# Damir Boras

Damir Boras (born 25 October 1951) is a Croatian scientist, information expert, lexicographer, university professor and former Rector of the University of Zagreb.

## Early life and education

Boras was born in Zagreb on October 25, 1951. His grandfather, Marko Kalogjera (1877–1956), was the first bishop of the Croatian Old Catholic Church, and his uncle, Drazen Kalogjere (1928–2016), was an economic expert and university professor. His father, Mile Boras (1923–1997), was a professor of Roman law.
He graduated from the classical grammar school in 1970. In 1974, he graduated from the Department of Radio Communication at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Zagreb with a thesis entitled "Laseri in Communication" and received the title of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In 1998, he graduated from the Department of Information and Communication Sciences at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb with a Ph.D. thesis on "Theory and Rules of Text Segmentation in Croatian Language". He completed a three-month study stay in the United States at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, organized by the University of Zagreb, until February 1991.
He speaks English, French, German, and Italian and has a passive knowledge of Slovenian, Macedonian, Latin, and Classical Greek.

## Academic career

After graduating as an electrical engineer, Boras was employed as a Coordinator of Information Systems at the Reference Center of the University of Zagreb. He remained in this position until 1984, when he moved to the Faculty of Philosophy and began his university career. At the beginning of the 1990s, he participated in the computerization of the university and became the head of the University Commission. He participated in the work of the Commission for Informatization of Education at the Ministry of Education, first as a deputy and then as its president from 2000 to 2003. Since 2007 he has been a member of the Senate of the University of Zagreb, since 2009 a member of the Rector's College in the wider band, while previously from 2007 to 2014 he was a member of the Council of Social and Humanities.
Outside the university, from 2000 to 2006, he was the deputy director for Informatization and Scientific Cooperation at the Miroslav Krleže Lexicographic Institute, where he is currently a member of the Scientific Council. During his two terms as Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, he chaired the Board of Directors of the Croatian Reporting News Agency (Hine) and the National Center for External Evaluation of Education (NCVVO).

### Faculty of Philosophy

Boras has spent most of his professional life at the Faculty of Philosophy. Starting as an assistant, he was promoted to assistant professor in 1999, to associate professor in 2003, and to scientific advisor and full professor in 2006. In December 2011, at the fifth session of the Senate of the University of Zagreb, he was confirmed as a full professor with a permanent appointment.
He is one of the founders of the Department of Information Sciences (later the Department of Information and Communication Sciences), and in general one of the founders of the introduction of computer science education, both at the Faculty of Philosophy and in the Croatian educational system. He founded and headed the Department of Natural Language, Lexicography and Encyclopedics at the Faculty of Philosophy and led international scientific projects ("Croatian Dictionary Heritage and Dictionary Knowledge", 2002–2006) and programs ("Sources for Croatian Heritage and Croatian European Identity", 2007). In 2004, he became the Vice-Dean for Science and International Cooperation and remained in this position until 2009, when he was elected the first Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy. At the end of his second term as Dean, he was elected Rector of the University of Zagreb. In addition to the University of Zagreb, he has been teaching at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Mostar since 2011.

### Rector of the University of Zagreb

Damir Boras was the rector of the University of Zagreb for two times in a row.

#### First term

The election of the Rector was held on April 15, 2014, in the 345th academic year, at the 12th extraordinary session of the Senate. Damir Boras was elected Rector of the University of Zagreb for the term 2014–2018. During his first term as Rector, he was elected chairman of the Board of the Regional Platform for Cooperation in Higher Education and Academic Research.

#### Second term

At the seventh extraordinary session of the senate in the 349th academic year, held on February 23, 2018, Damir Boras was re-elected Rector of the University of Zagreb for the term 2018–2022.

## Academic and research contributions

Damir Boras has published several scientific and professional papers, books and textbooks. Since 2007, he is the editor-in-chief of the International Scientific Journal of Lexicography and Encyclopedics Studio Lexicographica of the Lexicographic Institute Miroslav Krleža, a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Education and Pedagogy, and the first scientific video engineer in the field of education. He is also editor for the International Scientific Journal of Media, Journalism, Mass Communication, Public Relations, Culture and Society, published by the University of Dubrovnik.

## Memberships

Boras is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is Vice President of Inter-University Centre (IUC) in Dubrovnik, President of the executive committee of the Regional Platform for Assessing and Cooperation in Higher Education and Research and Vice President at the Croatian Pane-European Union. He is also a member of the Education, Science and Culture Committee and the Croatian Academy of Engineering.

## Publications

His publications include:
* Jandrić, Petar; Boras, Damir. Kritičko e-obrazovanje: borba za moć i značenje u umreženom društvu. Zagreb: Technical Polytechnic in Zagreb and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb FF Press, 2012.
* Lasić-Lazić, Jadranka; László, Marija; Boras, Damir. Informacijsko čitanje. Zagreb: Department of Information Studies Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, 2008.
* Boras, Damir; Dovedan, Zdravko. Informatika za 1. razred srednjih škola. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 1992.

## Personal life

Boras is married to Alena Boras and they have one daughter named Dora.
He used to be actively involved in basketball, rugby (in the first league club Lokomotiva, Kajzerica) and tennis.

## Awards

Boras won the City of Zagreb Award in 2016 and the "Večernjak's Seal" Award in the science category in 2018. In 2019, he received the Golden Coat of Arms of the Municipality of Ljubuski, and the "Juan Vucetich" Award. In 2022, he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of the University of Mostar.