The Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb celebrated Faculty Day and the 248th anniversary of its continuous work with a formal session of the Faculty Council. The event, held at the Blagoje Bersa Hall of the Zagreb Music Academy, was attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the President’s envoy and Advisor for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić, the President of the Croatian Parliament’s envoy and Chair of the Committee on the Constitution, Rules of Procedure, and Political System Ivan Malenica, PhD, by University of Zagreb Rector Prof. Stjepan Lakušić, Minister of Science, Education, and Youth Radovan Fuchs, State Attorney General Ivan Turudić, Chair of the Legislation Committee Krunoslav Katičić, the City of Zagreb’s envoy and Head of the City Administration’s Expert Service Željko Matijašec, Vice-Rectors of the University of Zagreb, Deans and Vice-Deans of law faculties from Croatia and abroad, Deans of the University of Zagreb, and numerous other distinguished guests, including awarded students, faculty, and staff.
Rector Lakušić emphasized the priority of renovating the University of Zagreb’s building at Trg Republike Hrvatske 14, shared with the Faculty of Law since 1882. „This building, being the most complex in the renovation process due to its status as a cultural monument, still requires complete restoration. Following the recommendation of the Ministry of Science and Education, we are currently re-launching the public tender process for selecting a contractor for the full renovation. We believe that the renovation of the other three Faculty of Law buildings—located in Nazorova Street, Trg Republike Hrvatske 3, and Ćirilometodska Street—is progressing as expected,“ Rector Lakušić said.
The envoy to the President of the Croatian Parliament Ivan Malenica congratulated Dean Koprić on assuming the position, especially during such challenging times, and encouraged faculty members to remain motivated in providing knowledge. „I am confident that our students, as future leaders in legal science and the legal profession, will boldly apply and promote the law in society. May they continue to be pillars of justice highlighting the importance of the Faculty of Law in Croatian society,“ Malenica said.
Pelicarić, the President’s envoy, highlighted the faculty’s resilience and progress after the earthquake. „Although the faculty is temporarily housed outside its historical seat, it remains active and continues to develop in legal education and research. New programmes and courses are being introduced, research projects are expanding, and we are actively preparing for the 250th anniversary of the faculty in two years, which we will celebrate with pride,“ Pelicarić stated.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized that, four years after the major earthquake, there has been significant progress in the renovation of institutions and buildings. „We are confident that the renovation of our main historical building – the Rectorate and Faculty of Law – will accelerate the process, and within the next two years, ahead of the major anniversary, we expect to be highly satisfied with the progress. This will significantly improve the working conditions for professors and the study environment for students,“ the Prime Minister said. He also added that „the prominent role of faculty professors in European institutions—such as the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court—attests to the strength and quality of the Faculty of Law’s graduates.“
In his address, the Dean of the Faculty of Law Prof. Ivan Koprić highlighted the continuation of a positive trend in the current academic year, with a higher number of enrolled students compared to the previous year, and the maintainance of the upward trend in filling enrollment quotas, which this year reached 84.84% across all undergraduate programmes.
„Over the past two years, the number of first-year law students has increased by 94, representing an 18% increase. The undergraduate programme in social work has once again achieved full enrollment for regular students, while law enrollment for regular students reached an impressive 98.84%. The number of students on exchange through the Erasmus+ programme also grew, from 64 last year to 81 this winter semester, hence an increase of 26.6%,“ Dean Koprić said.
He also emphasized the ongoing development of the faculty’s scientific infrastructure, including preparations for the construction of a new heritage library, publishing activities including books, textbooks, and seven scientific journals, and financial support for research by professors and young scholars. Additionally, socially engaged student research is promoted through the work of the Administrative Compass, the Center for Social Support and Innovation, and the Legal Clinic, along with access to five international and three domestic book and journal databases.
„We are pleased with the progress of the complete renovation of our buildings at Trg Republike Hrvatske 3, Ćirilometodska 4, and Nazorova 51, but we are concerned that the renovation of the building housing the Faculty of Law at Trg Republike Hrvatske 14 has not yet begun,“ Dean Koprić said. He also announced that the Faculty of Law will celebrate its milestone 250th anniversary in two years, with preparations beginning today.
In the second part of the ceremony, awards were presented to students, faculty, and staff for their achievements in the 2023/2024 academic year. The award for the best lifelong learning programme was given to Assoc. Prof. Mateja Held. The „Marko Petrak“ award for the best scientific work by young researchers from the Faculty of Law went to Darija Željko Mrljak, and the „Mira Alinčić“ award for the best professional work by students in the fields of law, social work, social policy, public administration, and public finance was awarded to Valentin Kuzelj.
Dean’s awards for various activities and achievements were presented to Rea Štoković, Marija Žarak, Klara Radić, Nikolina Filipović, Filipa Ledić, Julia Fueh Mihovilović, Marin Roglić, Nina Šmuk, Antea Lilek, Sara Supina, Lana Hubak, Lari Koh, Matea Maljković, Uni Ladan, Ana Martinis, Iva Blažević, Laura Lučić, Jan Majdak, Nikola Mustač, Leonarda Šarić, Sara Tonković, Petra Butković, Josip Hrvatić, Magda Smolić-Ročak, Anđela Anđelić, Zrinka Babić, Karla Blažević, Doris Frljak, Neri Furčić, Nora Greidl, Marija Gršić, Petra Jurina, Antonija Kovač, Lucija Krstić, Sara Martinović, Sunčica Matić, Ana Milčetić, Lucija Papeša, Katarina Ravkin, Hana Rogić, Iva Tomić, Iva Vukalović, and Klara Vučković.
Awards for the best academic performance in the 2023/2024 academic year were given to Iva Smolčić, Jure Topić, Franjo Dumančić, Ivan Modrić, Marija Žarak, Filip Ledić, Petra Miletić, Emanuela Mrdeža, Monika Markus, Marin Roglić, Petra Fištrek, Davor Ribar, Kristina Luheni, Sanja Aralica, Ivana Paska, Matea Ana Cindrić, and Marija Karla Dragaš.
Awards for the special contribution of administrative staff to the Faculty’s work were presented to Relja Bosanac, Snježana Ciprić, Vladimir Dobovičnik, and Branka Kušić Milošević. Commemorative medals were awarded to retired professors in the 2023/2024 academic year: Prof. Vilim Bouček, Prof. Ivan Rimac, and Prof. Ivan Šimonović.
The Zagreb Quartet performed during the musical portion of the ceremony.
Photo by “Foto IPIK”
