Professor of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad Vladimir Mihić was not re-elected to the rank of associate professor today, because the majority of members of the Senate of the University in that city voted against it. In a secret ballot that lasted almost three hours in the Rectorate building, eight were in favor of his re-election, four were against, and six abstained. Thus, after 24 years of work at the Faculty of Philosophy, Mihić lost his job, as did his colleague Jelena Kleut.
When asked to comment on this, Mihić told N1 that given that it was a secret ballot, it is not known how the members of the Senate voted individually, but that it is clear that they did not adopt his report.
“My feelings are mixed, on the one hand I cannot say that I am surprised and shocked, but on the other hand there is always that still naive living in Serbia that at some point a red line will not be able to be crossed or that it will not be allowed. I had hope that the pressure was great enough that the deans of the faculties who represent thousands of professors, I am sure at least 90 percent of professors do not agree with this decision, that they would find the courage to resist the pressure that was obviously seriously exerted on them,” Mihić said.
He pointed out that this is an illegal decision, “it is not based on any academic criterion, the criteria that were raised are fabricated, false, unacademic, and the way the voting was done – secretly, is not in accordance with the Statute and the Rulebook, so the law was broken there as well”.
He said that he is moving forward into a legal battle.
He also stated that since everything started, and after the dismissal of Professor Kleut, he assumed that something similar awaited him, so he did not take on mentorships in the last nine months.
“That part at least, it seems to me, I did ethically,” he assessed.
He added that he still has the right to appeal, “until the extended Senate makes a final decision, I am still a faculty professor”.
“I hope that I will finish the June exam period, it depends on the speed of the Senate’s decision-making, and after that, at the time of the entrance exam, I think I will be unemployed,” he concluded.
Since 10 o’clock this morning, when the session began, Mihić’s colleagues, students, and citizens gathered in front of the Rectorate building.
The dean of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Patrik Drid, filed an objection to Mihić’s re-election twice.
Professors pointed out that Drid’s objections conflict with academic regulations and are not at all in accordance with what actually needs to be taken into account when the re-election of a professor is questioned.
In his objections, Patrik Drid made complaints about the fact that Vladimir Mihić expressed himself publicly both on social networks and at gatherings, at protests, and that therefore he is not an adequate candidate for election to the rank.
“The expert council said its piece, the expert body of the university. Therefore, his report is flawless in that sense. That report also contains an item – pedagogical work – which is based on student evaluation, and Professor Mihić is, as all of us who work with him know, one of the most beloved professors and an excellent pedagogue and psychologist. So there is no reason whatsoever why his re-election should be disputed,” Mihić’s colleague Nataša Milićević told N1 earlier today.
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Source: N1, Photo: Printscreen N1