General

The Faculty of Administration as part of the University of Ljubljana

University of Ljubljana

The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...

has now been actively involved in international academic relations for a number of years. This includes exchanging students, teaching and research staff and the Faculty has also participated in various project activities, research programmes, publications and the organisation of scientific expert meetings.
In the last decade, the importance of international cooperation has increased at the Faculty of Administration because it represents an area of activity and potential innovation that lead to the development of new programmes and practice at the institutional, national and international levels.

The main activities of international cooperation at the Faculty of Administration include:

International exchange of students and teaching staff

As part of the Lifelong Learning Programme and other programmes, which are intended to encourage study abroad, improve the quality of higher education, improve language skills, and provide better understanding of different cultures, Faculty of Administration students can study at several higher education institutions abroad. Our aim is to give all students the opportunity to include an international experience in their study programme without prolonging their study period, and with a minimum of administrative obstacles. Cooperation with faculties abroad is an important contribution to achieving the global knowledge that society demands for a highly educated, flexible, creative and successful workforce, motivated for lifelong learning and understanding other cultures in an international environment.

The international exchange of professors has been a standard practice of the Faculty, realised through various professional training schemes and visiting lecturer positions.

Visiting lecturers

Visiting lecturers represent one of the main goals of international cooperation at the Faculty because they offer priceless experience to the students, supplementing their knowledge with deep insights into individual course contents that cover public administration areas beyond Slovenia's borders. In recent years a number of renowned foreign professors have lectured at the Faculty of Administration.

International Accreditation of Study Programmes

In December 2005 the Senate of the Faculty of Public Administration passed a decision to start procedures to gain international accreditation for the Level II Master's Study Programme in Administration with the EAPAA (European Association for Public Administration Accreditation, Enschede, the Netherlands). The accreditation process was successfully concluded in September 2008. We are aware that accreditation at the European level represents recognition of the programme's quality.

In the 2009/10 academic year, the Faculty has started intense preparations for accreditation of the I. level study programme in Administration.

Joint study programmes

An important innovation in Slovenian higher education is the possibility of offering joint study programmes, which means that a higher education institution can adopt and provide joint study programmes with one or more higher education institutions in Slovenia or abroad. In these cases, students that fulfil all the requirements under the joint study programme receive a joint degree representing a public document that is valid in all the countries of the participating higher education institutions. The Faculty now offers three joint study programmes.

Bilateral agreements with foreign universities

Bilateral agreements have served different purposes at different times, such as being actively used for student and staff exchange and also for project cooperation, curricula development and EU project participation. The Faculty has bilateral agreements with 38 universities and institutes in 11 countries for the 2009/10 academic year.

Theme networks

The Faculty of Administration actively participates in the following international organizations:

• EGPA (European Group of Public Administration),
• IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Sciences),
• IASIA (International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration),
• EPAN (European Public Administration Network),
• EAPAA (European Association for Public Administration Accreditation)
• NISPAcee (Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe),
• NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration).

History

The Faculty of Administration is one of the youngest members of the University of Ljubljana as a fully faculty, but is actually an institution with a long tradition. Its beginnings go back to 1956 when the School of Public Administration was established; in 1995, it was transformed into the University School of Public Administration. On 5 April 2003 the University School of Public Administration officially became the Faculty of Administration.

Today the Faculty carries out its mission in undergraduate and graduate education programmes, research, development and consulting activities, professional training of civil servants, and international cooperation, concentrating on the following fields:

• Legal regulation and development in public sector
• Public sector organisation
• Public sector economics
• Public finance
• Public sector management
• Public sector information systems and development of e-administration.

The Faculty continues to develop existing programmes, while introducing the new joint study programmes prepared in cooperation with faculties abroad.

It is also introducing new forms of study, such as distance learning, problem-based learning, and teamwork.

We are very proud that master's study programme in Administration was accredited by the EAPAA association (European Association for Public Administration Accreditation) in September 2008. In line with EAPAA regulations, the Faculty of Administration prepared the self-evaluation report of Master's Study Programme of Administration during 2007 and organized the onsite visit of the Accreditation Committee of EAPAA in May 2008.

Mission

The Faculty of Administration's mission is to be an interdisciplinary repository of knowledge, which it achieves through the ongoing development of disciplines, research, integration into Slovenian and international practice and the transfer of knowledge and findings into education and training.

Vision

The Faculty of Administration will be a source of sought-after expertise. It will be distinguished by its innovative educational approaches, interesting lectures, high-quality research work and experts who participate in the shaping of professional opinion both in Slovenia and abroad. The educational process will be based on the connection between the faculty, students and employers so that its graduates will be employable in Slovenia and abroad.

The Faculty of Administration will be a well-organised educational establishment, with roles that are clearly defined, allocated and respected. Its employees will be devoted to the fulfilment Of its mission. They will have the opportunity for personal development.