Faculty members of the University of Banja Luka (UNIBL) attended a reception organized to mark the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, held on 8 September 2026 at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.

The reception brought together alumni of U.S. academic and professional exchange programs and was organized to mark 250 years of American history and the values of freedom.

The University of Banja Luka was represented by Prof. Bojana Vasiljević Poljašević, PhD, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law; Prof. Saša Jovanović, PhD, Full Professor at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport; Prof. Ivana Pandžić, PhD, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy; and Ljubiša Mićić, PhD, Docent at the Faculty of Economics.

Their participation was particularly significant given that all four had previously taken part in U.S. academic and professional exchange programs.

Prof. Bojana Vasiljević Poljašević, PhD, and Prof. Saša Jovanović, PhD, were recipients of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Prof. Vasiljević Poljašević conducted her research stay at the University of San Diego School of Law, where she researched fiscal federalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina and comparative experiences in the United States.

Prof. Saša Jovanović conducted his research stay at the Department of Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Emory University, where he researched the use of dance as an additional non-pharmacological approach in the treatment of people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Prof. Pandžić had also previously participated in the Fulbright Program as a visiting scholar during the 2024/2025 academic year at Middle Tennessee State University, where she conducted research in the field of archaeology.

Docent Ljubiša Mićić, PhD, gained his experience of academic and professional exchange in the United States through the Fulbright Program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., during the 2021/2022 academic year, as well as through a professional exchange program at DePaul University in Chicago in 2015.

Of particular significance was the fact that Prof. Bojana Vasiljević Poljašević, PhD, and Docent Ljubiša Mićić, PhD, addressed the alumni and guests, sharing their personal experiences from their time in the United States and speaking about the importance of international academic and professional exchange.

The participation of University of Banja Luka faculty members in this event is another example of the importance of international cooperation and academic mobility for the development of the University, the advancement of research, and the creation of long-term ties between academic institutions in the Republic of Srpska and the United States.

The celebration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence also provided an opportunity to highlight the values particularly fostered by exchange programs — freedom, openness, the exchange of ideas, mutual understanding, and dialogue — which alumni continue to bring to their academic and professional communities through their experiences.