During a press briefing, organised just before the inauguration, the Rectors presented their universities to journalists – their successes, plans and intentions for the upcoming academic year, but also concerns related to, among other things, the financial situation of science. Against this background, the speech of the Rector of the University of Lodz was characterised by undisguised optimism.
The Lodz Academic Agreement is a very good example of cooperation. I hope that the 80th anniversary of the majority of the universities belonging to the Lodz Academic Partnership in 2025 will deepen this cooperation and let us to jointly implement many more events and projects. At the University of Lodz, responsibility for the university has been taken over by a completely new team – the Rector and Vice-Rectors with completely new functions, some of which are unique on a national scale. We are guided by a vision different from the one according to which the university has been run so far. We really want the University of Lodz to be a human university, to have a friendly approach to work, all employees and to show understanding for their needs. As for this year's admissions, I cannot complain, because it was unexpectedly good. Perhaps young people have come to the conclusion that it is worth waiting the next 3 or even 5 years, observing what is happening in the world, trying to understand complex global processes, using the knowledge of our humanists, representatives of social sciences, exact and natural sciences. Today, let us rejoice in this joint inauguration and in the fact that we live in a relatively safe place in the world.
– said Prof. Rafał Matera, Rector of the University of Lodz during the briefing.
The official inauguration of the academic year 2024/2025 began with the singing of the national anthem by the Choir of the Medical University of Lodz. Then, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik, Rector of the Lodz University of Technology, summed up the past academic year, indicating selected initiatives of the Lodz scientific community. He spoke about the investments of universities associated in the Lodz Academic Partnership, their successes on the national and international forum and their membership in the alliance of European universities. He emphasised the importance of cooperation between universities for the city and region and the benefits of partnership between them and local governments and central authorities.
The guests invited to the inauguration included employees and students of the universities that make up the Lodz Academic partnership, as well as representatives of the Minister of Science, the authorities of Lodz and the region, and scientific and cultural institutions from the region of Lodz. The best wishes for the new academic year 2024/25 for the academic community of universities from Lodz were a part of the speech of Adrian Witczak, MP, representing the Minister of Science and Higher Education, as well as the speeches of Dorota Ryl, Voivode of Lodz, Joanna Skrzydlewska, Marshal of the Lodz Voivodeship, and Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Lodz.
The matriculation of representatives of the crowd of newly admitted students and doctoral students was the solemn moment of the ceremony. The rectors of the Lodz universities took the oaths from them, symbolically welcoming all new members to the academic community.
The inaugural lecture entitled "Po co nam czternasta Alicja? Czyli o sensie ponowionych przekładów" was delivered by Prof. Jerzy Jarniewicz from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Lodz, an English philologist, a poet, a translator, a literary scholar and a winner of the 2022 NIKE Literary Award. He spoke about the growing importance of contemporary translation, and at the same time the translator themselves, in the perception of literary works in a world where more and more people speak English fluently, and about 60 percent of works are translated from that language.
The inauguration ceremony ended with a Gaudeamus igitur performed by the Medical University of Lodz Choir and a performance by students from the Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz University of Music in Lodz.
Photo report of the official inauguration
Source: Lodz Academic Partnership
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz)