November 2, 2020 – In her later years, a woman from Vrbovec decided to enroll in another study programme, and it wasn’t hard for her to travel 700 kilometres to take her exams.

As HRT reports, today, it isn't really any sort of special news for someone to have two diplomas to their name, but if a person earns their second one at the age of 78 – then it is both news and a fine example.

Agneza Štajer is a veterinarian and she worked in a school for 20 years. It is interesting to note how she opted for yet another study programme. Namely, Agneza took one of her generations of students to the University of Zagreb Festival so that they could more easily choose their studies.

"The proverb says: when you want to help others, you help yourself the most," says Agneza Štajer, explaining how she helped herself come across the study of restoration, which involves 5 courses, at the University of Dubrovnik, 700 kilometres away from Vrbovec, but the distance was no obstacle for her. She has been travelling by train to Zagreb, and then by bus all the way down to Dubrovnik.

"I spent an average of 40 nights a year on the bus," says Agneza. When asked if she studied on the bus, she replied: "No, I never study before an exam."

Along the way, she was spending time on one of her hobbies – making bags.

"It’s a ball of thread and a needle that fits in a purse. If you have 5 minutes, you make 5 stitches. And if the train is late, then it’s a great work for the day," says Agneza.

She also reveals how people around her reacted when they found out she was a student. Friends, she says, responded positively, but not everyone had something nice to say about her choice.

"The vast majority are indifferent, they don't know what the point of me doing that is, and a significant number of people are mean and some can be evil," she complained, but it hasn't bothered her, as she worked hard and graduated with honours.

Now that she is retired, people are asking her for a variety of different pieces of advice – from advice to related to professional subjects, to veterinary topics, and now of course - to the field of restoration.

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July 7, 2020 - The agreement was signed by the Mayor of the Town of Korcula, Andrija Fabris, and the Rector of the University of Dubrovnik, Niksa Burum.

HRTurizam writes that with this agreement on business cooperation, the Town of Korcula becomes an extended location for undergraduate university studies in Nautical Studies, Naval Architecture (Shipbuilding) and Business Economics, Department of Tourism, University of Dubrovnik. It is also the first island university and student town in Croatia.

Korcula thus becomes an extended arm and a branch office of the University of Dubrovnik, which is in line with the development strategy of the town and fits perfectly into the County Development Strategy 2016-2020 to achieve a higher level of education on the islands, educating the islanders, but also all other interested population in complementary studies with the locality. Nautical Studies, Naval Architecture, and Business Economics in the field of Tourism are complementary to the development strategy, and the Town of Korcula is making a significant step towards higher education by introducing complete university education.

The Town of Korcula will remain written in history as the first island where the accredited program of the established Croatian University, the University of Dubrovnik, will be studied.

Administrative, professional and financial assistance from the University of Dubrovnik will facilitate the Town of Korcula's protocol and organizational procedures for starting studies. It was also mentioned that the primary space in the city pool would be replaced with areas from the conceptual design in the "Old School in Dominče" after obtaining the necessary documentation and performing adaptation works.

With the realization of this cooperation with the University of Dubrovnik, the Town of Korcula becomes the first island student city in the Republic of Croatia. By investing in education, sustainable development, complementary studies with the development strategy of the county, and by educating able-bodied staff, Korcula is well on its way to a prosperous future.

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