WHY THE COLLEGE WAS FOUNDED

Sport plays a major role in the development of the society and individuals. In order to enable sport to perform this role efficiently and effectively, the society has to support and continuously develop contemporary and professionally based education system. Such a position on the social role of sport in the development of society and all individuals served as a starting point for founding an educational institution for sports professionals – an institution that will base its teaching process on contemporary scientific and professional achievements in the field of physical education and sport.

FOUNDING AND STUDY PROGRAMS

An idea nurtured by several professors of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education from the Universities of Belgrade and Novi Sad outgrew their desires.

One of the first private higher education institutions in the field of sport, called Higher School for Sports Coaches enrolled the first generation of students in October 1997. The studies took two years and there was only one study program – Sports Coach for: FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, HANDBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SWIMMING AND WATERPOLO, ATHLETICS, TENNIS, SHOOTING, SPORTS RECREATION and MARTIAL ARTS.

As important a role as sports professionals play in achieving sports results and the development of sport in general, sports organizations equally rely on professionals in sport to achieve efficient operation. Bearing in mind that the process of sports management represents a complex activity that requires multidisciplinary education, the School founded study program Sports Management in 2000.

In addition to educating business and management professionals, and since working professionally in sport is incomplete without the participation of adequate medical staff, the School Management in 2001 decided to found another study program – Sports Physiotherapist.

Since its beginnings, the School clearly defined its mission, vision, and strategic development. The School’s mission was to provide a high-quality, continuous process of educating sports professionals who would introduce contemporary, generally acknowledged methods of training, studying, management, preventive healthcare and rehabilitation through direct work with individual athletes and teams. By being acquainted with contemporary educational trends in Europe, our Institution was among the first higher schools in Serbia to introduce three-year studies back in 2005, and to introduce a credit system into its curricula. That was a good starting point to prepare the School for the implementation of the Bologna Declaration standards, the ECTS, as well as the process of accreditation.

The first proof of the quality of work in our Institution, which at the time changed its name to College of Sports – Vocational Studies emerged in the very first cycle of accreditation, conducted in 2007. The College was accredited and the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance assessed it as one of the best private higher education institutions, which fully complied with all the required standards of quality. http://www.blic.rs/vesti/visoka-skola-za-sport/7cttfx0

In order to underline the medical aspect of its study programs, in 2009 the College once again decided to change its name to College of Sports and Health – the name it carries to this day.

This way, the College became one of medical educational institutions and acquired the right to educate healthcare professionals.

In 2010, the scientific-educational field of Medical Sciences innovated the Vocational Physiotherapist study program, and in 2016 the College received accreditation for a new study program – Vocational Nurse.

Today, the College of Sports and Health is a unique higher education institution in Serbia, which has study programs in the domain of both social-humanistic and medical sciences..

Apart from educating students on basic vocational studies as first-degree studies, in 2009 the College initiated second-degree studies: specialist vocational studies on the study program Sports Coach – Specialist.

This study program was innovated in 2017 in line with the development and implementation of science, practical educational trends and the society’s needs in general.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Apart from vocational studies, the College was the first institution to organize vocational training for the acquisition of lower coaching titles and professions.

In cooperation with the former Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, in 2002 the College founded the Center for Schooling and Education of Football Coaches. The UEFA mentor awarded the highest grade for the training of program attendants and the work organization of this Center.

Today, the College maintains excellent cooperation with most branch sports associations, with which it organizes and realizes vocational training courses for the acquisition of lower coaching titles and professions.

PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES

The College has its own publishing activities, embodied in the support to teachers to publish coursebooks. For several years, the College had published professional journal „New Sports Practice“, which in 2009 became a scientific journal titled “Sport – Science and Practice” The journal is bilingual, published in both Serbian and English language.

Since 2013, the Journal has been on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development’s list of scientific journals in the field of sport. http://www.vss.edu.rs/izdavastvo.asp

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

Since 2016, the College has been organizing an international scientific conference “Sport, Recreation, Health”, which gathers numerous domestic and international experts in the domain of sport and health.

SPACE AND EQUIPMENT

The College has provided the necessary space and equipment for quality performance of all types of lessons conducted in its two educational-scientific fields.

This includes modern classrooms, well-equipped physiotherapy halls, as well as a special hall equipped for the practical lessons in nursing.

Since 2005 the College has been running Fitness Center “Maximus”, where it holds practical lessons for the Sports Coach study program.

TEACHING STAFF

The College has always given much attention to the competence and expertise of its teaching staff. In the past 20 years, it has included a number of renown teachers, some of whom are employed by the College, while others included visiting professors from the Universities of Belgrade, Niš, Kragujevac and Leposavić, the Medical College of Vocational Studies in Zemun and other higher education institutions with which the College established successful cooperation.

Notable speeches have also been given by top sports experts and sports celebrities, including: Miljan Miljanić, Radomir Antić. Ilija Petković, Vukašin Višljevac, Marko Nikolić, Aleksandar Janković, Rade Zalad, Svetislav Pešić, Žarko Paspalj, prof. Branislav Pokrajac, Dane Korica. PhD, Aleksandar Marinković, Slobodan Popović, Lazar Grozdanović, Radmilo Armenulić, Bogdan Obradović, Goran Bubanj, Goran Maksimović, Srećko Pejović, Ljubomir Vračarević, Slobodan Romanić, PhD, Goran Kocić, PhD, as well as many others.

STUDENTS

The teaching philosophy of the College focuses on its students: reinforcing their motivation to study, enabling progressive adoption of professional knowledge, developing skills and competences, and stimulating their personal development.

In that respect, the College organizes and includes students into numerous sports and promotional activities, such as: participation in sports and education fairs, various competitions, humanitarian actions, seminars and conferences.

By this time, the College has educated over 3000 sports and healthcare professionals, thus acquiring excellent reputation in the academic community in Serbia and the region.

Some of the numerous current and former students of the College of Sports and Health are: Ivana Maksimović, Marko Pantelić, Žikica Milosavljević, Miroslav Raduljica, Boban Marjanović, Vladimir Štimac, Marko Nikolić, Dragutin Topić, Nenad Beđik, Milenko Sebić, Jelena Arunović, Draženko Mitrović, Dragoljub Vidačić, Mladen Šekularac, Ivan Lapčević, Savo Mešter, Ljiljana Marković, Nevena Jovanović, Miloš Zarić, Ivona Jerković, Dragan Kobiljski, Goran Mikec, Vlada i Igor Janković, Nikola Leposavić, Mara Kovačević, Dejan Milosavljević, Dušan Savković, Jadranka Trkulja, and many others.