20 March 2020 will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the University of Gdańsk, at present the largest university in the Pomeranian region, which has had an indisputable influence on the development of modern Poland, science and higher education. Each year on 20 March the University of Gdańsk celebrates its day, and this year, being the 49th anniversary, the formal sitting of the UG Senate, held to mark the occasion, will be very special. The Rector of the University of Gdańsk, Prof. Jerzy Piotr Gwizdała, will announce the inauguration of the jubilee year of the University’s 50th anniversary.
Join us.
The University of Gdańsk Day will be held on 20 March 2019 (Wednesday) at the Theatre Hall of the Neophilology building of the Faculty of Languages, UG Campus in Gdańsk Oliwa, ul. Wita Stwosza 51. The ceremony will commence at 10.00.
Programme
· Anthem of the Republic of Poland
· Speech by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, Prof. Jerzy Piotr Gwizdała
· Presenting nominations to members of the first University of Gdańsk Council
· Awarding Polish national decorations
· Presenting the Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius Teacher of the Year awards
· Presenting the UG Rector’s Scientific Awards
· Concert by the University of Gdańsk’s Academic Choir under the direction of Prof. Marcin Tomczak
· Formal unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the late Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland, Professor of the University of Gdańsk
The inauguration of the 50th anniversary jubilee year of the University of Gdańsk
This year’s University of Gdańsk Day will be special as it opens the jubilee year of the University’s 50th anniversary. Alongside the formal opening, the jubilee calendar of events also includes the inauguration of the academic year 2019/2020, the main events, which have been planned for 20 March 2020 (the University’s 50th anniversary), as well as concerts. Scientific conferences dedicated to the history of the UG are being organised, such as, for example, “History of the University of Gdańsk against the background of the history of higher education in Pomerania”, “50 years of the development of the UG for the development of the Pomeranian region and Poland” or thematic conferences prepared by particular faculties. Publications are being prepared on the University’s past and present days such as, among others, “50 essays for the 50th anniversary”, reminiscences of graduates or people linked to the University of Gdańsk, archive material or albums. The list of important events comprises the opening of the exhibition at the newly created Museum of the University of Gdańsk, graduate reunions, open debates and sports events.
Scientific and didactic awards, University of Gdańsk Council appointments
By tradition, the University of Gdańsk Day will include the presentation of Polish national decorations, the Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius Teacher of the Year awards for the best UG teachers who enjoy high standing among the academic community and, for the first time, the UG Rector’s Scientific Awards for the University of Gdańsk’s best scientists for their outstanding achievements in the fields of science as well as research and development work.
The UG Day celebrations will also see the presentation of the nominations for the first University of Gdańsk Council, elected by the UG Senate in line with the requirements of the new Law on Higher Education and Science.
Unveiling of a plaque commemorating the late Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland, Professor of the University of Gdańsk
The formal unveiling of a plaque commemorating the late Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland and Professor of the University of Gdańsk will take place immediately after the celebrations, in front of the building of the Faculty of Law and Administration (Gdańsk Oliwa, ul. Bażyńskiego 6, 12.00). The late President Lech Kaczyński worked at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk between 1972-1997. In March 2018 the Senate of the University of Gdańsk, having consulted the UG Convention for Honorary Distinctions, agreed that the commemorative plaque be placed on the Faculty of Law and Administration building.
“FoLkOVE” ─ concert by JANTAR Song and Dance Ensemble
On the same day, as tradition has it, an evening concert will be held to celebrate the UG Day. This year will see the performance of the University of Gdańsk JANTAR Song and Dance Ensemble. The programme of the concert, entitled “foLkOVE”, will comprise the most beautiful dances and songs inspired by Polish folklore, with the audience being invited to a journey across different regions of Poland. Admission is free. 20 March 2019, 19.00, Theatre Hall of the Faculty of Languages (Neophilology building), ul. Wita Stwosza 51.
AKADEMIA 2019 Fair and the University of Gdańsk OPEN DAYS
The AKADEMIA 2019 Fair and the University of Gdańsk OPEN DAYS will be held during the University of Gdańsk Day. The AKADEMIA Fair, organised at the University of Gdańsk for over 20 years, is the largest and oldest educational fair in Pomerania, dedicated mainly to pupils who have to make decisions over course of study and university but also to teachers and all those interested in the educational offer of higher education institutions. This year’s fair will be held on 19-20 March 2019 at the UG’s Faculty of Law and Administration, Gdańsk Oliwa Campus, ul. Bażyńskiego 6. Guests will be able to visit information stalls of the largest higher education institutions in Pomerania and the rest of Poland as well as post-secondary schools. The fair will include meetings with representatives of the Regional Exam Committee, mock ‘matura’ exams and a handful of inspiring lectures. The stall will be open between 9.00-14.00 and admission is free. Faculties of the University of Gdańsk would like to welcome visitors to their OPEN DAYS. You will be able to visit laboratories and research rooms, take part in numerous workshops, experiments and other attractions prepared specially for the occasion.
University of Gdańsk in brief
The University of Gdańsk was founded on 20 March 1970 from an amalgamation of the Higher Economics School in Sopot and the Higher Pedagogical School in Gdańsk. It is a dynamically developing university which combines tradition and innovation. It offers education in nearly all fields of academic knowledge, in professions sought after on the job market and in state-of-the-art facilities in one of the largest university complexes in Pomerania, expanded as the University of Gdańsk Campus.
Currently, the University of Gdańsk is the largest higher education institution in the Pomeranian region. It comprises eleven faculties with almost twenty six thousand students, doctoral students and post-graduates and over one thousand seven hundred research and didactic staff. Such fields of study as Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Oceanography, Quantum Physics, Pedagogy, Psychology, Law or Economic Sciences are considered amongst the best in the country.
The University of Gdańsk strives for sustainable development in the fields of science and education, while enhancing its cooperation with business and strengthening its internationalisation.
The University of Gdańsk provides education in 79 fields of study at all levels of education, with the introduction of nine new fields of study being considered for the academic year 2019/2020: Applied Informatics, Health Care Institution Management, Production of Audio-Visual Forms, Pre- and Early School Pedagogy, Insurance – Interdisciplinary Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice (studies conducted in English, Physical Geography and Geoinformation, Socio-Economic Geography with Elements of GIS as well as part-time studies in Health Care Technology. These innovative courses answer the needs of the job market and take account of contemporary challenges. They are all interdisciplinary in character, with the study programmes being devised in cooperation with experts and prospective employers. Admissions to all fields of study at the University of Gdańsk will begin on 20 June 2019.
The University of Gdańsk can also boast significant scientific achievement, thus strengthening its leading position in the region. At present the University is involved in the implementation of 62 international scientific, research and development and didactic projects to the total value of 194 million PLN. It is also implementing 230 domestic scientific and development projects to the total value of over 147 million PLN (mainly long-term projects spanning a period of several years, with the amount given referring to the entire funding). The University is carrying out intense work aimed at enhancing the quality of the scientific research conducted and has received funding to this effect as part of the “Excellence Strategy – Research Institution” programme by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Among one of the greatest successes of the University of Gdańsk in recent years has been its participation in the special programme by the Foundation for Polish Science – International Research Agendas, based on creating innovative centres of excellence in Poland with the participation of the best researchers from the entire world. The University of Gdańsk has won the programme twice, receiving 76 million PLN to create two agendas: the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science and the International Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies.
A number of prestigious undertakings include the university-wide project “PROgram Rozwoju Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego”, financed from the European Social Fund as part of the operational programme Knowledge Education Development. The University can also boast successes in applying for grants from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). As part of the Polish Returns programme, three projects (from a total of 22 across the country) are being implemented at the UG. The University of Gdańsk has also received funds to implement 8 projects as part of the European Union’s largest research programme – Horizon 2020, which gives the University good standing with regard to innovation.
The University of Gdańsk also stands out among other Polish universities through the maritime nature of its scientific research and education. The University implements its motto of “In mari via tua” (the sea is your way), thus serving the development of the Pomerania region, whose wealth is the very sea itself. It has been actively involved in Baltic cooperation through the implementation of numerous international scientific projects as part of the Horizon 2020, Interreg or Bonus-185 programmes. It is also leader of the National Centre for Baltic Research Consortium which comprises Pomeranian universities and research institutes.
Investments to be implemented in the academic year 2019/2020 include the construction of the new Institute of Informatics. The building will hold classes for students of the newly-created field of study at the UG – Applied Informatics, whose programme has been devised in cooperation with employers, with some classes being conducted by expert practitioners. It will be one of the most modern institutes in Poland, with lecture rooms, laboratories and equipment to meet the needs of 21st-century research and didactics. The investment (to be completed in the second part of 2019) forms part of the 2014 - 2020 Regional Operational Programme for the Pomeranian Voivodeship and is a response to the needs of the job market as regards the employment of IT specialists. Other plans include the building of the University Sports and Recreation Centre.
