Full professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences (FPN) Dr. Darko Nadić was unanimously elected acting dean Faculty of Political Sciences University in Belgrade, it was announced from that higher education institution. Nadić said that the dean of FPN in full capacity should be elected by December 31.
"It could have been more difficult, but I think it is in the collective interest to do it as soon as possible, in order to avoid all possible misunderstandings that the function of acting dean entails." There is time for the candidates to apply and for the procedure to be done legitimately and legally, in a democratic procedure," said Nadić.
Asked if he will run for office, he replied that it is still too early to make that decision, and he revealed what he will do first from the position of acting dean.
"The first thing I will do is to open the school year tomorrow (October 1) with a humble speech, from the heart, and to give a good signal that we should move forward," Nadić told FoNet.
On September 30, the Council of the Faculty of Political Sciences elected acting dean prof. Dr. Nadić on the unanimous proposal of the Teaching and Research Council, according to the FPN.
Nadić was proposed as acting dean until a new dean is elected, so after October 1, the competent ministry, i.e. the Government of Serbia, will not have to decide on who will be the new dean of that faculty.
Since 2012, Darko Nadić has been a full-time professor at FPN, where he received his doctorate in 1999, and previously obtained his master's degree and bachelor's degree, and is engaged in the following subjects: Social and Political Ecology, Contemporary Environmental Policy, Environmental Policy of Serbia and Environmental Policy, Public Policy and services.
Orlovic "returned the mandate"
Professor Slaviša Orlović announced on Thursday that he "returned the mandate" of the dean and signed his resignation on June 8, because in the meantime he received the decision of the FPN Council that he had been elected.
He stated on the X network that he is submitting his resignation to the Teaching and Research Council of the FPN, returning the mandate to those from whom he received it.
In the document he published, which was addressed to the Teaching and Research Council of the FPN and the Council of the FPN, he submitted his resignation "aware that long-term disputes and interpretations, as well as possible court proceedings related to the selection of the dean, would block the normal functioning of the faculty, putting the faculty on first place, acting responsibly, worthy of the trust that his colleagues showed him as a candidate for dean".
The election of Professor Orlović was opposed by a group of current and former female students due to a report of sexual harassment from 2014.
A certain number of employees, including the current dean, are against that election, because of the procedure that, according to them, as well as the interpretation of the university ombudsman, was not in accordance with the prescribed legal and statutory norms.
Allegations of sexual harassment
Orlović came into the spotlight in 2014 after news broke that a master's student had accused him of sexual harassment.
Some media wrote that she claimed that it happened in his office, and after that the issue of his removal from the position of vice dean was raised.
Orlović was subsequently removed from that position, but this was allegedly not stated as a formal reason.
He then said that he was dismissed from the post of vice-dean "due to the lack of communication with the dean" and stated that no criminal complaint for sexual harassment was ever filed against him, and that no state authority had noted any harassment on his part.
Later, CINS revealed that new reports of sexual harassment had been filed against Slavisa Orlović, which was confirmed by Professor Katarina Lončarević, who is also one of the three trustees at the faculty.
By order of the Higher Prosecutor's Office, the police are investigating the circumstances that led to the illegal election of Dean Slaviša Orlović.
The election of Professor Orlović was opposed by a group of current and former female students due to a report of sexual harassment from 2014.
A certain number of employees, including the current dean, are against that election, because of the procedure that, according to them, as well as the interpretation of the university ombudsman, was not in accordance with the prescribed legal and statutory norms.
