20 Years of SASS: A Story of Innovative Social Sciences
An authorial column by co-founder Prof. Matevž Tomšič, PhD on the rapid growth, vision, and success of SASS.
How a Bold Academic Project Became a Synonym for Modern Higher Education
Twenty years is not a long time in a person’s life, let alone in the life of an institution like a faculty. In this sense, the School of Advanced Social Studies is still a very young academic institution, especially when compared to famous European universities. Despite everything that has happened during this period, the memory of its establishment and early days is still very much alive.
As one of its founders, I have been with it the entire time. There were four of us who embarked on this project—alongside myself, Borut Rončević, Matej Makarovič, and Janez Povh. The first three of us served as deans of the faculty and held various other positions within its framework, while Janez became more actively involved in the higher education sector in Novo Mesto, where he is currently the acting rector of the new public university.
A Breath of Fresh Air in Higher Education
The main motive for establishing the faculty was the intention to develop a different kind of social science—one that would study social phenomena in a holistic manner, transcending existing disciplinary divisions. We felt that a ‘breath of fresh air’ was needed in the higher education sphere, and we believed—without wishing to sound pretentious—that we could make a contribution of our own.
Thus, we embarked on a project that many advised us against, claiming it was too demanding, that institutional and other barriers were too high, and that we lacked the relevant experience—we were all relatively at the beginning of our academic careers at the time. Yet, we persevered.
Our first meetings took place in a very improvised manner, almost like an ‘underground’ operation. However, we found a hospitable environment for the new academic institution in Nova Gorica. And things took off. First with the accreditation of the institution itself and its first two study programs, which were later followed by many others. We started in two rented offices on Kidričeva Street, with lectures taking place at various locations in Nova Gorica and Ljubljana. Later, we acquired our own premises on Gregorčičeva Street. We also expanded our capacities in Ljubljana, where there are now so many lecture halls that it can sometimes be difficult to find your way around them. This is, of course, directly connected to the number of students, which has risen sharply, especially in recent years.
Ambition, Dynamism, and Innovation as a Constant
The faculty has changed in many ways over these past twenty years. In tandem with the growing number of study programs and enrolled students, as well as numerous research projects, the number of employees and other associates has increased significantly. While in the early years of the faculty’s existence as dean I met and communicated with almost all colleagues present on a daily basis, I now know some of them only passingly. However, such is the logic of an institution’s growth.
Yet, something at SASS has remained unchanged over the years. This is its ambition, dynamism, and innovation, which stem from the enthusiasm of our colleagues and a desire for continuous improvement. The faculty has become a recognizable and respectable academic institution. If twenty years ago we believed this would happen, we can now see it with our own eyes. It has turned out that its establishment was a ‘bullseye’. And I am confident that this success story will continue under the new leadership as well.
Prof. Matevž Tomšič, PhD
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