Vision

Evolution in European and Slovene higher education has been in recent years very dynamic. On numerous occasions such evolution can become a real challenge. Facing these challenges the School of Advanced Social Studies will follow four major directives.

The first directive is interdisciplinarity. Despite of good development of specific social sciences in Slovenia their connection is rather modest. Such parcellation is also evident in profiles arising from established educational institutions which are mostly narrow-specialized and professionally less adaptable. Faculty aims towards developing a set of broadly educated interdisciplinary social scientists which will be better welcomed on the labour market than narrow specialized profiles.

The second directive is orientation into international space. Social sciences are being internationalized very fast. The success at inclusion into international space and reaching international standards in research and educational results has become a key measure of success in social sciences as well. International orientation of the faculty is not just words on paper. At the same beginning of the faculty the cooperation with partners from Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria has been established. In the near future cooperation with partners from Nederland and Great Britain will be formalized. Faculty has included several foreign professors and researchers into its study programmes.

The third direction is quality and excellency. In the frame of the faculty special attention will be put into high theoretical and methodological quality of the research work. Present experience and international recognition of professors and researchers are a grant for research excellency in basic project and project conducted for users in economy, local community and region, state, and other users.

The fourth direction is applicability. Applicative dimension of the whole range of social sciences is not emphasised enough. The same goes for direct transfer of knowledge from academic sphere into economy, state and whole public services and non-governmental sphere. The same goes for too small harmonisation between graduate profiles and labour market demands which demand wider profile with methodological and applicative knowledge. The applicability of the faculty is already seen in two ways. First being the shape of study programmes and the second being its research work. School of Advanced Social Studies is educational institution but its aim is not to overreach some already established institutions in the number of students. Its strategic orientation is into quality of educational processes what will support the extensive scientific research work. Into research work is where the important part of Faculty's activities will be focused into.

Foundation of School of Advanced Social Studies is not important only from the future generations of social scientists point of view but it rather has various meanings. In Nova Gorica the new centre of applicable social science knowledge was created. This centre will place its expertise into local and regional but also national economy; labour market and will also take advantage of several not already used possibilities in development of social studies on national level and will also successfully participate in international environment following the trends of social sciences development.