The Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Rijeka, was founded in mid-1961 as part of the University of Zagreb. Teaching at the Faculty began on 1 November 1961. With the establishment of the University of Rijeka in 1973, the Faculty became one of its constituent units.
The establishment of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka was preceded by the intensive economic development of the City of Rijeka, especially after the Second World War. The founder of the Faculty was the People’s Committee of the Rijeka District, and the decision on its establishment was signed by the then President of the Committee, Franjo Širola. The decision was confirmed by the Parliament of the People’s Republic of Croatia. The commission that adopted the decision on the establishment was headed by Mario Badurina, then President of the People’s Committee of the Rijeka District.
At the time when the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka was founded, there was a widespread belief that every new faculty was beneficial not only to its immediate area, but also to the wider social environment, provided that it was properly located and organised. The Faculty’s catchment area included Istria, the Croatian Littoral, Gorski kotar, part of Lika, and the islands of Cres, Lošinj, Rab, and Pag.
The establishment of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka and its programme orientation were shaped by several key factors: the growing need for highly educated experts in economics in line with the economic and general development plans of the Rijeka and Pula areas, the need for further education of employed persons with secondary qualifications, and the fact that the existing faculties of economics in Croatia did not sufficiently meet the specific needs of the economic structure of the Rijeka region.
At the time of its establishment, the Faculty’s fundamental tasks were also defined: to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge from various fields of economics, to familiarise them with the methods of scientific research in economic practice, and to educate and train them to become successful, highly educated economic professionals.
The Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Rijeka, thus became a key higher education, scientific, and teaching institution in the field of economics for the Kvarner, Istrian, and Gorski kotar regions.
First Faculty Employees
Tatjana Virant, employed on 1 October 1961 as a Grade III officer.
Anka Sekulić-Palikuća, employed on 1 October 1961 as a Grade III computing officer.
Miroslava Buljan, employed on 1 October 1961 as an auxiliary staff member.
Stanka Kokić, employed on 1 October 1961 as an auxiliary staff member.
Vladimir Farkaš, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I associate professor.
Mladen Car, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I lecturer.
Ratimir Kalmeta, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I associate professor, senior lecturer.
Frida Košara, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I lecturer.
Smilja Pavešić, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I librarian.
Arsa Ravkin, employed on 1 November 1961 as a typist.
Marijan Urbany, employed on 1 November 1961 as a Grade I associate professor.
Milena Langeršek, employed on 1 November 1961 as a typist.
Marija Marenić, employed on 2 November 1961 as an auxiliary staff member.
Dušan Jagodić, employed on 1 December 1961 as an assistant professor.
Marija Tićak, employed on 1 December 1961 as an auxiliary Grade IV office clerk.
Maria-Nira Sinti, employed on 1 December 1961 as a Grade III office clerk.
Živka Miladinović, employed on 1 December 1961 as a trainee auxiliary Grade IV office clerk.
Nada Vrapčević, employed on 1 December 1961 as a cleaner.
Source Turina, A. (1971). Proceedings of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka. Rijeka. Faculty of Economics in Rijeka (1961), Register Book, Rijeka.
Faculty Location
At the beginning of its operation, the Faculty was located at 58 Vukovarska Street, where the fourth floor of the former barracks building was added for its needs. The Faculty premises occupied part of the third floor and the entire fourth floor of the building, while the lower floors were used by the then Chemical-Technology School and Technical School. During that period, the Faculty had a total area of 818 m² at its disposal.
As the Faculty developed, the number of students increased, and study programmes expanded, the need for significantly larger premises emerged over the years. The issue of space was finally resolved in 1996, when the City of Rijeka leased a business building at 4 Ivana Filipovića Street to the Faculty, with a total area of 4,262 m².
The adaptation of the building was completed in 2001, making the premises fully suitable for the Faculty’s teaching and scientific research activities. The occupancy permit was obtained in July 2001, after which the Faculty moved to its new location at 4 Ivana Filipovića Street in the same year.
A lease agreement for the auxiliary Annex building was concluded with the City of Rijeka in 2002. The reconstruction of the building was completed in 2005, providing an additional 309 m² of space. At that time, these premises included a modern multimedia hall and areas intended for student organisations.
Deans Throughout History
Dean: Prof. Vladimir Farkaš, PhD 1961–1963
Dean: Vinko Tadejević, Senior Lecturer 1963–1965
Dean: Prof. Zoran Kompanjet, PhD 1965–1967
Dean: Prof. Ante Turina, PhD 1967–1969
Dean: Prof. Rude Petrović, PhD 1969–1971
Dean: Prof. Emanuel Dworski, PhD 1971–1973
Dean: Prof. Žarko Popović, PhD 1973–1975
Dean: Prof. Eduard Blaško, PhD 1975–1977
Dean: Prof. Ivo Žuvela, PhD, Professor Emeritus 1977–1979
Dean: Prof. Ivan Nemarnik, PhD 1979–1981
Dean: Prof. Jadranka Deželjin, PhD 1981–1983
Dean: Prof. Ante Starčević, PhD 1983–1985
Dean: Prof. Ivan Kraljić, PhD 1985–1988
Dean: Prof. Marčelo Dujanić, PhD 1988–1991
Dean: Prof. Dušan Strahinja, PhD 1991–1992
Dean: Prof. Nada Šišul, PhD 1992–1996
Dean: Prof. Vinko Kandžija, PhD 1996–2000
Dean: Prof. Ivan Mencer, PhD 2000–2004
Dean: Prof. Vinko Kandžija, PhD, Professor Emeritus 2004–2010
Dean: Prof. Heri Bezić, PhD 2010–2016
Dean: Prof. Alen Host, PhD 2016–2022
Dean: Prof. Saša Drezgić, PhD 2022–present
The History of the Faculty Through Its Yearbooks
The Faculty’s yearbooks are a valuable source for tracing its development and activities over time. They provide information on Faculty staff, the organisation and delivery of study programmes, bibliographies of staff publications, graduates, and numerous other details documenting the Faculty’s educational and research activities.
The Faculty publishes its yearbooks periodically, and all editions are available in open access through the Faculty’s Digital Repository.
Proceedings of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka: Volume 1: 1961–1971 / ed. Ante Turina. Rijeka: Faculty of Economics, 1971.
https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:827306
Yearbook of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka: 1971–1981: Commemorating Twenty Years of the Faculty / ed. Nada Šišul. Rijeka: Faculty of Economics, 1981.
https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:267915
Yearbook of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka: 1981–1991: Commemorating the Faculty’s 30th Anniversary / ed. Gordana Bival. Rijeka: Faculty of Economics, 1991.
https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:810549
Faculty of Economics in Rijeka 1991–2001: Monograph Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Faculty’s Establishment / ed. Dušan Strahinja. Rijeka: Faculty of Economics, 1991.
https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:668469
Bibliography of Publications by the Staff of the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka: 1990–2000 / Neda Macolić. Rijeka: Faculty of Economics, 2001.
https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:192:239390