Internationalization of the University of Maribor – Some Examples of Academic Cooperation in the International Environment

Polona Tominc is the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor and a Full Professor in the field of quantitative economic analyses. Her research focuses primarily on entrepreneurship and the application of quantitative methods in management. She leads the research program Entrepreneurship for an Innovative Society and participates in the international project Global Entrepreneurship Monitor – GEM and the research network on women's entrepreneurship – DIANA. Since 2010, she has actively contributed as an expert at the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – NAKVIS, where she has led more than forty evaluations and accreditations of higher education institutions and programs. Within the international accreditation network AACSB, she conducts international evaluations of higher education institutions in the field of economics and business.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: polona.tominc@um.si

Robert Presker, Professor of Sociology and M.A. in Translation and Interpreting for English, is Head of the Department of Development and Student Affairs at the Rectorate of the University of Maribor. He is responsible for coordinating strategic planning, the internal system for monitoring and assuring quality at the University of Maribor, and external evaluation processes at the University of Maribor. He collaborates professionally with the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (NAKVIS) on national and international conferences and projects related to quality in higher education. During his studies, he was already involved in evaluating higher education institutions and served as Vice-Rector for Student Affairs at the University of Maribor.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: robert.presker@um.si

Mladen Kraljić, M.A. in Law, is employed at the University of Maribor since 2000. From 2000 to 2006, he was Head of the Office for International and Inter-University Cooperation. Between 2007 and 2011, he served as Secretary of the Faculty of Arts, and from 2012 to 2016, he was Head of the Department of International Cooperation at the University of Maribor. From 2016 to 2018, he briefly held the position of Secretary General of the University of Maribor. Since 2018, he has once again been leading the Department of International Cooperation.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: mladen.kraljic@um.si

Joca Zurc, holding three doctorates, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor. As Vice-Dean for International Affairs and Promotion and Erasmus Coordinator, she is actively involved in managing and developing internationalization at the Faculty of Arts, UM. Her pedagogical and research work includes methodology of pedagogical research, pedagogical and humanistic aspects of kinesiology, health education, and the pedagogical concept of student well-being in schools. She is actively involved in the boards of the Slovenian Educational Research Association – SLODRE, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, and the Statistical Society of Slovenia. As a recipient of the prestigious Japan Society for the Promotion of Science scholarship, she spent two years at Okayama University in Japan. She has received several international awards for excellence in scientific research, including the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education Award (2008), European Association for the Philosophy of Sport Award (2017), Japan Society for Mixed Methods Research International Scholarship Award (2019), and Female Researchers Award (2025).

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: joca.zurc@um.si

Vesna Rijavec is a Full Professor and Vice-Dean for International Affairs and Promotion at the Faculty of Law, University of Maribor (PF UM). She is Head of the Institute for Civil, Comparative and International Private Law. From 2015 to 2023, she served as Dean of PF UM and leads the research group Civil and Commercial Law. She teaches civil procedure, European civil procedure, enforcement, non-contentious, succession, family, and arbitration law. She has published numerous influential scientific and professional discussions, articles and monographs in these fields. She has coordinated many international projects, including LawTrain, Train2EN4CE, and DigiGuard. She is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. She has received two honorary doctorates: one from the University of Graz and another from Uppsala University, in recognition of her extensive academic and research contributions.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: vesna.rijavec@um.si

Jelena Krivograd, M.A. in Economics, is the Head of the Scientific Institute at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor (PEF UM), which functions as the faculty’s international and project office. In cooperation with researchers at PEF UM, she actively participates in project proposal submissions and in the administrative and financial implementation of national and international research and development projects. As Erasmus Coordinator, she is responsible for the implementation and development of student and staff mobility. She also contributes to the preparation of strategic documents related to scientific research and international activities.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: jelena.krivograd@um.si

Anja Žnidaršič Mohorič is Vice-Dean for Quality and International Cooperation at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor. She is a member of the Chair of Methodology. Her scientific research focuses on quantitative methods in organizational sciences. She presents research results at numerous international conferences and in reputable international journals. She is actively involved in the renewal of study programs, accreditation and reaccreditation processes, and coordination of quality assurance at the faculty.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: anja.znidarsic@um.si

Petra Gorjanc, spec. in org. and man., has been connected with the Faculty of Organizational Sciences of the University of Maribor for over twenty years. She is currently responsible for the field of faculty’s cooperation with the environment, focusing on connecting the faculty with companies and other organizations, as well as fostering its collaboration with the academic and professional public. As the head of organizing committees, she plays an active role in organizing various international conferences, national consultations, study visits, and is involved in organizational activities of scientific and research projects. She also oversees the implementation of international and other events at the faculty and encourages students to connect and integrate into working environments.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: petra.gorjanc@um.si

Polona Šprajc is the Dean of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences of the University of Maribor. Her scientific and professional work focuses on the fields of organization and management, organizational and management theory, leadership, crisis management at national and multicultural levels, crisis communication, intercultural business environments, and business ethics. She mentors undergraduate and postgraduate students in research projects, theses, and doctoral dissertations. She has published over 100 scientific papers, including 15 indexed in JCR/Scopus databases. As a leader and member, she participates in the program committees of several scientific conferences and is involved in various consulting projects for the economy, as well as in national, regional, and international projects. She is a member of the Executive Board of the Slovenian Academy of Management.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: polona.sprajc@um.si

Igor Areh is the Head of the Chair of Social Studies, Humanities, and Methodology at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor. He specializes in the fields of forensic psychology, investigative interviewing, the collection of information from human sources, forensic personality assessment, deception detection, and the evaluationekrbn of the credibility of testimony. In practice, he works as a consultant and expert in the field of forensic and investigative psychology. He is a member of the European Registry of Exonerations. At Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, he contributed to the development of a white paper on the dangers of the infiltration of pseudo-scientific techniques into the justice system. He also served on the advisory board of Juan Méndez, the former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. He is the president of Division 10, Psychology, Law & Ethics of the International Association of Applied Psychology.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: igor.areh@um.si