Center for North American Studies, the University of Economics in Bratislava, offers the only training program of its kind in Slovakia, where candidates can gain extensive knowledge of political, economic and cultural aspects of life in the United States and Canada.

1. CNAS
Faces of
Center for North American Studies
University of Economics in Bratislava

2. WE ARE C N A S
Amb. Martin Bútora
CNAS celebrating the third anniversary as seen by Shooty, June 2011
Amb. Martin Bútora, Michal Kovács,
Peter Rusiňák, CNAS Team 2008-2012
The birth and growth of the Center for North American
Studies is a telling example of transforming ideas into
action, converting visions into reality.
The original motivation was a combination of discon-
tent and resolution: on the one hand, the dissatisfaction
with traditional instructional practices; on the other hand,
the determination to change it. From the very beginning,
an underlying belief has been ever-present: for a society
in transition like Slovakia, the American experience in doing business, in designing
and implementing various public policies, in problem management, in public debates
on politics, in activating civil society is useful. The strategy to achieve this aimed at
obtaining approval at the University of Economics and simultaneously at building part-
nerships, searching for allies and partners.
Today, the Center offers a comprehensive program where students can think criti-
cally about both accomplishments and problems of contemporary American and Ca-
nadian societies. Thanks
to the international aca-
demic staff, student in-
volvement in instruction
and a primary focus on
interactive education, ap-
plicable knowledge and
case studies, the Center
has become a recognized
educational initiative. Cooperation with the private sector doesn’t only open a door to
talents, but also allows companies to participate in building a knowledge-based econ-
omy fostering progressive trends in schooling. On the other hand, it also provides the
students a chance to benefit from curricula based on real experiences of the corporate
sector.
A project like this lives and breathes with people. We are pleased to introduce to you
a unique collection of faces and actors: stakeholders and
partners, teachers and representatives of companies,
diplomats and students. Without them, the Center would
not prosper; thanks to them, an oasis of creative and in-
novative learning thrives and flourishes.
Martin Bútora
Academic Auspices

3. BUSSINESS-ACADEMIC COOPERATION
Opening remarks by Amb. Bútora, Peter Čerešník and
Peter Dovhun, Microsoft Day, March 2011
CNAS is proud to note that as a university-based unit, it has been continuously cre-
ating a fruitful environment for business-academic development in close cooperation
with the American Chamber of Commerce and 14 private businesses and major inter-
national companies located in Bratislava, Slovakia. The education portfolio of CNAS
emphasizes the entrepreneurship spirit. Among the course offerings are: 100 Years
of US Economy through the Eyes of IBM; American Business Culture and Ethics; Hu-
man Resources in American Practice, Interpersonal Managerial Skills: Lenovo Case
Studies, Managing Global Business: Dell Case Studies
as well as Innovation Management in Small Enterprises,
the course that deals exclusively with issues concerning
methods of innovation and innovation-driven business
goals.
U.S. Steel Kosice has al-
ways been actively engaged
with schools and organiza-
tions that contribute to the
education and training of
young people. But thanks to
CNAS, we have been able
to be involved in educating
students on other than metallurgy related topics such as stakeholder relations, external
affairs, governmental relations, business ethics or to discuss the real impact of the global
economic crisis on industry with them. I personally believe that the confrontation of stu-
dents with professionals from real business is not only an excellent idea but an inevitable
part of quality education. Moreover, such confrontation is highly inspiring and eye-opening
for the business people as well. For that reason I’m looking forward to further cooperation
with CNAS and the new projects they will bring to the Slovak university grounds.
Matej Stuška, Manager, Governmental & EU Affairs, U. S. Steel Košice
There can be no discussion about that fact that CNAS
has been a pioneer in terms of bridging traditional acca-
demical knowledge with practical knowledge and know-
how from its partners across Slovakia. With this in mind,
it is clear to see that this model of education is something that students benefit from,
and should be copied by other departments - students should leave universities with
a clear understanding on how theoretical knowledge can and is turned to practical
knowledge in companies, and this is the key strength of the Center. Overall by putting
the theoretical part together with a practice approach you are getting the best of both
worlds. Finally I believe that aligning expectation early on, is key to any long term rela-
tionship, and in a marketing where today´s students will be tomorrows leaders, it is key
to ensure that both sides
have the right expectations
of what can be achieved
and reached.
Martin Nielsen,
Digital Marketing Leader,IBM
100 Years of US Economy
through the Eyes of IBM

4. BUSSINESS-ACADEMIC COOPERATION
WE
ARE
C
N
A
S Discussion on the US stability and US economy
prospects for the next 5 years, April 2011
Microsoft Day - Project presentations
March 2011
As a student I appreciated
when professors challenged
students and pushed their lim-
its higher. I honestly believe
that CNAS is doing this - expe-
rienced people offering inside
views from various positions in
the corporate world. It is also a
rewarding feeling for me, when
I see a sparkled interest within
students, who are motivated
to study and explore new
things thanks to CNAS. And
what else can be more valu-
able for a society than edu-
cated and well-rounded young
generation?
Tomáš Cár
Portfolio Manager, VÚB
Learning and development is the key component of HP
culture. We in HP also believe that young well-educated
professionals are future for our company. Therefore the
support of education activities for students is one of pil-
lars of our strategy. The training programs offered under
auspices of CNAS are really this kind of business-aca-
demic cooperation, which attracts companies to be ac-
tively present at university
campus. Being part of the program we recognize both
our responsibility to contribute to better university edu-
cation as well as opportunity to attract students through
sharing real-life experiences at interactive lectures. And
this is really a win-win concept.
Karol Wicklein
Country HR Lead, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia
HR in American Practice
We highly appreciate the iniciative of CNAS concerning
work with young university students. Real and interactive
connection between the business and university students
is beneficial for both. It helps students to better under-
stand needs and reality of working life on the other hand
people from business have better overview on the level of
knowledge of young people at universities, their energy,
fresh view on the things and this all could be source of in-
spirational ideas for them. We highly recommended work
with this community and we are looking forward for next
cooperation.
Katarína Humajová and Mária Glucharová
Recruitment Consultants, Grafton
HR in American Practice & American Business Culture and Ethics
When I ask students: “How does it feel to work for
Google?”, they give immediately positive feedback, none-
theless nobody worked there. CNAS gives students the
chance “to feel” the culture of several companies and test
how theories are applied in the real corporate world. A
priceless experience for both sides!
Jana Palenčárová
HR Director, ČSOB - HR in American Practice

5. Startupawards.sk infomeeting, October 2011
DELL in an important employer in Slovakia as it keeps
targeting this market for a longer time. That´s why it´s
important for us to contribute to the elevation of the Slo-
vak educational system and trainings of our future em-
ployees, who still sit in classes these days. CNAS brings
more practice into their studies by bridging business with
academia. Students become better prepared, they have
more realistic picture about what´s ahead of them in the
companies. It´s been a pleasure to work with CNAS for
many years as this is a win-win cooperation. Our senior
leaders get to learn a lot as well from the contacts they
establish while lecturing. I strongly advice any company
to follow the same pattern.
Silvia Jeleníková, HR Director for CER region, DELL
Managing Global Business: DELL Case Studies and
HR in American Practice
Telefónica known as a leader in telecommunications industry
is in Slovakia recognizable also for supporting inovations and
start up activities. Since 2012, in cooperation with U.S. Embas-
sy in Slovakia and CNAS as an Academic Partner is Telefónica
Slovakia supporting „Entrepreneurship Training Program“ dedi-
cated to young entrepreneurs and high potentials to strenghten
their skills and motivation.
The fourth Entrepreneur-
ship training in October
2013 confirmed this suc-
cessful cooperation.
Ramiro Lafarga Brollo
CEO
Telefónica Slovakia
CNAS has been and contin-
ues to be an excellent partner for
the American Chamber of Com-
merce in the Slovak Republic. It
is a unique official platform where
businesses can cooperate with
academia by sharing their practi-
cal knowledge and experience
from real, hands-on business. It
is always great to see students
eager for this information and it is
great for AmCham to be a partner
in this.
Jake Slegers, Executive Director,
American Chamber of Commerce
in the Slovak Republic
The business-academic
cooperation with CNAS is
a great idea for businesses
to connect with the next
generation of business
leaders in Slovakia. And
the Centre deserves a lot
of credit for organizing the
exchange. The interaction with students is both stimulat-
ing and beneficial for students as much as for the busi-
ness people participating. Students are presented with
real-life business situations and solutions, helping them
to prepare for their business careers in Slovakia or, if they
choose, abroad.
Peter Janeček, Principal & Senior Counsel, BrandcomPR
American Business Culture and Ethics & Internet Marketing
CNAS students: Michal Polgár, Juraj Podolan, Tomáš Gajdoš

6. INNOVATIVE EDUCATION
WE
ARE
H.E. Theodore Sedgwick at the Kate Sedgwick
Entrepreneurship Training Program, June 2013
Peter Guštafík, Partners for Democratic
Change Slovakia, October 2013
John Bates with participants at the Kate Sedgwick
Entrepreneurship Training Program, June 2013
C
N
A
S
Entrepreneurship Training Programs
As the Center continuously perceives the lack of entre-
preneurship education and training for students, gradu-
ates and private companies across Slovak universities
programs, it has been aspiring to offer education and
practical workshops to motivate and empower our clients
with hard and soft skills necessary to materialize their
business ideas.
Besides the educational portfolio of accredited courses, in October 2012 CNAS or-
ganized an entrepreneurship training session aimed at students graduating and enter-
ing the labor market in 2013, empowering them with personal branding soft skills
and increasing their chances to become the employee of choice. The session was
delivered in close cooperation with Martin Nielsen of IBM.
We continued the trend and put together two networking sessions in 2013, seeking
answers to some of the most salient issues in acquiring knowledge about hubs and
networks, learning how to use them as well as reflecting
and developing students´ networking skills. Targeted to
fresh graduates, the session was conducted by Elisabeth
Alder of INC Training and Consulting, Ltd. and Julia Itin.
Our flagship service in the area of entrepreneurship
education and training proudly bears the name Kate
Sedgwick Entrepreneurship Training Program. It is
prepared in close cooperation with Telefónica Slovakia
and with the kind support of the Embassy of the United
State of America to the Slovak Republic. Through this
program, CNAS has organized four quarterly training
sessions encompassing almost 80 alumni since De-
cember 2012. Young entrepreneurs and company pro-
fessionals with outstanding ideas and professional skills
often lack proper education and experience, especially in
communication. The two-day intensive program is aimed
at Telefónica high-potentials and start-up community members empowering them with
business and diplomatic etiquette, business communication skills and self-branding
soft-skills training. The aim of the program is that participants are better able to present
their arguments and ideas in a professional manner and are able to establish new pro-
fessional contacts and benefit from existing networks in a self-confident and effective
way. The trainings have been led by professional communication coaches and TEDx
speakers from California - John Bates and Nathan Gold.

7. Jake Slegers with his team at the
Lemonade Day 2012
Nathan Gold explaining how to use stories, analo-
gies and metaphors, March 2013
Kathy Bunka with her team
at the Lemonade Day 2012
H.E. Theodore Sedgwick with his team at the Lemonade Day
Lemonade Day a.k.a. Big Lemon Experience
Have you ever seen the US ambassador, Canadian chargé
d´affaires or Executive Director of the American Chamber or
Commerce selling lemonade to students at the university cam-
pus? No?
That means you missed the Lemonade Day 2012 – an edu-
cational and charity event established by the Center for North
American Studies in coop-
eration with the students of the Department of Commerce
On the occasion of issuing the second printed ver-
sion of our American Letters magazine, Lemonade Day
served as an inspiring platform for students to apply their
managerial and marketing skills with the rather classical
American „start-up“ – a lemonade stand.
The aim of the project was for 3 student teams (each
enriched by one of our
special guests) to com-
pete in selling their own
recipe-based lemonade in
order to raise funds for the
renovation of the habitat of
the Canadian lynx in ZOO
Bratislava.
The entrepreneurship
spirit and students´ dedication brought in 472 EUR that was
entirely donated to the Bratislava ZOO. Event costs were fully
covered by CNAS including 28 kg of lemons, 129 liters of water
and 600 plastic cups.

8. CNA
Faces of
A1Elisabeth Alder - CEO, INC Training & Consulting
A2Irina G. Axelrod-Angres - US Supreme Court
A3Bill Bagatelas - City University, Bratislava
A4Nancy Baker - Prof. Emer., New Mexico State University
A5Marek Bališ - Former HR Director, Telefónica Slovakia
A6Randall Balmer - Dartmouth University
A7Janka Bargerová - Squire Sanders
A8Ralph Barney - Brigham Young University
A9John Bates - CEO, ExecutiveSpeakingSuccess.com
A10Wade Baze - DELL
A11Chase Beamer - Former Press Attaché, Embassy of the USA
A12Branislav Berec - DELL
A13Elena Bianchi - Embassy of the USA
A14Ľubomír Billý - University of Economics in Bratislava
A15Tomáš Borec - Neopublic Porter Novelli
B1Charles Bowsher - Former Comptroller General of the USA
B2Michal Brčák - University of Economics in Bratislava
B3Kathy Bunka - Chargé d´affairs, Office of the Embassy of Canada
B4Jean-Francois Bureau - Former Deputy Secretary General, NATO
B5Peter Burian - State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
B6Amb. Martin Bútora - Academic Auspices, Center for North American Studies
B7Simone Campbell - NETWORK
B8Christopher Clausen - Pennsylvania State University
B9Richard Cooper - Harvard University
B10Evan Cornog - Hofstra University
B11Juraj Čarnecký - University of Economics in Bratislava
B12Peter Čerešník - Former General Manager, Microsoft Slovakia
B13Kevin Deegan-Krause - Wayne State University
B14Pavol Demeš - Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the US
B15Veit Dengler - DELL
C1Morris Dickstein - City University of New York
C2Tomáš Dudáš - University of Economics in Bratislava
C3Robert Earle - State University of New York
C4Keith Eddins - Former Chargé d´affairs, Embassy of the USA
C5Tobias Endler - Ph.D. Coordinator, Heidelberg Center for American Studies
C6Ivona Frkalová - Embassy of the USA
C7Charles Gati - Senior Fellow, John Hopkins University
C8Ramiro Lafarga Brollo - CEO, Telefónica Slovakia
C9Jeffrey Gedmin - Legatum Institute
C10Marek Gešo - Accenture
C11Dana Gioia - independent poet
C12Nathan Gold - Chief Coach, The Demo Coach
C13Eva Brhlíková – CNAS student
C14Oľga Gyárfášová - Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Public Affairs
C15Michael Hanemann - University of California Berkeley
D1Vincent Harris – CEO and President, Harris Media
D2Nora Hložeková - Executive Director, J. W. Fulbright Commission in Bratislava
D3John Hulsman - Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
D4Dana Hupková - Former HR Director, Sheraton Bratislava
D5Philip Chinn - California State University
D6Lukáš Chocholáček - Former President,
D7Noam Chomsky - Massachusetts Institu
D8Matthew Christ - The Graduate School U
D9Martin Chyla - CEO, Freshminds, Ltd.
D10Julia Itin - Head of International Relation
D11Michaela Jacová - Neulogy
D12František Jakab - Technical University o
D13Bohdana Jakončuková - CNAS student
D14Peter Janeček - Principal and Senior Co
D15Silvia Jeleníková - HR Director for CER
E1Martina Joríková - Embassy of the USA
E2Eugen Jurzyca - Former Minister of Edu
E3H.E. Rastislav Káčer – Slovak Ambassa
E4Michael Kazin - Georgetown University
E5Zuzana Kissová - Philip Morris Slovakia
E6Iva Kleinová - LEAF
E7Ivona Klementová - Office of The Presid
E8Scott Klug - Former US Congressman
E9H.E. Peter Kmec - Slovak Ambassador
E10Igor Kottman - Country Officer, Citi
E11Michal Kovács - CNAS Executive Direct
E12Matej Kurian - Former Transparency Int
E13Matthew Kushin - Utah Valley University
E14Radovan Lacko - CNAS student
E15Larry LaRocco - Former US Congressm
F1Georges Lemieux - Former Chargé d´af
F2Jana Lenghardtová - Vice-rector for inte
F3Allan Lichtman - American University in
F4Janet Livingstone - Independent trainer
F5Zuzana Lorenčíková - Vice-president an
F6David Lublin - American University in W
F7John McNeill - Georgetown University
F8Darin Menlove - Director of Study Abroa
F9Steven Meyer - National Defence Unive
F10John L. Mica - US Congressman
F11Matthew Miller - Press Attaché, Embass
F12Joel Moses - Iowa State Universty
F13Patrik Mozola – Former CEO, HSBC Ba
F14Martin Nastišin - Former President, Euro
F15Gerlinde Niehus - NATO, Public Diplom
G1Martin Nielsen - Digital Marketing Leade
G2Tom Nicholson - Independent Investigav
G3Romana Olexová - University of Econom
G4Dušan Ondrušek - President, Partners f
G5Costas Panagopoulos - Fordham Unive
G6Nick Parikh - Former Economic Officer,
G7Dušan Pastorek - Office of the Embassy
G8Ronald Peck - Universty of Missouri
G9Lisa Pennisi - University of Nebraska
G10Michal Pintér - Director of Governmenta

9. AS
, Euro-Atlantic Center
ute of Technology
USA in Washington
ns, Solid Studios
of Košice
t
ounsel, BrandcomPr
R Region, DELL
A
ucation, Government of SR
ador to Hungary
a
dent of the Slovak Republic
to the USA
tor 2008-2012
ternational Expert
y
man
ffairs, Office of the Embassy of Canada
ernational relations, University of Economics
Washington
r and coach at self
nd Regional Director, Euro-Atlantic Center
Washington
ad, University of California Berkeley
ersity
sy of the USA
ank Slovakia
o-Atlantic Center
macy Division
er, IBM Slovakia
ve Journalist
mics in Bratislava
for Democratic Change Slovakia
ersity
Embassy of the USA
y of Canada
al & EU Affairs, U.S. Steel Košice
G11Michal Plichta - CNAS student
G12Juraj Podolan - PricewaterhouseCoopers
G13Michal Polgár - Former Regional Director, Euro-Atlantic Center
G14Natália Spodniaková - Policy Officer, AmCham in the SR
G15Matthew Post - Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts
H1Katarína Čambalová – CNAS student
H2Mária Rapanová - HR Director, Telefónica Slovakia
H3H.E. Valerie Raymond - Former Canadian Ambassadress to the CR and SR
H4Peter Reťkovský - Project Manager, SARIO
H5Jonathan Rose - Queen’s University
H6Peter Rusiňák - Executive Director, Center for North American Studies
H7H.E. Theodore Sedgwick - Ambassador of the USA to the Slovak Republic
H8Kate Sedgwick - Wife of the Ambassador of the USA to the Slovak Republic
H9George Seldat - Southwest Minnesota State University
H10Chris Scharf - Former Public Affairs Officer, Embassy of the USA
H11Lenka Schenkmayerová - HR Specialist, T-Mobile Czech Republic
H12Eszter Simon - King Sigismund College
H13Rudolf Sivák - Rector, University of Economics in Bratislava
H14Jake Slegers - Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce in the SR
H15Michal Krčméry - CNAS student
I1Michael Smyth - DELL
I2Ondrej Sočuvka - Public Policy Officer, Google Slovakia
I3John Stauffer - Harvard University
I4Naďa Stránska - Connect Coworking
I5Maxim Strashun - Head of Talent Development, Lenovo
I6Matej Stuška - Governmental & EU Affairs Manager, U. S. Steel Košice
I7Miriama Svetkovská - Embassy of the USA
I8Vanda Šinková - HR Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers
I9Ivan Štefunko - Chairman, Neulogy
I10Veronika Mišunová – CNAS student
I11William Taliaferro - Former Economic Officer, Embassy of the USA
I12Menbere Tiruneh Workie - Slovak Academy of Sciences
I13Vladimír Vaculík - Connect Coworking
I14Štefan Vadócz - Managing Partner and Owner, Neopublic Porter Novelli
I15Pavol Varga - DELL
J1Veronika Vighová - Editor-inChief, American Letters
J2Lucia Weinbergerová - Former PR specialist, Euro-Atlantic Center
J3Karol Wicklein - Country HR Lead, Hewitt-Packard Slovakia
J4Alan Wolfe - Boston College
J5Marián Zachar - LEAF
J6Dávid Zolcer - Euro-Atlantic Center
J7Stephen Zunes - University of San Francisco
J8Lucia Pašková - CNAS student
J9Ľudovít Petržala - CNAS student
J10Andrej Benovič - Soft Skills Trainer, Lenovo
J11Dajana Pjataková – CNAS student
J12Dominika Šimonová – CNAS student
J13Dana Špacírová – Macro Analyst, Poštová banka
J14Michaela Tirpáková – CNAS student
J15Andrea Zrubcová – CNAS student

10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A
C
B
E
D
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11. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

12. STUDENT ORIENTED
WE
ARE
C
N
A
S Microsoft Day, March 2011
Microsoft Day, March 2011 Participants of the Personal Branding seminar,
November 2012
Students of the Interdisciplinary Introduction to
North American Studies
Microsoft Day, March 2011
Nathan Gold in a discussion
March 2013
Our students constitute an integral part of the network.
CNAS was established primarily to provide innovative
education and extracurricular activities to the students of
the University of Economics. As we kept growing in num-
ber of courses and the number of participants, we opened
our academic offerings to any student from around Slo-
vakia as well as foreign students completing a portion of
their studies at Slovak uni-
versities. Their anonymous
feedback is the driving force
behind the improvement of
each course. We work hard
to enhance their effective-
ness on an annual basis,
thanks to students´ com-
mentaries and suggestions
for improvement.
I attended a course last
year, liked it very much.
Different way of thinking,
good friendly communica-
tion with the lecturers and
management.
Canadian Political System
It´s the best subject I had
at the university. This was a
unique opportunity to study
American politics in Slova-
kia.
US Political System
I think it could be in-
teresting to speak about
“academic” issues in a
way of real sense for our
careers.
Interdisciplinary Intro. to
North American Studies
Often students are afraid
of asking questions and
they are generally quiet.
We´re challenged to give
our opinions, to raise ques-
tions differently.
HR in American Practice
I think that all the in-
formation was valuable
and enabled me to better
understand the structure
of DELL in how it man-
ages business. However I
found the most interesting
presentation to be about
IT trends and M&As.
Managing Global Busi-
ness: DELL Case Studies

13. Nathan Gold and Connect Coworking team,
March 2013
Kathy Bunka with students at the
Lemonade Day 2012
Participants of Speaker Boot Camp with
TEDx speaker John Bates, June 2013
Kate Sedgwick Entrepreneurship Training Program,
June 2013
The course is an opportunity for me to know some-
thing more about Canada. It’s surprising, but only at the
course I realized I know just a little bit about Canada.
More topics for discussion, practical case studies (not
just one), less theory, more practice.
Canadian Political System
I was interested in learn-
ing about the US political
system, because in my
university in Italy we don´t
have a specific class to
study with a focus on one
political system.
US Political System
I´m satisfied with the level of
interaction between the instructor
and students. The course could
be improved with more samples of
how to use the shown techniques.
Innovation Management in Small
Enterprises
The most useful aspect for me personally is the practi-
cal point of view from the “real world” lecturers and a
chance to present in English. The least useful is to go
through many different tasks; I prefer a smaller number
of case studies that go more into detail.
American Business Culture and Ethics
We have a lot of space
to present our own opin-
ion on the problem.
American Society
I appreciate practical tasks – finding a team project
to help develop a civil society where we were taught
management, communication with partners, planning in
practice. We wrote reports, updates, met people from
the third sector.
The Third Sector and Voluntarism in the USA
Lecture held by an American
professor currently living in Eu-
rope, who gives her open-mind-
ed view on American society in
general – very refreshing!
American Society
I appreciate this kind of open dis-
cussion very much! I think it´s been
the best course I enjoyed here in
Bratislava. In the future, the course
could be improved even more by
higher participation of all the stu-
dents in the class. 100 Years of US
Economy through the Eyes of IBM

14. CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN STUDIES
Kevin Krause delivering his online class on
US Political System, March 2013
Former US Comptroller General Charles Bowsher
on US Economy Prospects, April 2011
Peter Rusiňák
CNAS Executive Director
WE
ARE
C
N
A
S
Former US Congressman Scott Klug, Debate
before US Presidentional Election, October 2012
Dear friends,
Five and half years is quite a long time in one’s life –
a baby is almost ready to enter school for the first time,
the football world cup could take place twice in this pe-
riod and a university student could finish his education
and proudly step into the job market with a fresh diploma.
The Center for North American Studies has just begun
its 6th academic season as
a university-based education unit aimed at overseeing
area studies of North America and developing business-
academic cooperation. Rather unique to higher educa-
tion systems in Central Europe, it links above-average
students with private businesses, international experts
and academicians via innovative methods in teaching.
During the full five previous years, CNAS courses were
attended by more than 1200 domestic participants and
150 international students partially completing their studies in Slovakia.
The CNAS story is full of twists and turns, but we have always been keen on our
most precious asset – the network. CNAS doesn’t fit into the framework of a traditional
university department with its own teachers, researchers and wide range of compul-
sory courses. So what is it that we do and what makes us special? We’re like a bridge
between two distant places– we cross a deep gap between the world of academia
and the business environment. CNAS puts education right where it is supposed to
be – at the heart of active students. Those students who
think critically, those who want to step aside and who
strive to hone their entrepreneurship spirit and become
the change they want to see in the world. Our business
partners are fully aware of the trend and contribute to
the bridging by their know-how, time and desire to raise
the higher education level in Slovakia. This is no zero-
sum game - while getting closer to each other, both sides
benefit.
My personal narration begins and ends with years of
service at the Center for North American Studies. Years
of vision, network-building, connections, story-telling,
uncountable meetings and positive attitudes. Please
choose yours at cnas.euba.sk.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Rusiňák

15. Michal Kovács and Tomáš Dudáš
Ambrose University and CNAS networking, May 2012
Michal Kovács,
CNAS Executive Director 2008 – 2012
Michal Kovács in a discussion
From Arena to Friendship
And here he enters the arena: …feet tightly fastened in heavy
boots, strong armor protecting the most vulnerable parts of the
body, deadly spear trembling in his hand; through the old shield
and dark helmet one can see only his sharp eyes pinned at his
enemies. He needs to pass them; only then he can think of sur-
viving this quest.
Exchange the heavy boots for a nice pair of leather shoes,
armor for a shiny suit, spear for a thousand pages of memorized knowledge, shield for his
suitcase full of books to support his arguments and the helmet for distinguished glasses that
make him look more intelligent. You are looking at a student entering a seminar room ready to
pass an exam. Another lecturer, another exam that will get him closer to successful comple-
tion of the quest - passing the university.
Unfortunately, I am an extremely dissatisfied person. Fortunately, I’m also blessed with
some can-do spirit. The above mentioned feeling I had at the university made me think of how
we can contribute and introduce a slightly different path in education. One that might perhaps
serve as an addition to traditional learning. Having the extraordinary chance to work with
outstanding people and the support of the university that entrusted young NGO people with
establishing a new university department, I felt obliged to pursue my happiness and make my
Slovak-American dream come true.
We tried to create an environment where a student wouldn’t be eager just to “pass”, but rath-
er to stay committed to - an environment that would offer opportunities, inspiration and friend-
ship. Launching North American Studies allowed us not only to
teach about US and Canadian Economy, Politics, and Culture,
but hopefully helped us to expose the students to the spirit and
way of thinking in this - in its own way - exceptional region. Hav-
ing all this said, the most precious element was the friendship
that I saw slowly emerging from daily interactions between the
lecturers and the students. Friendship that ensured no need for
spears and shields in the seminar room. Friendship that enabled
us to lower power distance,
exchange inspiration, truly
perceive and humbly learn from the students. And if we
can believe in what they say, it was a mutual process.
A long journey is behind us, but an even longer one
is ahead. The Center will need dedicated leaders and
many friends not to stray from its chosen path.
Michal Kovács

16. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR PARTNERS
MICHAL
POLGÁ®
Proof-
reading
Nancy
B a k e r
network
institutional partners
academic years of CNAS service
private businesses and international
corporates stepping into business-academic
cooperation with CNAS
international students
domestic students
network
institutional partners
academic years of CNAS service
private businesses and international
corporates stepping into business-academic
cooperation with CNAS
international students
domestic students
Assembly Hall of the University of Economics in Bratislava
Dolnozemská cesta 1
Bratislava 852 35
Slovakia
cnas.euba.sk
Center for North American Studies
University of Economics in Bratislava
1
3
6
14
150
1 200
Embassy of Canada
Ambassade du Canada
Printed with the kind support of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Slovak Republic
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