University of Sarajevo

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University of Sarajevo
Univerzitet u Sarajevu

Logo of the University of Sarajevo.
Established 1949
Type Public
Rector Faruk Čaklovica
Faculty 23
Staff 1,640
Students 47,000
Location Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Website www.unsa.ba/
Main building of University of Sarajevo
Main building of University of Sarajevo

The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian Univerzitet u Sarajevu) is the first university in Bosnia-Herzegovina, established in 1949. Nowadays it has 23 faculties.

Contents

[edit] History and Profile

The University of Sarajevo descends from a century long tradition of higher education in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sarajevo. The institutional beginnings of higher education are identical to the university tradition of Western Europe. In 1531 Gazi Husrev-beg established the Hanikah, a higher school of Sufi philosophy, to which an institution for the study of Islamic Sciences was added in 1537, known as the "Sarajevo Shariah Law School" (Turkish: Medresset-e-Kulliyet-e-Sheriet-e-Sarajevo or later commonly referred to as Jamiet-ush-Shariat-e-Sarajevo). Here the three disciplines of Classical Catholic Universities were nurtured: theology, law and philosophy and the university also comprised a library. By the end of the 19th century, this institution was the largest institution of learning in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

From the beginning it was on the same level as the Medrese (Islamic institution of higher education) of Sultan Bajazit in Istanbul, The institution upon which the old Istanbul University is based.

In the Austro-Hungarian period or more precisely in 1887, the Sharia Law School began to operate as a five-year-long high school.

The modern history of the Sarajevo University began with the establishment of the first secular institutions of higher education prior to World War II as well as during the war (the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry in 1940, the Medical Faculty in 1944). The Medical Faculty was re-established in 1946, the Faculty of Law, the Teacher Training College were opened and in 1948 the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry was re-established.

In 1949 the Engineering Faculty was opened. On the 2nd December that same year with the appointment of the first rector, the University of Sarajevo was established. With the opening of the Faculty of Philosophy (1950) and the Economics Faculty (1952) the first, initial phase of establishment of the Sarajevo University was completed.

The second phase of development (1955 - 1969) was characterised by the affirmation of the University, the opening of new institutions of higher education and the relative satisfaction of the needs for highly educated personnel in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Another significant achievement is the organisation and initiation of postgraduate studies at the University.

The third phase (1970 - 1982) was defined by more institutions of higher education being opened at the University, a scientific promotion of the University and its intensified involvement and promotion on the international academic plane. The University contributed directly and indirectly to the establishment of new universities in Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla.

The fourth phase (1982 - 1992) was characterised by the separation of scientific activities from the University and the formation of favouritised scientific institutes outside the University. This brought considerable damage to the University of Sarajevo, because the coherence of university education and scientific research was jeopardised. This resulted in a lower quality of education and a technological stagnation of the University. The uncontrolled enrolment of an enormous number of students resulted in a significantly lower efficiency of studies and a hyper-production of personnel in certain educational areas.

The fifth phase (1992 - 1995) was a phase of barbaric devastation of the facilities and equipment of the University. Most of Christian professors and personnel as well as students fled the city, which resulted in an enourmous decrease in the number of high quality educators and students involved. All this was caused by the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Despite all the difficulties of life and work during the three-and-a-half-year-long siege of Sarajevo and thanks to the enthusiasm, professional attitude, patriotism and perseverance of university teachers and associates as well as the students, the University of Sarajevo managed to retain its continuity of work and life. This was a specific aspect of intellectual, academic resistance towards everything that is barbaric and against civilisation, the University's contribution to the affirmation of freedom and democracy, the defence against aggression and fascism and the affirmation of the statehood of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

At the beginning of 1996, the University of Sarajevo entered the phase of post-war physical and academic renewal and reconstruction. The physical renewal is aimed at the reconstruction of devastated and the rebuilding of destroyed facilities (through the realisation of the New University Campus Project), the replacement of destroyed educational and scientific equipment and the reconstruction of student dormitories. Significant results have been achieved on this plane and the conditions for higher quality studies have been formed.

The process of renewal and reconstruction of the University is supported by the activities of the European University Association, the European Council, the European Union as well as a whole line of international organisations and institutions involved in the field of higher education.

The University of Sarajevo has partner relations with over forty Universities in Europe, USA, Canada and the Arab countries.

The main objective of all its current activities is to raise the quality of studies and to create a contemporary university of European provenance which will be a respectable representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina on an international level and a promoter of traditional, historical, cultural, scientific and artistic values of this part of Europe.

[edit] Organization

These are the 23 faculties in which the university is divided into:

[edit] See also

[edit] External link


Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina List of universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Banja Luka | Bihać | Džemal Bijedić | East Sarajevo | Mostar | Sarajevo | Tuzla | Zenica |
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