The Academic Community Bid Farewell to Professor Emeritus Dr. Hasan Muratović

At the joint commemorative session of the University of Sarajevo Rectorate and the Faculty of Economics of 16 November 2020 in the University of Sarajevo Ceremonial Hall, family members, friends, colleagues and academic community representatives bid farewell to distinguished Professor Emeritus Hasan Muratović, University of Sarajevo Rector in the period 2004/05–2005-06years. His rich political career, multiple academic significance and contribution to the business community made him one of the most important people in the recent Bosnian history.

On behalf of the Faculty of Economics, University of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr. Aziz Šunje, who knew him and cooperated for 40 years addressed attendees.

“He left an indelible mark among the students and among us, his colleagues and everyone who knew him. Not only was he an excellent teacher, but he was also an excellent top manager” pointed out Professor Šunje and added “He was the first Prime Minister and led Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through his own network of international contacts he provided significant amounts of international donations to help his homeland. He is responsible for the accelerated development of BiH that followed immediately after the war.”

Speaking about Professor Muratović, Professor Šunje reminds that as University Rector, Professor Muratović successfully introduced the University into the Bologna Process and significantly reformed it.
“In everything he did, he showed integrity and all those characteristics that adorn true leaders and top managers. In addition to the integrity with which he remained consistent, Professor Muratović was a man who captivated, had charisma and as such was accepted among students and colleagues,” said Professor Šunje, emphasizing that Professor Muratović is one of the most deserving people for the postwar development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most important people in the recent history of independent BiH.

Professor Emeritus Hasan Muratović also made a significant contribution to the work of the Bosniak Intellectuals Congress Council. On behalf of this institution, Prof. Dr. Kasim Trnka addressed attendees.
“He was a versatile man full of energy, extremely successful in all fields in which he was engaged and spread his energy and took new initiatives. He was also engaged in the Bosniak Intellectuals Congress Council and there he always led with his activism, his ideas, his projects and overall engagement. So much energy and so much knowledge for such a wide range of activities is really rarely seen” said Professor Trnka, adding that the Council lost one exceptional member whose value will be difficult to compensate.

The University of Sarajevo Rector, Rifat Škrijelj, emphasized that passing away of Professor Muratović is an irreparable loss not just for the academic community, but also for the entire of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recalling Professor Hasan Muratović, Rector Škrijelj points out that he was a great man, a visionary and a patriot, whose work will surely resist the oblivion of time for a long time. He also emphasizes that it is almost impossible to enumerate all its effects and merits that reflect the significance of its existence for our country. Rector Škrijelj also commented on the impressive academic career of Professor Emeritus Dr. Hasan Muratović, and reminded that he was elected rector of the University of Sarajevo in 2004.

“He quickly recognized the need for the transformation of higher education at the University of Sarajevo and began implementing the Bologna Process, in order to keep pace with European and world trends,” said Rector Škrijelj and ended his address with the following words ”For Emeritus Prof. Dr. Hasan Muratović we can freely say that with his life, patience, charisma, scientific and state activities, he made epochal changes in the very being of our Bosnia and Herzegovina and entered the history of its greats, which will be talked about for a long time to come.”

Hasan Muratović graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, completed his postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sarajevo and obtained a Master's Degree in organizational sciences, and a Doctorate from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. He was a professor at the UNSA Faculties of Economics and Electrical Engineering. He held several positions, including a Ministerial in the Government during and after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the first post-war Prime Minister of RBiH, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia, member and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

He was a long-term consultant of the Institute for Organization and Economics Sarajevo, director of the Institute for Research and Development UPI Sarajevo and Deloitte company president for BiH.
In recent years, he worked at the University of Sarajevo as a consultant, professor emeritus and also as an occasional lecturer at several universities. He was awarded with a large number of recognitions and awards.

On the occasion of marking the 70th University of Sarajevo’s Anniversary, Prof. Dr. Hasan Muratović was awarded the University of Sarajevo Plaque for outstanding contribution to the development of the University of Sarajevo and higher education, especially in terms of preparing and leading reform processes in the field of academic integration of the University of Sarajevo, and introduction of Bologna principles in teaching processes at the University of Sarajevo.