Speech of the Rector of the University of Montenegro, Danilo Nikolic, for the Occasion of the Day of the University of Montenegro
Dear colleagues and students,
The University of Montenegro celebrates the 46th year of its educational, scientific, research and cultural-artistic creation.
Today, University of Montenegro celebrates the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic of the new COVID-19 virus corona, in the restrictive conditions of daily life, work activities and social interaction, in challenging times, which put our responsibility, discipline and solidarity to the test.
Today, in the context of priority concern for the health of individuals and society, we have managed to move teaching and science from classrooms, amphitheaters and laboratories to online platforms in a short period of time, ensuring continuous and quality education and ensuring the normal functioning of the University.
What makes me especially proud during the epidemiological crisis is that our professors and students have shown a high degree of social responsibility and through volunteer work, ideas, initiatives, knowledge, skills, have provided significant support to the Institute for Public Health, the National Coordinating Body and the State Montenegro.
Therefore, you will allow me to use this addressing on University Day, firstly to promote examples of humanity and activism, as part of the enduring values that we strive to inspire for young generations and secure the bright future of our Montenegro.
Our professors and associates have focused their knowledge and work with 3D printers on the priority production and delivery of protective masks and visors.
We have provided the Institute of Public Health with a Real Time PCR apparatus, which is used for relatively rapid laboratory diagnostics of specimens in the midst of the COVIDa-19 epidemic.
In collaboration with international scientific institutes and biomedical partners, we are working on a project-based study of bioactive components from marine sponges and their potential in the treatment of COVID-19.
The Student Parliament focused all its activities on voluntary work and active support for the Red Cross, local communities, or actions to help seniors and vulnerable citizens throughout the Stay Home campaign.
They were among the first ones to organize a voluntary blood donation campaign at the Blood Transfusion Institute.
Our students assist physicians, epidemiologists, working as operators of the Call Center for Information and Assistance to Citizens regarding COVID-19, within the Institute of Public Health. Our students provide online consultations to elementary and high school students learning foreign languages at home. Our students assist the youngest and parents during the kindergarten suspension by suggesting creative and educational toys and activities through video workshops. Despite the fact that our employees help with their profession and knowledge, as Rector of the University, I felt an obligation to invite them to collective solidarity and financial assistance to the National Coordination Body in the fight against COVID-19. I am immensely grateful that you have contributed to the collection of much needed funds through individual and associate donations through the home faculties and the Union of the University. In the last year we have achieved enviable results, and I would like to remind you on this occasion, of the efforts made and the common successes. Through the development strategy of the University of Montenegro, through five priority areas, we have defined further directions of modernization, institutional strengthening, academic competitiveness and international affirmation of the University of Montenegro. Scientific research is one of the most important development priorities of the University of Montenegro with the aim of increasing the visibility and excellence of our scientific resources and capacities in the European Research Area. The dedicated work of our scientists has been recognized many times through: progressive positioning in the world rankings, authorial journalism and growing citation, successfully implemented international projects and scientific conferences. The number of citations from our scholars at Google Scholar is currently around 115,000, an increase of 95,000 or nearly 6 times the start of the R&D visibility campaign, which we started 2 and a half years ago. The University will continue to create incentive mechanisms that contribute to the development of Montenegrin scientific thought and its affirmation in international academic contexts, such as providing access to the most eminent scientific literature through the Web of Science, a global database, or rewarding employees for outstanding research and project results, for which in the past year alone we have allocated about 400 thousand euros. We are especially proud of the fact that the University of Montenegro ranked among the top 1,300 universities in the world for the first time, according to the renowned Times Higher Education ranking. Based on general criteria, we are ranked in the entry category 1001+, while in the field of sciences we are best ranked in technical and technological where we are ranked in the group of 601 to 800 of the best Universities in the world. Thanks to the successful international positioning and remarkable results of our scientists, the University of Montenegro has been awarded the logo of Excellence in Research, a prestigious recognition by the European Commission, as a confirmation of the quality and competitiveness of our research work. I would like to point out in particular the great success of our scientists who successfully organized first online international scientific conference in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic. International collaboration and project activities are also continuing successfully through digital services and video conferencing, through customized modalities and working schedule. We are constantly increasing the number of contracts with partner universities within the Erasmus + Mobility Program, which provide student, academic and non-academic staff with credit, professional and research mobility. In the past year, we have achieved the greatest success so far with regard to international project applications, notably from Erasmus +, Capacity Building in Higher Education and within the pre-accession Interreg programs of cross-border and transnational cooperation. The value of projects from these two international programs alone is € 2.7 million. If we consider other international as well as national projects financed by the Ministry of Science, we come to a figure of over 3.5 million euros, received for the implementation of projects of the University of Montenegro. Bearing in mind that in 2017 this revenue amounted to EUR 430.000, we conclude that in just 2 years we have increased our revenues from project activities over 8 times. In accordance with our primary educational function, we are committed to further improving the quality of the teaching process. We have made changes to the Rules of study in elementary and master studies, and adopted a new Rulebook that precisely defined the conditions for enrollment in the first year of master studies. We have innovated and streamlined study programs to meet new labor market requirements and learning outcomes, through content changes of up to 30 ECTS credits. In order to increase the accessibility of education to all categories of population, we have adopted the Rules for Lifelong Learning Programs at the University of Montenegro, which enable the acquisition of new competences and qualifications throughout life. In order to spread the culture of academic integrity, we have created online courses for students on the principles of ethical conduct in higher education. We have also adopted a new Code of Ethics and, in accordance with it, constituted the Ethics Committee of the University of Montenegro. In the previous year, the University has allocated to its organizational units its own funds for reconstruction and modernization of teaching facilities and equipment, in excess of the total allocations in the last 10 years. EUR 1.1 million was earmarked for the investment maintenance of facilities, computer equipment and teaching aids, the maintenance and procurement of new furniture for the needs of amphitheaters, classrooms, libraries and reading rooms. I would like to emphasize that in the past year, through the Center for Information System of the University, we have significantly intensified process of digital transformation of the University of Montenegro. By digitizing the publishing industry, we have created an electronic platform through which the teaching literature and other non-continuing publications of the University staff will be reported. We have introduced a free internet Eduroam academic network and DMS across all organizational units of the University, with increasing internet streaming speeds to 1Gbps. An email account has been provided for all students, working on the development of the e-Index and e-Service and the modernization of the e-learning system.Everything that has been done over the past year regarding intensive digitization has proven to be crucial in the emergency situation of reorganizing complete teaching through online platforms and digital media. With the introduction of interim measures by the Government of Montenegro, which included the suspension of classical teaching, within a very short time CIS launched the latest version of the online distance learning service MOODLE and launched a Help Desk with full-day IT support at all organizational units. Using MOODLE platform and ZOOM video conferencing system, all teaching materials and contents are available, interactive communication with students is ensured and continuity and quality of teaching process for 20.000 students is ensured. Our efforts to digitize and modernize the university's infrastructure have also been recognized by our alumni and business partners, who, in the form of significant donations, have supported individual activities over the past year. We have proven that we are responsible for the organizational, staffing and financial resources of the University. The Government of Montenegro, committed to budgetary resources and the University of Montenegro, by reinvesting its own revenues, work responsibly to improve its capacities and resources. We are devoted to improving social, professional and financial status of our employees. By changing the Collective Agreement, in cooperation with the Union Trade Union Organization and the Ministry of Education, we ensured a 9% + 3% increase in salaries for all employees next year and the formation of a special fund to support research, innovation and project activities at UoM. Also, we launched a competition to address the housing needs of employees by allocating funds from the University Housing Fund. The competition has been suspended, but will be reactivated after the interim measures of the Government of Montenegro have ceased. By the end of 2020, for the needs of our employees, we also planned to call for tenders for the construction of housing units within the University Center II DUP. The University also nourishes a proactive and constructive relationship with its environment, both in terms of productive cooperation with the business and public sectors, with regional and international partners, as well as in promoting socially responsible behavior and the authentic values of sustainable development of Montenegrin society, economy and state. Together with the Government of Montenegro and the Ministry of Science, we have established the first Science and Technology Park in order to intensify cooperation and synergies between the research sector, economic entities, local communities and development institutions, that is, stimulate the innovation-entrepreneurial environment and competitiveness of the Montenegrin economy. We intensified our cooperation with the Montenegrin scientific diaspora through scientific meetings related to cultural and historical identity, democratic dialogue, challenges of migration and other current social issues, as an overture for a series of roundtables, open forums and dialogues to be organized in the future, entitled Montenegro 2030.
In the last year, numerous scientific conferences and regional forums were also hosted by renowned lecturers and experts, as well as numerous social events, innovative and entrepreneurial ventures, cultural and artistic events, sports competitions and social greening activities on university campuses. We have listed just some of the achievements in the previous year. We would not have achieved this without mutual trust and support, without individual contributions and teamwork, without commitment to students, scientific thought and academic excellence. We were confronted with the imperative and challenge of a complete reorganization, adaptation and transition to online teaching in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrated our professionalism, expertise and humanity. Restrictive conditions, physical isolation and lack of social activities have been used by many to advance teaching and scientific work, through innovation of teaching content and techniques, through mentoring and intensive communication with students, through writing professional papers or preparing new projects. And this makes me especially happy - that we did not give up, we have already adjusted, we have not given up, but we have survived the joint forces, with unmatched intensity and quality. Today we symbolically commemorate University Day and unfortunately, I will not be able to personally award Plaques to the best students of the University of Montenegro and to promote the new PhDs. Today, I will read their names, while emphasizing their persistence and perseverance, their dedicated work towards professional and academic development, and their personal contribution to promoting the value of the knowledge society.
Winners of the Plaque of the University of Montenegro for 2020 are as follows:
For the field of engineering, science and mathematical and medical sciences:
- Blagoje Babić, student of the Faculty of Medicine, with point average grade 10,00
- Krsto Šućur, student of the Maritime Faculty Kotor, with point average grade 9,93
For the field of social sciences:
- Milan Raičević, student of the Faculty of Economics, with point average grade 9,97
- Anđa Tomović, student of the Faculty of Philology, with point average grade 9,93
For the field of arts:
- Lana Bulatović, student of the Faculty of Fine Arts, with point average grade 9,93
For the last year, doctoral dissertation on the University of Montenegro was defended by:
MILOŠ BRAJOVIĆ on the Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Thesis Topic: Analysis of Algorithms for Reconstruction of Sparse Signals in Hermitian and Fourier Transformational Domain
Mentor: Miloš Daković, PhD
SLAVICA TOMOVIĆ on the Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Thesis Topic: Analysis of Performance of the Techniques for Traffic Engineering in ISP Network of the Next Generation
Mentor: Igor Radusinović, PhD
ARMEND YMERI on the Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Topic: Selection of Optimal Location and Capacities of Photovoltaic Systems with the Aim to Reduce Power Loss and Voltage Drops in Distribution Network
Mentor: Saša Mujović, PhD
LUKA FILIPOVIĆ on the Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Thesis Topic: Combined Adaptational Algorithm for Load Distribution in Parallelization of Applications
Mentor: Božo Krstajić, PhD
NIKOLA BAŠA on the Faculty of Civil Engineering
Thesis Topic: Effects of Influence Distribution on Border States of Continual Beams Reinforced by FRP Armature
Mentor: Radomir Zejak, PhD
KATARINA MIRKOVIĆ on the Faculty of Civil Engineering
Thesis Topic: Application of Electric Filter Ashes in Asphalt Mixtures
Mentor: Goran Mladenović, PhD
JOVAN GARDAŠEVIĆ on the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education
Thesis Topic: Sensory motor Performance of Dominant and Non-Dominant Hand of Top Athletes
Mentor: Duško Bjelica, PhD
SAMI SERMAXAJ on the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education
Thesis Topic: Effect of Body Exercise According to the Program for Pliability Development on Anthropological Status of Young Soccer Players
Mentor: Stevo Popović, PhD
BESIM HALILAJ on the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education
Thesis Topic: Relations of Motoric, Morphological and Cognitive Status with Achievements of Performing Gymnastic Elements of Students of Sport and Physical Education
Mentor: Dejan Madić, PhD
BESNIK MORINA on the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education
Thesis Topic: Comparative Analysis of Anthropometric Dimensions of Body and Motoric Capacities of Students of Elementary School of Montenegro and Kosovo in Terms of Age and Gender
Mentor: Rašid Hadžić, PhD
IVAN VASILJEVIĆ on the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education
Thesis Topic: Anthropometric Parameters as Overweight Indicators of Adolescents in Montenegro
Mentor: Duško Bjelica, PhD
LJILJANA PJEROTIĆ on the Faculty of Economics
Thesis Topic: Sustainable Tourism Development Management in Terms of European Integrations
Mentor: Božo Mihailović, PhD
PETAR BOŽOVIĆ on the Faculty of Philology
Topic Thesis: Audiovisual Translation and Cultural Elements: Corpus Analysis of Transfer with Reception Study in Montenegro
Mentor: Vojko Gorjanc, PhD
ALADIN CRNKIĆ on the Faculty of Science and Mathematics
Thesis Topic: Collective Behaviour and Self-organisation in Connected Oscillators Networks
Mentor: Vladimir Jaćimović, PhD
Appropriate ceremony and plaque award will be organized accordingly, when we will have the opportunity to adequately celebrate achieved results and congratulate the best and the most diligent ones for the past year.
Finally, I congratulate one more time our academic community the Day of the University of Montenegro with deserved praises and appreciation for achieved results, diligence, knowledge and quality and for demonstrated spirit of solidarity and social responsibility in challenging times.