The university head, Gordana Kralik, said the award was conferred on retired general Klein for his outstanding contribution to the peaceful reintegration of eastern Croatia into the constitutional and legal order of Croatia in 1998. She said that the the reintegration had paved the way for the reintegration of cultural and educational institutions, leading to the development of tertiary education, including Osijek University.
The retired American general thanked her for the award, and said that it was necessary today to intensify international cooperation and universal dialogue worldwide.
The United Nations Transitional Administration of Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) brought eastern Croatia, which was held by rebel Serbs in the early 1990s, back into the legal and constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia and is seen as one of the most successful operations in the history of the UN. The UN Transitional Administration was established on 15 January 1996 by the UN Security Council in its resolution 1037 (1996) and completed its mandate on 15 January 1998.
In 2008, Croatian president Stjepan Mesic presented General Klein with a high state decoration, the Order of King Zvonimir with the Morning Star, for his role in the peaceful reintegration of the eastern region into the country's constitutional and legal system.
Speaking about the university, its head Kralik said that so far 35,887 students had graduated from this institution. Currently there are 22,952 students enrolled there.