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“Where are we all going and who is leading us there?” is probably as fundamental of a question for a university as “To be or not to be?” is for humankind… They directly affect our preparation, influence the value of our diploma and make 50% of our time: AUBG faculty. Considering the high turnover rates, the proper question should be “Who are they this year and how does that influence us?” See some of the answers they gave to the questions we asked:
 | Message: “Hang onto your passion for as long as it’s there. Write down your ideas.” Nationality: British father, but he grew up in South Africa
Relationship status: married, with children. Has a son. His wife, Mariana, is Bulgarian. Favorite thing from Bulgaria: cuisine and weather Best at: film-making and editing Darley is a filmmaker and editor, currently an adjunct TV Reporting professor at AUBG. He teaches Fridays only and works as a freelancer for the BBC’s World Service Trust in the meantime. Part of his work is providing professional training to journalists worldwide. With the Trust, Darley has traveled around the globe: he has been to China, Macedonia, Romania, Lebanon, Nigeria, he has taught filming and editing to Iraqi journalists, he has also been part of the last crew that got the chance to film President Mugabe before the BBC were banned from the region. “I don’t think I can be teaching full-time, I’ll go stale,” Darley says when asked if he considers a permanent position at AUBG. |
How did you decide to come to AUBG?
My wife is Bulgarian, I’ve been living in the capital for a while now and when they offered me the job I thought it was a wonderful opportunity. What do you think of Bulgaria?
I think it is a place for people searching for a balance in life. I like the way family values are still preserved in the country. People are still leading a more relaxed way of life and find time for things such as eating out, for example. This is also a better place for raising children. Could you describe your idea of the perfect student?
He should be flexible and what is also important – be able to produce ideas. As people get older, their experience tends to prevail over their ideas, so they should write down fresh ideas while they’re still young. |
 | Message: “Don’t be an isolated island. Communicate” Nationality: Bulgarian Zodiac Sign: Pisces GPA (undergrad): graduated with Magna Cum Laude Adjective that best describes her: open-minded Hobbies: hiking and mountain biking Favorite music: Christmas vespers and waltzes Zlatinka Gougoumanova is a full-time Introductory Accounting professor. Originally from the town of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, she spent 13 years of her life in the US. After high-school, Gougoumanova got a scholarship from Mount Holyoke University in Massachusetts (the first higher educational institution on the territory of USA to give university degrees to women. In keeping with the tradition, the university is still female-only) and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in EU studies and French language. She then started a Master’s degree in Accounting in the State University of San Diego. She saw the opening at AUBG on the Internet just after her graduation in May this year and decided to give it a go. |
Why did you decide to come to AUBG?
It was either me or my twin sister […] that saw the advertisement on the Internet. One of the requirements for the position was that the candidate had a CPA (qualified accountant’s) degree, which I had just obtained. I applied, had a sample lecture on campus and got the job. I contracted the university for 3 years. How do you feel about AUBG?
It is an unusual sentiment. I feel like I’m in the US, but I’m not. The system here is absolutely identical to the one in the States. You basically have the same types of campus and resource organization. I find it surprisingly good and feel at ease here. Have you visited other places?
Yes, I’ve been to Mexico, many places in the US, France. I will soon be visiting London and I also hope to visit Canada. I have traveled in Bulgaria a lot as a child too. My family was part of the Bulgarian Tourist Union and we had that famous map with the 100 places to visit in Bulgaria, we almost got them all, I was awarded a bronze medal. Could you describe your idea of the perfect student?
There is no such thing as a perfect student, but I can tell you that a good student is - one that shows up to class and is not late on a regular basis. Woody Allen once said: “80% of success is showing up.” A good student is also diligent and involved in community service. |
 | Message: “You’re getting American education, you have opened-up doors. Value that experience.” Nationality: New Zealand Age: early thirties Marital Status: single Hobbies: writing articles; he used to write articles for law journals back in New Zealand. Adjective that best describes him: intelligent, serious GPA (undergrad): “In New Zealand we just have grades, for me that would be an A.” Favorite Song: “Closing time”, Semi Sonic Favorite Book: “The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand Robert White is an associate professor teaching Business Ethics at AUBG this semester. Back in New Zealand, he had been lecturing in the Department of Political Science at the University of Auckland, while getting his PhD in Ethical and Political Theory. |
What do you think of Bulgaria/Blagoevgrad?
I haven’t seen much of Bulgaria yet, I saw Sofia very briefly after I got off the plane and the first thing I noticed was that there were lots of cars and they drove quite dangerously. Blagoevgrad is very peaceful; especially if you consider the fact that I previously lived in a city with more than a million inhabitants. Auckland, where I have been living in the past ten years, is the largest city in New Zealand. I wanted to go somewhere quiet. Could you describe your idea of the perfect student?
He should be interested in the subject, if he isn’t, it’s going to be difficult for him to get involved in the material. He also needs to be self-critical, have his own opinions and be willing to defend them. One of the things I like in students is their ability to have their own ideas, their own views. Can you recall an interesting story of your college life that you want to share with AUBG students?
Not really, but I remember that what I didn’t like was when, in the middle of a lecture of more than a hundred people, the professor pointed at someone with a question from a last-week’s reading. This was a thing I didn’t like and will never do.  | Message: “Work hard, never give up, always keep trying.” Nationality: US citizen Relationship status: married GPA (undergrad): 2.2 on a 3 point system Adjective that best describes him: organized (because he went to the Army before University) Hobbies: horseback riding, fishing, traveling. Favorite book: The Bible Favorite music: classical music Professor Donald Brady is originally from Pennsylvania, US and has a Bachelors degree in Chemistry, with a minor in Mathematics. Despite his scientifically oriented undergraduate studies, he switched to an entirely different field for his Masters degree. Brady got a PhD in business administration and international business at the University of Alabama. At AUBG, he is teaching Marketing Research. |
What was the most surprising thing for you when you arrived here?
When we were coming down to Blagoevgrad, there were so many abandoned, empty houses. How do you find AUBG so far, what’s your first impression of the students?
I am overall impressed with the university; there are ways we in which we can improve, there is always room for improvement. Students are ambitious and energetic. What is your most vivid memory of college years?
I remember that when I was studying, textbooks cost 8 dollars on the average. How can you describe yourself as a professor?
I expect a lot from my students and I am demanding. Higher level education is a privilege, not a right. What countries have you been to?
I have mostly visited places in Europe: Iceland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Hungary, Turkey, Cyprus. Is there any place you want to visit in particular?
I want to travel to Russia. My wife and I are having a trip to Austria during Fall Break.  | Message: “Do not stop asking questions! “ Nationality: Bulgarian Relationship Status: married GPA(undergrad): 3.5 Age: 33 Children: one daughter Hobbies: traveling Ralitsa Simeonova-Ganeva is an adjunct assistant, teaching Econometrics at AUBG. Originally from the town of Montana, she thought of coming to AUBG for her undergraduate studies. In the end, she got a Bachelors degree in Economics and a Masters degree in Statistics and Econometrics, both from the Sofia State University. |
Why did you want to teach here?
I wanted to see what it’s like to teach at AUBG and how it feels to work with students here. Can you recall an interesting story of your college life that you want to share with AUBG students?
I remember that when I was taking Econometrics in my second year, the professor had us to type something on the computer. We didn’t know anything about Econometrics and the software application we were supposed to use. During our first class, we had to do something on the computers. We didn’t know what exactly we were typing, but when we finished typing a long script, suddenly a mysterious graph with over 1,000 dots appeared on the screens. This seemed like magic to us. What are your interests or hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?
I don’t have much free time because apart from my academic and research work, I have my own family and I dedicate my time to it. My husband is teaching at Sofia University and we have one daughter. Still, when I have some time left, I do the usual stuff: books, music, movies. How can you describe yourself as a professor?
I am a tough, but just professor. What is your idea of the perfect student?
The ideal student should be open-minded, broad-thinking and very curious.  | Message: “Search for balance and harmony in life.” Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius Relationship status: Married Hobbies: gardening and all the things related to maintaining his home neat and tidy; the Chinese philosophy of Daoism and practice of Daoist yoga. GPA(undergrad): 5.86 (out of 6) Adjective that best describes him: tolerant Boyan Lomev is an Adjunct Assistant teaching Introductory Macroeconomics and Corporate Finance. А graduate of the Technical University in Sofia, he defended his Masters degree with a senior thesis on Chaos theory in Mathematics. He earned his PhD in 2007 with a thesis on the peculiarities of the Bulgarian exchange rate. Professor Lomev started teaching at the Sofia State University as an Adjunct Professor in economics in 1992. In 1995, he changed to a full-time position. He’s been teaching there full time until now. |
How did you end up at AUBG?
There was a joint conference between the AUBG and Sofia University’s departments of economics in May, 2008. It took place in Sofia and that’s when Didar Erdinc approached
me with a work offer. What are your first impressions of AUBG?
Students are not as active as they should be. This is an American-based system that relies primarily on the active participation of students in the learning process. Activity is low for an American-based system. Do you have any funny memories of school years?
The “brigades” that were obligatory for everybody during communist times were “great fun.” We had to pick peppers and do all kinds of agricultural work during the summer months as part of our education. Do you notice any differences between Sofia University’s and AUBG’s students of economics?
Students here are more motivated to learn. It is also good that the lectures are only of one type, unlike the typical “sessions/seminars” that characterize the Bulgarian educational system. In that system, the goals and logic of the course are lost by most of the students, as the incentives to attend sessions are not very high. It is good that groups at AUBG are small. In the Sofia University I taught in huge seminar rooms with a capacity of 200-300 students. There were also not many students that were interested in help sessions and/or going to individual meetings with professors in their office hours. Could you describe your idea of the perfect student?
This is an idealization. We’re not perfect, for sure. But I can tell you what a good student is. First, he must have a desire to seek truth and what is behind pure knowledge. He must be interested, find the correlations between different fields. He must not be limited just to his studies; he must also enjoy student life. The most important thing is not knowledge by itself, but the ability to understand. Social and cultural contacts are very important. The university is the place to do that.  | Message: “Learn to love yourself, learn to love life and never stop learning.” Name: version of Diana Age: feels like she’s 22 Nationality: native Californian Relationship Status: married Passion: two kitties, Misha and Mira Hobbies: being a traveler, not just a mere tourist; reading fiction and mystery; live theatre GPA (undergrad): 3.9 Favorite Color: blue Adjective that best describes her: devoted She considers herself journalist by training, but she has a Bachelors degree in Social Science, a Masters in Mass Communication and a Doctorate in Public Administration. She has worked at an art gallery, has been a teacher, a market researcher and a photo model for Kodak. DeRosa’s biggest passion is traveling; she has visited many countries in Asia, Europe and Indonesia. She has lived in Paris for 2 years and loves learning new customs and languages. “Instead of visiting, I like to live the culture. There is a difference between being just a tourist and a traveler. I consider myself a traveler.” |
What are your first impressions of Blagoevgrad?
The city is beautiful. I love the chestnut trees. I live in Varosha and sometimes I hear horses going down the cobblestone pavement, it is so romantic. What I don’t understand, though, is why, instead of being locked, the entrance door of my house is being opened with a loud kick by other tenants. Also, your keys are extremely strange. I find it hard to open my apartment door! What do you think about AUBG students?
They are great, really enthusiastic, serious about their studies. I am having fun teaching, as for me it is both about knowledge and building relationships. I’d love to learn to pronounce everyone’s name correctly. What do you remember of your college years?
My expensive textbooks. I had to work to pay for them, so I totally understand you, guys. Describe the perfect student?
He is curious, and flexible. The love of knowledge and broad-mindedness build the perfect student.
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