Faculty of Law Celebrates Jubilee

The Faculty of Law at the University of Banja Luka (UNIBL) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a formal academic ceremony held on 6 February 2025. The event highlighted the role of this higher education institution in educating legal professionals and contributing to the development of the legal system in the Republic of Srpska. Representatives from the academic community and government addressed the attendees, emphasising the Faculty's significance for society and institutions.

Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, Rector of the University of Banja Luka, noted that graduates of the Faculty of Law possess commendable competencies and are highly sought after in the regional job market.

“This Faculty educates high-quality professionals who will continue to be key contributors to the development of the Republic of Srpska and its legal framework", said Rector Gajanin during the ceremony.

He further highlighted that graduates of this Faculty are currently in great demand, with almost no law graduates from the University of Banja Luka registered at the Employment Bureau.

The President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, congratulated the Faculty of Law at the University of Banja Luka on its fifty years of work, emphasising that the Faculty has fulfilled its scientific, educational, and societal role.

Mr. Dodik noted that many legal professionals who graduated from this higher education institution are his close associates.

"It was crucial to have experts who helped the Republic of Srpska properly define the legal basis for the functioning of its institutions, and students also greatly contributed to this effort", Dodik said during the academic ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Law, held in the amphitheatre of this higher education institution.

He highlighted the efforts of the government of the Republic of Srpska to provide the academic community with all the necessary resources for successful work. Additionally, the President reminded attendees that funds have been invested in constructing buildings for several Faculties and in improving student accommodation facilities.

"In the Republic of Srpska, students in dormitories have free accommodation, and tuition is free for those who regularly progress in their studies, while meals in student cafeterias are offered at affordable prices", said President Dodik.

The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Prof. Željko Budimir, PhD, stated today that the Faculty of Law played a pivotal role in laying the foundations for the statehood of the Republic of Srpska during the 1990s.

Budimir noted that this higher education institution, despite all challenges in the field of education, maintained academic criteria and a scientific approach which enabled the training of competent professionals who served at all levels of governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Faculty of Law was a seedbed which yielded graduates who later became cornerstones of the administration and judiciary in the Republic of Srpska, which have stood on the same foundations to this day", Budimir emphasised. He added that, as a former student of the UNIBL Faculty of Law, he is proud of the institution's fifty years of work.

The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, expressed satisfaction that study conditions in the Republic of Srpska are continuously improving, providing students with the opportunity to become esteemed individuals and academic citizens.

Mr. Stevandić congratulated the management of the Faculty of Law at the University of Banja Luka on fifty years of successful work and development. He also expressed satisfaction with meeting students from this Faculty twice a year.

"We hold joint meetings, identify issues, and strive to resolve them. This demonstrates that the Republic of Srpska is a responsible society", Stevandić stated during the academic ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Law.

The Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Banja Luka, Prof. Željko Mirjanić, PhD, stated that this faculty is an academic temple of education, science, and thought in the field of law. "Over the course of fifty years, 5,611 students have attained the title of Bachelor of Laws, and 145 students have attained the title of Master of Laws. The scientific title of Doctor of Laws has been awarded to 48 candidates", Dean Mirjanić said, and noted that these figures demonstrate the unwavering high educational standards of the Faculty of Law, producing professionals who successfully lead the country.

The event included presenting awards to those whose work and dedication contributed to the development of the Faculty of Law, and promoting graduates from the first and second study cycles who successfully completed their education at the Faculty in the past year.

The ceremony was attended by the vice-rectors of the University, Prof. Dalibor Kesić, PhD, and Prof. Aleksandar Ostojić, PhD; Chairperson of the Steering Board, Prof. Biljana Antunović, PhD; Financial Director Duško Lazić; President of the Constitutional Court of Srpska, Gerard Selman, MA; Minister of Justice of the Republic of Srpska, Miloš Bukejlović; Director of the Agency for Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions of the Republic of Srpska, Prof. Biljana Vojvodić, PhD; Consul General of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka, Miloš Vujić, and others.

(UNIBL/AGENCIES)

Photo: D. Desnica