Dear Employees of the University of Gdańsk

Dear Students and Doctoral Students

We have all been undergoing a difficult trial lately. We are forced to reorganize our professional and often private lives. It is a great challenge and a great responsibility towards our students, doctoral students, employees, our families and close ones.

Facing the challenge of maintaining the university operation under this health and life threatening situation we have taken multiple decisions to improve our everyday work. Those are often difficult decisions that need to take the general well-being of the entire academic community into account, but also individual needs of various people in difficult life situations.

Thanks to the dedication of our academic teachers, as many as 75% of University of Gdańsk classes are run remotely. Center for Informatics provided tremendous support, with the assistance from academic teachers themselves, creating on-line trainings for the applicable IT tools. In the interest of health, we have limited the administrative work at the University premises to the necessary minimum, at the same time maintaining operational continuity of the University. The entire body of Rectors, in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, put forward solutions for the operation of University, education and science. UG faculties and units organize online meetings, where necessary decisions are worked out, at this difficult time.

As an act of social solidarity, our academic community try to help wherever possible. We provided specialist equipment, Thermal Cyclers Light Cycler 480 II, increasing regional coronavirus testing capacity. Gdańsk Voivodship Unit of the State Sanitary Inspection received one apparatus, VII Navy Hospital in Gdańsk received remaining two with additional accessories. The hospital is a part of the national single-purpose infectious disease hospitals network. The equipment provided will allow to set up COVID-19 dedicated specialist molecular diagnostic laboratory at the hospital site.

The University of Gdańsk scientists are members of expert groups and science teams combating the COVID-19 threat. At the same time, they appear in the media explaining the subject of the threat and debunking its myths and half-truths. The University of Gdańsk offers free psychological support,  like one given to UG senior citizens by student science clubs members and student organizations, also by academic teachers who created online workshops to help cope with isolation. Our students aid homeless people and people in need as volunteers.

All those initiatives and, given the current situation, smooth operation of the University would not be possible without the support we have been receiving from our staff (academic and non-academic), scientists, students and doctoral students. I would like to offer my thanks to everyone, our entire academic community together and to each of you separately for your strong commitment, big hearts, effort, understanding and patience.

Easter is just around the corner. It is a special, family time. Unfortunately we will have to spend it differently than we would have wished for. Our thoughts will be with our close ones. First and foremost, may this Easter bring you health, also perseverance in overcoming everyday difficulties. Despite the situation, may this holiday be a time of joy, peace and hope.

 I am absolutely convinced that we, as an academic community, will come out even stronger of this difficult experience.

Rector of the University of Gdańsk

Professor Jerzy Piotr Gwizdała