Hip_Urednik
The Faculty of Law at the University of Mostar today celebrated its 50th anniversary with a solemn academy, underscoring its enduring commitment to upholding law as the foundation of freedom, justice, and an ordered society. The significant jubilee gathered a host of dignitaries, including Dr. Dragan Čović, President of the Croatian National Assembly of BiH, Rector Prof. Dr. sc. Ivo Čolak, and Dean Prof. Dr. sc. Zlatko Brkić, alongside representatives from the academic community, judiciary, and numerous partners.
For half a century, the faculty has played a pivotal role in the development of legal science, educating new generations of legal professionals, and strengthening academic and institutional life across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established in 1971 as a department of the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo, it has since navigated a challenging path, including maintaining uninterrupted classes and exams in Neum and Široki Brijeg during the war years, with crucial support from partner faculties in Split and Osijek. This resilience has forged it into a vital hub of legal education.
Dr. Dragan Čović highlighted the Faculty’s indispensable role in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration process, particularly in crafting a robust legal framework essential for an ordered society. He emphasized that the institution is crucial for adapting to the thousands of laws requiring adoption, amendment, and harmonization with European standards. Čović also underscored the continuous and vital support from the Republic of Croatia, both financial and otherwise, which has been instrumental in the University of Mostar’s development, expressing confidence in further collaboration with Croatian universities to ensure the institution’s long-term stability and growth.
Rector Prof. Dr. sc. Ivo Čolak reflected on the faculty’s five decades of operation, noting its deeper roots and broader impact beyond the half-century mark. He lauded the generations of professors, assistants, and students whose unwavering dedication ensured the faculty’s academic continuity, asserting that the institution not only carries the torch of legal thought but also serves as a cornerstone of higher education in Mostar and Herzegovina, having maintained its operations “without a single day of interruption.”
Dean Prof. Dr. sc. Zlatko Brkić addressed the core identity of the Faculty, emphasizing its responsibility to future generations and the imperative to bridge tradition with the demands of contemporary academic education. “A faculty is not a building, nor a founding act, nor a course,” Brkić stated, “but what one generation has passed on to another.” He affirmed the commitment to maintaining a serious legal school, demanding of itself and responsible to its students, while adapting study programs and international collaborations. He concluded by viewing his deanship as a “debt” rather than a reward, entrusted for a time.
The ceremony also served as an occasion to acknowledge partner institutions and individuals who have significantly contributed to the Faculty’s development, reputation, and affirmation. Awards, including plaques and thank-you notes, were presented in recognition of their long-standing support and indelible mark. Furthermore, a monograph detailing the Faculty’s history, development, key figures, and its role in modern higher education and legal science was unveiled. The anniversary celebration not only honored the past but also cast a forward-looking gaze towards the future, envisioning new generations of students, advancements in legal science, and the continued strengthening of the Faculty’s role as a leading center for legal education and scientific research.
