The gathering brought together a large number of alumni, from the class of 1986 to those who graduated from FOI just three years ago. Particularly delightful was the presence of many professors alongside the alumni, which gave the gathering the true spirit of student days.
The program began with a tour of the Student Dormitory in Varaždin, where the alumni community was welcomed and guided by Nenad Milijaš, Director of the Varaždin Student Center. For the older alumni generations, this was their first encounter with the dormitory, and many remarked on the impressive quality of student facilities and living standards available to today’s students. Afterwards, alumni strolled through FOI’s hallways, which brought back memories of lectures, seminars, exams, and student life on campus.
The participants were greeted by the Dean of FOI, Prof. Marina Klačmer Čalopa, Ph.D., who emphasized that FOI will always be their home, that the Faculty is proud of the achievements of its alumni, and that together they can build bridges between academia and the business world. Greetings were also extended by the President of the AMAC FOI Alumni Association, Prof. Katarina Tomičić-Pupek, Ph.D., who also moderated the panel discussion that followed. She highlighted that gatherings like this prove alumni are not just former students, but also FOI’s ambassadors, experts, and leaders who can share their knowledge and experience with new generations.
The central part of the event was the panel discussion “FOI and Me: Alumni Experiences and the Development of the FOI Community”, featuring Sanja Hren from Atos, Leda Link from Infobip, Matija Tomašković from Evolva, and Prof. Neven Vrček, Ph.D., from FOI. The panelists discussed differences between past and present generations of FOI students, career-building experiences, and future directions in technology development, with a special focus on artificial intelligence and its future applications in education and industry.
The gathering continued over brunch, where alumni enjoyed well-known Varaždin specialties, rekindled old friendships, forged new connections, and exchanged ideas for future collaborations.
Once again, the Alumni FOI Brunch confirmed that FOI is not just a faculty, but a community connecting generations – from professors to past and present students – with the goal of jointly creating the future and including alumni perspectives in the development and modernization of study programs.
The Faculty of Organization and Informatics and the AMAC FOI Alumni Association thank all participants and are already looking forward to future gatherings!
