[from "manual on cooperation with the University of Sarajevo" Copies of the manual or diskettes can be ordered from WUS Austria, Maiffredygasse 11, A-8010 Graz, Austria; Fax: 43-316-38-22-584, Tel: 43-316-38-22-58; e-mail: wus.austria@graz.telecom.at or wolfgang.benedek@kfunigraz.ac.at] 2. The University of Sarajevo during the War, and in the Post-War Period 2.1. The Educational-scholarly process Sarajevo University continued to function during the recent war through organising of individual examinations, final examinations and work with mentors, and the defense of masters' and doctoral dissertations. In the 1992/93 academic year around two-thirds, and in the 1994/95 academic year all the higher-educational institutions, organized lectures. A drastic decrease in the number of students was evidenced. 2.2. Students, academic staff In view of the fact that in the war conditions mobility, adaptability, and realisation of the existing educational potential were essential, and that the University's material basis had largely been destroyed or ruined by the war, the University decided to organize itself accordingly. The Collegiate body of the University with the Rector, Vice-Rector, General Secretary and Deans of the higher-educational institutions first urged, and then during the war period effectively established, a long-term educational-scholarly process. The capacity of the higher-educational institutions was drastically reduced from 21,533 full-time and 10,573 part-time students, to 8,269 students in the 1994/95 academic year, which represents a starting point for the program of rationalisation in the framework of the new concept of organization of the higher-educational institutions of the University 's activities. The first analyses show the needs of all the higher-educational institutions of the University of Sarajevo whose total capacity is around 15,000 students. The University's teaching staff decreased considerably, for various reasons, from the beginning of the war onwards. Of a total of 1,447 lecturers and associates, 661 (46%) left, 14 were killed, and 18 were wounded. Simultaneously, in accordance with University regulations, new staff was appointed to a total of 429 (46 full professors, 71 associate professors, 113 assistant professors, 2 lecturers, 29 senior assistants and 168 assistants). 2.3. Inter-University co-operation The University of Sarajevo had up to the war links of co-operation with 32 Universities abroad. At the beginning of the war these links were completely broken. Initial contact during the war was realized through a French association, the DIA-student movement for aid to Sarajevo, with whose help the University of Sarajevo sent letters to numerous Universities in the world informing them about the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the destruction of Sarajevo, and of the material basis of the University, with the aim of establishing inter-university co-operation. In 1994, representatives from the University of Sarajevo visited the Universities of Paris, Lyon, Munich, Innsbruck, Graz, Vienna, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Brussels, Bari and Florence. There they held discussions on co-operation between these universities and the University of Sarajevo. Relations were established with 15 European universities, European scholars visited Sarajevo, while Sarajevo professors were received as guests at foreign universities. These activities aimed at participating in lecturing and research projects, catching up on developments in knowledge particularly during the past 4 years, the education of young researchers for post-graduate and doctoral studies, the acquisition of scholarly literature, and the granting of financial aid for the reconstruction of buildings and the procurement of equipment, and of aid for students and lecturers of the University. It is mutually desired that the agreed programmes of co-operation become long-term, indeed permanent practice. The University of Sarajevo, through the high quality of its teaching and scholarly research, has been included in the system of European universities. In that regard, discussions were held in the European Commission in Brussels and the Council of Europe, where support was given for the inclusion of Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Central European initiative, and for co-ordination of lecture plans, curricula, the standardization of degrees and other University documents for Sarajevo's inclusion in the TEMPUS program, which will accelerate the entry of the University of Sarajevo as a competitor with other European Universities. 2.4. The Material basis As a result of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, military activities have damaged or completely destroyed many educational premises. On the territory which is controlled by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina there were 1,184 academic buildings, of all educational levels, with a construction area of 1,691.962 square meters. 140 such buildings, covering an area of 527,671 square meters, are situated in the city of Sarajevo, of which 37, comprising an area of 243,116 square meters, represent the higher-educational institutions and student facilities of the University of Sarajevo. Four categories of damage to buildings have been established - slightly damaged , significantly damaged, extremely damaged, and destroyed - resulting from direct shelling, detonations, shrapnel or bullets. Building equipment, installations, furniture and laboratory equipment are mainly damaged or destroyed. The total preliminary estimate of damage to the buildings, furniture, laboratory equipment, computer equipment and libraries of the University according to initial estimates, is 182,829,569 DM, as follows: 2.4.1. Buildings; Estimates of categories of damage TOTAL (Higher-educational Institutions + Student facilities): 37 Buildings, 243,116 m2 Estimates of levels of investment needed (in DM) Buildings in total 120,666,051 DM 2.4.2. School furniture has been heavily damaged or destroyed. Initial estimates amount to 7,719,739 DM. 2.4.3. Laboratory equipment The estimate of damage to laboratory equipment is high due to the large amounts of equipment possessed by the higher-educational institutions for medical sciences, the technical and bio-technical sciences. The value of equipment damaged or pillaged is estimated at about 48,668,253 DEM, not including the computer equipment procured partly before the beginning of the war. 2.4.4. Computer equipment The higher-educational institutions of the University of Sarajevo, just before the beginning of the war activities, were in process of realizing the procurement program for scholarly research equipment for the period 1987-90. 442 computer systems had been acquired, worth in total around 2,245,076 DEM. The actual estimate is considerably more as most of the higher-educational institutions were in possession even earlier of computer systems. A greater deal of this equipment has been destroyed, or stolen on the territory under the occupation. 2.4.5. Libraries The 1,000,000 books and 3,900 periodicals in the possession of the University have been significantly reduced. The libraries of the higher-educational institutions situated in occupied areas of military activity have been destroyed in their entirety (Electrical Engineering, Agricultural, Forestry, Mechanical Engineering and Transportation Faculties). Initial estimates are of damage worth 3,530,450 DEM. The large fund of books possessed by the University and the National Library has been particularly depleted. The damage to this building and to the precious cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina are of particular interest to UNESCO. These indicators show the amount of damage to the buildings, furniture and equipment of the University of Sarajevo, and the total damage to the academic buildings in the city of Sarajevo. There is a significant need for investment. But first the less damaged buildings must be reconstructed in order to cater for the large numbers of students from those faculties whose main buildings have been entirely destroyed. The Department of Education has drawn up priorities, amongst the needs of Sarajevo University, for the Office for the restoration and development of the city of Sarajevo. Within the first group of priorities in the Program Directory, seven higher-educational institutions are candidates, and in the second priority group 10 higher-educational institutions and student facilities are candidates. Furthermore, in the premises component currently there is an approach to permanently solve premises conditions for higher-educational institutions in existing premises, for which reconstruction is needed. The war has left some higher-educational institutions without their main buildings (Electrical Engineering, Agricultural, Forestry and Transportation Faculties). This will be taken into account in the analysis of the University's needs, to be presented in the reconstruction program in the framework of the new concept of the University's organization. From the point of view of acquiring resources, there has been only a modest interest by donors, so that only initial financial offers have been made. Only the initial protection of the physical structure of the buildings has been achieved, but the effects have been diminished by the dispersal of resources on numerous buildings.It would be desirable to direct future potential donors towards the reconstruction of a smaller number of priority facilities, unlike the donors who to date have aimed at completing less ambitious interventions on more facilities. Such works would be of higher quality and sooner completed, conditions would be created enabling teaching to begin, the said facilities would be properly reconstructed, and the basic aim of returning Sarajevo University's higher-educational institutions to something approaching normality would be achieved. 2.5. The New Concept of the University of Sarajevo in the framework of the reforms of the University of Sarajevo Wartime destruction and occupation of the territory have brought about functional as well as physical changes. The changes in objectives, methods, structure and levels of needs as a consequence of population dislocation and territorial changes require a radical transformation of the organization of the departments of higher education, directed towards a more rational usage of knowledge, premises, equipment, resources and time in the post-war period, conforming to the levels and curricula of European universities. Consequently significant changes are required in the education curricula, in scholarship and research, in technological education, in use of information systems, and in the uses of premises and of the time component, as follows: - in education: the educational content to include more contemporary achievements, in the various fields of scholarship, and with that to significantly decrease the differences which have resulted from lagging behind due to the war; - in scholarship and research: to attempt to continue the interrupted search for new discoveries, directed towards increasing the effectiveness of scientific innovation and frequency of use of completed research, and to improve the scholarly and institutional potential for developing of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the post-war period; - in technology education: to apply contemporary methods and technological innovations with optimal use of available premises and equipment; - in use of information systems: to attempt to direct the information technology towards serving (gathering, memorizing, holding, and manipulating data) substantially creative work in the fields of teaching and scholarly research; - in the use of premises: to ensure optimum utilisation of premises based on the needs, the syllabi, the capacities, structure and character of the higher-educational institutions, taking account of the new conditions which cannot allow irrational usage. Functional unity combined with reduced capacity could free part of the premises of one higher-educational institution for the use of another whose main buildings have been destroyed. These would be steps towards a rationalisation program envisaged by the new concept of organization of Sarajevo University. - in the time component: to attain continuity in the curriculum, optimal usage of the teaching potential, the achievement of 45 classes or more per week in general-teaching and laboratory usage, in place of the irrational 25-30 classes per room per week usual until now. These objectives are the basis of the global aim of realizing a level of research and teaching process for application of standards all over the world with maximal effectiveness of the University's organization. Activities for the completion of the concept as an established manual are in progress. The commission for developing the proposal has completed its work and the material has been presented to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The starting point of the new concept of the University of Sarajevo is a project of the Academy of Science and Arts of Republic/Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina entitled: "A Model of Contemporary Universities", the creation of teamwork, the experience of a variety of experts, of co-operation between faculty departments, and of the experience of universities worldwide. It is hoped that the entire proposal of the concept will be ready for a presentation in beginning of 1996. This concept, which has been widely discussed by educationalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and which will be discussed at the international level, is based on: - the principle of an autonomous university as a public institution which oversees and organizes itself its studies, its research work and creativity. The university's autonomy is based on the principle of equality in race, sex, language, religion, beliefs, nationality and social origin, wealth, birth, position in society and other personal characteristics of the individual. - the formation of educative and scientific research (artistic) cores in the main faculties. Certain disciplines and activities would be realized through lectures from other faculties which at the same time would be responsible for the selection of teaching staff in these fields. - improving the organizational structure of the University in which an effective co-operation would be achieved, development of scientific, artistic and pedagogical disciplines, assessment on the basis of results and references. In this sense association within related scientific (artistic) disciplines of associations would allow for the proposed academic curricula of mutual interest, selection of assistant lecturers and assistant professors, completion and defense of master's theses and also establishment and abolition of institutes (or ensembles) in faculties. The University is managed by the Rector through the University Senate, Rectorate and Head Office. The influence of the founder on the functioning of the university is realized through the University's Board which is made up of representative founders appointed according to the criteria of high competence and representatives of the University that is the full-time professors. The founder is the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Rector is chosen by the University Senate, the highest qualified body of the University, which is composed of the deans of the faculties and academies. The Rector's office represents the operative consultative body of the Rectorate and is composed of the Rector and Vice-Rectors. The Head Office prepares materials for the University senate and is composed of the Rector, Vice-Rector, General Secretary and heads of departments and centres. - better quality of the educational, research and artistic work and the academic-scholarly potential of the university, with the aim of achieving consistent criteria in the assessment of scholarly works and the selection of scientific personnel in scientific and artistic disciplines in the University as a whole. - flexibility in choice of studies and in the forms of research, expert and artistic work of the university. Faculties are the basic units of the university, and they can incorporate one or more similar studies, including under-graduate and post-graduate studies and form specific profiles of studies on the basis of new or existing courses within one or a group of similar faculties under the principle of gathering "credit points" adapting the profiles of studies to the needs and interests of candidates. In the aim of gathering around a certain project scientists, researchers and expert associates of the University, it is possible that faculties in their composition have higher academic and clinical and other centers as a whole adapted to effectively realize the determined project.