IN MEMORIAM

We are deeply shocked by the news that our dear colleague Bogomil Bergant passed away. When he left for medical treatment two months ago, we were sure that he would be back soon. He was really full of plans and and not long ago also full of strength, so it is really hard to accept the finality of this goodbye.

He was born in 1941. After his childhood years, spent in straitened circumstances but in a loving family, he decided to study Economics and in 1970 graduated at the Economics Faculty in Zagreb. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics in 1986.

He was mostly active in the area of comparative economics systems, operation of enterprises and work organization, as well as in the field of finance.

He became an advisor and a director of the finance department and later on complemented this work with his pedagogical work at the university. He taught for twenty years. He was a Senior Lecturer and later an Assistant Professor in the area of organization and enterprise operations at the School of Business and Management in Novo Mesto. He was elected into Associate Professor at the Business Academy in Novi Sad in 2009.

He started collaborating with the University of Nova Gorica in 2000. He taught at the School of Engineering and Management, where for many years he was the course principal for Economics and Organization of the Enterprise. In the last few years, he was also the course principal for Economics for Engineers at the Master’s level.

As a professor, he was also affiliated with two other institutions. He collaborated with the Faculty of Commercial and Business Sciences in Celje, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana, where he taught a course called Organization and Operations.

Professor Bergant’s bibliography, apart from many works related to his pedagogical work, displays a constant interest in the world around us. The titles of his articles that were written 20 or 30 years ago still sound very topical! To list a few examples: He published an article in Gospodarski vestnik in 1980 titled: “It’s not only the Machines that are Falling out of Use but also Knowledge is Stagnating.” In 1987, he published another article in Gospodarski vestnik and titled it “Also Hospitals would Need Medical Treatment,” and in 1990 his article in Naši razgledi read “A Dark Spot of our Reality.” He cared very much and wanted to, with his knowledge and work, turn things for the better.

He broadened the students’ horizons with the discussions on topical issues, and his lucid, critical, and engaged outlook on life. This was reflected in students’ surveys, as they showed that his lectures are always full of practical examples and they make people think independently and do independent research as well.

Our eyes still get fixated on the spot in the University’s lobby where he usually stood during the breaks. He wasn’t the sort of professor who would like to withdraw into his office. He was always surrounded by young people. They liked to listen to his tales and learn from his rich life experiences. He shared the experiences with enthusiasm and dedication and often times delicately colored with his personal life’s wisdom.

This approach has influenced so many generation that it’ll resonate long.

Among the many questions in students’ surveys, one question holds supreme importance and with this question, Professor Bergant always got the highest grades. The attitude towards the students. He worked with everyone with the same amount of enthusiasm and wished everyone would continuously grow and improve. He stopped to talk to us so many times and said: “They are good students…” Even when things didn’t go according to plan, he would say: “We too were young once….”

Both the students and his colleagues loved him. He always had a kind and encouraging word to say to just about anyone. It was so nice to work with him, as he was always among the most dedicated, conscientious, and good-hearted colleagues we ever had.

He never really wanted to be in the spotlight, take someone else’s credit, or in any way direct attention to himself. Yet he was exceptional also because of his tireless desire to work and his high moral standards. After working with him for 15 years, we started taking all of this for granted. Today we know how rare and precious that was and we are grateful for it.

We remember everything that he created. We remember his numerous mentorships. We remember that he never refused to help anyone. We remember that he kept all the promises he ever made to us.

At the same time we recall his gentle and upbeat outlook on life, his kind, smiley greeting and his warm, tender humanity that made his hard work and diligence and his persistence even more beautiful. Because of these traits we will not only remember his work, but also him, his personality, who he was as a person, our dear colleague Milan.

We will miss him very much.