Milan Cupic, JFDP Fellow at the University of Denver, has become one of the most active Fellows in exchanging cultural knowledge through lectures, conference participation, and his volunteer efforts. Cupic works in the economic faculty of the University of Kragujevac in Serbia, teaching Business Finance. His research interests include capital budgeting, accounting, finance, and enterprise value. Cupic has published many articles in his field and participated in numerous international conferences and projects. Cupic’s most recent efforts to gain and promote shared knowledge include attendance at two national conferences for business administration and country presentations to high school and college students here in the U.S.

In late February, Milan Cupic attended the 36th Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. conference on economics. The conference was held at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and organized by the African American MBA Association. The conference covered the topic of the economic and global political crisis and explored the phenomena of turning points of extraordinary people, companies, and countries. It was a great opportunity for Milan to gain information on struggling economies and seizing opportunities for change.

Milan also attended the Asia Business Conference, organized by Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. It is the largest Asia-focused business conference held in North America. Milan attended sessions that aimed to foster meaningful discussion on policies and trends that dominate modern Asia.

In an effort to share the Serbian perspective on business culture, Milan Cupic also gave a guest lecture at the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Study. In cooperation with Professor Sally Hamilton, Cupic provided students with insight on many aspects of Serbian life. Most particularly, students were interested in Serbian national identity, business conflicts, and communication differences.

World Awareness Week at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colorado was another opportunity Milan had to share information with school-aged kids about his country and culture. This was a multi-cultural event, inviting experts to talk with students about such topics as performing arts, the environment, world issues, and other cultures. The event was held to promote global understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of other people. On opening day, Cupic was able to participate by giving a presentation on his native country, Serbia. He noted “I put special emphasis on living in Serbia and possibilities for young people.”

Milan is working hard to achieve his goals as a JFDP Fellow, and has truly taken an active role in the effort to share knowledge across borders.