On Thursday, 27 November, the Marin Hall of the Fran Korun Koželjski Music School hosted the formal graduation ceremony for the new bachelor’s and master’s graduates in Ecotechnology.
The diplomas were awarded to the fourteenth generation of students of the first-cycle study programme Environmental Protection and Ecotechnology and the eleventh generation of the second-cycle programme.
This year, the Dean, Prof. Dr. Boštjan Pokorny, and the Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gašper Gantar, congratulated and shook hands with 21 newly graduated ecotechnologists and 5 new masters of ecotechnology.
The titles of the theses presented at the ceremony clearly reflect the diversity of environmental issues and the interdisciplinarity of both study programmes. As Dean Boštjan Pokorny emphasised in his address to the graduates, the faculty shares one guiding principle across all areas of its work – to impart knowledge based on science and professional expertise. Environmental protection and nature conservation are often fields marked by clichés and populism that have little to do with facts. Therefore, it is the faculty’s mission to equip students with the ability to think critically and make confident professional decisions based on the knowledge they have acquired, and which they will, of course, need to continuously upgrade.
It is important for the faculty to operate in a supportive local environment. The Mayor of the Municipality of Velenje, Peter Dermol, also addressed the new graduates, expressing his satisfaction at seeing new experts entering the field – professionals who will be greatly needed in the regional transition process and in tackling many other environmental challenges. He congratulated the graduates on their achievements and wished them every success on their future paths.
The graduates have every reason to be proud of their accomplishments and the journey they have completed so far. They recognise that their new professional titles carry a commitment to conduct themselves in a way befitting their field – a commitment expressed in the ceremonial oath of the graduates of the Faculty of Environmental Protection, read by graduate Tiara Kaligaro.
The Director of the Faculty, Gašper Gantar, highlighted that the faculty is proud of students who achieve excellent academic results, and holds in particularly high regard those who, alongside their regular study obligations, are actively engaged in extracurricular activities. These are students who dedicate their time and energy to enriching student life, who participate actively in faculty bodies and committees, and who contribute to various events organised by the Faculty and the Student Council. While such involvement brings the greatest benefits to the students themselves, it is important to acknowledge their contributions. Among this year’s graduates, Janja Pivk and Aljoša Krajnc stood out in particular, receiving commemorative gifts in recognition of their efforts.
The ceremonial event was accompanied by musical performances by the brass ensemble VelejeBRASS and the Saxophone Quartet, both of which are part of the Fran Korun Koželjski Music School.
Photo: Aljoša Videtič