From September 11 to 12, 2024, the University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola hosted the 9th meeting of the Rector’s Forum of Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans, with abundant and diversified agenda.
This regional cooperation was established several years ago, and in the past years the universities of the region have worked together to ensure the successful functioning of the Rector’s Forum of Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans as an important regional network of higher education to strengthen cooperation between universities and to become the voice of academic institutions in the region.
This year the University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola celebrates the 45th anniversary of its formal establishment in 1979 and the 100th anniversary of its oldest unit – the Tobacco Institute in Prilep, but also pays tribute to the 90th anniversary of the first student organization in Bitola. In parallel, this year UKLO became a partner of the European university alliance COLOURS, which is another significant historical milestone for the future direction of progress.
In light of these important dates, a series of events have been organized to discuss the achievements to date and the future opportunities for growth in the academic community. Discussions focused on the future development of university alliances, university values, opportunities for joint project proposals and other activities.
The welcoming speech was given by prof. Dr. Igor Nedelkovski, rector of the University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola, who emphasized the positive effect of such an important event, such as the Rector’s Forum, with synergies with European university associations: COLOURS, EUTOPIA, YUFE, as well as EUA (European Association of Universities), which was held in Bitola.
Prof. Dr. Joseph Garel, President of the European University Association, held a plenary session on European university alliances and opened the discussion on university alliances, the reaction of universities to this initiative, the impact, opportunities and challenges. He pointed out that only 10 percent of European universities have the opportunity to enter into alliances, that transnational cooperation must benefit all university systems and the majority must not be limited to cooperation in EU alliances. There are many challenges for universities that have decided to join one of the alliances, but also for universities that have not joined the alliances. He pointed out that different countries have different legal frameworks, legislation and financing, and in that direction legal reforms are needed.
The plenary session was followed by a discussion and reflection by the presidents and general secretaries of the university alliances. Prof. Dr. Thorsten Mayer, President of COLOURS, Dr. Mattia Belotti, Secretary General of EUTOPIA, Maria-Valerie Šegk, Secretary General of YUFE and Prof. Dr. Joseph Garrel, President of EUA, discussed the future development of university alliances. The event also provided an opportunity to establish cooperation between different European university associations.
Within the framework of the Forum, the General Assembly was held where the annual report, the financial plan, the reports and plans of the working groups and the initiatives for new memberships were discussed. At the 9th Rector’s Forum for new members, three universities were accepted – Aristotle University in Thessaloniki from Greece, University of Applied Sciences in Uroševac from Kosovo and Isa Boletin University in Mitrovica.
In the afternoon, the participants were divided into small parallel groups to discuss the possibilities of cooperation within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions, the UniAdrian-Ionian Interreg program and other joint projects and activities. The universities also committed to strengthening cooperation through the network of Centers for Advanced Studies (CAS) and through joint application for European and other projects, organizing joint events, conferences, symposia, exchange of students and staff and other activities.
The second day was dedicated to a discussion about the values of the university. The representatives of the University of Sarajevo, prof. Dr. Rifat Shkrijelj, rector, prof. Dr. Enita Nakaš, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Dr. Žilka Spahić Šiljak, presented the Integrity of Universities, University for Peace and Gender Equality and Diversity. Then, at the round table in which participated: prof. Dr. Mirjana Nikolic, rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade, prof. Dr. Gazela Pudar Drasko, director of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade and prof. Dr. Natasha Poklar Ulrich, EUTOPIA Institutional Coordinator at the University of Ljubljana, exchanged opinions and experiences about the university’s values.
Within the framework of the Forum, the General Assembly was held where the annual report, the financial plan, the reports and plans of the working groups and the initiatives for new memberships were discussed. At the 9th Rector’s Forum for new members, three universities were accepted – Aristotle University in Thessaloniki from Greece, University of Applied Sciences in Uroševac from Kosovo and Isa Boletin University in Mitrovica.
In the afternoon, the participants were divided into small parallel groups to discuss the possibilities of cooperation within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions, the UniAdrian-Ionian Interreg program and other joint projects and activities. The universities also committed to strengthening cooperation through the network of Centers for Advanced Studies (CAS) and through joint application for European and other projects, organizing joint events, conferences, symposia, exchange of students and staff and other activities.
The second day was dedicated to a discussion about the values of the university. The representatives of the University of Sarajevo, prof. Dr. Rifat Shkrijelj, rector, prof. Dr. Enita Nakaš, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Dr. Žilka Spahić Šiljak, presented the Integrity of Universities, University for Peace and Gender Equality and Diversity. Then, at the round table in which participated: prof. Dr. Mirjana Nikolic, rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade, prof. Dr. Gazela Pudar Drasko, director of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade and prof. Dr. Natasha Poklar Ulrich, EUTOPIA Institutional Coordinator at the University of Ljubljana, exchanged opinions and experiences about the university’s values.
Within the accompanying program of the Forum, the host, the University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola, also organized a multimedia theater performance, “A century of science and knowledge” directed by the renowned Dejan Projkovski, dedicated to the anniversaries of UKLO and its new colorfulness resulting from the colors of COLOURS. The guests also had the opportunity to visit the world-famous Tobacco Museum and the Scientific Institute for Tobacco in Prilep, and they got to know the rich cultural and historical heritage of Ohrid, known for its breathtaking lake panoramas and its status as a world heritage protected by UNESCO. In doing so, they also joined the field research focused on tourism, an activity within the work package 3 of the university alliance COLORS, which was held at FTU – Ohrid.
The participants of the Rector’s Forum had the opportunity to attend the promotion of the mobile collaborative space of UKLO COLORS (CoSpace), which gathered all regional and international stakeholders in one place for the purpose of mutual acquaintance and networking.
UKLO, as part of the European University Alliance COLURS, successfully brought together the participants of the Forum with the representatives of the European University Alliances, which provided it with the epithet of an unforgettable host. This concept of UKLO was realized thanks to the coordinated and successful cooperation of the head of the COLORS Implementation Office for UKLO, prof. Dr. Renata Petrevska Nechkoska, with the Rector’s team in charge of operational aspects, teaching and administrative staff, students, joint partners and collaborators.
Read more about the activity and all the collaborators, on UKLO COLOURS website.
Full gallery of the activities can be found here.
