Ladies and Gentlemen,
every birthday of the University of Silesia is a reason to celebrate the creation and existence of this extraordinary institution and community that allows scholars, students, and doctoral students, supported by hundreds of employees, to practice science, create knowledge, and share it. And to do it all with a strong sense of their individual research freedom and the autonomy of their university.
I wish you all lots of pride and satisfaction with the University, which should not be lessened by the ongoing reflection on the University’s current state and its future; scholars have not only the right but the obligation to do so for the sake of caring and protecting the common good of all the current and future generations.
In the face of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are particularly remained of the fragility of all that is good. Despite this fragility, I wish all of us to remain filled with a sense of the empowering force of a community of wise, hard-working, and multi-talented people. We are proof of this force in our countless actions towards the betterment of the University’s surroundings as well as the efforts to aid the victims of the war in Ukraine. This is what brings our work meaning.
Economic recognition for academic work should not be measured only with money but also with the social respect and appreciation for the profession of a scholar, teacher, or employee of the science sector. We would also like to see this recognition reflected in the decision to increase the financing of Polish science along with an increase in the remuneration of its employees.
At last, I wish us peace, first and foremost to our dear friends from Ukraine, so we could work together towards our common goals in a safe and united European family.
Prof. Ryszard Koziołek
Rector of the University of Silesia
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Rectorate of the University of Silesia | Photo Julia Agnieszka Szymala