After being welcomed by the Rector of the University of Lodz, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski made a short speech referring to his Polish roots and ties to Lodz, which he had visited many times and which he feels sentimental about thanks to his mother, Emilie Benes-Brzezinski. As a sculptor, she carried out artistic projects in our city in the 1990s as part of Konstrukcja w Procesie (today, a park on Drewnowska Street, in the vicinity of Manufaktura, where her works are also exhibited, is named after Emilie Benes-Brzezinski).
Then the Ambassador spoke about the impression made by the dynamic development of Poland in recent decades and how much our country differs from the one he saw in the 1990s, when he came here as a Fulbright scholar. He emphasised the importance of institutions such as the American Corner of the University of Lodz (the first AC in Poland!) for the Polish-American partnership, built on a platform of culture and ideas. He underlined the great work that the director of the American Corner of the University of Lodz, Dr Michał Woźniak and mgr Katarzyna Bajak, have put into the development of the unit in recent years. Mark Brzezinski thanked both of them sincerely.
In turn, Adam Pustelnik, Deputy Mayor of Lodz, spoke about the city’s inextricable links with what is happening in the USA, focusing above all on the issues of security and business conducted in our city by American investors.
After the meeting with journalists, the Ambassador's visit to the University of Lodz came to an end with a lecture entitled "Modern Diplomacy" delivered by Marek Brzezinski for students in the Rossmann Zone at the University of Lodz Library.
American Corner of the University of Lodz is a unit that has been operating since 2004. The Centre exists thanks to the cooperation of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the University of Lodz. The American Corner organises cultural and educational events for schools, students and meetings open to all those interested. The programme includes educational lectures, information meetings, exhibitions, workshops, discussion clubs and conversation meetings in English. The American Corner is located at the University of Lodz Library on the 2nd floor of the new building. The Centre houses an English-language library with collections on such fields as U.S. history, culture, politics, social sciences, psychology, literature, teaching and learning English, as well as children's and youth literature. The University of Lodz American Corner also offers comic books, audiobooks and board games. The use of the American Corner collections and participation in all meetings organised by the unit is free of charge
Source: American Corner, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz