The and Role and Place of Public Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Round Table Discussion Held

The University of Sarajevo organized, on the initiative started by the Pregled – Journal for Social Issues, a round table discussion on the subject The Role and Place of Public Universities in Bosnia And Herzegovina on Thursday, 26 March 2015.
The welcome addresses by Prof. Dr. Muharem Avdispahic HonDSc, University of Sarajevo Rector and Prof. Dr. Senadin Lavic, Pregled’s Editor In Chief opened the discussion.

In his address, Rector Avdispahic reminded that the recent phase of establishing the European Higher Education Area had begun by signing the Magna Charta Universitatum in Bologna in 1988. He also said that ten years later the education ministers of France, Italy, Germany and Great Britain had signed the Sorbonne declaration on harmonization of the higher education system in Europe,  therefore having enabled next year 29 European countries to sign the Bologna Declaration in the following year.

Emphasizing the importance of university’s institutional autonomy, Rector Avdispahic said the following “The responsibility that universities carry is the responsibility towards society, not the responsibility for those in political power.”

Prof. Dr. Senadin Lavic said that the university awareness was in a dire need of change, keeping in mind that the university should be what it always had been - a place where science and knowledge were looked after. Professor Lavic believes that the university cannot be a local institution, but the institution backed by the state.

The goal behind this round table discussion was presenting the position and further transformation of the university in the BH society from the scientific point of view.  In their presentations, roundtable participants emphasized the importance of discussions understanding processes in which we participate within this historical moment and that we will discuss the most important matters for the university’s system operating as the pivotal part of contemporary society and culture.

The following presentations were held at the roundtable discussion:
- Prof. Dr. Senadin Lavic, Pregled’s Editor in Chief “University in the Current Moment”
- Prof. Dr. Jusuf Ziga, UNSA Faculty of Political Sciences “Why Does Social Treatment of Public Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina Cause Multifaceted Harm?”
- Ass. Prof. Dr. Zlatiborka Popov Momcinovic,  University of East Sarajevo Faculty of Philosophy “The Place and Role of Public Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina”
- Dr. Zlatan Delic, University of Tuzla Faculty of Philosophy “About the University, Public Good and Social Inequality”
- Prof. Dr. Naris Pojskic, Ass. Prof. Dr. Lejla Pojskic, Prof. Dr. Kasim Bajrovic, Prof. Dr. Rifat Hadziselimovic, Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and UNSA Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics “The Position and Role of Public Universities within the Context of Contemporary Scientific and Technological Development”
- Ass. Prof. Dr. Ensar Sehic, UNSA School of Business and Economics “The Role of Universities in Post-Conflict Societies: Empirical Prove of the Human Capital Impact on the Likelihood of Conflict”
- Prof. Dr. Ugo Vlaisavljevic, UNSA Vice Rector “De-politicization or Re-politization of University”
- Prof. Dr. Salih Foco, UNSA Faculty of Philosophy Dean,
- Prof. Dr. Jasmina Osmankovic, UNSA School of Business and Economics “The Effects of the Transition on Public Universities and/or Public Universities in the Transition Era“
- Prof. Dr. Elvis Cizmic, UNSA School of Business and Economics “The Process of Redesigning the Organizational Structure of Public Higher Education Institutions“
- Prof. Dr. Andrea Lesic-Thomas, Ass. Prof. Dr. Mario Hibert, UNSA Faculty of Philosophy “The University never Changes its Spots... or It Does?”
- Ass. Prof. Dr. Pavle Mijovic, UNSA Faculty of Catholic Theology “The Idea of the University and Knowledge Inflation -  General Context”
- Anes Hrnjic, MA, UNSA School of Economics and Business “The Importance of Measuring Student Satisfaction with the Aim of Evaluating the Performance and Redesign Strategies in Line with Trends in the Higher Education Sector”
- Mirza Čerkez, Eng Lit. Grad., University of Sarajevo Administrative Office, “Panta Rhei”.

The University of Sarajevo and Pregled’s Editorial Board intend to publish papers presented at the round table discussion in the journal’s next issue, in order to make it available for the academic community and public.

Current social, economic, legal and political processes are at the heart of comprehending the culture-historical developments, in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the contemporary world. New issues have emerged that require the rethinking of traditional and empirical thinking in the areas of social sciences and humanities. Being one of the oldest scientific journals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Pregled provides an academic platform for the presentation of research and theoretical analysis of journal’s main areas of interest – social sciences and humanities.