On 1 October 2015 Collegium Civitas (CC) inaugurated the new academic year for the eighteenth time! Our special guest for this ceremony was the former President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, who will be teaching from this academic year 2015/2016 as part of the newly created Bronisław Komorowski Centre for Political Practice.
The ceremony was held in the Concert Hall on the sixth floor of the Palace of Culture and Science. It was hosted by Marta Kołakowska and Daniel Stefański. The inauguration was a very solemn occasion not only due to the matriculation of first-year students, but also because of the creation of two new university institutions.
The Rector, Prof. Stanisław Mocek, announced the appointment of Dr Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski and CC professor Alexander Richie as directors of the Władysław Bartoszewski Chair in Collegium Civitas. This chair is a permanent commemoration of the achievements and message of Władysław Bartoszewski, witness and participant of some of the most important events in Europe and the world in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This will be done primarily by conducting educational activities and research relating to: issues associated with totalitarian and authoritarian systems; the theme of reaching agreement; dialogue; reconciliation between nations and states in the countries and regions of Europe and beyond; and the historical and humanist heritage of European social and political thought.
Also, the date of 1 October at Collegium Civitas marks the opening of the Bronisław Komorowski Centre for Political Practice, which will have the former President as its director following his appointment by the Rector, Prof. Stanisław Mocek. The idea for this institution is based on the observation that over the 25 years of Poland’s freedom and sovereignty, we have benefited from the knowledge and experience of people who have occupied the highest functions of state—presidents, prime ministers, ministers and parliamentary deputies—to a negligible degree. The Centre for Political Practice will be the first such initiative in Poland, taking advantage of the experience of President Komorowski in the sphere of domestic and foreign policies, but also from the experience of other representatives of political life in Poland and abroad in order to disseminate knowledge about the mechanisms of democracy among the students and teaching staff at Collegium Civitas.
Policy in action as depicted by President Komorowski and his guests will reveal to students a different, more interesting view of policy than what the traditional and new media may report. It is also worth emphasizing that the notion of political theory supported by practical knowledge constitutes one of the principles underlying the founding of Collegium Civitas. Bringing in the unique knowledge of President Bronisław Komorowski to our university’s academic and civic mission—knowledge acquired primarily in the past five years, but also throughout the entire period of his activity in the public sphere—can play a significant role in the process of democratic education of the younger generation.
On this occasion of the inauguration of the academic year at Collegium Civitas, the university has received a number of letters of congratulations, including one from the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, as well as many others from different university rectors and deans.
As is the case every year during Collegium Civitas’ inauguration ceremony, the results of the competition for the Robert Mroziewicz Prize were duly announced. Prof. Mroziewicz was Deputy Head of the Chair of International Relations with this year marking the seventh anniversary of his death. This is an all-Poland contest for the best master’s and doctoral theses in international relations, international security and diplomacy. The Award Committee in this year’s edition has decided not to give a first main prize in the category of master’s thesis. Instead, two equivalent second prizes were awarded to students from Collegium Civitas and a special mention was given to a student from the University of Warsaw. Prizes and awards were distributed by Ambassador Grzegorz Dziemidowicz, jury chairman of the Robert Mroziewicz Prize, as well as Jacob Mroziewicz.
The Collegium Civitas banner has been handed over to a new team(including the standard-bearer, Peter Bobrowski, assisted by Joanna Jasińska and Iga Zielinska), while representatives of the Collegium Civitas Student Government, Karol Pawłowicki and Jan Raszyński encouraged new students to participate actively in student life and to represent CC in the Academic Sports Union (AZS).
The university is particularly happy to see the ever-increasing circle of our best graduates. Therefore, as is the custom every year, the Rector handed diplomas to the students with the highest marks gained in bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honours.
The Rector also distributed awards to members of the university’s administrative staff for being exemplary in the performance of their duties. These include Małgorzata Sobańska (Marketing and Promotion Department), Renata Bogacka-Andrzejewska (Human Resources Department) and Łukasz Golenia (IT Department). They have for many years managed, autonomously and resourcefully, key areas of operation for Collegium Civitas.
At the end of the official celebrations, the Rector, Prof. Stanisław Mocek, solemnly announced: “I hereby declare the 2015/2016 academic year at Collegium Civitas open!”
The inaugural lecture entitled “Zarządzanie XXI wieku” [Governance in the 21st Century] was given by Prof. Andrzej Blikle from the Institute of Computer Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as member of Academia Europaea.
Once again, we congratulate all the prize winners, and wish our freshers every success in the future with excellent grades.
Collegium Civitas, more than just studies!
Photorelation Mrs. Olga Vyshnevska