Kroatische Professorin zu Gast am Fachbereich Wirtschaft

Wilhelmshaven. Vom 4. bis 15. April war Prof. Dr. Renata Fox aus Kroatien zu Gast im Fachbereich Wirtschaft. Die Professorin lehrt hauptberuflich im Fachbereich „Tourism and Hospitality“ am Campus in Ika an der Universität Rijeka. An der Jade Hochschule hält sie eine Vorlesung unter dem Titel „Corporate Communication“.

Why did you decide to do Teaching Staff Mobility?
Teaching mobility is, I believe, one of the rare opportunities for a university teacher to put to test her/his ways of communicating to students and dissemination knowledge. As much as I hope Jade University students could learn something in contact with me, I am also absolutely sure that I have learned much in contact with them. It is on this intersection of  different educational cultures that new, perhaps more creative,  ideas might be generated, that various unexpected knowledges might just ´spark´.

Why did you choose the Jade University?
Over the past ten years the number of guest students at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, Croatia, has (through both Erasmus and  Ceepus) been on a steady increase. The students come from many different countries: Spain, Greece, Finland, Poland, Rumania …,  from Germany however comparatively few. I believe it would be generally very useful for Croatian tertiary education to create stronger  bonds with the academic community in Germany. After all, German educational system is among the most successful  worldwide. In direct contact with German academic and managerial culture  the students from our faculty could, for example, deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of tourism and hospitality management. And, last but not least,  there are possibilities of employment in Germany for the graduates  from our faculty, the  possibilities that  entail not just obvious material benefits but also tremendous professional advantages. When I return to Croatia I will be able to promote first hand many gains arising from our students´ links to German universities, notably to the Jade University.

Why should students do a semester in Ika/Opatija?
For one, intercultural contacts are generally useful: they promote appreciation of diversity and tolerance. Also, Croatia is a country in transition which in itself might offer German students of tourism and hospitality  new and original insights. As our faculty is considered to be a leader in Croatian tertiary education for tourism and hospitality, the academic aspects of the contact might definitely be beneficial to both  German guest students and our faculty. And finally, our faculty is located right on the sea shore, in the vicinity of a well-known tourist resort Opatija (Abbazia), which started its development in 19th c. as one of the leading seaside resorts and spas of the then ´k. und k. Riviera´. So, I´m sure, visiting our faculty will be not only a rewarding academic encounter but also a pleasant tourist experience.

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