Prof. Dr. Saša Dobričić new president of European Network of Universities UNISCAPE
Prof. Dr. Saša Dobričić from the Graduate School of the University of Nova Gorica has been selected as the new president of UNISCAPE - the third in the institution's sixteen-year history. She will serve UNISCAPE for the next four years.
On the occasion of the annual meeting of the UNISCAPE General Assembly (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 10 July 2024), the new representatives of all the associative bodies were appointed for the next term: president, vice-presidents, members of the executive board and director.
UNISCAPE is a European Network of Universities dedicated to landscape studies and education according to the principles of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000). It was created in Florence in January 2008 as a result of the joint initiative of 23 European Universities. The founding members of UNISCAPE are 42 universities from Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Belgium, Slovakia and France. Currently, the Network comprises 56 Universities members from 15 European Countries and 2 private Foundations promoting landscape studies and research.
In her statement, Prof. Dr. Dobričić emphasised the importance of expanding, diversifying, and fostering the UNISCAPE network with active membership of existing and new members to highlight once more UNISCAPE’s founding link with the Council of Europe Landscape Convention, which distinguishes UNISCAPE from other landscape-related networks. This year, the special focus will be on initiatives related to the presence of UNISCAPE in June 2025 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia, on the occasion of the European Capital of Culture 2025, where the content and formats of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Landscape Convention on 20 October 2025 could be defined jointly with the representatives of the Council of Europe. Hence, the 2024-2025 biennium will be dedicated to fostering a constructive and fertile relationship with the Council of Europe, and enacting a common strategy to establish a more cooperative approach with the interested EU institutions. In her opinion, the equal inclusion of students in the decision processes, supported by the appointment of a permanent representative to UNISCAPE's executive board, will be decisive. Indeed, as two editions of the UNISCAPE Youth Forums have shown, we need their powerful voice more than they do.