FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CELEBRATED 47TH ANNIVERSARY

On 16 November 2018, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering organised a ceremony on its premises marking its 47th anniversary. 

Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, Rector of the University of Banja Luka, said that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering was a significant member of the University that successfully cooperated with the economic sector in Banja Luka, the Republic of Srpska, and abroad.

‘Through the Centre for Support in Economy and the Centre for Accredited Laboratories, the Faculty has been supporting the economy through providing additional qualifications for their students and training for some other professions, as well as through performing highly skilled tasks in the economy’, said Prof. Gajanin.

He pointed out that this technical faculty was one of the leading ones in the field of research activities and projects, whose results are published in referential international scientific journals.

‘Study programmes at this Faculty have become increasingly popular, which is proved by the fact that there are virtually no mechanical engineers on the labour market’, said Prof. Gajanin, and added that the activities the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering had taken in order to overcome the issues related to the overall loss of interest in study programmes may serve to other members of the University as an example.

According to Rector, the management of the University would continue supporting the organisational units in realisation of their activities.

Prof. Darko Knezevic, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, said that students who finished this Faculty had no problem in finding a job both in our country and abroad.

He stressed out the fact that, as far as this industry is concerned, dozens of mechanical engineers could be hired at this moment.

‘However, there are not any because they have not finished their studies yet. Additionally, the salaries in this industry are by far higher than in numerous other branches of economy, and this is something that should attract young people to our Faculty’, added Prof. Knezevic

He pointed out that they had formed the aforementioned Centres in order to form stronger ties  with the economy  and secondary schools.

Over the past 47 years, Prof. Knezevic said, more than 2,000 mechanical engineers had graduated from this Faculty, who had worked both in our country and the whole world. He added that there were 45 members of teaching staff employed at the Faculty, that several domestic and international research projects had been realised, and that a lot had been done regarding the provision of equipment for the Faculty.

Prof. Radivoje Mitrovic, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, said that the Faculty had an excellent cooperation with the colleagues from Banja Luka and that, in future, the stress should be on the development of high technology and practice.

‘State development based on knowledge is the only way for the GDP growth rates to be 7% or more, and then it would be easy to talk about the investments in higher education and science. The aim is for the universities and faculties to work together with the state and economy in order to achieve improvement’, Prof. Mitrovic explained.

Additionally, the best students of undergraduate and postgraduate studies were awarded at the ceremony, as well as the students who achieved excellent results at 58th ‘Masinijada’ 2018, a gathering of students from faculties of mechanical engineering.

The degrees for the graduates of undergraduate and post-graduate studies were also handed.
The event was attended by Prof. Strain Posavljak, PhD, Vice-Rector for Education and Students’ Affairs, Prof. Goran Latinović, PhD, Vice-Rector for Scientific Research and Development, Mr Djordje Markez, MA, Secretary General of the University of Banja Luka, Mr Dusko Lazic, Financial Director of the University, representatives of the Republic of Srpska Government, deans of the faculties of mechanical engineering from Serbia, Istočno Sarajevo, and Sarajevo, deans of the faculties of the University of Banja Luka, representatives of international agencies, students,  and numerous guests from academic community and public life.