Solemn Graduation Ceremony at BFU
More than 300 graduates from 11 bachelor’s programs and 28 master’s programs received their higher education diplomas. Thirty‑three distinguished graduates were awarded certificates of excellence for their achievements and their contribution to the academic community.
“Boldly affirm your free economic and life choices, dear graduates! And know that in the sea of life you will not be alone — you already carry the strength of Burgas Free University and the support rooted in the wisdom and diligence of our people. I wish you strong health, courage, peace, and may the Black Sea wind always be at your back!” said Prof. Dr. Milen Baltov, Rector of BFU, in his address to the Class of 2026.
This appeal was preceded in the rector's speech by the text: "Soon we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the April Uprising – the apotheosis of the Bulgarian bourgeois revolution and of the bravery of the prototype of the modern Bulgarian army. And if these milestones are important evidence of the birth of our nation, there is a worldwide feeling that Orwellian conflicts are swirling - wars not for territories, but for spending surpluses, without raising living standards. In the very year of 1984 in Bulgaria, George Orwell's novel "1984" written in 1948 was banned, but I remember well how Dmitry Ivanov commented on it during one of the editions of "Every Sunday". Along with the clichés, he drew attention to how the novel created the illusion of a permanent external enemy and the expression "who controls the future, he controls the past". … And here we are, in a reality where "truths" can be presented to us ready-made by the Artificial Intelligence and by the stereotypes of the future past. Thinking about the nation we became 150 years ago, and accumulating knowledge, incl. from the student bench, with eyes turned to the world and to our past, I am sure that you will not seek the truths the easy way."
On behalf of the graduates, Simona Dimitrova, master’s degree in Applied Programming, delivered a greeting. “Colleagues, the future ahead of us will be dynamic, often uncertain, but full of endless opportunities. Do not let the pace of the modern world dull your humanity. Be bold in your dreams, but responsible in your actions. Let the knowledge we gained here be not just a diploma, but the driving force with which we will build a better and more innovative society.”
Certificates for newly acquired academic positions were awarded to the following lecturers: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vilyana Ruseva – Associate Professor in Administration and Management; Delyan Lazarov – Associate Professor in Administration and Management; Elena Kortezova – Associate Professor in Psychology; Irina Yotova – Doctor of Pedagogy; Martin Strandzhanski – Doctor of Law; Todor Yosifov – Doctor of Economics and Management; Shtefan Roters – Doctor of Economics and Management.
Members of the BSU Board of Trustees attended the ceremony: Prof. Dr. Vasil Yankov, Honorary Rector of BSU; Prof. Dr. Galya Hristozova, Rector of BSU (2014–2022); Prof. Dr. Dimitar Yudov; Prof. Dr. Lina Anastasova; Dimitar Sabkov; Ivaylo Slavov; Yanko Yankov.
Guests of the ceremony included members of parliament from the Burgas electoral district: Prof. Rumyana Yankova–Avramova, Dobrin Byandov, Vitko Valchev, Plamen Karashev, Fatme Ramadan, Silvia Hristova. Among the official guests were also: Regional Governor Diko Dikov; Chairman of Burgas Municipal Council Mihail Hadzhiyanev; Deputy Mayor of Burgas Mihail Nenov; Deputy Regional Governors Georgi Madzharov and Veselin Anestiev; Prof. Dr. Sotir Sotirov, Rector of Burgas State University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”; Prof. Dr. Sava Dimitrov – Rector of the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”; Dmitry Zakharchenko – Executive Director of Promet Steel AD; Vitaliy Vasilchenko – Director of Human Resources and Social Affairs at Promet Steel AD; Stoyan Nikolov – Deputy Director of Personnel at Lukoil Neftochim Burgas.
Among the guests were also international students from Slovakia, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the Republic of South Africa.
Congratulations to the graduates were extended by Regional Governor Diko Dikov and Deputy Mayor Mihail Nenov on behalf of Mayor Dimitar Nikolov.
