Faculties demand commission to examine Stefanovic's thesis

BELGRADE - Ten Faculties of the state-owned University of Belgrade (UB), gathered in the Academic Council of Social and Humanistic Sciences, will request setting up of a commission to examine the doctoral thesis of Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, Council member and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Prof. Milos Arsenijevic told Tanjug on Tuesday.

This proposal will be presented in the meeting of the UB Senate on Wednesday, said Arsenijevic, noting that the Council will not ask the Senate to form the commission, but for the commission to be formed at the level of KONUS, the highest academic body uniting both state-owned and private universities of Serbia, including the private university Megatrend where Stefanovic defended his thesis.

The initiative, first announced at the Faculty of Philosophy, was unanimously adopted by the Council on Monday, said Arsenijevic.

University professors and lecturers launched a petition last week requesting that the Ministry of Education form an independent academic commission that would analyze Stefanovic's doctoral thesis in the light of plagiarism claims.

Education Minister Srdjan Verbic said Monday that he hopes that the commission will not need to be formed unless, as he noted, the political situation should demand it.

"I hope that no such commission will be set up because it would be a precedent, taking a minister (of education) outside his jurisdiction on a matter for which the universities are responsible," said Verbic in reply to the question whether the report of the Megatrend commission could be brought into question.

Megatrend University's Senate set up a commission on June 5 to see if there are grounds to institute proceedings to withdraw...