Pavićević: University of Montenegro (UCG) as Alma Mater, a community of professors and students in pursuit of truth
Over the five decades of the University of Montenegros existence, a significant number of professors, assistants, and students have influenced the shaping and enhancement of this educational institution. However, special mention must be made of those professors who have dedicated their entire careers to UCG and have earned the title of professor emeritus.
Among the retired full professors of the university who currently hold this title, we highlight Dr. Žarko Pavićević, a professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at UCG. Professor Pavićević has, in his 44 years of service at the Faculty, achieved significant results in science and in fostering the next generation of teaching and research staff, earning him numerous national awards, including the Oktoih Award, the July 13th Award, and the December Award of Podgorica. He served as vice-dean (1990-1994) and dean of the Faculty (1994-1998) and is one of the founders of the Mathematica Montisnigri journal, which has been published since 1993. His work is further acknowledged by his 2015 election as a professor at the National Research Nuclear University in Moscow.
On the occasion of the universitys significant anniversary, Pavićević emphasized the importance of this educational institution and shared advice and messages to inspire new generations.
What role has the University of Montenegro played in your life and development? How much has it inspired and guided you toward further goals?
For me, the University of Montenegro is an Alma mater, a nurturing mother, feeding the soul with knowledge, wisdom, and all other human virtues. Like every mother guiding her childs life with the desire for it to be fulfilling and successful, so has this mother guided my professional development, work, and creativity. Through scientific advancements, study visits to various universities, participation in domestic and international conferences and seminars, ensuring the best possible conditions for teaching, encouraging, and indeed demanding that we approach every task conscientiously, devotedly, and responsibly, UCG has played, and continues to play, a significant role and inspires me to continue, as far as my intellectual and physical capacities allow, to follow the path paved by our University.
I remember the professors of the University of Montenegro from when I was young - a trainee assistant and assistant. They were extraordinary people, broad-minded, exceptionally dignified, dedicated to their work, ready to advise and help younger colleagues. People to be emulated, who inspired and guided my future work at the University and somewhat my future life path. Even then, I realized that universities are not only scientific-educational but also educational institutions. I have often emphasized this at our University. Namely, universities do not educate students in the way that is done with pupils in primary and secondary schools. Education at universities is acquired through the mutual relationship of professors and assistants, their relationship towards students, colleagues, work, and responsibilities. Education occurs through role models.
Thus, the University of Montenegro is made up of people – teachers, associates, students, and all other employees, who are dedicated to working, creating, and studying at it. I would especially like to point out that the University of Montenegro has remained the Alma mater of the entire Montenegrin society, despite a number of private higher education institutions. This should be emphasized in public, and especially to foreign bodies managing the state of Montenegro. Working at UCG for 44 years in a permanent employment relationship, and the following three as a professor emeritus, and all the while trying to live the life of the University, represents an inspiration and incentive to achieve the desires and goals that a person always sets in their life.
What does the title of professor emeritus, which was conferred on you in 2022, mean to you? What is it like to be on the distinguished list of individuals who have earned this title?
Receiving the title of professor emeritus is an exceptional honor but also a responsibility and obligation for future work. It is a great recognition to receive this title, especially since it comes from the environment where I worked for 44 years, from colleagues who recognized my work, and I believe the overall relationship I had towards students and employees at UCG.
The feeling of being in the "company" of professors who have built UCG with their work and dedication, devoted the best of their lives to it, is exceptional and very emotional. The responsibility is great because, in some way, you represent the University, the title of university professor, your teaching work, your previous scientific creativity. I can say that this title contains, ultimately, your attitudes and views on life. The obligations of a professor emeritus are not small if his health allows him to fulfill them. I think they consist of the maxim: “Continue the same life path.”
How much have the professors and students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (PMF) contributed to Montenegrin society in the past, and what is the importance of the PMF for Montenegro today?
Observing the evolution of civilization, it becomes evident that breakthroughs in mathematics and natural sciences have consistently heralded progress in human civilization. This is exemplified by historical epochs such as Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, and the modern era. The trivium and quadrivium, core educational elements from medieval universities inherited from antiquity, underscore the pivotal role of mathematical and scientific knowledge in societal development. In contemporary society, which is fundamentally grounded in the advancements of natural sciences and mathematics, any community that fails to keep pace with developments in these fields risks stagnation and decline, highlighting the immense, arguably immeasurable contribution of PMF to Montenegrin society.
Professors and associates of PMF have showcased their findings at numerous international scientific conferences and seminars, publishing their work in prestigious scientific journals. Many from PMF have engaged in research during their stays at renowned global universities and institutes, contributing to and often leading significant scientific projects funded by European Union funds or the Montenegrin Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development.
Our graduates who continued their education abroad, earning masters and doctoral degrees, are recognized as exceptional specialists in their fields. These activities affirm that PMF not only enhances the University of Montenegro but also elevates the international scientific standing of Montenegro.
And not only that. The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (PMF) has made a significant contribution to the development of the University of Montenegro (UCG). It has greatly contributed to the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and the transformation of the Higher Maritime School in Kotor into a faculty. Professors and associates of our faculty deliver lectures in mathematics and natural sciences at other university units, thereby contributing to the work of these units.
Graduates of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (PMF) are recognized as highly qualified professionals in our country. Consequently, they easily find employment in Montenegro. There is almost no demand for this profile on the job market. I particularly emphasize the significant contribution that PMF has made to the development and application of information technologies. Our teachers and associates have implemented a series of projects aimed at enhancing digital literacy among the youth, introducing information technologies into various sectors of society, consultancy work, etc.
It should be noted that today, our educational system, at all levels, is facing a shortage of teaching staff for mathematics, physics, and chemistry. You can imagine what the situation in primary and secondary schools would be like if this cadre were not educated at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (PMF). Despite this, the problem is significant, as young people are reluctant to work in education. Efforts must be made, together with the state, to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Young people and children often perceive mathematics as a daunting subject. How would you encourage them to embrace the beauty of mathematical spaces?
Mathematics is not a nightmare. It has been made into one by adults, parents, and perhaps some mathematics teachers. Research shows that any student willing to dedicate a certain amount of time to learning mathematics can excel in mastering mathematical content. Children should be motivated towards this. Here is one approach inspired by a Hungarian mathematician. He tells his pupils and students, I paraphrase: To learn how to solve mathematical problems, you can do it the same way you learned to swim. How did you learn to swim? You first entered the water and then started moving your arms and legs, over and over again. Similarly, to solve mathematical problems, you must first read the problem, try to solve it, and if it doesn’t work out, try again, repeatedly, until you succeed. All this should be done without fear or complexes.
Engaging children with interesting problems, mathematical "tricks," telling them intriguing anecdotes from the lives of mathematicians, and emphasizing the importance of mathematical knowledge are essential because mathematics, apart from the knowledge and skills leading to their intellectual development, influences their cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, moral, and creative development.
Its important to remember that mathematical knowledge, along with linguistic knowledge, forms the foundation upon which the entire education of a student is built. This is best illustrated by the words of the famous Italian Renaissance architect, inventor, engineer, sculptor, and painter Leonardo da Vinci, who said: "Those of you who are learning, learn mathematics. Do not build without a foundation." Therefore, special attention should be paid to mathematical literacy and education.
What message would you send to the University for its 50th anniversary? What advice would you give for the future?
I believe that students, professors, and all employees perceive the University of Montenegro as their Alma Mater, as it truly is the nurturing mother of all, in the literal sense. Hence, dedication and commitment to their roles should be the foremost priority for everyone at the University.
For the nurturing mother to effectively nurture her children, she must have helpers, without whom she couldnt perform her noble and humane task. These helpers at UCG include primary and secondary educational institutions. Therefore, I would recommend that UCG develops collaborations with elementary and high school educational institutions. A good example would be establishing cooperation with departments of mathematics, philology, and sports in high schools and other profiles. Such collaboration existed in the 1990s with the department of mathematical high school and proved to be very beneficial for UCG.
My advice for the future would be: Build the University as a community of professors and students who are fully dedicated to their work, approach it responsibly, aware that without such an approach there is no success. Develop the University as a community of professors and students who seek the truth, as a community with self-governance, as a community with full autonomy.
I take this opportunity to congratulate all the employees and students of the University on this significant anniversary and wish them success in their work, and in their personal lives, good health, happiness, and plenty of joy.