The University

# 19-20/2010 

The University 

A QUARTERLy 

OF ThE SZCZECiN 

UNivERSiTy 

iSSN 2080-9018

ISSUE THEME: 

Szczecin University’s 25 th anniversary 

Elżbieta Beata Nowak 

Following the Exemplaries... 4 

EVENTS 

Joanna Daniek 

The French Ambassador at Szczecin University 9 

Franco Ferrari 

Physics Doctorate a First in More Than 60 Years 11 


The Benevolent Intercessor 12 

Magdalena Gardas 

Pomerania Nostra for Prof. Władysław Filipowiak 15 

Leszek Wątróbski 

A Decade of Teaching the Polish Language 17 

THE REGION, EUROPE, THE WORLD 

Katarzyna Łobacz 

MURMAŃSK – A New Scholarly Challenge 19 

Begina Sławińska 

In Philosophiae Concordia 21 

Anna Linka 

PhD Students from the 

Four Corners of the World 22 

Janina Gesche 

Aspects of Narration 24 

CULTURE 

Mikołaj Szczęsny 

An Autumn of Musical Inspiration 26 

SPORT 

Jerzy Eider 

Champions Among Us 29

The University 

Even the longest journey begins with the first step 

(Chinese Proverb) 

We are delivering to our readers a special issue of 

the Szczecin University Review. This is a version of the 

Polish edition of Przegląd Uniwersytecki. In this English 

edition, we present a selection of papers published in 

Przegląd Uniwersytecki dedicated to the 25 th Anniversary 

of our University. As usual on such occasions, the 

University’s past, present and future are summarized 

in an interview with Rector Magnificus of Szczecin 

University, Professor Waldemar Tarczyński. In this interview, 

Prof. Tarczyński is accompanied by the editor 

of a special book dedicated to the Anniversary. The 

interview is of great importance as it relates both to 

the university’s history and future. Although with the 

passing of time, institutions like the University will celebrate 

numerous anniversaries, but it seems that none 

of them has the significance equal to the 25 th . During 

its first 25 years, Szczecin University has made enormous 

progress in every aspect. The number of students 

and academic staff has significantly increased. It 

is a fully autonomous academic institution employing 

over 260 professors. Similarly autonomous are most of 

the ten faculties which have the privilege of conferring 

the degree of Doctor of Science. 

There exist numerous measures of success in the 

University’s management and development. For us, 

the most important aspect is the promotion of 

young scientists receiving the PhD degree. In this 

issue, we present the first PhD in Physics conferred 

at our University. Another important aspect that 

affects the entire community (students and scientists) 

is the area of international cooperation. In 

this volume, we also discover our new partner in 

science, Murmansk State Pedagogical University 

from Russia’s Far North. It seems that the collaboration 

with our new foreign partner will flourish in 

the near future. Moreover, the biggest challenge 

of recent decades is student and staff mobility – 

here our PhD student, Anna Linka, presents her 

impressions from a workshop she attended with 

PhD students from other countries. 

However, the University is not only a place 

where one can study, its mission also includes 

the promotion of culture. This is expressed at our 

University by numerous concerts and festivals 

and the performances of our Academia Chamber 

Orchestra. We do hope that the University Review, 

dedicated to the 25 th Anniversary of the Szczecin 

University, fully reflects the University with its mission 

in science, teaching, international cooperation, 

and mobility of students. Yet, it should also 

reflect the University as a point from which culture 

radiates, contributing to the development of 

Szczecin, the region and the country. 

Prof. Andrzej Witkowski 

Prof. Andrzej 

Witkowski 

Vice-rector for Science 

and International 

Cooperation 

The Univesity Review 

a quarterly of the Szczecin University. Edited 

by The SU Promotion and Information Bureau. 

The SU Promotion and Information 

Bureau: 

Krzysztof Trzciński (manager), Marika Gołda, 

Adam Morawski, Magdalena Seredyńska, 

Artur Szwedo 

Editor: 

Elżbieta B. Nowak 

Translation: 

Justyna Stawiak 

Proofreading: 

Rick Butler 

Graphic design: 

Tomasz Tarnowski 

Typesetting: 

Monika Wancerz 

Graphic design on cover: 

Piotr Depta 

Photo: 

Jerzy Giedrys, Magdalena Seredyńska 

and others 

Print: 

Print Group 

Office adress: 

Uniwersytet Szczeciński 

al. Jana Pawła II 22 a 

71-453 Szczecin 

e-mail: gazeta@univ.szczecin.pl 

www.univ.szczecin.pl/przeglad 

The publisher reserves the right to edit and 

abbreviate the texts. This issue was completed 

on 10.05. 2010. Circulation: 800 copies. 

3

ISSUE THEME 

Following 

the Exemplaries... 

The University of Szczecin is marking its 25 th anniversary with the publication of a new book: Szczecin University 1985- 

2010: At the Turn of the Century and the Times. SU Rector Waldemar Tarczyński, and Prof. Włodzimierz Stępiński, the 

project coordinator, discuss the commemorative volume with Elżbieta Beata Nowak. 

Elżbieta Beata Nowak: Anniversary celebrations 

are usually a time for reflection. In that 

spirit, this book will highlight the history of 

the university and the achievements of its 

faculty and scholars. How did the idea to create 

this publication come about? 

Prof. Waldemar Tarczyński: The originator 

is Prof. Włodzimierz Stępiński, who, at one of our 

meetings concerning different university issues, 

stated that so comprehensive a work had not yet 

been published. Well, life is uncompromising 

and runs only in one direction – some facts die 

together with people. Thus, it is worth summarizing 

the events that have taken place throughout 

the last 25 years and showing what the university 

has become. This diagnosis may also serve 

to show directions our university should follow 

in the future. i hope and expect that this beautiful 

volume will promote Szczecin’s Alma Mater 

not only within Poland’s boundaries, but also in 

Europe and the world. 

numerous, unusually consistent, actions, which 

were interlaced just once in a while with discouragement. 

Even in such weary moments, a great 

number of people never lost hope! 

Szczecin University’s founding fathers were 

not limited to representatives of science, like 

distinguished and influential mentors Prof. Piotr 

Zaremba and Prof. Gerard Labuda – teacher to 

three generations of humanists in this region. 

To a much greater extent, the key decisions 

concerning plans and results then lay in the 

Prof. Waldemar Tarczyński 

– Rector Magnificus 

Photo: Jerzy Giedrys 

E.B.N.: What was the original concept of 

the book? 

Prof. Włodzimierz Stępiński: The challenge 

we faced turned out to be extremely difficult 

because it was the first attempt of this sort undertaken 

in a city that had never had a university, 

even when it was part of Germany. We had no 

appropriate models to follow, since the histories 

of other universities are not applicable. Thus, we 

may define our publication as an original one. in 

shaping the book, we had to consider a few essential 

and characteristic aspects. We may say, as 

an academic community, that we are the result of 

The monograph’s cover 

5

ISSUE THEME 

two or three people, as it was in the case of older 

universities in Poland. Referring to what i said 

earlier, let me just say that in the “new” post-war 

Poland, the Wroclaw university has existed since 

1945. Therefore, we adopted our own concept 

which i would describe as a method of incorporating 

all the university’s segments. hence, we 

have a number of authors. Perhaps in the next 25 

years, the younger generation may choose a different 

approach. 

Prof. Włodzimierz Stępiński 

– head of the Department 

of Studies on German 

History at SU Institute 

of History and International 

Relations 


6 

hands of representatives of government authorities 

and political party elites, as well as the media 

management connected with those circles. 

We must remember that the daily newspaper 

Rzeczpospolita was a great supporter of the idea 

of creating a university in Szczecin. i should also 

remind the young generation in particular that 

until 1989 it was the voivodship Committee of 

the Polish United Workers’ Party and the voivodship 

National Council in Szczecin, in other words 

the Polish government, took all the major decisions 

concerning the speed of scientific progress 

and the conditions in which science and education 

were supposed to function. These authorities 

even had a say in matters such as staffing. 

We ought not to forget those who joined the established 

university later and helped create the 

academic framework here in Szczecin. All those 

mentioned are in away co-founders of our alma 

mater. 

The second issue crucial for shaping the concept 

of the monograph was the fact that we are 

the only most westerly located city in Poland 

which even long after the war had to struggle 

with its aftermath. At that time, matters like 

health, technology, reconstruction were considered 

top priority. As far as science is concerned, 

the city emerged as a place in which the idea of 

founding a university appeared as one of the last. 

Keeping the afore-mentioned aspects and many 

others in mind, we decided we could not leave 

the undertaking of describing these 25 years to 

E.B.N.: You mentioned the city’s winding 

road to the university and the institution’s 

quite unique beginnings. 

W.S.: yes, this issue will surely be discussed 

and holds a special place in the work. i would like 

to say that i really did not want to highlight the 

political threads, let alone the ideological context 

the university was born in. Putting aside all 

the grudge we hold against General Wojciech 

Jaruzelski and his companions for the impunity 

of those who caused the death of over a hundred 

people during the martial law, i think if it weren’t 

for that party and government and the weakening 

of the national party’s central position in relation 

to the “provincial” elites that took place under 

the martial law, perhaps the university may 

not have been established until the year 2000. To 

my mind, it is still too early to evaluate certain 

decisions and i feel that the younger generation 

should be able to assume an appropriate view 

on that period in history. Right now, i guess it is 

pointless and not possible. During our discussions, 

the rector agreed with me on this matter. 

E.B.N.: A multitude of authors entails 

a multitude of perspectives, especially since 

the book involves not only the history and 

accomplishments of each faculty, but also 

the university’s non-scientific activity, which 

proves that it is developing dynamically in 

many other fields. 

W.S.: We were very intent on including segments 

concerning students, their place in the academic 

community, and cultural life and sports 

as well. i believe that in this part of the Regained 

Territories everything differs in comparison to 

“older” Poland, i.e. we are more or less lagging 

behind. No wonder, in this most German of the 

large cities in Germany’s west, incorporated into 

Poland after the decisions made in Potsdam, our 

framework of numinous life had to be built upon 

“bare roots”. This raises the merits of the pioneer 

generation and increases the amount of the work 

they had put into creating the city. As the rector 

said, this is also one of the reasons for which the 

university should emphasize its 25 th anniversary

ISSUE THEME 

as a certain balance record. it ought to present 

how the university has worked in various fields 

for the local community and how this work has 

influenced the development of the city and the 

region. Thanking all the authors for their disciplined 

editorial work, i would like to draw future 

readers’ attention to the accompanying illustrations 

which, in our opinion, splendidly reflect our 

university’s traditions and the accomplishments 

of all the generations of scholars who once 

worked or still work at our Alma Mater. 

E.B.N.: Let us try to sum up: many authors, 

many perspectives; an enormous amount of 

processed material. What is the image of the 

university emerging from the publication? 

W.S.: We are still working hard to “catch up” 

with the great universities and trying to maintain 

a good national level and – insofar as the ministry’s 

policies and the financial capacity make it 

possible – a fairly good European level. if i may say 

so, the conditions that the state provides young 

scholars with are not good enough. in our monograph, 

we focus our attention also on the output 

of the young generation, which will be the next 

to take over the university. The celebrations and 

the book we prepared encourage recapitulation, 

thus they are the perfect time and place to briefly 

and moderately, but also clearly, boast our many 

achievements. As the rector has said, we would 

like to highlight our silver jubilee. 

E.B.N.: Preparing a publication, one always 

has a planned audience in mind. Prof. 

Stepinski’s strong belief in the research 

value of this volume indicates that the book 

is aimed at a specialist audience. For which 

groups is the book intended and what do you 

hope that readers gain from it? 

W.T.: The answer is simple: the audience is, 

first of all, the academic community of Szczecin 

University and the remaining universities and 

academies in Szczecin; all those interested in 

higher education in Poland; the citizens of our 

city and the region. however, the book is not 

one that may be categorized as popular science 

or bought in every bookshop. in my opinion, the 

book ought to addressed particularly to those 

that decide about what goes on in the city and 

region, i.e. the municipal authorities and local 

government. The monograph also constitutes 

good promotional material, presenting 

the university’s current image and its dynamic 

progress: from 800 to 30.000 students; from 

a small university to a medium-sized strong university 

with full academic rights; from a small 

workplace to one of the largest in West Pomerania, 

employing over 2.000 people. This incredible 

process is worth emphasizing because such 

huge progress in a 25-year period is rare in the 

history of universities. Let us just remind that 

Szczecin is an academic city largely thanks to 

Szczecin University. 

The first inauguration 

ceremony of the academic 

year 1985/86 


7

ISSUE THEME 

From left to right: Prof. W. 

Stępiński, E.B. Nowak, Prof. 

W. Tarczyński 


8 

E.B.N.: The evolution of 

the university over the last 

decade has certainly been 

dynamic. What may we expect 

in the next 25 years? 

W.T.: The next quartercentury 

will be even better. 

Progress and development is 

noted only when children live 

better than their parents did, 

so, in the opinion of those 

currently running the university, 

the next 25 years must 

be like that. Poland’s accession 

to the EU opened great 

development opportunities 

for higher education in our 

country, mostly due to the 

possibilities of financing research from EU funds. 

This is one of the pillars of our university – once 

we have at our disposal well-equipped laboratories, 

we will be able to attract talented students. 

The teaching level should rise because classes will 

be run by lecturers cooperating with educational 

centers abroad. Needless to say, the number of 

such scholars working at our university is gradually 

growing. We have our own track of development, 

which is surely different than that of e.g. 

the Jagiellonian University. We hope that it is not 

a short-cut, but the application of experiences of 

other, often century-old, universities. We are striving 

to become a big university on the map of Europe 

as far as the aspect of science and teaching 

are concerned. 

E.B.N.: With analogy to the age of a human 

being, Szczecin University is like a 25-year-old, 

i.e. a person just entering into full adulthood, 

yet having a considerable amount of experience 

and the necessary knowledge of himself 

or herself and the world. 

W.T.: We have created good foundations for 

development. This is a university that can not be 

unnoticed, a university that offers a number of opportunities, 

maybe not as many as the Jagiellonian 

University or Oxford, but we are slowly heading 

that way. I think that the differences between 

the best universities in Poland and ours are quickly 

diminishing. As you said earlier, the dynamics of 

development show that by small steps and years 

of work we are heading towards the best models. 

This process can not be accelerated, since it is 

not possible to set up a big and strong university 

at once – it has to be built by work and perseverance. 

Let me just give the example of the geographically 

closest Adam Mickiewicz University 

in Poznań, which this year celebrated its 90 th anniversary. 

During an official dinner, the last three 

rectors, complimenting one other, each emphasized 

the merits of their predecessor. This is 

what enables the university’s systematic growth. 

I hope that the consistent work of all Szczecin 

University’s rectors – beginning with the late 

Prof. Jaskot, through rectors Wierzbicki, Bronk 

and Chmielewski – will be noticeable in the monograph, 

in the part where each of them evaluates 

their term in office. I believe that it will be possible 

to see the common plane that connects us all 

and thanks to which Szczecin University exists in 

its current form today. 

E.B.N.: As rector of the university, what does 

this anniversary means to you personally? 

W.T.: The University’s 25 years of existence 

equals almost the length of my entire professional 

life, since I started working in 1983 at the 

Faculty of Engineering and Economics of Transport 

at the Technical University of Szczecin. Two 

years later, the very same faculty, along with the 

Higher School of Pedagogy constituted the institutions 

that became Szczecin University. Soon 

after military training, as a young assistant lecturer, 

I began my didactic and scientific career in 

Szczecin University. I was a graduate of a faculty 

within the structure of the University. Then, I became 

an assistant professor, a doctoral graduate 

and, finally, a full professor – all at the same 

unit – so you may say that the university is my 

second home. 

E.B.N.: Thank you for the interesting and 

reflective conversation and the introduction 

into Szczecin University’s 25 th anniversary 

celebrations.

EVENTS 

The French Ambassador 

at Szczecin University 

François Barry Martin-Delongchamps, the newly appointed French ambassador to Poland, visited 

Szczecin University in November to deliver an address themed on issues central to the strategic 

partnership between the two countries. 

Speaking at the University’s Senate Hall, 

Martin-Delongchamps touched on agriculture, 

power production and environmental protection, 

with a special emphasis on climate change. 

In a panel discussion following the address, he 

and members of his delegation spoke about 

education, cultural and enterprise development, 

and the future of Europe with members of the 

audience, which included representatives of 

the University chapter of the Alliance française, 

a worldwide network of Francophile student organizations. 

Speaking in advance of the formal signing of 

the partnership agreement, which took place in 

a December 5 meeting between French President 

Nicholas Sarkozy and Polish Prime Minister 

Donald Tusk, the ambassador told the gathering 

that the strategic partnership provides a framework 

for mutual relations between the two countries 

in the areas of politics, defense and security, 

power industry and environmental protection, 

infrastructure, transportation and telecommunication, 

agriculture, EU issues, internal affairs and 

justice, culture and education. He added that it is 

aimed at intensifying cooperation and preparing 

Poland for its presidency in the European Union 

Council, which will begin in the second half of 

2011. 

Joanna Daniek 

SU graduate of philosophy 

The French ambassador 

during his lecture 


9

EVENTS 

The ambassador cited the planned construction 

of two nuclear power plants as representative 

of the benefits of closer cooperation, noting 

that Polish specialists attached to the project will 

be trained in France. He also emphasized the importance 

of joint work in developing instruments 

regulating markets in agricultural products. He 

said that this is particularly important in light 

of especially the alarming and unprecedented 

fluctuations of food product prices in Europe in 

the last two years. “We cannot allow agriculture 

to disappear,” Martin-Delongchamps said, “because 

it is not only a way of earning a living for 

many people, but also a part of the cultural identity.” 

He added that determined action should be 

taken to ensure food security for Europe and advocated 

pragmatism in cooperating with other 

countries outside the continent. 

Francois Barry 

Delongchamps, the French 

ambassador in Poland 

talking to Prof. Waldemar 

Tarczyński, rector of 

Szczecin University 


10 

Highlighting that the presence of French 

culture in West Pomerania is more dependent 

upon the entrepreneurs’ and sponsors’ interest 

and initiative than upon the will of the embassy 

and the French government, the ambassador 

noted an intensification of cooperation in the 

area of mutual cultural recognition in the form 

of joint celebrations in 2010 of the Maria Curie- 

Skłodowska’s 1911 Nobel Prize and the 200th anniversary 

of Frederic Chopin’s birth. 

Martin-Delongchamps was accompanied 

by a delegation that included Councilor Jérôme 

Baconin of the French Economic Mission in Warsaw, 

Educational Cooperation Attaché Mireille 

Cheval and Press Attaché Patrycja Stankiewicz. 

Włodzimierz Puzyna, France’s honorary consul in 

Szczecin, also was in attendance. Members of the 

delegation joined with University Rector Waldemar 

Tarczyński in a panel discussion following 

the address and focused on the future European 

integration. Baconin stressed the importance of 

balancing deeper cooperation and community 

enlargement with efforts to safeguard the differences 

and characters of individual member states 

in order to prevent the rise of reactionary nationalism. 

Mutual respect built upon understanding 

and the exchange of values is a key issue, but culture 

and peace require a large amount of effort, 

he said, citing the reconciliation between France 

and Germany as an example of a difficult process 

that produced a satisfactory partnership thanks 

to commitment on both sides and programmatic 

exchanges aimed at deepening relations between 

the two nations. “Two generations after 

the Second World War, the thought of a conflict 

seems absurd because it was possible to develop 

mutual respect,” he said. 

The Ambassador expressed his belief that 

such initiatives, expressing political intentions 

on one hand and openness and involvement of 

young people on the other, may be applied in 

every country and are a vital element in forging 

Europe’s common future. It was a message not 

lost on the gathering, which consisted of students, 

graduates and academic staff of the University. 

Tarczyński echoed these sentiments in 

raising a toast to continued and unceasing Polish- 

French friendship at the close of the event.

EVENTS 

Physics Doctorate 

a First in More Than 60 Years 

On October 7, 2009, Szczecin University’s Institute of Physics witnessed the defense by 

Jarosław Paturej, a student in the Department of Field Theory, of a doctoral thesis on polymer 

modeling. It was the first doctorate in physics granted in West Pomerania since 1945. 

Why is Paturej’s doctorate such an unusual event, 

not only for the institute but also for the city and the 

province? What influence does it have on our everyday 

lives? A majority of people only associate physics with 

a difficult school subject and have no idea about the 

career opportunities that exist after completing these 

studies, let alone the degree to which one can affect 

the development of civilization. 

Lasers, transistors and power plants… 

Were it not for physicists like Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, 

John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and the inventor 

of the transistor, William Shockley, there would be 

no electronic computers. The now widespread ‘www’ 

internet protocol was invented to meet the needs of 

physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear 

Research (CERN). Without Albert Einstein, Alfred Kastler 

and Gordon Gould, lasers and their applications 

in medicine would not be so commonly used as they 

are. if it hadn’t been for Enrico Fermi’s discoveries and 

experiments, nuclear power plants – so often a subject 

for discussion at Szczecin University – would not have 

been built. 

Since its very beginnings, physics has made possible 

the accomplishments of our technological civilization. 

This fact allows graduates in physics to find 

a job quite easily because they often have a better 

understanding of the reality around us than do others. 

Thus, physics is an important element of our life. 

The opportunity of studying this discipline at doctoral 

level at Szczecin University is not merely an example of 

extending the school’s educational offerings. Through 

their research, our young scientists surely will influence 

the development of new technologies, just as 

Jarosław Paturej’s studies have had an impact on the 

field of polymer physics. 

…and ubiquitous polymers 

The leading models of polymer chains were formulated 

by Rouse and Zimm and for 50 years provided 

a description of polymers’ main characteristics. however, 

in light of recent experiments that enable manipulation 

of molecules within a single polymer chain, it 

seems that they do not reflect the physics of polymers 

as accurately as once was thought. 

in nanotechnology, a new sub-field of spectroscopy 

has appeared recently that deals with the behavior of 

stretched DNA and protein molecules. The application 

of the Rouse and Zimm models in interpreting results 

of experiments during which the chain is stretched by 

external forces is troublesome due to the arbitrary assumptions 

they contain about chain length. in reality, 

polymers are inextensible and have a specified length. 

Thus, it is not an easy task to include conditions that 

ensure this inextensibility in theoretical models. 

A new model of polymers 

Paturej’s doctoral thesis significantly improves the 

description of recent experimental observations of 

these complex systems, whose forms are contingent 

on outside forces such as temperature and pressure, 

which is helping to recast the theoretical models of 

polymers that can be used to discover new forms of 

these substances. This, in turn, can lead to applications 

that are vastly different from contemporary uses. 

Paturej’s studies have not passed unnoticed in the 

academic community, with the received several invitations 

to continue his scholarship at institutions abroad. 

From these, he has chosen the prestigious Max Planck 

institute for Polymer Research in Mainz (Germany), 

a world leader in the field. 

Prof. Franco Ferrari 

head of the Department of 

Field Theory at the Faculty 

of Mathematics and Physics 

Prof. Waldemar Tarczyński 

officially presenting the 

doctoral diploma to 

Jarosław Paturej during the 

promotion ceremony on 

December 10 th 2009. 

11

EVENTS 

The Benevolent 

Intercessor 

On September 24 th , 2009, Szczecin University’s Senate presented the Most Rev. Archbishop 

Zygmunt Kamiński, a key player in the establishment of SU’s Faculty of Theology, with an 

honorary doctorate in the field of law. 


editor 

The Faculty of Law and Administration and university 

authorities honored the Archbishop, the retired 

metropolitan of Szczecin and the nearby cathedral 

town of Kamień, for a prolific career. Archbishop 

Kamiński personally solicited Pope John Paul II for 

help in establishing the theological college. He also 

participated in the Polish Episcopal Conference and 

led the clerical delegation that worked with legislators 

on the constitutional mechanics of church-state 

relations. His work in education helped to establish 

the Catholic Comprehensive Schools Complex, while 

in the cultural arena he provided vital support for 

the Wspólnota Polska Association and events such 

as Christian Culture Week. The award, granted in the 

university’s 25 th anniversary year, honors the archbishop’s 

lasting contributions to church, community 

and country. 

tor Waldemar Tarczyński introduced the promoter 

and reviewers of the award. They included Zdzisław 

Chmielewski, a former SU rector and EU Parliament 

member; Prof. Tadeusz Smyczyński, from the SU 

Faculty of Law and Administration; Prof. Stanisław 

Stadniczeńko, from Opole University’s Faculty 

of Law and Administration; and Rev. Prof. Antoni 

Dembiński, from the Faculty of Law, Canon Law and 

Administration at the Catholic University of Lublin. 

In his welcoming address, Prof. Tarczyński reminded 

the audience of the significance and distinction of 

the title and listed past laureates by name. 

Following a reading of the Senate resolution, 

Rev. Prof. Zdzisław Kroplewski delivered the keynote 

address. The dean of the Theological Faculty noted 


Paying Tribute 

A host of government and church officials, including 

members of the Marshal’s Office and City 

Council, and His Eminence Cardinal Józef Glemp, 

the Polish primate, attended the ceremony, held in 

the university’s Senate Hall. They listened as Rec- 

12

EVENTS 

Archbishop Zygmunt Kamiński was 

born on February 20, 1933, in Wzgórze 

k. Bełżyc, part of the Lublin archdiocese. 

From 1951-1956, he studied for the 

priesthood at the Theological Seminary 

of the Catholic University of Lublin. He 

was ordained in 1956 by Bishop Piotr 

Kałwa, and after taking his holy orders, 

he was a curate in the parishes of Piaski 

and Lublin. 

From 1959 to 1961, Kamiński studied 

canon law at the Catholic University 

of Lublin and, in 1971, defended his 

doctoral thesis titled Application of the 

Mass for the People in Pre-Code legislation 

of the Western Church, written under 

the academic supervision of Rev. 

Prof. Aleksy Petrani. 

In the period between 1966 and 

1975, Kamiński occupied different positions 

in the Lublin archdiocese and conducted 

classes in canon law at the Lublin 

Theological Seminary. In November 

of 1975, he was ordained bishop at the 

Lublin Cathedral. He remained in the 

diocese as auxiliary bishop until 1984, 

when he was appointed bishop coadjutor 

in the city of Płock. Four years later, 

he became the bishop of the diocese. 

During his pastoral work in the city, he 

established the Theological College and 

Institute of High Religious Culture and 

organized the 42 nd synod of the Płock 

diocese, the closing of which coincided 

with the pilgrimage of Pope John Paul 

II to the city. 

On May Day in 1999, Kamiński was 

appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of 

Szczecin and Kamień, where he worked 

for a decade before retiring. During 

his mission, the archbishop organized 

pastoral life and promoted many social 

and educational events. His personal 

engagement and cooperation with 

Szczecin University’s authorities led to 

the establishment of the Theological 

Faculty. 

Kamiński served a chairman of Economic 

Committee and the Legal Committee 

of the Polish Episcopal Conference, 

in the Church Concordat Committee 

and as vice-chairman of the Wspólnota 

Polska Association. 

13

EVENTS 


14 

that characterizing the archbishop is not an easy task 

because “many years of his work and his immense 

achievements encompass numerous fields”, including 

legislation, education, religion and culture. 

Prof. Kroplewski said: “One of Archbishop 

Kamiński’s great wishes and, eventually, his achievement, 

was the foundation of the Theological Faculty 

within the structures of Szczecin University. Such 

attempts had already been undertaken by his predecessors 

– archbishops Kazimierz Majdański and 

Marian Przykucki. Thus, Archbishop Kamiński continued 

this work in connection with the project of 

academic education in the field of theology in Poland, 

prepared years back by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. 

An additional incentive for undertaking the effort 

was the favorability of Szczecin’s science community 

and history. As early as in the 15 th century, within 

the Kamień diocese in Gryfia, there was a university 

comprising four faculties – including theology. The 

papal bull establishing the University in Gryfia was 

issued by Pope Calixtus III on May 29 t h 1456.” 

The keynote speaker added that promoters 

highlighted the particular merits of the archbishop, 

who, “owing to his general activity, especially in the 

field of legal regulations concerning meeting points 

between Church and state, as well as thanks to the 

initiatives he undertook on behalf of West Pomerania 

and Szczecin University, fully deserves to receive 

the title of doctor honoris causa (…)”. 

Following the speech, Prof. Henryk Dolecki, dean 

of the Faculty of Law and Administration, read the 

diploma and passed it to the Rector Tarczyński, who 

touched his shoulder with the mace and declared in 

Latin: 

“Nomine Senatus 

Universitatis Stetinensis 

In Professorem 

SIGISMUNDUM KAMIŃSKI 

Honoris Causa Doctoris nomen 

Cum summa aestimatione confero” 

In search for the truth 

In his doctoral lecture, entitled The Search for 

Truth Versus Happiness in Life, Archbishop Kamiński 

justified the need for creating the Faculty of Theology 

at SU. He said: “A particular expression of the 

Church’s concern for the entire truth that leads us 

towards humanity at its fullest is the establishment 

of theological faculties at secular universities. That 

is why, after regaining independence in the 1990s, 

great efforts were made to re-establish or create 

theological faculties at different universities in our 

country. With God’s help and the good will of the 

government and university authorities, this was also 

achieved in Szczecin. 

“The experiences from previous years have confirmed 

that the presence of theological faculties at 

state universities – an expression of synergy between 

faith and reason – is fruitful for both parties. We have 

the right to say that this presence is good for the man 

of truth. And the concern for human beings, creating 

conditions which enable their full development 

in humanity and, in this way, finding the deepest 

meaning of their existence – should motivate those 

who act for the common good. This includes those 

who govern by the authority of their democratic 

mandate and those who educate and raise others. 

Here, it seems appropriate to stress that without the 

fundament of objective truth about humanity, the 

cooperation between state and Church would be superficial 

and could turn into harmful rivalry. We have 

to bear in mind and constantly convince one another 

that by leading another person towards the truth, 

we find out the objective truth about ourselves. And 

by building upon this truth, not only do we actually 

help others, but also raise ourselves towards the love 

that encompasses everything.” 

The archbishop noted SU’s jubilee, directing the 

following comment to the academic community: “Ad 

multos annos (…) in reaching the full truth leading to 

happiness in life!” He added that receiving the title 

had brought “personal joy and a happy day”. 

“Life is a gift and a set task” 

A concert by the Academia Orchestra and Szczecin 

University Choir, under the direction of Prof. 

Bohdan Boguszewski, accompanied the event, which 

also was an occasion to promote the book Life Is A Gift 

And A Set Task, published in 2009 by Wydawnictwo 

Diecezjalne i Drukarnia in Sandomierz. In the form 

of an extended interview, given to Maciej Drzonek, 

Archbishop Kamiński shares his personal reflections 

on the historic events in which he participated. The 

volume provides an opportunity to learn more about 

the archbishop, who Prof. Kroplewski called “a good 

and benevolent intercessor” for the university.

EVENTS 

Pomerania Nostra 

for Prof. Władysław Filipowiak 

The 2009 laureate’s willingness to examine the mutual mayhem and lack of trust of the 

post-war years succeeded in building a mental bridge between Poland and Germany. 

The 2009 presentation of the Polish-German 

Pomerania Nostra Prize, to Prof. Władysław Filipowiak, 

took place on 27 November in the auditorium 

at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University 

in Greifswald. The celebration was attended by 

representatives of the Szczecin City Council, the 

staff from the Institute of History and International 

Relations at Szczecin University, the National 

Museum in Szczecin, the honorary consul 

of the Federal Republic of Germany in Szczecin, 

the mayors of Wolin and Police, as well as Filipowiak’s 

family and friends. 

The ceremony was opened by a musical performance 

– sounds of the harpsichord, clarinet 

and cello in pieces composed by the Venetian 

baroque artist, Alessandro Marcello, constituted 

a fine background for this important event. 

In his opening address, Greifswald University 

Rector Rainer Westermann emphasized meritorious 

nature of the Pomerania Nostra Prize, which 

is awarded every two years to an individual that 

has distinguished himself in the domains of art, 

science, of politics, or social and economic life. 

Dr. Westermann noted that the 2009 selection 

was unanimous, calling Filipowiak a historian 

Pomerania Nostra 

The Pomerania Nostra – Polish-German 

prize is awarded to individuals for meritorious 

service to the regions of West Pomerania and 

Vorpommern. Founder/sponsors include the 

University of Greifswald (established in 1456), 

the University of Szczecin (established in 

1985); the municipal governments of Szczecin 

and Greifswald; and the “Kurier Szczeciński” 

(Szczecin) and “Nordkurier” (Neubrandenburg) 

newspapers. 

Previous winners: 

2003 – Prof. mult. h.c. Berthold Beitz 

2005 – Prof. Krzysztof Skubiszewski 

2007 – Prof. Janina Jasnowska 

and Prof. Michael Succow. 

who has become the messenger between the 

Polish and the German parts of the same region. 

He cited as evidence the fact that the cities of 

Szczecin and Greifswald participated in funding 

the prize and that the ceremony was being held 

during the Days of Polish Culture “polenmARkT” 

in Greifswald. 

Piotr Krzystek, Szczecin’s 

mayor, echoed 

the sentiment, noting 

that he derived satisfaction 

from the fact 

that the founders of 

the prize include cities 

that possess the will to 

work for deeper Polish- 

German cooperation. 

In his speech, Krzystek 

spoke about ‘Pomeranianism’ 

and warned 

against belief in the 

historical fate that con- 

Magdalena Gardas 


spokesperson 

The laureate among 

representatives of the jury 

(from left to right): Dr. Artur 

König, Greifswald mayor; 

Piotr Krzystek, mayor of 

Szczecin; Prof. Edward 

Włodarczyk, SU vice-rector; 

Prof. Władysław Filipowiak; 

Prof. Rainer Westermann, 

rector of Greifswald 

University; Artur D. 

Liskowacki, editor-in-chief 

of the “Kurier Szczeciński” 

newspaper 


15

EVENTS 

Ceremony participants in 

the auditorium 

in Greifswald 


demned Pomerania to provincialism and partitioned 

the lands of a single region. 

Prof. Klaus Zernack, an eminent German 

historian and specialist in Central Europe, delivered 

the keynote address. He remarked on Filipowiak’s 

career as an archeologist, a lecturer at 

Szczecin University, and as the ex-director of the 

National Museum in Szczecin, a post he held for 

51 years (from 1955-2006). Zernack called Filipowiak’s 

research on the development of settlements 

on Wolin Island, in the Szczecin lagoon, 

in the early Middle Ages “a jewel among the Professor’s 

academic accomplishments. 

In his acceptance speech, Flilpowiak concurred, 

noting his interest in the town of Wolin- 

Wineta began with a business trip in 1952 and 

after which he spent a great amount of time 

searching for a legendary settlement at the 

mouth of the Odra River which was said to have 

been engulfed by the sea as a punishment for 

the misdeeds of its residents. In this pursuit, he 

initiated the post-war cooperation with German 

scholars. This was quite difficult owing to the 

psychological barriers – the war still lay deep 

in people’s memory. However, Filipowiak said 

he was aware that he needed German scientific 

findings to support his endeavor. This is how he 

began a cooperation that lasted for almost half 

a century and received recognition in the form 

of a distinction as the Pomerania Nostra Prize. 

As part of the award, Filipowiak received 

a statuette designed by Stargard artist Marian 

Preiss, a diploma and a check for €3000. Making 

the selection were presented by members of the 

Pomerania Nostra society, including Westerman, 

Krzystek, Griefswald Mayor Arthur König, Szczecin 

University vice-rector Edward Włodarczyk, 

and Artur D. Liskowacki, Editor-in-Chief of the 

“Kurier Szczeciński” newspaper. 

Prof. Władysław Filipowiak – archeologist, 

associate professor, lecturer at Szczecin 

University; director of the National Museum 

in Szczecin for 51 years (1955-2006); author of 

over 200 theses concerning archeology and 

the prehistory of Pomerania. 

Thanks to his efforts, the Museum of West 

Pomerania in Szczecin was granted the status 

of National Museum. His active pursuit of artworks 

and artifacts removed from the city during 

the Second World War led to the establishment 

of the Szczecin History Museum. These 

items included medieval sculptures and the 

Tiepolo brothers’ collection of drawings, which 

were returned from the USSR at the end of the 

1950s. In the 1990s, a collection of Ancient 

sculpture replicas, called the Dorn collection, 

was also successfully reclaimed and can be 

now found in the National Museum in Warsaw. 

Filipowiak contributed to the exchange of 

archeological relics between the museums of 

Vorpommern and West Pomerania. His efforts 

resulted in Szczecin’s museum collections being 

enriched by coins, ornaments, weapons, crockery, 

urns, tools. In turn, the German museums 

received objects that were part of the collection 

of the pre-war Das Provinzialmuseum für 

Pommersche Altertümer in Stettin (Provincial 

Museum of Pomeranian Antiquity in Szczecin) 

and, territorially speaking, belonged to what is 

presently known as the Vorpommern. 

Filipowiak is a member of numerous organizations 

and scientific societies, both national 

and international, including the Polish 

Academy of Sciences, Union International des 

Sciences Prehistoriques et Protohistoriques 

(Belgium) and the Deutsche Archäologische 

Institut (Berlin). 

16

A Decade of Teaching 

the Polish Language 

Leszek Wątróbski talks to Jolanta Ignatowicz-Skowrońska PhD, head of the School of Polish 

Language and Culture for Foreigners at Szczecin University’s Institute of Polish Philology 

and Culture, which in 2009 celebrated its 10 th anniversary. 

EVENTS 

Leszek Wątróbski, MA 

researcher at the SU Center 

for Polonia Studies 

Leszek Wątróbski: The Polish Language and 

Culture School for Foreigners has existed for 10 

years now. Can you tell us about how it all began? 

Jolanta Ignatowicz-Skowrońska: The school 

was established at the Institute of Polish Philology 

and Culture. It was brought into being in July 1999 

following a decision of the Humanities Faculty Committee, 

and in November 1999 the school began its 

didactic activity. The originator of the school’s establishment 

was Prof. Mirosława Białoskórska, the then 

head of the Institute of Polish Philology – the present 

Institute of Polish Philology and Culture. In spring 

1999, instructed by Prof. Białoskórska, I prepared 

a didactic offer, developed a syllabus and an outline 

of courses in Polish as a foreign language. 

As mentioned before, the School began its activity 

in November. The beginnings were unobtrusive. 

In the first year of work, there were only a few language 

courses conducted by a small group of lecturers, 

employees of the Department of Contemporary 

Polish Language (Piotr Wojdak, PhD and Jolanta 

Ignatowicz-Skowrońska, PhD) and the Department 

of the History of Polish Language (Dorota Kozaryn, 

PhD and Agnieszka Szczaus, PhD). Concurrently with 

running the courses, the lecturers raised their qualifications 

attending a training session organized by 

the Bristol Association of Polish and Foreign Teachers 

of Polish as Foreign Language. There were very few 

teaching aids on the publishers’ market at that time, 

so we often worked 

on materials we 

prepared ourselves. 

Dr. Dorota 

Kozaryn authored 

a remarkable beginner’s 

textbook 

which we still use 

with good results, 

especially with 

Russian-speaking 

students. 

Gradually, as 

the number of foreigners 

interested in learning the Polish language 

increased, the team of lecturers also grew. It now 

numbers eleven people and beside those already 

mentioned, they include: Beata Afeltowicz, PhD, 

Magdalena Kobus, Anna Szyntor-Bykowska, Agnieszka 

Mazurek, Anna Godzińska, Ksenia Olkowska 

and Maciej Gorzelak. Our work is facilitated by a wide 

range of handbooks for teaching the Polish language 

and based on various teaching methods. 

Altogether, between 1999 and 2008, there were 

120 courses offered at various levels and attended 

by 490 students. 

L.W.: Who are the students of the school, what 

motivates them to learn the Polish language – 

not an easy one, after all? 

Prof. Jolanta Ignatowicz- 

-Skowrońska, 

head of the School of Polish 

Language and Culture for 

Foreigners 

Photo: Archives 

Christmas party 

for students, organized 

by the School and the 

International Office. 

Sitting at the table: 

Prof. J. Jgnatowicz- 

Skowrońska, lecturers: 

Magdalena Kobus and 

Anna Szyntor-Bykowska, 

Paulina Judycka from 

the International Office, 

lecturers Ksenia Olkowska 

and Maciej Gorzelak 


17

Italian and Portuguese 

students (Erasmus Program) 

and a student from Taiwan, 

who participated in classes 

at the School in the summer 

semester 2005/2006; fourth 

from the left: 

Magdalena Kobus 

18 

EVENTS 


J.I.-S.: First of all, the school offers two types of 

courses. One is aimed at academic students and PhD 

candidates, many of whom come to Szczecin within 

the LLP Erasmus framework or to complete studies 

or via internships mainly at Szczecin University. Our 

educational offer also proved useful for students at 

Szczecin Polytechnic University and the of Szczecin 

University of Agriculture, which are now combined 

and known as the West Pomeranian University of 

Technology. Other students come from the School 

of Higher Education in Humanities and the Higher 

School of Applied Arts. 

The other type of course is commercial language 

training. This is addressed to the so-called 

“city students”. Their reasons for learning the Polish 

language vary, but the most important ones are 

professional work, plans to begin studies in Poland 

and/or a relationship with a Polish person. 

Less common, though still significant, is an interest 

in Polish culture and literature and the eagerness 

to know it better. People with such passions 

generally combine learning Polish with leisure time 

in our city. Thus, they attend intensive courses. Usually, 

they also have clearly specified expectations 

toward the syllabus as not only do they wish to acquire 

basic communicative skills but rather a knowledge 

of Polish customs, traditions, cultural heritage, 

history and geography. It is worth mentioning that 

there is great interest in Poland’s literary Nobel Prize 

winners Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. 

Even basic-level students ask us to familiarize them 

with their poetry. 

L.W.: Where do the students come from? 

J.I.-S.: There is a diverse range of nationalities 

among our students. Most of them come from 

Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey. Italians and Turks 

comprise the majority of students that arrive from 

the LLP Erasmus Framework. In the current academic 

year, we also taught a considerable group of 

Chechen citizens. Representatives of other countries, 

such as Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Great 

Britain, France, Norway, Switzerland, Pakistan and 

China, use our services to a lesser degree. 

It must be mentioned that the role of the Polish 

Language and Culture School is not merely a didactic 

one. We also make efforts to support foreigners 

in organizing their everyday life, especially those 

who come to Poland for the first time. We help our 

students to cope in real-life situations and to overcome 

the shock that is often experienced when 

coming into contact with an unfamiliar culture. 

A substantial group of our students feel a bit lost 

upon arriving and often lack the support of friends 

and family. This was the case with a group of Chinese, 

who were our students last year. Hence, the 

school is a place where foreigners meet new people 

and make friends. 

L.W.: What other possibilities does the school 

offer its students? 

J.I.-S.: The School enables the students to participate 

in the scientific life of the University. The 

intermediate-level students who manage written 

and spoken Polish well participate in scientific sessions 

arranged by the SU Students’ Slavicist Club. 

Lesya Chayjka, for instance, presented a paper on 

Phraseological expressions with the component “language” 

that was published in the second volume of 

The World of Slavs in Language and Culture. And Anja 

Peist presented a text on Polish-German language 

and culture connections that was published in volume 

four. An article devoted to Polish-Russian phraseology 

by Helena Juchniewicz is awaiting publication. 

L.W.: What sort of courses does the school 

offer foreigners and the Polish community at 

present? 

J.I.-S.: We offer courses of various levels, which 

can be completed in the form of group classes 

– consisting of a minimum of two people – or individually. 

Standard courses comprise 60 hours of 

didactic classes and can be conducted in a semester 

system or intensively during summer or winter holidays. 

Apart from this, there are courses custom-tailored 

to the needs of a student with respect to the 

number of hours, level of learning and duration. 

L.W.: What are the plans for the anniversary 

and in the years ahead? 

J.I.-S.: In connection with the 10th jubilee of our 

activity, we prepared a scholarly conference themed 

on the teaching Polish as a foreign language in the 

phenomena of modern culture. The conference 

took place in Szczecin on November 27. The papers 

presented during the conference concerned 

both theoretical and practical issues of teaching 

Polish as a foreign language. All the papers will be 

published in a post-conference volume. We intend 

to continue the formula of such one-day meetings 

to assist in developing our instructional methodology. 

Common discussion and the sharing didactic 

problems and achievements significantly raise the 

qualifications of our lecturers. We also intend to 

launch a post-graduate program in Polish as a Foreign 

Language, whose offer is still being prepared 

and should be available on the website of the Institute 

of Polish Philology and Culture early in 2010. 

I’d like to mention some of the female lecturers are 

students of doctoral studies at Szczecin University. 

Dissertations are being prepared by Magdalena Kobus, 

Ksenia Olkowska and Anna Szyntor-Bykowska. 

In the next academic year, the school are going to 

enter a competition for summer intensive Polish 

language courses for LLP Erasmus students.


MURMAŃSK 

– A New Scholarly Challenge 

Is Polish-Russian collaboration just a remnant of the past? On the contrary! For many 

years, Murmansk has been Szczecin’s twin city for many years, and our University is now 

undertaking cooperation with the Murmansk State Pedagogical University. 

Murmansk is the largest Russian city north of 

the Arctic Circle, bearing particular economic importance 

because its port on the Barents Sea remains 

ice-free all year round. Established in 1916, 

the city constituted a strategic naval base for Soviet 

submarines carrying nuclear missiles and was 

the main fishing and shipping port in the Soviet 

Union. Currently, it is the home port of the Russian 

fleet. Due to its long-standing marine traditions, 

it has well-developed food (fish) processing and 

shipyard (mainly ship repair yards) industries. 

Though its splendor years are long gone, Murmansk 

inhabitants pay special attention to fostering 

contacts with its twin cities, which include: 

Akureyri (Iceland), Gröningen (Holland), Jacksonville 

(USA), Luleå (Sweden), Minsk (Belarus), Rovaniemi 

(Finland), Szczecin (Poland), Tromsø (Norway), 

and Vadsø (Norway). One of the crucial areas 

involving these contacts is science, which always 

rises above differences. 

Murmansk State Pedagogical University 

Established in 1939, the Murmansk State Pedagogical 

University (MSPU) is the oldest university 

on the Kola Peninsula and, in that region, the only 

university comprising social studies among its interests. 

At present, the university is divided into 

ten faculties: Russian History and Philology, Preschool 

Education, Culture and Arts, Primary School 

Education, Natural Sciences, Linguistics, Physics and 

Mathematics, Special Pedagogy and Psychology, 

Technology, Design and Architecture, and Postgraduate 

Studies. 

Owing to the city’s and, as it goes, the university’s 

short history, MSPU’s academic traditions are 

still not deeply rooted. However, we may observe 

the intensive progress in 

the areas of education and 

research, confirmed by the 

strengthening of collaboration 

with partner universities. 

Despite the fact that MSPU 

employs only 303 members 

of academic staff, they undertake 

a series of research 

assignments in cooperation 

with international consortia, 

mainly with partner universities 

from Norway and Finland. 

The chief study areas include: 

pedagogy, social welfare, history, 

philosophy, mathematics, 

physics, geography, ecology, 

and linguistics. 

The university places 

great emphasis on practical 

Katarzyna Łobacz, MA 

Faculty of Management 

and Economics of Services 

A visit to the MSPU Museum 

of History. From left to 

right: Prof. Piotr Niedzielski, 

Katarzyna Łobacz, Prof. 

Andrzej Witkowski, Barbara 

Rodziewicz PhD, museum 

employee, Eugeniusz Kisiel, 

Prof. Ewa Szuszkiewicz, 

Prof. Stanisław Musielak 

Photo: Andrzej 

Witkowski’s archives 

19


education, especially in disciplines connected with 

design, allowing students to implement many of 

their creative ideas. 

The Polish community in Murmansk 

The Murmansk Polish community numbers 

about two thousand people whose activity is focused 

around the Catholic Church parish, officially 

established here in 2007. The local university is 

also an animator of Polish culture in the Murmansk 

region, for instance Katarzyna Karbanowska from 

the Chair of Russian Language provides tutelage 

to a student troupe engaged in staging plays in 

Polish for the local academic community. 

lak, Prof. Ewa Szuszkiewicz, Prof. Piotr Niedzielski, 

the Chancellor – Eugeniusz Kisiel, Barbara Rodziewicz, 

PhD and the author of this article. 

The essential part of the visit involved talks 

with rectors and deans of particular faculties, giving 

Szczecin’s researchers valuable insight concerning 

MSPU’s direction of development. At the same 

time, this let them experience the warmth, openness 

and hospitality of their hosts, who made an 

effort to show them the city’s beautiful surroundings. 

The hosts also organized a visit to the local 

cemetery, where Prof. Witkowski paid homage to 

Polish soldiers by laying flowers on their graves. 

Thanks to the courtesy of the MSPU History 

Museum and efforts undertaken by Szczecin University 

professors, Murmansk received a place 

in the rocks and sands collection from different 

regions of the world in Szczecin University’s Geological 

Museum of the Faculty of Geosciences. Additionally, 

our university extended its collection of 

souvenirs from behind the Arctic Circle to include, 

e.g. pictures painted with natural rocks. The visit 

was also an opportunity to gather research samples 

from the shores of the Barents Sea for Prof. 

Stanisław Musielak’s geological laboratory. 

Undoubtedly, collaboration between Szczecin 

University and MSPU constitutes a chance for those 

students and staff that wish to perfect their skills 

in the field of social studies and the Russian language. 

Murmansk is also a paradise for geologists, 

View of the city and port 

of Murmansk 

Photo: Andrzej Witkowski 

The first Szczecin University delegation 

In September 2009, following an invitation from 

the Rector of MSPU Prof. Andrey Sergeev, a Szczecin 

University delegation led by Prof. Andrzej 

Witkowski, Vice-Rector for Science and International 

Cooperation, came to Murmansk. The group 

of representatives included: Prof. Stanisław Musie- 

archeologists and all those interested in exploring 

the tundra ecosystems. Will this collaboration live 

up to the expectations? This actually depends on 

whether funds will be earmarked for the realization 

of joint projects and whether people will be 

eager to seize the opportunities. For our university 

this opens up new possibilities, let us not waste 

them. 

20


In Philosophiae 

Concordia 

From the 21-29 November, I had the honor of being one of four Polish representatives at an 

international workshop on philosophy called “In Search for the Common European Values”. 

The meeting’s main objective was to enable students from around Europe to engage in 

discussions concerning ethical, moral and esthetic values. 

The workshop was held at The Sunderhof conference 

and leisure center in Seevetal (near hamburg, 

Germany) and featured students from Poland, 

Germany, the UK, Greece, Spain and Turkey daily to 

exchange their views regarding axiology and philosophy 

in the broad sense of the terms. Themed 

on the European Union’s motto In varietate concordia 

(United in diversity), the discussions 

and the conclusions drawn from them 

formed the basis for development of 

a common perspective on the issues 

covered by the project. 

mal and non-formal learning, making the training 

more effective for students. The evenings were less 

formal, with representatives presenting their country 

and its traditions and cuisine. 

The success of the workshop lies in the cooperative 

skills of the group, over twenty in number, 

Begina Sławińska 

4 th year philosophy 

student at SU 

Each day was governed by a different 

theme. Our task was also to investigate 

how the cultural background 

of each participant determined his 

or her our way of thinking and the 

opinions each expressed. Everyone 

had the chance to speak freely. Participants 

debated the common definition 

of philosophy. And guided by 

philosophy lecturers Tomasz Mazur, 

PhD (Warsaw University) and Sanem yazicioglu, 

PhD (istanbul University), we delved into to the 

notion of values and anti-values, as well as that of 

evil. The experts were excellent in combining for- 

whose members are so different from one another. 

Were it not for the fact that we differed not only 

in personalities and opinions, but also in culture, 

traditions, language or the geographical location 

of our nations, it could hardly be deemed extraordinary. 

The passion for philosophy and our knowledge 

of this discipline turned out to be especially 

useful, constituting a plane for discussion and 

a tool for overcoming barriers and, as a result, leading 

to integration. 

The project was made possible via collaboration 

among the institute of Philosophy at Warsaw 

University and the international organization 

Projects Are US and Klicke.v. from Germany. This 

was the first of a series of meetings that will take 

place in each of the participating countries. 

Participants of the 

international workshop 

on philosophy 

Photo: Begina Sławińska’s 

archives 

Begina Sławińska at the 

blackboard during the 

workshop 

Photo: Begina Sławińska’s 

archives 

21


PhD Students from the 

Four Corners of the World 

The holidays offer an opportunity to break with routine and devote time to searching, also 

in the scientific sense of the word. For doctoral students, the XI Summer School “Lifelong 

Learning – Between Policy and Practice”, organized by the University of Roskilde in Demark, 

was a great occasion to do so, particularly the panel on how to survive the PhD study years, 

which allowed young researchers to share their experiences and plans for the future. 

Anna Linka 

doctoral student of the 

Institute of Pedagogy and 

member of the University 

Council of PhD Students 

22 

My promoter – an elder friend or a walking embodiment 

of divine knowledge? 

Arianna, a PhD student from Bologna University, 

opens the panel. When she talks about the hierarchic 

culture at italian universities, in which doctoral students 

accept the roles of listeners who speak only 

when they are allowed to by their promoter or sit at 

tables separated from their professors, Scandinavians 

express their amazement. Asa says: “in Sweden, the 

relationship between the promoter and student is 

much more partner-like. The promoter is perceived 

as an older, more experienced, friend helping the 

PhD student in development.” 

in Denmark, the doctoral student is not linked to 

only one promoter. Mikael says: “We have individual 

seminars, but a lot of time is spent on collective supervisions 

during which professors meet students 

and discuss their work with them. There is a possibility 

of having two promoters. Classes are conducted 

in clusters and working groups, in which doctoral 

students, supervised by promoters, educate one another.” 

Marin from Tallinn emphasizes the similarities between 

the Danish and the Estonian higher education 

systems. She says: “it is integrated with Scandinavian 

education. We have a common approach towards research 

and we maintain contact more frequently with 

Nordic countries than we do with the Baltic states. We 

never adopted the Soviet academic culture. in our 

country, the relationships between student and lecturer 

are usually based on partnership.” 

A similar view on the Scandinavian education 

system is presented by Chetan, who has studied in 

india and Denmark. Comparing the two countries, 

he says: “The Danish system is partnership-based; it 

promotes cooperation and participation in classes. 

however, the relationships between promoter and 

doctoral student are rather neutral, i.e. “you’ve re- 

ceived your PhD, i know you, you know me, we have 

a common network of contacts, good-bye.” 

“in india, we believe that knowledge is an attribute 

of divinity. Therefore, the teacher is greatly 

respected and treated as a messenger of God. That 

is why our system is hierarchic, directive, based on 

competing and on inculcating knowledge, but also 

on shaping a code of values. There are strong personal 

bonds existing between the promoter and the 

student, for instance the promoters invite students 

to family celebrations, such as their children’s weddings.” 

Young researchers at cultural crossroads 

Roger, who has studied in the Philippines and 

in Denmark, compares the research experiences in 

both countries. he says: “in the Philippines, there 

is a narrow perception of science. We focus on one 

subject and we elaborate on it. Theories are brought 

up in order to be verified in practice through research, 

but not to be disputed. We ponder upon 

theories only to decide whether they may be applied 

in the Philippine context. We are up-to-date 

when it comes to local studies but on the global 

scale, we are rather falling behind. 

“At Danish universities, scientists are focused on 

challenging theories. They try to combine, expand, 

develop, observe them from various angles, e.g. 

through the prism of their application in different 

cultures. Not only are there well-grounded concepts 

in circulation, but also those considered a novelty.” 

Chetan sees faults in this attitude. he says: “in 

india, the approach is much more systematized, 

which is why i can still remember very well the 

theories that were discussed during classes. There, 

everything was clear whereas here, there is a bit of 

a muddle as far as theories, concepts, etc. are concerned.”


yan yan, studying in China and Denmark, is struggling 

because she is a researcher immersed in two cultural 

worlds. She says: “i would like to carry out qualitative 

research but, as a person who comes from a collectivistic 

culture, i have problems doing this because 

these types of studies require involving the researcher’s 

subjective view. From early childhood, we are imbued 

with humbleness so i am constantly wondering 

whether, as an explorer, i have the right to subjective 

evaluation.” 

The search and the dilemmas 

yan yan is taking her Master’s degree but she is 

thinking of writing her doctoral thesis in the West. She 

says: “in China, carrying out studies that touch upon 

politics is disallowed. There is no transparency nor flow 

of information. Access to documentation, government 

resolutions is impossible. i want to study abroad also in 

order to understand the world and other viewpoints. 

Such knowledge is what shapes research skills.” 

Chetan would like to earn his PhD degree in the 

UK. he says: “A degree achieved in this country is more 

highly honored on the job market than one obtained 

in india. The subject area i study has just emerged in 

india, while in the UK it is being fully developed.” 

Roger plans on going to the Centre for Globalization 

at the University of Bristol. he says: “As for globalization 

issues – my subject of interest – the Philippines 

are locally-oriented. Denmark, on the other hand, is 

concentrated mainly on the Nordic region. The UK gives 

access to the newest studies in the global perspective. 

Arianna is considering finishing her doctoral thesis 

in italy and moving as soon as possible to a different 

country in order to take up post-doctoral studies. She 

says: “The system of higher education in italy does not 

suit me. Professors have many students but very little 

time. Thus, they do not teach us how to carry out research, 

they do not permit PhD students to participate 

in academic discussions. They rarely happen to know 

foreign languages and are not open-minded towards 

international contacts. Seminars and classes at doctoral 

studies have little in common with shaping research 

skills.” 

Bente transferred her PhD thesis from Norway to 

Denmark for financial reasons. She says: “i was admitted 

to doctoral studies at the University of Oslo but 

there, you are required to obtain funds for the entire 

study period. i managed to get a grant only for one 

year from the local hospital. here, in Denmark, the yearly 

financing cycle is accepted and, as a person working 

half-time, i have a period of six years, not three, to complete 

my thesis. Although the amount of the doctoral 

scholarship in Denmark corresponds to the earnings of 

a university professor, i did not apply for it. it is attainable 

only by 5% of students of humanities and 50% of 

pure sciences PhD students.” 

however, the cooperation between Danish universities 

and companies or external institutions gives an 

opportunity to attain funding from other sources. For 

example, Anna is doing a so-called industrial PhD. She 

says: “half of my research is financed by trade unions 

and the other half – by the university. As a result, i have 

to divide my working time between the two institutions. 

Just like most humanists, i have problems in fitting 

myself into the unions. On the other hand, those 

PhD students who deal with pure sciences get lost 

when it comes to working at the university.” 

The common factor – power of networking 

Summing up the panel, we concluded that despite 

the differences, there are issues crucial to PhD students 

from all of the countries. Everywhere, the promoter and 

his or her network of research contacts have a decisive 

influence on the student’s career path. All of us have 

to tackle the problem of financing research. Every one 

of us realizes the necessity of developing international 

contacts. That is why, as a result of our panel, an internet-based 

group was formed to allow us to share our 

miscellaneous experiences despite the long distances 

keeping us apart. 

From left to right: Anna 

Linka, Roger, Chetan, Yan 

Yan, Sayantan 

Photo: Anna Linka’s 

archives 

23


Aspects of Narration 

From September 24-27, Szczecin University and the seaside town of Pobierowo jointly 

hosted the fifth in the series of international symposiums on Germanistics for scholars from 

Scandinavia, Germany and Poland, this time devoted to writings from and about the region. 

Janina Gesche 

German and Polish 

philologist; assistant 

professor at Gdańsk 

University’s Institute 

of German Philology; 

researcher at the University 

of Stockholm 

Prof. Bernd Neumann 

during the opening speech. 

Sitting from the left: Prof. 

Józef Perenc, Szczecin 

University Vice-rector for 

Finance and Development; 

Prof. J. Hackmann and A. 

Talarczyk, PhD. 


24 

Entitled Aspects of Narration: Regional Literature 

and Literature about the Region [„Erzählregionen: 

Regionales Erzählen und Erzählen über 

eine Region“], the conference brought together 

experts from nine countries, including Norway, 

Sweden, Latvia, Austria, hungary, the Czech Republic, 

Australia, along with those from Germany 

and Poland. Delegates explored issues of German 

literature from the Baltic Sea region, as well as 

literatures from other border regions in Europe. 

The papers presented at the symposium referred 

to problems concerning literary translation, comparative 

literature and film as a medium. 

Sponsored in part by the West Pomeranian 

Marshal’s Office and put together with the assistance 

of the institute of German Studies at the 

University of Trondheim, the symposium is the 

latest in a series of collaborative efforts between 

the University’s institute of German Philology and 

the Baltic Academy in Lübeck. Formerly called the 

the Ostsee-Akademie in Travemünde, the 

Baltic Academy has been an active partner 

in organizing several seminars during the 

last few decades. in 1995, the Academy and 

institute jointly published a book entitled 

Szczecin 1945-1946: Documents – Memories, 

with parallel texts in Polish and German. 

The symposium opened at the Senate 

hall in Szczecin, where participants were 

greeted by vice-rector Józef Perenc, Jacek 

Baraniecki, director of the Marshal’s Office 

Regional Policy Department, Academia Baltica 

board member Jörg hackmann, and 

representatives from the organizing institutions. 

They included SU’s Andrzej Talarczyk, 

Andreas Degen from the Baltic Academy 

and Bernd Neumann from Trondheim. 

in their presentations, speakers touched upon 

various notions of widely understood regional 

literature and examined the works beyond their 

geographic scope. Works by Johannes Bobrowski, 

Uwe Johnson, Siegfried Lenz, Walter Kempowski, 

ingeborg Bachmann, Artur Becker, Christoph 

Ransmayr, and Peter Turrinis served as the basis 

for the analysis. 

Delegates discussed a wide range of problems 

and notions characteristic for this type of literature. 

in the papers submitted for the event, theoreticians 

and researcher focused on the region as 

a place of reminiscence in literature (Andreas Degen, 

Andrzej Talarczyk, Ewa Płomińska-Krawiec), 

on the role of the province in shaping an individual’s 

awareness (Miłosława Borzyszkowska- 

Szewczyk, Krisztina Balàzs), and on the influence 

of the region’s historical and political changes 

on the awareness of its inhabitants (Alexandra


Conference participants 


Ludewig, Sebastian Mrożek, Ruth Esterhammer, 

Aneta Jachimowicz). Meanwhile, Josef Außermair, 

Alois Woldan, Rüdiger Steinlein, Beata Paskevica, 

Janina Gesche provided a historical perspective 

of the region. 

While presenting the historical, philosophical, 

cultural and theoretical aspects of the region’s literary 

output, the speakers revealed a multitude 

of complex issues that are crucial to its framing. 

At the same time, they stated that many of the notions 

and motives constituted common ground 

with provincial literature from other locations. As 

such, organizers and delegates agreed that the 

discussions should be continued. All the researchers 

expressed interest in further cooperation and 

the will to come to the next German studies conference, 

which is planned in Szczecin and Pobierowo 

in September 2011. 

Materials from the Erzählregionen: Regionales 

Erzählen und Erzählen über eine Region conference 

may be accessed at the SU library by anyone interested 

in the subject. 

From left to right: Jacek 

Baraniecki, director of the 

Department of Regional 

Policy at the Marshal Office 

of West Pomerania; Prof. 

Jozef Perenc, Vice-rector for 

Finance and Development 

and Andrzej Talarczyk, PhD. 


25

CULTURE 

An Autumn 

of Musical Inspiration 

Mikołaj Szczęsny, PhD 

assistant professor 

at the Department of Music 

(Chair of Arts Education) 

Henryk Tritt – 

concertmaster and soloist 

of the “Academia” Chamber 

Orchestra 

Photo: Magdalena 

Seredyńska 

International Music Festival in Trzęsacz 

The Fifth Jubilee International Music 

Festival in Trzęsacz launched a season of 

performances by University of Szczecin 

faculty and student musicians, along with 

a wide array of talent from around the 

country and around the world. 

Music fans eager to get an early start on the 

region’s chamber and chorale concert calendar 

needed only to journey to the seaside resort of 

Trzęsacz, where the fifth edition of the international 

Music Festival Sacrum Non Profanum took 

place during the week of 8-15 August, 2009. 

held each year at the austere Church of Divine 

Mercy, the event has found a permanent place 

in the West Pomeranian concert landscape and 

in 2008 was awarded a ‘Gold Sextant’. Though 

the international festival of chamber and chorale 

music is one of Poland’s youngest, its roots date 

to a twelve-year-old series of concerts called 

Through Music to a World of Values and initiated 

by Szczecin University music director Prof. Bohdan 

Boguszewski. 

Polish-born organist Karol Gołębiowski 

opened the 2009 event along with helsinki-based 

Ukranian pianist Wiaczesław Nowikow, who interpreted 

the compositions of Frédéric Chopin 

in a nod to Poland’s year-long Chopin Year 2010 

concert series. in addition to a repertory of pipe 

organ music, the 2009 festival offered the opportunity 

to hear new music, composed by Dariusz 

Przybylski’s Schübler Choräle (first performance), 

thanks to the participation of engagement of the 

European Penderecki Centre for Music, which 

presents the newest works of young Polish composers. 

This part of the Festival program turned 

out to be most interesting and valuable. 

Accordion also featured in the series, with 

Paweł Kos-Nowicki conducting the debut performance 

of Chordalians & Chordaliens for accordion 

and orchestra. After rendering the complicated 

solo from Per aspera… and The Switching 

Faces for string orchestra, accordion virtuoso 

Michał Moc recalled composer henryk Czyż’s 

message that …the devil is not so black as he is 

painted, after which he played Hommage a Piazzola 

in tribute to bandoneonist and master of 

nuevo tango Astor Piazzola. 

A premiere of the late composer Marek 

Jasiński’s Domine Deus Salutis Meae for a capella 

Agata Szymczewska 

– 1 st prize winner and 

laureate of the TVP 

Kultura Audience Award 

(XIII International Henryk 

Wieniawski Violin 

Competition in Poznań) – 

during the opening concert 


Seredyńska 

26 

mixed choir served as a centerpiece of the series. 

Performed by Chreszczatyk, a professional 

mixed choir from Kiev conducted by Pavlo Struts,

CULTURE 

The audience applauds 

the opening concert, from 

the left: Tomasz Krzysica 

– tenor, Ewa Filipowicz 

– mezzo-soprano, 

Pavlo Struts (Ukraine) 

– the “Chreszczatyk” 

Choir conductor, 

Bohdan Boguszewski 

– conductor, Barbara 

Tritt – soprano. In the 

background, “Academia” 

Chamber Orchestra and 

“Chreszczatyk” Choir from 

Kiev. 


Seredyńska 

Jasiński’s great expressiveness, cleanness and 

suggestiveness were evident in the interpretation. 

The composer, who had annually produced 

a new work for the festival, died in February 2010 

at the age of 60. 

Fans of chamber music are regularly drawn 

to the Church of Divine Mercy, which in 2009 

featured the Lithuanian piano trio Kaskados 

showcasing a piece by Bronius Kutavicius, a contemporary 

Lithuanian composer, entitled Stasys’ 

Eight Miniatures. The trio also performed Felix 

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Piano Trio in C minor 

Op. 66. 

The appearance Polish violinist Agata Szymczewska, 

gold medalist at the 13 th international 

henryk Wieniawski violin Competition in Poznań, 

also was eagerly anticipated. The young virtuoso, 

playing an Antonio Stradivarius violin from 1680, 

performed the rarely presented Violin Concerto 

no.1 in C major by Joseph haydn together with 

the Academia Chamber Orchestra, conducted by 

Prof. Boguszewski, and Mozart’s Missa in C “Coronation 

Mass”, a work ideally suited to the character 

of the jubilee and its opening. 

The final concert, entitled Sommer Music 

Academy, was prepared and performed by 

teachers and students from Musikhochschule 

hannover and Musikhochschule Lübeck, both 

institutions of higher learning in Germany. violinist 

Adam Kostecki, a professor from hannover 

and cellist Ulf Tischbirek, an instructor from the 

Lübeck academy, led the performance, which 

featured student musicians from China, Japan, 

Korea, Russia and Germany. 

Academia Orchestra at Pleciuga 

The opening of the concert season 

in Szczecin offered another debut 

performance as the Academia Chamber 

Orchestra took to the stage on 21 

November at the newly constructed 

Pleciuga Puppet Theater in the city centre. 

violinist Janusz Wawrowski and Artur 

Pachlowski on clarinet were the featured soloists 

in a program devoted to contemporary Polish 

compositions. in keeping with the spirit of the 

evening, conductor Fabian Panisello also set 

a precedent as he became the first Argentine to 

lead the Academia orchestra. 

The performance highlighted the Academia’s 

fruitful cooperation with the European Penderecki 

Center, which is located in Lusławice, near 

Krakow, and highlighted the center’s Young Composers 

in Tribute to Chopin 2007–2010 project. Szc- 

Before the concert, at the 

new location of “Pleciuga” 

Puppet Theater (November 

21, 2009). 

From left to right: 

Małgorzata Witkowska; 

Prof. Andrzej Witkowski, 

Vice-rector for Science and 

International Cooperation; 

Eugeniusz Kisiel, SU 

Chancellor; Prof. Bohdan 

Boguszewski, head of the 

Chair of Arts Education 


27

CULTURE 

zecin’s Michał Dobrzyński is among 13 youthful 

talents taking part in the program, as is Marcin 

Gumiela, and both were students of the late Prof. 

Jasiński. The program also is supported by the 

Polish Composers’ Union, the French Embassy, 

villa Decius Association and Polish Audiovisual 

Publishers. 

Penderecki director Adrianna Poniecka- 

Piekutowska sees cooperation as a lynchpin in 

accomplishing the center’s objective of carrying 

the artist and the work through the successive 

phases of promotion. During the University Concerts 

in Szczecin series, listeners were treated to 

a sampling of works by Penderecki students, including 

Oneiros by Dariusz Przybylski, Secretary 

of the Polish Composers’ Union youth Circle; and 

the Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra 

by Sławomir Zamaszko, assistant professor at the 

Chair of Composition of the G. and K. Bacewicz 

Academy of Music in Łódź. Along with Wojciech 

Kilar’s Orawa, which draws on themes of Polish 

folklore, the country’s musical future appears secure 

well into the 21 st century. 

Christmas Concert 

Szczecin University’s 25th anniversary 

provided Prof. Jasiński with an 

opportunity to display his ample talents in 

a December 12 performance that drew on 

inspirational music written over the last 

three centuries, with Prof. Boguszewski 

leading the Academia Chamber Orchestra. 

Also performing were choirs from Szczecin 

University and from Berlin’s Herz-Jesu-Kirche – 

where the program was performed on December 

19 – with featured as soloists Sarah Behrendt 

(soprano), Sylwia Tazberik (mezzo-soprano), henriette 

Nietzke (tenor), and Johannes G. Schmidt 

(bass-baritone). 

Jasiński beautiful, touching and subtle Christmas 

carol Mizerna cicha [Poor and Quiet] was mated 

with Tomaso Albinoni’s (1671-1750) Adagio in 

G minor for organ and string chamber orchestra. 

The program also featured the organ fantasy 

Boże Narodzenie w prastarym kościele Mariackim 

w Krakowie op. 34 no. 3 [Christmas in the Age-old 

St. Mary’s Basilica in Cracow], performed by organ 

virtuoso Andrzej Mielewczyk from Berlin, and Oratorio 

de Noel op. 12 by the French eclectic composer 

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). 

University officials present at the concert included 

rectors Józef Perenc, Andrzej Witkowski 

and Edward Włodarczyk, and the chancellor, 

Eugeniusz Kisiel, who remarked on the quality 

of the entertainment on offer and its appropriateness 

for both the holiday and the long winter 

ahead. 

Concert in the Cathedral 

Basilica of St. James the 

Apostle in Szczecin, from 

the left: Sarah Behrendt – 

soprano, Sylvia Tazberik 

– mezzo-soprano, Henriette 

Godde – alto, Volker 

Nietzke – tenor, Johannes 

G. Schmidt (behind the 

conductor) – bass-baritone, 

prof. Bohdan Boguszewski 

– conductor 

Photo: Michał Kulik 

28

SPORT 

Champions Among Us 

Sports accomplishments of representatives 

of the Institute of Physical Education 

at Szczecin University’s Faculty of Natural 

Sciences in 2009 

For the last several years, Szczecin University Rector Waldemar Tarczyński has used the 

opening of the academic year as an opportunity to recognize the athletic accomplishments 

by students at the Institute of Physical Education (IKF), part of the University’s Faculty of 

Natural Sciences. It is a ceremony that enables the entire academic community, as well as 

invited guests, to see and meet the school’s eminent athletes from a range of disciplines, 

with many of them representing Poland at the national level in competitions around the 

world. The list that follows is by no means complete, with students in 2009 distinguishing 

themselves at world, European or Polish championships in a host of disciplines. 

ROWING 

University rowers Marek Kolbowicz, MA 

(teaching assistant at the Department of various 

Sports) and Konrad Wasielewski (5 th year) 

again reached the pinacle of their sport in 2009, 

teaming with Adam Korol (AZS AWFiS Gdańsk) 

and Michał Jeliński (AZS AWF Gorzów Wielkopolski) 

to win the gold in the quadruple sculls at 

the World Championships in Poznań. The 2009 

World Championships also saw Piotr Majka (4 th 

year) together with Jolanta Pawlak (“Start” Szczecin) 

win bronze in mixed double sculls of the 

adaptive rowing competition. Dawid Pacześ (4 th 

year) and Łukasz Kardas (2 nd year) participated 

in European rowing championships in Minsk, 

where they placed fourth in the coxless pairs. 

KARATE 

Daria Szulc (2 nd year) won three gold medals, 

namely in senior, junior and team categories, at 

the World Karate Championships in Cancun, Mexico, 

while Piotr Szumiło (2 nd year) took silver. 

SWIMMING 

At the 25 th Universiade – a biennial competition 

for university students – held in 2009 in 

Belgrade, Przemysław Stańczyk (4 th year) won 

gold in the 400-metre freestyle and 1500-metre 

freestyle races and took bronze at the 800-metre 

distance. Mateusz Matczak (1 st year) won gold in 

the 400-meter individual medley race, while Maciej 

hreniak (1 st year) placedfifth in the 1500-metre 

freestyle competition. 

TRACK AND FIELD 

Marcin Lewandowski (4 th year) won silver in 

the 800-metres at the European Junior Championships 

in Kaunas, Lithuania, and placed eighth 

in the same event at the World Senior Championships 

in Berlin he was ranked– a high position 

worth praising. 

Also in Kaunas, Agnieszka Leszczyńska (3 rd 

year) won bronze in the 800 metres, and Krystian 

Zalewski (2 nd year) took bronze in the 3000-metre 

steeplechase. 

Medal winners at the Polish senior and junior 

national championships included: Damian 

Błocki (1 st year), Przemysław Czerwiński (4 th 

year), Mikołaj Lewański (2 nd year), Paweł Malak 

(1 st year) and Bartosz Nowicki (5 th year). 

Prof. Jerzy Eider 

Vice-Dean for IKF at the 

Faculty of Natural Sciences 

29

SPORT 

CYCLING 

Małgorzata Wojtyra (2 nd year), won silver in 

the scratch race at the European Junior Championships 

in Minsk. She also captured six silver 

medals and a bronze on the track at the Polish 

junior championships. 

TRIATHLON 

Paulina Kotfica (5 th year) won the silver medal 

at the sprint distance at both the Polish senior 

and junior championships. During the Polish 

aquathlon championships (swimming, running), 

held in Gdynia, she won gold in the junior competition 

and silver in the senior event. 

POLISH NATIONAL ACADEMIC 

CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Students who proudly represented Szczecin 

University at the XXvi Polish National Academic 

Championships included members of the 

women’s volleyball and handball teams, and 

the men’s athletic team, which placed first in 

the competition, while the men’s volleyball and 

beach volley teams came second. Their achievements 

are impressive and were celebrated as 

part of the annual official sports gala by the 

Physical Education and Sports Department of 

Szczecin University. 

THE INSITUTE’S 25 th ANNIVERSARY 

This academic year marks the 25 th anniversary 

of the institute of Physical Education, an 

institution that aims to provide all student-athletes 

with conditions allowing them to balance 

competing at highest level with the pursuit of 

academic excellence. 

The institute boasts many excellent sportsmen 

and sportswomen among its alumni, including 

Olympians and Paralympians: Marek 

Gawkowski, Marek Kolbowicz (rowing), ireneusz 

Omięcki, irena Pienio (Paralympic swimming), 

Danuta Piotrowska (athletics), Witold Roman 

(volleyball), henryk Wawrowski (football). 

Currently, there are six Olympians studying 

at the institute: Przemysław Czerwiński, 

Maciej hreniak, Marcin Lewandowski, Mateusz 

Sawrymowicz, Przemysław Stańczyk, Konrad 

Wasielewski. Marek Kolbowicz, MA works as 

a teacher. Our students also include two Paralympians: 

Renata Chilewska and Piotr Majka. 

Details on the sports achievements of our 

graduates-Olympians are compiled in a book 

entitled Athletes, Coaches – Szczecin’s Graduates 

of MA Studies in Physical Education (WNUS, 2005) 

and written by Prof. Jerzy Eider, the vice-dean for 

iKF at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. 

From left to right: Maciej 

Hreniak (swimming), Marek 

Kolbowicz, MA (rowing), 

Daria Szulc (karate), Konrad 

Wasielewski (rowing), Prof. 

Jerzy Eider – IKF Vicedean, 

Mateusz Matczak 

(swimming), Przemysław 

Stańczyk (swimming) 


30


Founded in 1985, Szczecin University is the largest academic and higher education 

institution in northwestern Poland. Szczecin University is a full member of the most 

important national and European academic organizations, including the Conference 

of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP), the Conference of Rectors of Polish 

Universities (KRUP) and the European University Association (EUA). Szczecin University 

cooperates with 53 European higher education institutions within the framework of the 

SOCRATES/ERASMUS program and with around 30 partner-institutions worldwide. 

Over the past 25 years, development of Szczecin University has focused on enhancing 

both the attractiveness of the educational offer and the quality of the research output. 

This has been accomplished by an rapid expansion in the range of academic programs. 

At present, Szczecin University offers 57 degree-level courses of study in ten faculties, 

offered both at the main campus in the city of Szczecin and at the Off-campus Faculty of 

Administration in Jarocin, ca. 300 kilometers to the south. 

These include: 

• The Faculty of Economics and Management 

• The Faculty of Humanities 

• The Faculty of Mathematics and Physics 

• The Faculty of Law and Administration 

• The Faculty of Natural Sciences 

• The Faculty of Management and Economics of Services 

• The Faculty of Theology 

• The Off-campus Faculty of Administration 

• The Faculty of Philology 

• The Faculty of Geosciences 

Nine faculties are accredited to doctoral level, with PhD programs offered in fifteen 

courses of study. The Economics and Management, Management and Economics 

of Services and Theology faculties are among the country’s top-ranked institutions 

by the Polish Ministry of Science, with the remainder also scoring highly in ministry 

evaluations. 

The teaching methodology employed at Szczecin University is based on Bologna 

rules, with bachelor’s degrees awarded after three years of study and most master’s 

degrees requiring two years to complete. Szczecin University employs more than 120 

full professors among a total academic staff of 263. A special emphasis on regional issues 

has long underpinned development of the educational and research infrastructure. 

Today, the research staff numbers 1,200 professionals, who are supported by some 450 

doctoral students and 900 members of administrative staff. Research projects are related 

to the social, economic and cultural transformation of the region and the country. 

From the 5,000 full-time and part-time students registered in the inaugural academic 

year, Szczecin University’s student population today numbers 29,000. Students and staff 

members are encouraged to gain international experience, with the European Credit 

Transfer System (ECTS) employed to ensure recognition of courses and programs 

completed during academic exchanges. This year, some 250 students at Szczecin 

University are involved in exchange programs, including 70 incoming foreign students 

enrolled in one- or two-semester exchanges under the SOCRATES/ERASMUS program.

School of 

Polish Language and Culture 

for Foreigners 

THE INSTITUTE OF POLISH STUDIES AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 

at Szczecin University 

School of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners at the Institute of Polish 

Studies and Culture Competence organizes Polish language courses for foreigners. 

The main purpose of the School is teaching Polish as a foreign language. 

We are offering both the intensive courses (3 weeks) and term courses. 

Depending on the results of the qualification test, students will be placed in 

beginner, intermediate or advanced student groups. 

The tutorials for term one will be held 2 times a week, 1,5 hour each (this makes two 

lesson hours, 45 minutes each). The overall number of the teaching hours included 

in the course amounts to 60 (60 x 45 minutes). The fee for each participant’s one term 

course amounts to 1,800 PLN. 

The sum of 1,800 PLN constitutes the sum paid for the course whose participants 

study in the groups of 2-8 people. Should there be an insufficient number of people 

willing to take up the course, we offer individual lessons. The overall fee for one term 

of individual studying amounts to 2,700 PLN. 

For more details and registration consult the Office of the Institute of Polish Studies and Culture 

Competence at Szczecin University 

al. Piastów 40 b (Building 5, 2 nd floor), 71-065 Szczecin, phone (+4891) 444 2713; skjj2@poczta.onet.pl

The University

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?