The ceremony to promote bachelors, and for the first time in Croatia, expert specialists for sports management was held on Friday, 12 February 2016. 32 bachelors (3 years of study) and 10 technical specialists (5 years of study) of the sports management were promoted on this festive promotion. The guests of the celebration were Ms Meri Maretić, representative of Split-Dalmatia County, also a teacher at the University College Aspira, Mr Hrvoje Akrap, Head of the Department for Sports and Sports infrastructure, Mr Igor Boraska, president of the Split Sports Association and other representatives of the sports services and higher education in Croatia.
Ms Maretić held a welcoming speech, in which she specifically mentioned the pleasant cooperation as a mentor with one of the graduates, Miro Opačak, who is deaf and who as his graduation topic elaborated the role of interpreters of sign language in deaf sports federations.
1 Hrvoje Akrap expressed satisfaction that today sports managers are entering the labour market, they are extremely necessary in sport in order to further develop it, and concluded that he hoped that all graduates find their jobs and the future right in the city of Split.
2 Igor Boraska in his welcoming speech thanked the students for the help they provided through the mandatory internship during their studies in a number of sporting events throughout the year. In this way, not only have they gained valuable experience, but have actually contributed to the development of sports in our town.
The ceremony was led by Dean, Professor Marko Jelić, Ph.D. and Vice Deans. In addition to the founders of University College Aspira, Milivoj and Alen Jerkunica, the ceremony was attended by the first Dean Željko Mrklić, Ph.D. and the second Dean Slobodan Dragičević, Ph.D.
One of the first promoted specialists for the sports management in Croatia is our best gymnast Mario Možnik. Congratulations to Mario, because along with many sports successes, this is the second college he graduated from. Besides being a professor of kinesiology and Bachelor of sports management, as of today, Mario is one of the first professional sports management specialists. We are extremely proud of our deaf students, Melani Turković and Miro Opačak, who are the proof that persistence, consistency and struggle to set objective always pays of.
Students, congratulations! And now, as the Dean Jelić says – “Go and change the world around you”!