New Bulgarian University

New Bulgarian University (Bulgarian: Нов български университет, also known and abbreviated as НБУ, NBU) is a private university based in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Its campus is in the western district of the city, known for its proximity to the Vitosha nature park. The university also owns multiple other buildings across the country, as well as its own publishing house and a library.

New Bulgarian University
Нов български университет
Motto
Ne varietatem timeamus
Motto in English
Do not fear variety[1]
TypePrivate
Established18 September 1991 (1991-09-18)
RectorPlamen Doinov
Students12,000
Undergraduates54 programmes
Postgraduates100 programmes
35 programmes
Location,
42°40′39″N 23°15′11″E / 42.67750°N 23.25306°E / 42.67750; 23.25306
CampusUrban
Websitewww.nbu.bg
Opening of the academic year 2015–2016. September 30th, 2015. Patio of the New Bulgarian University

Among the list of NBU Honorary Doctors and Honorary Professors are Richard Rorty, Thomas Sebeok, Wolfgang Iser, Terry Eagleton, Julia Kristeva, Jean-Pierre Vernant, Ralf Dahrendorf, Steve Forbes, Geert Hofstede, Ennio Morricone, Milcho Leviev, Raina Kabaivanska, Alexander Fol, Vera Mutafchieva, and Georgy Fotev.

Patio of the New Bulgarian University in snow, November 2021

The mission of New Bulgarian University is to:[2]

- be an autonomous academic institution that supports students in their entrepreneurial and personal development.

- be a liberal academic institution, based on the link between education, research and entrepreneurship.

- provide interdisciplinary general and specialised education, based on theoretical research and practical knowledge.

Since 2004, NBU has been an accredited partner of The Open University Business School.[3]

History

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NBU was established on 18 September 1991 by Bogdan Bogdanov and a group of Bulgarian intellectuals with a resolution by the Bulgarian Parliament. NBU's main purpose was to modernise Bulgarian higher education. 2,500 students were welcomed during the first year. A test of general education was introduced in 1995 and established as a uniform standard for the reception of students in 1996.

NBU's Educational Museum was founded on 23 April 2010. The first exhibition was "Museum Network Resources". It was the final stage of the project "Educational Museum at New Bulgarian University". The project was funded by the National Fund for Research at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science, the Cultural Heritage (study on national historic and culture legacy as a part of European culture heritage and advanced methods for preserving).[4]

Since 2010, NBU is the home of 'The Slug Theater', where the university's drama club present their shows.

Campus facilities

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Students from the Design Department of the New Bulgarian University, November 2021
 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galina Sachanska, Head of the Department of Natural Sciences, with students from the Bachelor's program in Cellular Biology and Virology, November 2021

The campus consists of two buildings (Buildings 1 and 2) housing the Aula, Library, University Theater, NBU Museum, UniArt Gallery, Medical Center, and a Sports Center surrounded with open green spaces.

The university has more than 100 halls, computer labs, language and simultaneous interpreting labs, a Mock Courtroom, an Arts Center with practice rooms and studios for students of music, fine arts, design and architecture with a total capacity of 2,500 seats.

Library

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NBU's academic library houses over 128,000 items accessed by 150,000 annual visitors.[5]

Reputation

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NBU's IT and management departments rank high in the country.[6] As of 2014, NBU ranked second in Bulgaria according to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.[7]

Centers

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Central and East European Center for Cognitive Science

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The Central and East European Center for Cognitive Science (or CEEC of Cognitive Science[8]) undertakes research in fundamental and applied cognitive science.[9] Research topics include: memory, thinking, language, learning, perception, context, applications to robotics, AI, and cognitive systems, cognitive economics, human factors and usability, education and learning methods. The center is co-directed by Boicho Kokinov and Jeff Elman.

The CEEC of Cognitive Science grants M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees[10] in cognitive science and organizes an annual summer school.[11][12]

Other centers

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Departments

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Programmes

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Bachelor's

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ New Bulgarian University in Sofia, www.sofiabulgariatravel.com
  2. ^ "New Bulgarian University - Sofia - Bulgaria - BachelorsPortal.com". www.bachelorsportal.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  3. ^ "International and UK partners - Open University Business School". Open.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. ^ Museum
  5. ^ Library Statistics, NBU http://www.nbu.bg/index.php?l=981
  6. ^ Economix. "Изненади в класацията на университетите". Economix.bg. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Bulgaria - Ranking Web of Universities". Webometrics.info. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  8. ^ NBU: CEEC of Cognitive Science, nbu.bg
  9. ^ For example: Evgenia Hristova, Maurice Grinberg, Investigation of Context Effect in Iterated prisoner' Dilemma Game, CEEC of Cognitive Science, in Pierre Deransart, Bernard Lorho, Jan Maluszyński, Programming Languages Implementation and Logic Programming: International Workshop Plilp '88, Orleans, France, May 16–18, 1988. Proceedings, Springer, 1989
  10. ^ The M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs
  11. ^ The series of Annual International Summer Schools in Cognitive Science started in 1994
  12. ^ 20th International Summer School in Cognitive Science
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