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Winter 2012/2013 ISSN: 1848-395XACMT REPORTERMusic, video <strong>and</strong> “flipped classrooms”TEACHING FOR THE 21ST CENTURYThe world is changing, <strong>and</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essors at RIT/ACMT are changingwith it, updating their teaching styles <strong>and</strong> methods in response torapid changes in technology <strong>and</strong> today’s student lifestyles.Pr<strong>of</strong>essors at RIT/ACMT <strong>and</strong> around the world are making increaseduse <strong>of</strong> technology, <strong>and</strong> multi-media learning, such as video <strong>and</strong> music,to help students learn better. Students say that these new methodsreally work, <strong>and</strong> make studying more interesting <strong>and</strong>, sometimes,even fun.Bye, bye quartersSEMESTERSARE COMINGAt the Zagreb campus, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Peter Schmidt has made big changesto his Financial Accounting course, which is known among studentsas a tough subject, especially for people who aren’t big fans<strong>of</strong> numbers. To better reach those students, Pr<strong>of</strong>. Schmidt has introduceda “flipped classroom” – instead <strong>of</strong> the traditional schedule <strong>of</strong>in-class lectures <strong>and</strong> then practice exercises for homework, he doesthe reverse.Continued on page 7Starting in the fall <strong>of</strong> 2013, RIT <strong>and</strong> ACMT will move to a semesterbasedacademic calendar. Two 16-week semesters will replace thecurrent calendar <strong>of</strong> three 11-week quarters. This change will makestudy abroad <strong>and</strong> exchanges with other universities much easier,since the semester calendar is st<strong>and</strong>ard in most educational institutionsaround the world.“Semester conversion is a positive change that promotes greaterstudent mobility, <strong>and</strong> allows students to study in greater depth <strong>and</strong>breadth <strong>of</strong> subject matter,” said ACMT President <strong>and</strong> Dean Don Hudspeth.Continued on page 6WINTER BREAK: A CHANCE TO SEETHE WORLDZAGREB CAMPUS ASSOCIATEDEAN DR. SHAWN STURGEONALUMNI SHARE HR ANDCONSULTING EXPERTISEpage 2 page 3 page 5
EventsHoliday Auction raise 28,000 kn for charitiesStudents, faculty <strong>and</strong> staff raised more than 28,000 kunas for worthy causes at the annual Holiday Auction events at both campuses. By biddingon donated items, members <strong>of</strong> the Dubrovnik campus raised 17,000 kunas for the family <strong>of</strong> Ante Jović, <strong>of</strong> Dubrovnik, whose disabilitiesrequire extensive therapy. The evening was hosted by student auctioneers Hanan Besović <strong>and</strong> Gregor Ettinger. The Zagreb auction event,hosted by students Mislav Peček <strong>and</strong> Ida Maržić, raised over 10,000 kunas for “Veliko srce malom srcu” a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organization assistingchildren with heart problems, <strong>and</strong> their families.ZagrebcampusDean’s ListDinner2Children’sWinterFestival
Pr<strong>of</strong>ileZAGREB CAMPUSASSOCIATE DEANDR. SHAWN STURGEONPoet, wordsmith,teacherBy Ena Paponja-st,gDr. Shawn Sturgeon is a wordsmith,an introvert by nature, someonewho stopped listening to popular musicin 1998, one <strong>of</strong> students’ favoriteteachers, <strong>and</strong> the current associatedean <strong>and</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> English at theZagreb campus.In addition to his administrative leadership<strong>and</strong> teaching responsibilities,Dr. Sturgeon writes daily <strong>and</strong> believeshe can find inspiration in everything.He believes poetry is a crucial form <strong>of</strong>knowledge about the world <strong>and</strong> thatthe poet helps us see things <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>them in new ways.Dr. Sturgeon was born in Scottsbluff,on the high plains <strong>of</strong> westernNebraska, 47 years ago, <strong>and</strong> movedfrequently during his childhood. Hehas lived all over the western US, inWashington, Colorado, Wyoming,“the sort <strong>of</strong> bleak small towns <strong>and</strong>empty, surreal l<strong>and</strong>scapes that in the19th century people called the Great<strong>American</strong> Desert,” he said.As a young man, Shawn was involvedin all sorts <strong>of</strong> activities, perhaps becausehis strict parents believed thatfree time should be spent constructively.He was a part <strong>of</strong> the studentgovernment, community service,sports, speech team, music, drama<strong>and</strong> journalism.He showed a strong interest in writingduring high school <strong>and</strong> won libraryawards for his prolific reading. At firsthe planned to attend law school <strong>and</strong>become a lawyer, but at the age <strong>of</strong> 23,decided that writing would be his career.His first pr<strong>of</strong>essional publicationwas a poem called “Misreading OurLives”.“I thought it a good omen that it appearedin The New Republic magazineon my birthday,” he said.His first collection <strong>of</strong> poems, titledEither/Ur, written over a ten year period,was a finalist for the Paris ReviewPrize in 2000 <strong>and</strong> a semi-finalist forthe Walt Whitman Award in 2001.“Ur is the oldest known city in humanhistory <strong>and</strong> Either/Or is a famous book<strong>of</strong> philosophy by one <strong>of</strong> philosophy’smost intriguing philosophers, SorenKierkegaard,” he explained. “The bookis so much about beginnings- first orsecond or even third beginnings, <strong>and</strong>about making choices, that it seemedlike an appropriately obscure title.”His earliest influences have remainedconstant in his life. These include thepoets Walt Whitman, T.S.Eliot <strong>and</strong>W.H. Auden, although many others favoriteshave also influenced him overthe years.Dr. Sturgeon moved to Kosovo in2008 <strong>and</strong> spent three years there asa pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> English <strong>and</strong> Director<strong>of</strong> Academic Affairs, at the <strong>American</strong>University <strong>of</strong> Kosovo, one <strong>of</strong> RIT’sglobal campuses, before joining theRIT/ACMT Zagreb campus in 2011.“I love teaching, because as much asit sounds like a cliché, I learn a lot,” hesaid. “I wouldn´t be happy if I didn´thave the chance to work with studentsin the classroom.”Students appreciate his knowledge<strong>and</strong> friendliness.“Pr<strong>of</strong>. Sturgeon is an outgoing, friendlydean who wants the best for hisstudents,” said student Marina Milos.“He truly is looking to get involved<strong>and</strong> make sure we are happy with ourstudies. He walks around the hallswith a big bright smile, ready to helpout.”“Pr<strong>of</strong>. Sturgeon’s good soul showsthrough his teaching <strong>and</strong> care for hisstudents,” added president <strong>of</strong> the Zagrebcampus student council TasiaPejkovic. “Class with him is somethingto look forward to.”Pr<strong>of</strong>. Sturgeon is currently workingon several writing projects, includinga new collection <strong>of</strong> poems called“Before I Sleep” <strong>and</strong> a novel called“The Big Bang Sayonara” which hedescribes as an apocalyptic comedy.Into My EyesBy Shawn SturgeonThat was the time I hardly knew howto speak: cars <strong>and</strong> trucks passed me,wordless wondering at so much speed.Things moved slowly: I could hold themForever: things moved without me, so muchmore between each blink. When stars fell,I could fill their space with an eye, <strong>and</strong> whenpuddles dried out there was earth left to drink,<strong>and</strong> all the small things crept into my h<strong>and</strong>touching me. It was a time, it was a spacethat wanted me to linger. The streets criedin syllables, signing take me take me <strong>and</strong> eachstep I took lifted me along. And I ate light, atedark like the hungry child I was, moving pastwindows that looked in on open doors, feelingmyself floating until I scraped the sky. Andeverything asking, when will you grow up?!I didn’t want to grow up. I wanted only to be alive.3
By Ena PaponjaEight accomplished graduates visited theZagreb campus in January to share theirexpertise <strong>and</strong> experience in the field <strong>of</strong>HR <strong>and</strong> consulting, share friendly news, <strong>and</strong>network with old <strong>and</strong> new colleagues. Theevent, titled, Eight Minutes for Eight People,is the latest in a series <strong>of</strong> RIT/ACMT Alumnigatherings, held in various locations on differentpr<strong>of</strong>essional topics.“Alumni events are a great opportunity tosee old friends <strong>and</strong> colleagues, or meet newones,” said Alumni Association President AnaJarak. “We had great speakers to discuss personaldevelopment in the time <strong>of</strong> economiccrisis, EU funds management <strong>and</strong> consulting,the importance <strong>of</strong> br<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> naming <strong>and</strong>many other interesting topics.”Alumna Maja Vitas ‘02, started <strong>of</strong>f the eveningby Skyping in from Kuwait, where she isHR manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Many<strong>of</strong> the employees there have been working forthe hotel for many years, <strong>and</strong> are so loyal thatit is sometimes hard to get them to leave, evenif they are not highly paid. She said people inKuwait do not believe in the power <strong>of</strong> moneybut the stability that this kind <strong>of</strong> company <strong>of</strong>fers,especially since the company encourageshiring <strong>of</strong> family members.Maja Benčić ‘99, shared her experience startingher own naming consultant business,called Vokado, in Zagreb. Maja gets paid tocome up with names, <strong>and</strong> some <strong>of</strong> her mostAnkica Tomić – Obrdalj ’07 was hired as AdmissionsCounselor at RIT’s campus in Dubai, UAE.Neven Marđetko recently opened his own business,<strong>of</strong>fering court interpreter <strong>and</strong> translation services inEnglish, German <strong>and</strong> Croatian. www.mardetko.com.Katarina Kušić earned a fellowship in a master’sdegree program in International Business at CentralEuropean University (CEU) in Budapest. “I just startedworking on my thesis so the next few months willbe interesting,” she said. “I’m really happy to haveescaped business, academia makes me much happier.”Jure Bočina ’08 opened his own business, AgroAger Pharos, on the Isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Hvar, a family-ownedplantation <strong>of</strong> 3000 olive trees <strong>and</strong> 48000 artichokeplants.Ivana Valentić ’09 completed a Master <strong>of</strong> ScienceDegree in International Business <strong>and</strong> <strong>Management</strong> atKozminski University in Warsaw, Pol<strong>and</strong>.Sydney Viaccoz ’11 was hired as client advisor forInternational organizations/Non-governmental organizationsat UBS (union des banques suisses)bank in Geneva, Switzerl<strong>and</strong>.Domagoj Marić ’08 started his own educationalgame <strong>and</strong> toy company, Dorat, in Varazdin.An article by Lucija Bil<strong>and</strong>žić, titled “Orange Wine”was published in the most recent issue <strong>of</strong> RIThink,an online interdisciplinary academic journal. www.rithink.hrAn article by Franica Miloš, titled “Miloš FamilyWinery: 500 Years <strong>of</strong> Tradition on the Pelješac Penninsula”was published in the most recent issue <strong>of</strong>5AlumniAlumni share HR <strong>and</strong> consulting expertisewell known successes are the Soundset Radio<strong>and</strong> the Oryx Grupa. She admires creative<strong>and</strong> clever br<strong>and</strong> names on the market suchas “Silk“ soy milk, “Loverdose“ perfume <strong>and</strong>“Innocent“ all-fruit juice.She was also the mind behind the companyname <strong>of</strong> the next speaker, Miroslav Kosović‘05 senior consultant for EU funds at SenseConsulting. Miroslav addressed some <strong>of</strong> thenegative stereotypes <strong>of</strong> consultants, whoare <strong>of</strong>ten considered “fog sellers” or in otherwords, people who charge you big money totell you everything you already know. He evenhad someone tell him that consultants are thepeople who they call thieves in their village. Itwas interesting to hear him unravel this mythas well as the misconception that consultingcannot be creative. For example, SenseConsulting has a comic book about EU fundsnamed “James Fond,” a funny spo<strong>of</strong> on thefamous Agent 007.Livia Reljić ’05, a regional manager with SmartFlex outplacement. Her job is to help employeesfind new jobs in the unfortunate situationthat their employer shuts down. In this helpfulprogram, Livia <strong>and</strong> her co-workers help employeesfind a job <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>fer free counselingservices.Amila Avdagić ‘05, made everyone laugh withher funny stories from her experience as retailmanager for Riva tobacco company in Bosnia<strong>and</strong> Herzegovina. For example, customerslike to pay half price for newspapers if theyCAREER UPDATESRIThink, an online interdisciplinary academic journal.www.rithink.hrIvan Ora ‘07, was hired as Sales Manager, at HunterDouglas Croatia, a maker <strong>of</strong> sun protection systems<strong>and</strong> façade products, in Zagreb.Nina Mimica ‘07 was hired in the Marketing Communicationsdepartment <strong>of</strong> Electrolux Pr<strong>of</strong>essional inPordenone, Italy.Mia Dragović ‘09 was promoted to Leader <strong>of</strong> Energyefficiency projects for Slavonia <strong>and</strong> Baranja at theUnited Nations Development Programmein Osijek.She is currently enrolled in an on-line masters programmeat Beuth Hochscule, Berlin, <strong>and</strong> an interdisciplinaryPhD study in Environmental Protection, atthe Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb.Lidija Radačić recently began hosting a weekly onehourradio show called Balkan Beatz, on communityradio in Dublin, Irel<strong>and</strong>. “The idea is to connectexpats from Balkan countries who live in Irel<strong>and</strong>, orfurther afield through music, news <strong>and</strong> gossip. I willbe broadcasting on near.ie live every Monday 7-8Irish time. It would be interesting to have people fromhome listening in as well.” www.facebook.com/BalkanBeatzDubEva Legati ’07 was hired as an English LanguageInstructor at Berlitz Croatia in Zagreb.Josipa Lukić ’10 was hired asJunior Supply ChainPlanner at Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company inZagreb.Vladimir Dujić ’06 was promoted to CompetencyDevelopment & Strategic HR Expertat the Mol Groupin Budapest, Hungary.bring them back in half an hour, or store ownerswho keep their shop so neat they makeAmila to take her shoes <strong>of</strong>f <strong>and</strong> put on slippersif she wants to walk around.Other speakers included Ida Hohnjec ’03, TalentDevelopment Associate Director at Merckpharmaceuticals, Lea Uroš ‘05, a senior consultantin retail services for Spiller Farmer realestate, <strong>and</strong> Zdenko Lučić ‘05 director in theSector for Investments in the Croatian governmentAgency for Investments <strong>and</strong> Competitiveness,who shared his experience in helpingto write Croatia’s new Law on StrategicInvestment.All in all, it was a great event to help RIT/ACMT alumni reconnect with each other <strong>and</strong>share their industry experience with currentstudents. Stay tuned for more information onour next event.Bojan Budeš ’02 was hired as Br<strong>and</strong> manager DiverseyINL at Eurosan in Mostar, Bosnia <strong>and</strong> Herzegovina.Željka (Karacic) Musa co-founded a br<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>and</strong>design agency, Shift Br<strong>and</strong> Design (SBD) with <strong>of</strong>ficesin Mostar (Bosnia <strong>and</strong> Herzegovina) <strong>and</strong> Zagreb.Franka Tomić, ’01 was hired in the customer servicedepartment <strong>of</strong> Sunsail Adriatic in Dubrovnik.Milena (Jovović) Vucinić ‘04 was promoted to Head<strong>of</strong> Protocol <strong>and</strong> PR at the Central Bank <strong>of</strong> Montenegro.She also enrolled in a master’s degree programat the Faculty for international economy, finance <strong>and</strong>business, in Podgorica, Montenegro. She is currentlywriting her thesis on the topic <strong>of</strong> financial stability.Marko Čule ’08 was promoted to Regional salesmanager for the Mostar Region at Hypo AlpeAdriaBank inMostar (BiH)Sanja Majić ’07 opened her own business for bookkeepingservices, Inportanca, in Split.Ivana Karačić ‘11 earned an MBA in marketing fromthe University <strong>of</strong> Wales, in Cardiff. She is currentlybased in London.Marko Petrović-Poljak ‘12 was hired as ExecutiveSales operational manager at Atlas travel agency inZagreb.Anđelo Kerum ’09 was hired as br<strong>and</strong> manager forDiageo <strong>and</strong> Monin alcoholic beverage br<strong>and</strong>s suchas Johnnie Walker, Smirn<strong>of</strong>f, Baileys, <strong>and</strong> CaptainMorgan Rum at PPD Distribucija in Zagreb.Ana Filipović ‘11 was hired as Business Secretary atC group d.o.o. in Podgorica, Montenegro.5
H<strong>and</strong>ball team raises funds for tournament in SpainThe Zagreb campus h<strong>and</strong>ball team raised 250 kunas for their planned trip to compete in an upcoming tournament Barcelona,organized by Spanish national h<strong>and</strong>ball team coach Valero Rivera <strong>and</strong> goal keeper David Barrufet. Thanks to supportfrom about 70 fellow students, who attended a special party at the Cab Club in Zagreb in January, the team is now onestep closer to their goal.The fundraiser was organized by team members Marin Juran, Matej Buzuk <strong>and</strong> Armin Alibegović, who hope to raise an additional1000-1500 Euros through future events <strong>and</strong> possible sponsorships.“Thanks to everyone who came to support the team,” Marin said. “We hope to see you at our next event!”--Ena PaponjaBYE, BYE QUARTERS:SEMESTERS ARE COMING- Continued from the front coverUnder the new semester system, the majority <strong>of</strong> courses willcarry 3 credits, (instead <strong>of</strong> the current 4), <strong>and</strong> will meet for 3hours per week. Most students will take five courses per semester,for a total <strong>of</strong> 15 credit hours.Fall semester at the Croatia campuses will begin September2nd <strong>and</strong> run until December 19th <strong>and</strong> will be followed by a holidaybreak. This will be followed by an optional 3-week Januaryintersession, called Tiger Terms, in which shorter, intensive,specialized courses will be <strong>of</strong>fered. Tiger Terms allow studentsto catch up on or move ahead with their coursework, earn extramoney, travel, or work intensively on a project.The spring semester will start in late January <strong>and</strong> run throughthe end <strong>of</strong> May, with a one week Spring break.To help students prepare for the change to semesters, eachstudent will have a personal meeting with Academic AdviserDrazenka Franić at the Dubrovnik campus, or Danijela Kraljevićat the Zagreb campus, to create an Individual Advisement Plan(IAP). This plan helps each student map out a course for completingthe required courses in his or her degree program, ontime.“We are all excited about this change, <strong>and</strong> we know that oncethe semester system has been implemented all students willenjoy the new structure”, added Dean Hudspeth.For more information about the RIT semester conversion process, visithttp://www.rit.edu/conversion/
TEACHING FORTHE 21ST CENTURY- Continued from the front coverFACULTYSCHOLARSHIPAfter a brief introduction to new concepts inclass, students watch his recorded lecturesfor homework.That way, they learn theory on their owntime, when they are ready, while classtime is used for h<strong>and</strong>s-on practice in smallgroups, since working on practice materialis one the most efficient way <strong>of</strong> learning newconcepts.“With video lectures, learning <strong>and</strong> preparingfor classes became much easier,” saidstudent Tajana Grubišić.“When watchingvideos I can always press pause <strong>and</strong> makenotes, <strong>and</strong> if I didn’t underst<strong>and</strong> something Ican always go back <strong>and</strong> play it again, whichis really important. Lectures are much betterexplained in the videos than in the textbook.”This method has led to higher grades, moreinvolvement with the material, <strong>and</strong> fewerfailures in the class overall, Pr<strong>of</strong>. Schmidtsaid.“Students seem to find this method a lotmore appealing than to sit “alone” in front<strong>of</strong> a thick textbook, which they find discouraging,”he said. “Also it is easier forthem to underst<strong>and</strong> the spoken English <strong>of</strong>a video rather than the dense writing style<strong>and</strong> vocabulary <strong>of</strong> an accounting textbook.The videos seem to significantly lower thehurdle for students to engage in the coursematerial.”But supplementing textbook reading with avideo lecture doesn’t mean students don’thave to work hard. Videos will not help studentswho are unwilling to do any work orwho have poor study habits. Some <strong>of</strong> the F-students fell for the delusion that it would be“enough” to just watch videos. They watchthe video, nod at everything they see, butcompletely fail to practice. Those studentsare obviously still going to be in trouble onthe exam. ”Music <strong>and</strong> video in Writing SeminarAt the Dubrovnik campus, Pr<strong>of</strong>. RebeccaCharry has redesigned the Writing Seminarcourse, to increase use <strong>of</strong> video <strong>and</strong> musicin the classroom.When the Writing Seminar students workedon interpreting texts, they used popularsongs <strong>and</strong> YouTube videos – from PinkFloyd to Japanese anime -- as subjects fortheir study, in addition to poems, paintings<strong>and</strong> magazine articles.“Music, photography, video, <strong>and</strong> paintingare as important <strong>and</strong> serious works <strong>of</strong> art aswritten words,” Pr<strong>of</strong> Charry said. “Today’sstudents need to know how to underst<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> interpret all <strong>of</strong> these.”“Pr<strong>of</strong>. Charry obviously likes to try newteaching methods <strong>and</strong> thinking outside <strong>of</strong>the box, <strong>and</strong> I can see that in the WritingSeminar class. She keeps up with technology<strong>and</strong> trends <strong>and</strong> that’s really awesome,”said student Pero Djangradović.“Everyone learns differently, <strong>and</strong> researchshows that some people respond better tosounds or pictures than to written words.So, I introduced a series <strong>of</strong> 5 multimediavideos <strong>and</strong> animated presentations to helpstudents prepare to write their own literacyautobiographies,” Pr<strong>of</strong>. Charry said. “I cansee that these multimedia tools helped studentsbetter prepare to write their papers,<strong>and</strong> start thinking seriously about the conceptswe discussed.”In the <strong>Technology</strong> in Service Systemscourse, students are creating videos topromote Dubrovnik tourism, said Pr<strong>of</strong>. IvoTomić, while Pr<strong>of</strong>. Jasminka Samardzijauses current news videos <strong>and</strong> inspirationalmusic in Macroeconomics class.“We watched a video in connection withunemployment rate, inflation, GDP percentage,development <strong>of</strong> current global crises<strong>and</strong> many other topics,” she said. “Then wediscuss the topic <strong>and</strong> look at it from differentperspectives (macroeconomic <strong>and</strong> microeconomic)so we can compare the views.Students also enjoyed interviews with famouseconomists such as Jagdish Bhagwati<strong>and</strong> Xavier Sala-i-Martin. Diagrams <strong>of</strong>supply <strong>and</strong> dem<strong>and</strong> curves make a lot moresense to students when they can hear aspoken explanation at the same time.”Sometimes, music just helps make classmore fun, <strong>and</strong> puts students <strong>and</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essorsin a better mood for learning. “Before theexam, we listen to positive <strong>and</strong> motivationalmusic to create a good atmosphere,” Pr<strong>of</strong>.Samardzija said.Many pr<strong>of</strong>essors at RIT/ACMT have alsomade greater use <strong>of</strong> the My Courses onlinediscussion forums to encourage students toshare ideas, ask questions, <strong>and</strong> help eachother. Pr<strong>of</strong>. Schmidt uses the discussion forumto answer student questions, in a publicway so that the whole class can benefitfrom the answers <strong>and</strong> explanations. As studentsbecome more comfortable with thematerial, more <strong>and</strong> more students will answerquestions, <strong>and</strong> sometimes substantialdiscussions emerge from a simple practiceproblem solution.“One <strong>of</strong> the advantages <strong>of</strong> online discussionsis that the written format encouragesmore thoughtful <strong>and</strong> interesting responsesfrom students,” Pr<strong>of</strong>. Charry said. “Theyhave time to think carefully about their responses,<strong>and</strong> write when they are ready.Because their comments are public <strong>and</strong>permanent, they seem to put more thoughtinto them than just speaking casually inclass. Online discussions are also great forstudents who are a little shy about speakingin front <strong>of</strong> a group, <strong>and</strong> help make sure thateveryone gets an equal chance to speak.”Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Ana Maria Šimundić,<strong>and</strong> Bob Foley were members <strong>of</strong> anRIT team which won the Bronze ExcellenceAward for their First-Year GlobalCollaboration Initiative, a project whichlinked students in the first year Pathwayscourse at the Rochester (NY), Dubrovnik,Zagreb <strong>and</strong> Prishtina (Kosovo)campuses. The award was given by aninternational association <strong>of</strong> Student AffairsAdministrators in Higher Education(NASPA). RIT pr<strong>of</strong>essors Maureen Barry<strong>and</strong> Julia Norrgard as well as Prishtinacampus pr<strong>of</strong>essor Albina Malidemaj alsoshared in the award.Articles by pr<strong>of</strong>essors StašaPuškarić, Milena Kužnin, Kevin Walker,V<strong>and</strong>a Bazdan, Rebecca Charry<strong>and</strong> Shawn Sturgeon were publishedin the winter issue <strong>of</strong> the online multidisciplinaryacademic journal RIThink.www.rithink.hrPr<strong>of</strong>. Puškarić co-authored “TheTheory <strong>of</strong> Needs: A Revision for the 21stCentury” with Christian Petersen, <strong>and</strong>“Effects <strong>of</strong> Various Fuel Blends on thePerformance <strong>of</strong> a Two-Stroke InternalCombustion Engine” with Damir Oros,as well as “Flexible Selection <strong>of</strong> IronSources by Marine Microbial ConsortiaRelated to Temperature.”Pr<strong>of</strong>. Walker’s paper was titled, “TheTechnopreneurship Process: AcademicEntrepreneur University Spin-Offs.” Pr<strong>of</strong>.Bazdan’s paper was titled, “Einstein:The Method <strong>of</strong> Theoretical Physics <strong>and</strong>Reality.” Pr<strong>of</strong>. Kužnin’s paper was titled,“Lifelong Learning for Tourism in Croatia:A “nice to have” or “must have”?Pr<strong>of</strong>. Sturgeon contributed a poementitled, “Goodbye,” <strong>and</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>. Charrycontributed a collection <strong>of</strong> seasonal haikupoems in Croatian <strong>and</strong> English.Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Nikolina Božinović successfullydefended her doctoral dissertation,entitled “Grammar learning strategies<strong>and</strong> grammatical competence inforeign language,” in the field <strong>of</strong> AppliedLinguistics at the University <strong>of</strong> Zagreb,Faculty <strong>of</strong> Humanities <strong>and</strong> Social Sciences,in December.RIT/ACMT President <strong>and</strong> Dean DonHudspeth was recently appointed Chair<strong>of</strong> the Human Capital Committee <strong>of</strong> the<strong>American</strong> Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce in Zagreb.This committee will be addressingrequired changes to the accreditationprocess in higher education, increasingcompetition in the hiring practices <strong>of</strong>state-run companies, <strong>and</strong> general educationreform in Croatia.7
ZAGREB CAMPUS IT STUDENTJOSIP FRANJKOVIC EARNS PRIZESFROM FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE—Freshman IT student Josip Franjković has put his programmingknowledge to work, helping Google <strong>and</strong> Facebookdiscover <strong>and</strong> fix security bugs on their websites.In the process, he has earned himself a place in the GoogleHall <strong>of</strong> Fame <strong>and</strong> Facebook’s Whitehat lists <strong>and</strong> over $4,000in rewards from these two companies.“My hobbies are the internet <strong>and</strong> the security <strong>of</strong> web applications<strong>and</strong> I plan to work in that area in the future,” Josip said.“For both companies I found errors in their security systems.For Google I submitted three errors in their security systemsthat are called Cross Site Scripting (XSS) that can be stored.This bug enabled me to take a user’s “cookies” after they visiteda site. Besides that, I reported two Cross Site Scripting(XSS) errors to Youtube. I also found a bug that enabled meto delete poll results that Google did for other companies.”Both Google <strong>and</strong> Facebook have established reward programsfor individuals who find errors in their systems. Theseprograms enlist the help <strong>of</strong> skilled members <strong>of</strong> the public tohelp improve their security. Individuals who find errors in thesecurity systems which can harm the confidentiality <strong>and</strong> integrity<strong>of</strong> its user’s data, receive a monetary reward <strong>and</strong> theirnames are then listed in their Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame.“Facebook had a little bug in their system for their investorsite that enabled me to see the private data <strong>of</strong> some usersthat I shouldn’t be allowed to see,” Josip said. “Both Facebook<strong>and</strong> I were confused as to why this happened underonly specific conditions (e.g. special IP addresses), <strong>and</strong> wefound out that it was a bug in their caching system.”The issue <strong>of</strong> internet security is important to Josip <strong>and</strong> hesees his career focusing on this area. He has already enteredseveral international team competitions in this field.“Currently, I’m under the impression that many companiesin Croatia don’t really care about the security <strong>of</strong> its users.Likewise, there are only a small number <strong>of</strong> companies thatdeal with that part <strong>of</strong> the internet. This personally bugs me,because I don’t want my password or personal data to beavailable to other people.”AMERICAN COLLEGEOF MANAGEMENTAND TECHNOLOGYamerican.college@acmt.hrwww.acmt.hrDUBROVNIK CAMPUSDon Frana Bulica 620000 Dubrovnik, CroatiaPhone +385 (20) 433 000ZAGREB CAMPUSIlica 24210000 Zagreb, CroatiaPhone +385 (1) 643 9100ACMT REPORTEREditor in ChiefPr<strong>of</strong>. Rebecca CharryLayoutViktor ZimmermannPrintingBalboa d.o.o. ZagrebFollow us!