbian sport has long become the most recognizable brand of our country and the pride of the whole nation. With your knowledge and commitment, you will be able to further contribute to the success of the Serbian sport in the years to come. I wish you a lot of success – said dean Gajic.
Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Sport doc. PhD Dragan Atanasov stressed that the teaching staff will do everything to give students the opportunity to learn analytically to think, to explore and constantly find new solutions that is necessary in a market that can be cruel:
– Our faculty will therefore give you the opportunity to have plenty of practice and practical work to get to know the real problems that are beyond the reach of theoretical considerations as soon as possible. In that sense, it should be noted that the Faculty of Sport has signed memoranda of cooperation with almost all national branch sports federations as well as cooperation with foreign faculties, which makes it possible to connect theory and practice – said Atanasov.
The Faculty of Sport of the University “Union – Nikola Tesla” permanently works on raising the quality of teaching and strengthening the teaching staff. It is precisely for this purpose that several new professors have been engaged in this school year. Among them are two of the most recognized sportsmen in the entire region, former deans of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education in Belgrade – Vladimir Koprivica and Srećko Jovanović.
Professor Koprivica was once on two occasions proclaimed as the best teacher in Serbia by choice of students. To the freshmen of the Faculty of Sports he gave several tips:
– Father of modern theater Konstantin Stanislavski was able to say “The actor cannot love himself in acting, but acting in himself”. That’s why my message to you, regardless of whether it’s a coaching, managerial or journalistic profession, you love the profession in yourself, not yourself in the profession. It is an approach to pass through the door of happiness, because going to work in this case will not be a hard work, but a huge pleasure. Dear students, dear colleagues, I’m happy to wish you to have a new start.
In order to encourage our students to compete with the spirit of competition, in order to gain quality from quality competition, that is, top experts from various fields of sports, and this time at the beginning of the new school year, the best students who were awarded with the reduction of tuition were announced. The criterion for obtaining this flattering award and worthy reward was not only the assessments and demonstrated knowledge, but also the comprehensive teaching engagement and extra curricula. By decision of the academic council for the best students in the school year 2017/2018 were proclaimed: Elena Deleva, a student of the first year at the study program Sports journalism (average grade 10), Stefan Branežac, a second year student at the sports program Sports journalism (average grade 10) and David Mladenović, a student of the first year at the study program Coach in sport. The awards were delivered to them by Bojan Sekulić, founder and president of the Council of the Faculty of Sport of the University “Union – Nikola Tesla”.