After the University of Zagreb awarded an honorary doctorate to Croat member of Bosnia’s Presidency, Dragan Covic, Croatian professor and journalist Jurica Pavicic offered to return his own doctorate in protest.

Pavicic, who is a writer, university professor, film critic, publicist and one of Croatia’s most renown journalists, told N1 that by awarding the honorary doctorate to Covic, the Zagreb University made “another step toward its continuous degradation,” and that it is “rejecting any changes and denying any quality.”

He said it was “sad” that the doctor title, “which Tesla, Mazuranic, Hodgkin and Prelog” received was now awarded to a “second-grade politician”.

Moreover, one of the “most horrifying aspects” of the University’s decision was the explanation given by the dean, Pavicic said.

Dean Damir Boras said that Covic started his career during very hard times of the extinction of Herzeg-Bosnia, the war-time Croat self-proclaimed independent state within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The dean also said that Croatian institutions should recognize those who lead to positive progress for Croats in Bosnia.

“This was one of the terrible aspects of this decision. Awarding the title to a politician who has a questionable war history with several indictments against him is questionable in itself,” Pavicic said.

Pavicic called upon others to return their doctorates as well.

“Technically, the doctorate cannot be returned, it would be like if you would try to return your diploma from high school as if you never completed it. There were reactions, a lot of people responded,” he said.

Pavicic said Covic’s doctorate was only one in a line of “controversies” at the Zagreb University that led to his move to return his doctorate.

One of the members of the Zagreb University Senate, Djurdjica Cilic, argued against the doctorate awarding, but did not manage to change her colleagues’ minds.

“You have to keep in mind that those obedient to the system are sitting in the Senate,” Pavicic said.

Croatia cannot “depend on its elite to change”, Pavicic said.

“If the people follow populism, there should be some intellectual group that they should be able to trust. Here we can see that the biggest intellectual institution is contaminated with stupidity. Universities are worse, or the same as Croatian society now,” Pavicic said.