May 2022 Board Meeting Discusses AUBG Budget, Strategic Plan and Anniversary Activities

October 05, 2022
May 2022 Board Meeting Discusses AUBG Budget, Strategic Plan and Anniversary Activities

The regular Board of Trustees Meeting took place on the AUBG campus on May 20-22, 2022. The primary topics discussed were the newly approved university budget and strategic plan, the new university appointments, and the 30th Anniversary celebrations.

“I would like to sincerely thank you for a wonderful end of the spring semester celebrated by a series of successful events,” Board Chair Michael D. Marvin wrote in a message to the AUBG community. “It was great to be here during the AUBG Anniversary Gala, which was the perfect culmination of the yearlong celebrations of the university’s 30th birthday. Getting the entire AUBG community together is always wonderful but it was especially touching following two years of online events. Having our Board meeting on ground and being able to attend the AUBG Commencement was also a fantastic experience and we managed to complete a lot of important work during this past weekend.”

The AUBG budget for the next fiscal year was approved unanimously. The new budget provides for investment in infrastructure and in people, including an increase in salaries and offering a new benefit in the form of food vouchers.

The AUBG strategic plan 2022-2027 was also approved, including the following key strategic pillars:

  • Create a high-touch, low-friction, contemporary liberal arts environment that supports positive student interactions with the institution and emphasizes life and entrepreneurial skills.
  • Integrate undergraduate operations on a single campus to promote a robust community and encourage interactions among all constituencies.
  • Promote the efficacy of Democratic societies through the establishment of a Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) integrated with liberal arts disciplines and forging connections across the entire curriculum.
  • Attract faculty from all over the world, but radiating from Bulgaria and the Balkans, with strong connections to the United States.
  • Enhance AUBG’s impact by increasing the student body by 50% over the next 5 years, while maintaining the quality of admitted students.
  • Provide lifelong-learning (non-degree) opportunities and selected advanced/graduate degree programs (Sofia campus). Expand AUBG’s distance learning delivery system to support degree and non-degree programming.

“As one of the strategic pillars, the Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) is now up-and-running and we would like to welcome to AUBG the center’s newly appointed director, Tihomira (Tisha) Doncheva,” Marvin wrote. Doncheva holds an MA in Strategic Communications from King’s College London and has expertise in media, communications, and information security.

During the weekend-long meeting, two new members were elected to the AUBG Board of Trustees: Svetozar Georgiev (’00) and Kim Sawyer. AUBG Professor Robert Phillips is the new Faculty Representative to the BoT.

Sani Silvennoinen, who has worked at AUBG as Vice President for Institutional Advancement (2011 -2013), has returned to the university as a member of the University Council.

“I would like to thank you once again for a successful semester and for your constant efforts to preserve the one-of-a-kind AUBG spirit despite all the challenges that have come our way in the past couple of years,” Marvin wrote. “The Board and I are proud and grateful to be part of this amazing community and we are looking forward to many more accomplishments as we work hard to implement the AUBG Strategic Plan.”