Faculty of Navigation Staff Member Conducts IAMU Site Visit at University of Montenegro
In connection with the application of the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the University of Montenegro for membership of the International Association of Maritime Universities, Dr/Capt. Piotr Kopacz of Gdynia Maritime University’s Faculty of Navigation conducted a site visit based on a Letter of Request (dated 15 December 2022) from the Executive Director of IAMU, Professor Takeshi Nakazawa.
A site visit is a necessary step in the application process for IAMU membership. On the basis of a recommendation made at the sitting of the International Executive Board in Batumi, Georgia on 17 October 2022, the decision was made to arrange a site visit to the Faculty on behalf of the IAMU International Executive Board (IEB). The site visit was conducted based on a detailed agenda prepared and agreed upon with the applicant, represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies, Professor Špiro Ivošević, and the IAMU Secretariat in Tokyo.
The International Association of Maritime Universities IAMU is a global network of leading maritime universities providing Maritime Education and Training (MET) to seafarers for the global shipping industry (72 universities from 38 countries). Gdynia Maritime University has been an active member of IAMU since the year 2000. The Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, currently chairs the Academic Affairs Committee, overseeing research projects and the Association’s publishing activities. IAMU membership is based on the Association’s central document known as the Basic Agreement.
The site visit aimed to verify the accuracy of information provided in the application of the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor, particularly concerning the fulfilment of the criteria outlined in Article IV of the Basic Agreement. The visit began with a detailed presentation on the Faculty. This was followed by an overview of the study programmes and curriculum development, and quality standards in the context of the requirements of the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW), the requirements of the Ministry of Education of Montenegro for 1st-cycle, 2nd-cycle, and 3rd-cycle degree programmes, University of Montenegro internal regulations, and solutions used in Maritime Education and Training (MET). Talks were held with the Faculty’s managerial staff, more than 20 members of its teaching and research staff, as well as the heads of maritime-related degree programmes (Marine Electrical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Nautical Sciences and Maritime Transport, and Maritime Management and Logistics). Each meeting was attended by Deputy Rectors Professor Milena Dževerdanović-Pejović and Professor Tatijana Dlabač. The first day of the visit also included an audit of the Faculty’s infrastructure and equipment, the workshops and simulators, the Centre for Innovation, including the Laboratory for Fuels and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), the currently developed Laboratory for Marine Archaeology, the library, and the Training Centre for Seafarers.
The second day of the site visit focused on the Faculty’s Development Strategy and human resources. Several meetings and talks were also held with students and graduates of all academic disciplines, and included presentations on projects and scientific research they had carried out.
Following the site visit, a report was drafted by Dr/Capt. Piotr Kopacz who recommended the University of Montenegro’s Faculty of Maritime Studies for membership of IAMU to the IEB, based on its fulfilment of the criteria in the Basic Agreement. The final decision to admit applicants to membership unconditionally or conditionally, or to deny membership within the group of universities from the Europe and Africa region is made by the IEB.
The University of Montenegro is the oldest and biggest higher education institution in Montenegro (17,000 students), made up of 19 faculties and three institutes. The links between our universities go back many years: for more than 30 years, a metal logo has hung on the wall of the Council of the Faculty of Maritime Studies with the name of GMU’s predecessor “Wyższa Szkoła Morska. Gdynia”.
1 February 2023 in front of the building of the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the University of Montenegro in Kotor. In the picture: Deputy Rector Professor Špiro Ivošević– (6th from the right), Deputy Rector Professor Milena Dževerdanović-Pejović (5th from the right), Deputy Rector Professor Tatijana Dlabač (2nd from the right), Dr/Capt. Piotr Kopacz (GMU) (4th from the right)
