In this edition of Education Insights magazine, we are honored to welcome our readers from around the world with a remarkable story about the prestigious University of Skopje. Founded in 2006, the University of Skopje is at the forefront of fostering academic excellence and student achievement in Macedonia. As an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the institution seeks to foster the regional and global cooperation with relevant academic institutions and organizations in the scientific disciplines studied at this university.
The Genesis of the University of Skopje
The University of Skopje is a prominent and recognizable higher educational institution distinguished by its unique methodology of study, modern learning conditions, passion for innovation and readiness to take on all challenges in its mission of education. The university in its existence follows the achievements of international universities. At the beginning, the management under the direction of the Rector, Ace Milenkovski Ph.D. chose the University of Rijeka, i.e. the Faculty of Management in Tourism and Hospitality in Opatija, as an example of a university with high European and world standards by which to work.
Then, the management and the academic staff start implementing a methodology that guarantees quality in teaching and offers practical activities to the students that enable them to gain a high-quality education. This enables the students, upon graduation, to take on all the challenges of a career on any continent around the world.
Within the framework of its existence, the University of Skopje educates its students in an efficient and modern way and for this reason it receives awards and recognitions, such as the award for Macedonian quality from the Union of Chambers of Commerce, which is directly awarded to him by the then President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov Ph.D.
Through the university’s commitment and the responsibility to the environment and sustainable development, it has also earned its place among the world’s top institutions. All the awards and recognition are a testament to the university’s exceptional quality and unwavering commitment.
An Edge Over the Peers
The success of the University of Skopje is driven by its distinctive scientific programs, precisely crafted through indepth research of the demands of the students and the demands of the labor market, providing the needs of the society. The graduates of the university emerge as future leaders in their professions, which is a clear proof of the quality, knowledge, skills and competencies they acquire during their studies, the innovative methodology, and the commitment of the management and academic staff working at the University of Skopje who selflessly transfer it to the students.
Creating Highly Skilled and Qualified Professionals
The continuous changes that the university has undergone play a key role in its progress. The University of Skopje initially starts its journey with only one faculty, the Faculty of Tourism. Their main goal was to create a small but quality faculty that would revolutionize the methodology of work and create a highly skilled workforce in the tourism industry.
The first generation of graduate tourism managers embraced this unique approach to studying. Their motto was “Travel and learn”. During the academic year, students along with part of the academic staff traveled to various tourist destinations, combining theory with practical experience. They explored Europe and beyond, discovering attractive tourist spots, luxury destinations and had the opportunity to meet experienced tourism managers. Today, these students excel as managers in the tourism organizations, skilled tourist guides, not only in their own country but in many developed tourist destinations around the world.
After three years of existence, the Faculty of Tourism has expanded into a university consisting of five faculties, witnessing an increase in the number of enrolled students. Additionally, modern working methodologies have been introduced in all the faculties, accompanied by the software integration, in order to improve the quality of teaching. Regarding digitization, the University of Skopje has implemented a unique software for work in the early stages and thus enabled many students to engage in the distance learning process.
Remarkable Initiatives and Programs: Fostering Creativity, Research Spirit, and Learning
The University of Skopje has several projects that have proven particularly successful in fostering creativity, the spirit of inquiry and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills among the students. One of the most important is the UNWTO and THEMIS foundation certificate that confirms the quality of the curriculum, and the University of Skopje is the 76th University in the world, in 2015 when it receives this certificate, which only indicates the level of quality of this institution. The University of Skopje has been awarded the TedQual diploma for the quality of the teaching in the higher education by the United Nations for the second time.
Rector, Ace Milenkovski Ph.D. stated that this prestigious degree is a proof of the quality of higher education at the University of Tourism and Management. “This is the only higher education institution with a TedQual diploma in the country and one of a total of 98 universities in the world, which in 2020 met the strictly prescribed criteria to obtain such a prestigious recognition”, Milenkovski pointed out. He said that the entire professional team of the university, which has worked hard all these years and created a successful academic staff, deserves this recognition.
The work of the University is reviewed every three years by the United Nations through the World Tourism Organization. To receive such a degree, one must meet strictly prescribed criteria for education, training, and research programs. The evaluation also measures the effectiveness of the pedagogical system, as well as the coverage of the needs in the tourism sector, civil society and students in such programs. The prestigious diploma was awarded to Rector Milenkovski within the framework of the 24th General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations. The event highlighted the success that counts this university among the top 100 within the UNWTO Quality Assessment System.
The TedQual diploma was awarded by the Director of the UNWTO Committee on Innovation, Education and Investment, Ms. Natalia Bayona Vasquez, who pointed out that the recovery of tourism starts through quality in the education, with the opportunity for people to create professional careers in the tourism sector.
Emerging Trends and Advancements in Business Education
The University of Skopje is in constant correlation with the business community to anticipate opportunities and difficulties and offers students a wide range of services and options for professional development. To that end, the university created public cooperation and trust committees in which the most successful professionals in their field and academic staff work on the exchange of knowledge and experience, focusing on the primary goal, which includes the creation and improvement of the educational programs. In this way, they shape the professional capacities of the students in accordance with the current needs of society.
Educating with a Perfect Balance of Theoretical Knowledge and Practical Experience
The University of Skopje permanently organizes a wide range of forums, conferences and symposia, attracting experts from national and international institutions. The university hosted and organized the prestigious Forum of Mayors, which was attended by numerous municipal mayors, prominent experts and city leaders from the Republic of Macedonia, all over Europe and from around the world, then the Forum for Women Leaders, the Forum for Macedonian Identity and many other events.
Nurturing Entrepreneurship and Innovation Within the Organization
The Alumni Club of the University of Skopje serves as a continuation of the academic and the professional achievements of its graduates, encouraging networking and strengthening ongoing cooperation Members of the alumni club participate in the official business events, forums, conferences, celebrations, meetings that highlight the business relations. The alumni club is continuous in multiple social directions and a basis for the generational transfer of experiences.
Notable Mentorship Programs for International Students
One of its key initiatives is the International Student Friends Program, where international students connect with the local student mentors. These mentors guide these students through the entire process of the academic exchange and thus make it easier for them to adapt to the new environment.
Opportunities for International Exposure and Learning
The University of Skopje has cooperation agreements with numerous renowned universities and institutions. Students can study at some foreign universities for one semester or one academic year, as well as have practical work in foreign organizations. In addition, the institution encourages students to participate independently or in collaboration with their professor or mentor.
Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Skopje
The University is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion within its higher education institution, recognizing that a diverse academic community enriches learning experiences and prepares students to thrive in a globalized world. Management and academic staff seek to attract students from diverse backgrounds to provide a wide range of perspectives and experiences within their academic community.
Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills
The University of Skopje is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial skills among the students. The Faculty of Entrepreneurial Business within the university helps the students to be prepare entrepreneurs, through education on how to harness invested funds, lead newly established ventures, come up with a good business idea, increase profitability and turn a business idea into a business. In addition, the university collaborates with start-up organizations that support young entrepreneurs.
Initiatives to Empower Underrepresented Groups
The University of Skopje is dedicated to helping the vulnerable categories of students and students who do not have enough financial means to enroll in studies. Scholarship Fund: The scholarship fund of the University of Skopje is named “Prof. Ljube Milenkovski”, that is the name of the father of the Rector of the university, Ace Milenkovski Ph.D. These scholarships are intended for the students who do not have enough financial to study and vulnerable categories who need financial assistance. For example, in 2011/2012/2013 the University of Skopje receives awards for social responsibility based on a total of 1500 scholarships awarded in the first 5 years of the University of Skopje’s existence. We will also highlight the year 2022, when the University of Skopje awarded a total of 512 scholarships in 40 municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia.
Mentorship and training: Mentorship programs connect underrepresented groups with experienced professionals from faculty and industry to provide guidance, support, and career advice.
Academic support services: The services of this department are related to advising and helping students to overcome any challenges they may face.
Development of inclusive policies: The institution constantly develops and implements policies that meet the needs of underrepresented groups.
A Comprehensive Approach to Meeting the Academic and Personal Needs
The University of Skopje strives to support international students in meeting their academic and personal needs. At the academic level, it offers customized orientation programs that help them fit into the academic structure. The Department of International Cooperation at the University of Skopje provides academic counseling, language support and workshops to help foreign students master research and writing skills. On a personal level, the university offers various services to help foreign students adjust to the life in Skopje. This includes housing assistance, the provision of a residence visa and cultural acclimatization. Regular social events and activities foster a sense of community and help international students build relationships with their peers.
Glimpses of the Future
Since its foundation, the University of Skopje has strived to follow and apply modern trends in higher education. He will continue to do so in the future. The team is additionally focused on increasing the internationalization and attractiveness of their study programs in a global context. They invest in greater recognition of the institution at an international level to attract as many students and teaching staff as possible. This will ultimately secure greater recognition of the nation as an attractive educational destination that can provide absolute educational quality.
