Rector Prijić-Samaržija awarded the title of the Knight of National Order of Merit

In the solemn atmosphere and beautiful setting of the Sugar Refinery Palace in Rijeka, the University of Rijeka Rector, Professor Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, was awarded the title of the Knight of National Order of Merit (Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite) for her dedication and relentless promotion of friendly ties and scientific and university cooperation between Croatian and French institutions.

The French National Order of Merit, awarded by French President Emmanuel Macron, is the second national Order after the Legion of Honor. Its purpose is to reward distinguished merit and honor individuals from all fields of activity. The fact that this prestigious title was awarded to a non-French national only speaks volumes about Rector Prijić-Samaržija’s dedication and perseverance in establishing new forms of cooperation with French institutions.

The title was awarded to Madam Rector by Mrs. Lilas Bernheim, First Counselor at the French Embassy in Zagreb, who also briefly explained the reasons behind the decision to award this title to Rector Prijić-Samaržija, highlighting the most important moments from her life and numerous achievements throughout her career.

I am extremely honored to have been proposed to French President Emmanuel Macron for this award. This is a huge honor, but it does not belong to me only, it belongs to my team and the entire university, and its members who have supported and accepted my ideas. We have established cooperation with universities that did not exist before, and cooperation will strengthen as we have only laid the foundations of cooperation. All the events celebrating our 50th anniversary relate to some corresponding value that expresses our profound belief that our missions need to be grounded in universal values that encourage human flourishing. The value of this event is courage. Alongside regard to the awarding ceremony, it refers primarily to the words of Marie Sklodowska Curie who said: ‘Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less.’ So, our message of courage conveys our duty to understand more and our obligation to be courageous in our research, education, and public engagement aimed at whole-society enlightenment processes, Madam Rector said in her speech.  

Many esteemed guests attended the event to show their support: Ms. Irena Petrijevčanin, State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Interior, Mr. Marko Filpović, City of Rijeka Mayor, Ms. Edita Stilin, Head of the Department of Education of the Primorje-Gorski kotar County, Mr. Vojko Obersnel, former Mayor of Rijeka, Prof. Alen Ružić, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Mons. Dr. Mario Tomljanović, Vicar General and Rector of the St. Vitus Cathedral in Rijeka. Also present in the audience were all Vice-Rectors, members of the University Senate, Rector’s Assistants, members of the academia, students, and many others.

The award ceremony was preceded by a lecture delivered by the President of Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Professor Jamil Jean-Marc Dakhlia, who touched upon the role of arts and humanities universities in Europe from the perspective of his respective university. The lecture marked the beginning of a year-long celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the University of Rijeka, but it also serves as a perfect opportunity to officially welcome Sorbonne Nouvelle University as the newest member of the YUFE Alliance.

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