WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.399 Welcome to today's Deep Dive. I'm just so glad 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:05.740 you're joining us today. You know, usually when 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.179 you picture a university, you see this highly 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:10.599 self -contained bubble. Right, like the classic 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.980 ivory tower. Exactly. You envision the ivy -covered 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:17.359 brick walls, manicured lawns, and just this quiet 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:20.140 atmosphere that intentionally hides away from 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:22.780 all the noise of the real world outside its gates. 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:25.570 Yeah, completely separate ecosystem. But today 00:00:25.570 --> 00:00:28.230 we are pulling from a fascinating Wikipedia article 00:00:28.230 --> 00:00:30.710 in the University of Montenegro to show you an 00:00:30.710 --> 00:00:33.789 institution that completely bursts that traditional 00:00:33.789 --> 00:00:36.170 bubble. It really does. Our mission today is 00:00:36.170 --> 00:00:38.950 to explore how this single school acts as a real 00:00:38.950 --> 00:00:41.909 -time mirror for an entire nation's geography, 00:00:42.469 --> 00:00:46.689 its complex history, and its ongoing modern evolution. 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:48.990 It serves as just a brilliant case study because 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:51.350 when an educational institution is that deeply 00:00:51.350 --> 00:00:53.770 interwoven into the actual fabric of the country 00:00:53.770 --> 00:00:56.090 itself, Well, understanding the university gives 00:00:56.090 --> 00:00:58.770 you a direct lens into the shifting priorities 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:00.969 of the people who actually live there. Absolutely. 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:04.290 So to ground us, before we look at the historical 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:06.569 shifts and the really unique geographic spread 00:01:06.569 --> 00:01:09.269 of this campus, let's just lay out the basic 00:01:09.269 --> 00:01:11.170 statistics. Yeah. Give us the lay of the land. 00:01:11.310 --> 00:01:14.590 Right. We are looking at a national public university. 00:01:14.849 --> 00:01:17.549 It is the premier educational institution in 00:01:17.549 --> 00:01:20.269 Montenegro, currently helmed by Rector Professor 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:23.030 Vladimir Buzovitch, PhD. And it's quite visually 00:01:23.030 --> 00:01:25.909 distinct, too. Oh, definitely. If you ever visit, 00:01:25.989 --> 00:01:27.989 you will instantly recognize their signature 00:01:27.989 --> 00:01:30.969 blue and white colors everywhere. And it is a 00:01:30.969 --> 00:01:33.250 massive bustling operation. They're currently 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:37.049 supporting an enrollment of over 21 ,500 students. 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:40.019 Which is huge. I mean, considering the total 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:42.540 population of Montenegro is just over 600 ,000 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:46.620 people, 21 ,500 students represents a massive 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:48.780 cross -section of the country's youth. Yeah, 00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:50.780 that's a huge chunk of their future workforce. 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:53.560 Exactly. And they are guided by an academic staff 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.120 of 850 regular faculty members. So okay, let's 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.500 unpack this because to truly understand what 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:02.400 those 21 ,500 students are experiencing today, 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:04.980 we can't just look at a modern syllabus. No, 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.340 you really can't. We have to rewind and look 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:10.300 at the political and cultural soil this university 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:13.099 originally grew from. We need to go all the way 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:16.599 back to April 29, 1974. Right. That marks the 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.000 official birth of the institution, which makes 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.939 it exactly 51 years old. Happy late birthday 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:25.240 to them. Yeah, exactly. But, you know, the university 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.639 didn't just magically materialize out of thin 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:31.300 air. The state utilized a highly efficient strategy. 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:33.750 What did they do? Well, they took the existing 00:02:33.750 --> 00:02:35.849 intellectual infrastructure of the region and 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:38.889 basically fused it together. They formally merged 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:41.370 three established faculties. OK, which ones? 00:02:41.689 --> 00:02:45.050 Economics, engineering, and law. And they combined 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:47.889 those along with two colleges and three independent 00:02:47.889 --> 00:02:50.949 scientific institutes. Building on existing foundations 00:02:50.949 --> 00:02:52.990 rather than starting from scratch makes a lot 00:02:52.990 --> 00:02:55.150 of sense, right? Especially when you consider 00:02:55.150 --> 00:02:57.490 the specific disciplines they chose to anchor 00:02:57.490 --> 00:03:00.449 the new school. Economics, engineering, and law. 00:03:00.669 --> 00:03:03.169 Right. Those are the exact tools you need to 00:03:03.169 --> 00:03:06.430 build and manage a functioning society. And this 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:08.569 really pragmatic approach, it was happening during 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:10.889 a very distinct era in the region, wasn't it? 00:03:11.169 --> 00:03:14.590 Oh, absolutely. The 1970s marked a period of 00:03:14.590 --> 00:03:17.770 explosive growth for higher education across 00:03:17.770 --> 00:03:21.509 Yugoslavia. We are talking about a systemic educational 00:03:21.509 --> 00:03:25.400 boom. Why then, specifically? Well, rapid industrialization 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:28.319 was taking hold. The state required a modern, 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:30.620 highly educated, and self -sufficient workforce. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:33.599 They were actively shifting away from a heavily 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:37.159 agrarian economy toward industrial and technological 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:39.539 development. Ah, so they needed engineers and 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:42.699 lawyers and economists. Precisely. Consequently, 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.099 university doors were opening up not just in 00:03:45.099 --> 00:03:47.639 Montenegro, but in cities all across the Yugoslav 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.340 region. Like where? Places like Split, Banja 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:54.189 Luka, Maribor. Osijek and Rijeka. So the state 00:03:54.189 --> 00:03:56.289 was essentially mass producing the intellectual 00:03:56.289 --> 00:03:58.750 capital required to run a modernizing country. 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:00.810 That's a great way to put it, yeah. And the way 00:04:00.810 --> 00:04:03.189 this university evolved through that era, it 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:04.830 brings me to an analogy I've kind of been thinking 00:04:04.830 --> 00:04:08.289 about. To me, a university's name is usually 00:04:08.289 --> 00:04:10.770 fairly static, right? It's named after a wealthy 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:13.949 founder or the town it sits in. And that is just 00:04:13.949 --> 00:04:16.189 the end of the story. Like Harvard or Oxford. 00:04:16.649 --> 00:04:18.790 Exactly. But here, the university's name is almost 00:04:18.790 --> 00:04:21.990 like a historical passport. Every time this institution 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:24.689 crossed into a new cultural or political era, 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:28.339 it essentially received a new stamp. Oh, I see 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:30.339 what you mean. Yeah, it's branding completely 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:32.519 changed based on the territory it was traveling 00:04:32.519 --> 00:04:35.279 through. What's fascinating here is how clearly 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:38.899 those three distinct stamps or, you know, name 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:41.540 changes reflect the sociopolitical priorities 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:43.899 of their respective decades. Let's look at the 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:46.740 first one. Let's do it. When founded in 1974, 00:04:47.459 --> 00:04:50.220 it was named the University of Tito Grad. Right, 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:52.040 because the capital city of Montenegro wasn't 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:54.300 actually called Podgorica at that time. It was 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:57.259 named Titograd after the Yugoslav leader, Josip 00:04:57.259 --> 00:04:59.920 Braz Tito. Exactly. So that name anchored the 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.680 university geographically to the capital, but 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.319 specifically as it was known under that particular 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:07.240 political regime. But that didn't last long, 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.620 did it? No, not at all. That first stamp only 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.910 lasted a single year. By 1975, the institution 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:15.550 was renamed to Velchkov -Lahovitch University. 00:05:15.810 --> 00:05:18.730 Okay, so that is stamp number two. And for context, 00:05:18.990 --> 00:05:21.389 Velchkov -Lahovitch was a prominent communist 00:05:21.389 --> 00:05:24.149 activist and a World War II participant from 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:27.670 Montenegro who passed away in 1975, which is 00:05:27.670 --> 00:05:30.029 just a year after the university opened. And 00:05:30.029 --> 00:05:32.370 naming the primary center of learning after him 00:05:32.370 --> 00:05:35.910 was a very deliberate choice by the state to 00:05:35.910 --> 00:05:38.990 cement a specific historical narrative. It's 00:05:38.990 --> 00:05:41.629 a statement. It really is. It was a way for the 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:45.189 state to honor a figure who represented the ideological 00:05:45.189 --> 00:05:47.649 foundation of the government at that exact moment. 00:05:47.910 --> 00:05:49.990 So it wasn't just a geographical marker anymore? 00:05:50.209 --> 00:05:52.110 No, the institution was no longer just a place 00:05:52.110 --> 00:05:55.779 in a city. It was meant to be this. living monument 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:58.540 to the ideological struggles and victories of 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:00.839 the mid -20th century. Which is a really profound 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:03.139 way to tell the incoming students, hey, this 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:05.120 is the legacy you are inheriting. This is the 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:07.240 ideological framework of your education. Yes, 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:09.680 it's a very specific tone. But, you know, a passport 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:12.079 inevitably gets another stamp when the borders 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.399 of the world shift. And they certainly did shift. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.759 Right. The Berlin Wall falls. The geopolitical 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.639 landscape of Europe transforms. Yugoslavia begins 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.259 to fragment. And in 1992, the institution receives 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.100 the name it holds today. The University of Montenegro. 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:31.019 Exactly. And that 1992 renaming is arguably the 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:34.180 most significant of them all. It really demonstrates 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:38.139 the crystallizing of a distinct Montenegrin national 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:41.029 identity. Because they dropped the specific political 00:06:41.029 --> 00:06:43.949 figure. Exactly. By removing the name of a single 00:06:43.949 --> 00:06:45.850 political figure and adopting the name of the 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:48.689 nation itself, the university completely shifts 00:06:48.689 --> 00:06:51.129 its mandate. It broadens it. It officially becomes 00:06:51.129 --> 00:06:53.610 the intellectual anchor for the entire country, 00:06:53.949 --> 00:06:56.949 transcending all those past ideologies to represent 00:06:56.949 --> 00:06:59.329 the enduring identity of the Montenegrin people. 00:06:59.490 --> 00:07:02.430 And that shift in 1992, it wasn't just like a 00:07:02.430 --> 00:07:04.689 new label slapped on a building. No, definitely 00:07:04.689 --> 00:07:06.629 not. When you declare yourself the university 00:07:06.629 --> 00:07:09.509 for an entire nation, you can't just hide in 00:07:09.509 --> 00:07:11.209 the capital city. You have to physically reach 00:07:11.209 --> 00:07:13.329 out into the rest of the country. Which perfectly 00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:15.790 explains their highly unusual campus layout. 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:19.209 Right. We are moving from the university's journey 00:07:19.209 --> 00:07:22.870 through time directly into its journey across 00:07:22.870 --> 00:07:25.509 physical space. Yeah, this geographic layout 00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:28.350 is a stark departure from the traditional mega 00:07:28.350 --> 00:07:31.480 campus model you see in the US or the UK. OK, 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.079 so the central administration does sit in the 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:36.579 capital city of Podgorica, which is the largest 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:39.519 city with a population of around 290 ,000. Right, 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:42.040 that's home base. And a cluster of the heavy 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:43.879 -hitting faculties are located there. The hard 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:46.660 sciences, medicine, law, economics. Which makes 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:48.879 sense. Keeping the law students near the seat 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:50.699 of government and the economics students near 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:53.620 the financial center is just a logical, logistical 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:56.240 choice. But the university doesn't trap everyone 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:00.339 in the capital. It oversees 19 distinct faculties. 00:08:00.430 --> 00:08:02.810 and they are completely decentralized across 00:08:02.810 --> 00:08:05.949 four very different cities. It is a highly intentional 00:08:05.949 --> 00:08:08.459 distribution It's really designed to prevent 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:10.740 the brain drain that often occurs when a single 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:13.800 massive capital city just absorbs all the intellectual 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:15.899 talent from the surrounding regions. I have to 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:18.980 push back on the traditional idea of a massive 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:21.899 walled -off central campus anyway, because honestly, 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:24.220 the more I look at this decentralized model, 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:27.399 the more brilliant it seems. How so? Well, think 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:30.339 about it. If you build one giant campus, you 00:08:30.339 --> 00:08:33.460 force artists, marine biologists, and philosophers 00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:36.789 to sit in the exact same environment. is an ideal 00:08:36.789 --> 00:08:39.909 for everyone. Right. But the University of Montenegro 00:08:39.909 --> 00:08:42.570 takes a different approach. They insist that 00:08:42.570 --> 00:08:44.769 the physical environment should actually match 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:47.090 the academic discipline. If we connect this to 00:08:47.090 --> 00:08:49.830 the bigger picture, they perfectly tailor the 00:08:49.830 --> 00:08:52.190 location to the subject matter. For instance, 00:08:52.370 --> 00:08:55.049 the faculties of philosophy, philology, and sports 00:08:55.049 --> 00:08:58.490 are all situated in the city of Ningachich. And 00:08:58.490 --> 00:09:01.110 Nechiche has its own distinct cultural and industrial 00:09:01.110 --> 00:09:03.850 vibrate. It gives students studying the humanities 00:09:03.850 --> 00:09:06.210 a completely different backdrop than the bureaucratic 00:09:06.210 --> 00:09:08.350 capital. Exactly. And what about the artists? 00:09:08.750 --> 00:09:11.309 Yeah, if your focus is drama, fine arts, or the 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:13.429 music academy, you don't go to the capital. You 00:09:13.429 --> 00:09:15.850 are placed in Satinje. Because Satinje is the 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:19.049 historic, old, royal capital of Montenegro. Oh, 00:09:19.049 --> 00:09:22.090 wow. Yeah, it's a city steeped in centuries of 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:25.700 art, traditional architecture, and just... deep 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:29.100 national heritage. It serves as this organic 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.679 incubator for creative minds. That's incredible. 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:33.320 It's basically like building your art school 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:36.000 inside a living museum. It really is. But my 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:39.019 absolute favorite piece of this geographic puzzle, 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:42.200 without a doubt, if you are studying maritime 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:45.759 studies or tourism, you go to Kotor. Yes, right 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.470 on the coast. You are situated directly on the 00:09:48.470 --> 00:09:50.750 spectacular Bay of Coder. You aren't learning 00:09:50.750 --> 00:09:53.549 about marine navigation or coastal tourism from 00:09:53.549 --> 00:09:56.750 some landlocked, windowless lecture hall. No, 00:09:56.769 --> 00:09:59.070 you're right there in it. You are literally smelling 00:09:59.070 --> 00:10:01.769 the salt air and watching the cruise ships and 00:10:01.769 --> 00:10:03.929 cargo vessels come in as you walk to class. And 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:06.190 that reveals a really fascinating dual layer 00:10:06.190 --> 00:10:08.190 of structural governance here. What do you mean 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:10.850 by dual layer? Well, at the highest level, the 00:10:10.850 --> 00:10:13.789 administration is deeply centralized. The managing 00:10:13.789 --> 00:10:16.529 board, the rector, and the university senate 00:10:16.529 --> 00:10:19.169 dictate the high level strategy from Podgorica. 00:10:19.710 --> 00:10:22.629 Okay. And the student parliament unifies the 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:24.830 voice of the students across all those locations. 00:10:25.289 --> 00:10:27.649 So the macro decisions keep everyone moving in 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:30.929 the exact same direction. Precisely. But the 00:10:30.929 --> 00:10:34.809 lived day -to -day academic experience is incredibly 00:10:34.809 --> 00:10:37.370 localized. Oh, I see. The students are actively 00:10:37.370 --> 00:10:39.750 integrating into the specific communities where 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:43.289 their specific skills are most relevant. The 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:45.929 maritime students in Kodor are interacting with 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:49.269 actual maritime industries daily. So the university 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:52.009 essentially weaves higher education into the 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:55.340 actual topographical and economic map of the 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:57.840 country. Beautifully stated, yes. And zooming 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.659 in on that coastal city of Kodor brings us to 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:03.539 the next vital piece of the university's mission. 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:06.039 Right, because Kodor isn't just a scenic backdrop 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:08.919 for students taking exams. Far from it. It is 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.519 the site of some incredibly vital world -class 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:13.899 research conducted by the university's independent 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:16.679 scientific institutes. Yeah, the university currently 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:19.940 operates four distinct research institutes to 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:22.279 drive advanced scholarship. What are they? There's 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.559 the Institute for History, the Center of Excellence 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:26.779 in Research and Innovation, the Institute for 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:28.960 Advanced Studies, and the Institute of Marine 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:31.340 Biology. Which is naturally housed down on the 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:33.799 coast. And here's where it gets really interesting. 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:37.220 Oh, I agree. In 2020, operating under the umbrella 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:40.600 of this Institute of Marine Biology, the university 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:43.500 established the Adriatic Biodiversity Conservation 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:46.100 Center. Though to the general public, it is known 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:48.580 by a much more approachable name. Aquarium Boca. 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:50.919 Right. And it holds the distinction of being 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:53.659 the very first and currently the only public 00:11:53.659 --> 00:11:56.700 aquarium in Montenegro. Now this detail made 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:58.860 me stop and raise a serious question. Oh, yeah. 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:01.580 Yeah. I mean, I appreciate a good aquarium as 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:05.240 much as the next person. But why is a prestigious 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.259 academic university operating a public tourist 00:12:08.259 --> 00:12:11.279 attraction? That's a good question. Usually serious 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:13.909 academic research is kept. firmly behind closed 00:12:13.909 --> 00:12:16.669 doors. You know, you need a key card and a PhD 00:12:16.669 --> 00:12:19.549 just to access a marine biology lab. That's the 00:12:19.549 --> 00:12:21.769 traditional way, sure. Right. Institutions don't 00:12:21.769 --> 00:12:24.570 typically invite tourists in like field trips 00:12:24.570 --> 00:12:26.769 full of rowdy elementary school kids to press 00:12:26.769 --> 00:12:28.549 their hands against the glass while scientists 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:30.850 are trying to conduct high level ecological research. 00:12:31.330 --> 00:12:34.789 It is a completely fair pushback against the 00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:37.809 traditional academic model. I mean, the old model 00:12:37.809 --> 00:12:39.970 of science was strictly observational, right? 00:12:40.850 --> 00:12:43.389 You record the data, you write the paper, and 00:12:43.389 --> 00:12:45.730 you publish it in a journal that perhaps 50 other 00:12:45.730 --> 00:12:47.870 experts will ever even read. Exactly. It stays 00:12:47.870 --> 00:12:51.049 in the bubble. But the modern mandate of scientific 00:12:51.049 --> 00:12:53.509 institutions, especially in the realm of environmental 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:56.750 science, it recognizes that conducting the research 00:12:56.750 --> 00:12:58.909 is really only half the battle. But putting it 00:12:58.909 --> 00:13:02.090 behind glass for the public, I mean, it implies 00:13:02.090 --> 00:13:04.350 that... just doing the research isn't enough. 00:13:04.629 --> 00:13:06.230 It sounds like they're recognizing that if the 00:13:06.230 --> 00:13:08.870 local fishermen and the local politicians don't 00:13:08.870 --> 00:13:13.169 actually understand the ecosystem, then all that 00:13:13.169 --> 00:13:15.309 peer -reviewed research is practically useless 00:13:15.309 --> 00:13:18.090 for actual conservation. You have hit on the 00:13:18.090 --> 00:13:20.769 exact mechanism driving this project. You simply 00:13:20.769 --> 00:13:23.730 cannot efficiently conserve marine wildlife if 00:13:23.730 --> 00:13:25.490 the general public feels disconnected from it. 00:13:25.570 --> 00:13:28.669 It's too abstract for them. Right. True conservation 00:13:28.669 --> 00:13:31.779 requires community buy in. If the locals and 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:35.600 the tourists cannot literally see the rich biodiversity 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.940 living beneath the surface of the Adriatic Sea, 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:41.039 they are not going to advocate for policies to 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:43.679 protect it. It's the ultimate cure for out of 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:47.139 sight, out of mind. Exactly. Aquarium Boca represents 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:50.259 this brilliant synthesis of high -level research 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.240 and public outreach. So they're working side 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:54.759 by side. Right. The top -tier researchers studying 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.600 the complex ecology of the Bay work alongside 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:00.580 a public education platform that translates their 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:03.580 complex data into a tangible experience. That's 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:05.840 amazing. When a child or a local stakeholder 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.200 sees the actual aquatic life swimming right in 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:10.879 front of them, the abstract concepts of conservation 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:13.320 becomes a very concrete reality. It makes it 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:15.899 real. Yes. The university is essentially proving 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:18.340 that hoarding knowledge does not save ecosystems. 00:14:19.259 --> 00:14:21.539 democratizing that knowledge does. And that marks 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:24.539 a really profound evolution in how a university 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:27.360 views its responsibility to its country. It isn't 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.279 just educating enrolled students. It is actively 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:32.639 educating the broader public to protect national 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.940 resources. It's a massive shift. But speaking 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:37.600 of those enrolled students, we do need to examine 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:41.139 how the university has modernized its core internal 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.480 mechanics. Right, the actual academic structure. 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.080 Because protecting the ocean is vital, but You 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.200 know, the institution still has to prepare its 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:52.419 21 ,500 students to actually compete in a rapidly 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.360 moving globalized economy. And achieving that 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.460 level of global competitiveness requires a highly 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:01.559 modernized academic structure, which leads us 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:04.899 directly to the massive systemic reforms implemented 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:08.659 in 2017. the 2017 reform. This was a complete 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:11.039 overhaul of how a student actually progresses 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:13.279 through their education. A total paradigm shift. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.240 They completely abandoned their old system of 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:17.120 studies, which was known as the 3 plus 1 plus 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:19.840 1 plus 3 system, and they officially adopted 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.820 the European standard 3 plus 2 plus 3 system. 00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:25.620 Which is so much cleaner. Oh my gosh, yes. For 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:27.539 anyone listening who has ever tried to transfer 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:29.600 credits or get a foreign degree recognized in 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.080 another country, you know it can be just a complete 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.679 bureaucratic nightmare. Absolutely. Because the 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:37.220 old 3 plus 1 plus 1 plus 3 system was incredibly 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:39.799 fragmented. How did it even work? Well, a student 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:42.419 would complete three years for a basic bachelor's 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:44.700 degree. Okay, pretty standard. Then they'd take 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:48.019 a highly specialized single year, followed by 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:50.919 another single year, to achieve a pre -master's 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:54.009 or magister degree. Oh, wow. Right. Before finally 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:55.990 embarking on a three -year doctorate. That is 00:15:55.990 --> 00:15:58.669 just, it's so choppy. It created these irregular 00:15:58.669 --> 00:16:01.990 graduation benchmarks that were just very difficult 00:16:01.990 --> 00:16:04.909 for international universities or foreign employers 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:07.610 to properly evaluate. It sounds exhausting just 00:16:07.610 --> 00:16:09.909 trying to explain that to a hiring manager. Seriously. 00:16:10.350 --> 00:16:13.970 So the 2017 reform smoothed all of that out by 00:16:13.970 --> 00:16:16.129 adopting the three plus two plus three model. 00:16:16.250 --> 00:16:19.649 Yes. And that happened alongside the strict implementation 00:16:19.649 --> 00:16:22.789 of the ECTS points system, which is the European 00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:25.070 credit transfer and accumulation system. Right. 00:16:25.389 --> 00:16:28.549 So under this new streamlined system, all standard 00:16:28.549 --> 00:16:30.990 bachelor's programs are three years long, and 00:16:30.990 --> 00:16:35.129 they earn the student exactly 180 ECTS points. 00:16:35.389 --> 00:16:37.350 And following that, the master's programs are 00:16:37.350 --> 00:16:39.990 condensed into a very clear two -year block, 00:16:40.450 --> 00:16:43.429 earning 120 points. And finally, the doctoral 00:16:43.429 --> 00:16:45.929 studies are a standard three years, yielding 00:16:45.929 --> 00:16:49.169 another 180 points. Hence the clean, easy to 00:16:49.169 --> 00:16:52.809 understand 3 plus 2 plus 3. Exactly. Though, 00:16:53.149 --> 00:16:55.769 as with any massive institutional rule, there 00:16:55.769 --> 00:16:58.610 are critical exceptions, mostly designed to protect 00:16:58.610 --> 00:17:01.070 the public. Oh, right. What kind of exceptions? 00:17:01.350 --> 00:17:03.610 Well, the exceptions apply to regulated professions, 00:17:04.029 --> 00:17:06.609 basically ensuring the university aligns perfectly 00:17:06.609 --> 00:17:11.009 with strict EU directives. So like doctors? Yes. 00:17:11.430 --> 00:17:13.410 If a student is studying medicine or dentistry, 00:17:13.589 --> 00:17:17.049 the program is a rigorous six -year track. Makes 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.069 sense. And if they're studying pharmacology or 00:17:19.069 --> 00:17:21.630 architecture, it is a five -year track. Which 00:17:21.630 --> 00:17:24.369 is a huge relief. I mean, you certainly want... 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:26.720 the surgeon operating on you or the architect 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.339 designing the bridge you drive over to have had 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:32.619 that extended specialized classroom time. I definitely 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:35.359 do. But modernizing the university wasn't just 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:37.400 about adopting a new bureaucratic point system. 00:17:37.619 --> 00:17:39.640 It's about the caliber of the minds actually 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:42.319 operating within that system. And the university 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.319 has cultivated a really deep roster of homegrown 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:47.940 intellectual talent that rivals any institution 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:50.609 in Europe. And a prime example of that intellectual 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:54.390 weight is the late Maleva Filipovic. Ah, yes. 00:17:55.029 --> 00:17:57.549 She is a fascinating figure to highlight. She 00:17:57.549 --> 00:18:01.470 lived from 1938 to 2020 and served as a genuinely 00:18:01.470 --> 00:18:04.730 pioneering sociologist and just a trailblazer 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:08.029 in gender studies at the university. Her contribution 00:18:08.029 --> 00:18:10.950 to Montenegrin scholarship really cannot be overstated. 00:18:11.369 --> 00:18:13.690 I mean, during a time when the academic environment 00:18:13.690 --> 00:18:16.109 was still grappling with deeply traditional and 00:18:16.109 --> 00:18:19.109 patriarchal frameworks, Filipovic introduced 00:18:19.109 --> 00:18:21.730 structuralist sociology and rigorous feminist 00:18:21.730 --> 00:18:24.450 theory into the university's actual curriculum. 00:18:25.089 --> 00:18:28.410 So she brought in entirely new. framework. Yes, 00:18:28.869 --> 00:18:31.250 but she didn't just import Western feminist ideas 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:33.289 and leave it at that. She applied them directly 00:18:33.289 --> 00:18:36.190 to the unique post socialist reality of Montenegro. 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:38.390 So she made it relevant to her students' actual 00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:40.970 lives. Exactly. She researched how traditional 00:18:40.970 --> 00:18:43.390 Montenegrin family structures and patriarchal 00:18:43.390 --> 00:18:46.009 norms interacted with the rapidly shifting political 00:18:46.009 --> 00:18:48.289 landscape. Right. And by dedicating her career 00:18:48.289 --> 00:18:50.910 to this, she provided a critical homegrown lens 00:18:50.910 --> 00:18:52.509 through which the country could understand its 00:18:52.509 --> 00:18:54.869 own gender dynamics during a period of massive 00:18:54.869 --> 00:18:58.079 transition. It's vital work. It really is. Having 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:00.640 faculty like Filipovich demonstrates that the 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:02.759 University of Montenegro isn't just absorbing 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:05.240 knowledge from the rest of the world. They are 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:08.359 generating vital progressive scholarship that 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:10.980 actively pushes the global conversation forward. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:13.559 And this raises an important question regarding 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:16.660 the ultimate goal of the 2017 reforms and the 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:19.579 cultivation of this high level faculty. Right. 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:22.619 So what does this all mean for you, the listener? 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:24.960 Yeah, why does it matter? Why should you care 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:28.099 about the specific details of ECTS points and 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.380 EU directives at a university in the Balkans? 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:32.740 It's a fair question. It really comes down to 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:35.039 understanding the mechanics of global academic 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:39.339 mobility. What this 2017 reform did was essentially 00:19:39.339 --> 00:19:42.420 hand Montenegrin students an academic universal 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:44.299 translator. That's a great way to think about 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:46.900 it. Yep. Because before standardization a brilliant 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:49.759 student graduating in Podgorica might find that 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:52.319 their degree wasn't fully recognized by an employer 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:56.240 in Germany or say a PhD program in France. Because 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.359 of that clunky 3 plus 1 plus 1 plus 3 thing. 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:01.900 Exactly. The foreign institutions simply did 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:03.940 not know how to weigh the credits of that old 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:07.140 system. But by adopting the exact same credit 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.559 architecture used across the European Union, 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:12.519 the University of Montenegro ensured its students 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:15.380 speak the universal language of European academia. 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.019 It guarantees that their graduates can immediately 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:21.779 compete, collaborate, and thrive internationally. 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.519 Yes, instantly. They are no longer locked into 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:27.599 a single regional job market. Their hard work, 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:30.559 their research, and their degrees are instantly 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:33.019 validated anywhere in Europe. It's completely 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:35.380 seamless now. It really circles right back to 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.960 that passport analogy we discussed earlier. Their 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:40.619 academic passport is now officially recognized 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:42.920 and valid at any border they choose to cross. 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:45.640 It constructs a highly functional between the 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.160 intellectual capital of Montenegro and the broader 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.660 global community. And what a massive journey 00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:52.779 this single institution has taken. I mean, when 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:55.319 we step back and look at the entire picture we've 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:57.740 explored today, it is really remarkable. It's 00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:01.299 quite a story. We started in 1974 observing how 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:04.119 an educational boom in Yugoslavia prompted the 00:21:04.119 --> 00:21:06.839 state to fuse existing faculties into a brand 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:09.500 new powerhouse of learning. and we tracked how 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:12.480 its name changed over time, serving as this barometer 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:16.539 for shifting ideologies and eventually the crystallization 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.400 of a sovereign national identity. We explored 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:22.680 its brilliant geographic decentralization, proving 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.259 that an institution can literally weave itself 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:28.339 into the actual physical landscape of the country, 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:30.980 putting the arts in the historic capital and 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:33.779 marine biology directly on the sea. Which is 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:36.619 just brilliant. Yeah. We saw it completely break 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:39.539 the ivory tower whole. by building Aquarium Boca 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:42.319 to actively translate complex science for the 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:44.640 public and protect the nation's marine life. 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:47.059 And finally, we detail how it overhauled its 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:50.019 entire internal academic structure to guarantee 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:53.420 its 21 ,500 students are fully equipped to step 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:56.579 onto the world stage. It truly serves as a perfect 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:59.779 real -time mirror of a nation's ongoing modernization. 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:02.000 We spend this whole time looking at how this 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:04.700 university shapes Montenegro internally. Right. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:06.700 But taking a step back, look at the networks 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:09.160 it's quietly building externally. The source 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:12.019 material lists an incredibly vast web of international 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:14.240 alliances this university maintains. The scope 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.220 of their international memberships is staggering, 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:18.779 actually. Who are they partnered with? Well, 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:20.720 they are active members of the Mediterranean 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.279 Universities Union, which connects institutions 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:25.640 from North Africa, all the way to Western Asia 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:28.680 and Europe. They are deeply embedded in the Balkan 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.240 University's network, as well as the Association 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:33.519 of Universities of the Adriatic -Ionian area. 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:37.279 So we are talking about regions, the Balkans, 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:40.700 the Mediterranean, Western Asia that possess 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:44.180 deep, often complex histories of fractured borders 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.279 and really intense political division. Which 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.700 leaves us with a really profound concept that 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.319 I'd love for you, the listener, to consider long 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.819 after this deep dive ends. What's that? Well, 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:57.240 in the realm of higher education, representatives 00:22:57.240 --> 00:23:00.019 from all these historically divided nations are 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:02.660 sitting at the exact same table. Oh, that's interesting. 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:05.190 Right. Could a university like this actually 00:23:05.190 --> 00:23:08.250 serve as a vital, under -the -radar diplomatic 00:23:08.250 --> 00:23:10.750 bridge? I mean, it makes you wonder. By sharing 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:13.430 classrooms, co -authoring scientific research, 00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:16.210 and exchanging thousands of students across so 00:23:16.210 --> 00:23:19.430 many fractured borders is the University of Montenegro 00:23:19.430 --> 00:23:21.950 quietly doing the heavy lifting of international 00:23:21.950 --> 00:23:25.309 diplomacy, just simply masked as higher education. 00:23:25.630 --> 00:23:28.490 That completely changes how you view a standard 00:23:28.490 --> 00:23:31.130 university syllabus. It really does. It suggests 00:23:31.130 --> 00:23:33.529 a world where diplomacy isn't just forged through 00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:36.230 formal political treaties, but through shared 00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:39.200 marine biology data, standardized credit systems 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:42.099 and student exchange programs. It's an invisible 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.039 thread pulling a very complex region much closer 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.819 together. It really is. Thank you so much for 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:50.359 joining us on this deep dive. Keep asking questions, 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:52.420 keep looking past the surface of the institutions 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:54.559 around you, and we will catch you next time.