For the 52nd time, the academic community of the University of Gdańsk celebrated the University's anniversary. During the ceremony the first titles of honorary professors were conferred on Senior Rectors, the K. C. Mrongowiusz awards were presented, as well as Prof. K. Taylor awards for the year 2021 and the awards for winners of the first edition of the Young Fahrenheit competition for young scientists. The Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Department for 2022/23 was also entrusted to prof. Leszek Balcerowicz. 

The celebration of the University of Gdańsk took place on March 18, 2022 (Friday) in the T. Ocioszyński Auditorium of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk in Sopot.

The ceremony was led by dr Magdalena Markiewicz, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics.

The event was opened with a moment of silence by the Rector, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, honouring the memory of prof. Tadeusz Dmochowski, Dean of WNS, who passed on the night between March 16 and 17.

- 'Starting this year, we decided to organise the UG festivities each time at a different Faculty. In this way we want to enable our guests to get to know the whole university and give the opportunity to each Faculty to better present themselves to everyone gathered during the celebrations,' - said prof. Piotr Stepnowski. - 'Today, however, it is difficult for us to fully enjoy the 52nd anniversary of the establishment of the University of Gdańsk. It has just been 24 days since the Russian attack on Ukraine. The dramatic events taking place on the territory of our eastern neighbour are horrifying in their scale of victims and destruction.'

The Rector of the University of Gdańsk also reminded the audience that the University was not indifferent to this tragedy and thanked all the persons and units of the University involved in providing help, encouraging further assistance and undertaking further actions, as "there is still a lot to be done". 

The ceremony initiated the custom of awarding titles of honorary professors as a way of commemorating events and people who have contributed to the development of the University of Gdańsk. The first to receive such titles were two Senior Rectors - prof. Marcin Pliński and prof. Bernard Lammek. The honorary titles were conferred on the Senior Rectors by the Rector, and the honorary diplomas were read out and presented by dr hab. Waldemar Surosz, prof. UG, Dean of the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography (Rector prof. Marcin Pliński) and dr hab. Beata Grobelna, prof. UG, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry (Rector prof. Bernard Lammek).

- 'The years when they held their positions have been preserved in our memory as the years of development when the dynamics of investment and scientific events were increasing, opening, as a result, opportunities which we can now use,' - emphasized the Rector of UG, prof. Piotr Stepnowski.

The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Education Quality, prof. Arnold Kłonczyński, and the Vice-Rector for Innovation and Liaison with Business and the Community, prof. Krzysztof Bielawski presented awards and distinctions to the winners of the Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz Teacher of the Year Award. The award went to dr Paula Gorszczyńska from the Faculty of Philology, dr Krzysztof Piekarski from the Faculty of Social Sciences and dr hab. Patrycja Koszałka from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and GUMed. Distinctions were awarded to dr Jan Patok from the Centre for Physical Education and Sport, dr Joanna Gondek from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science and dr hab. Mariusz Bogusz, prof. UG from the Faculty of Law and Administration. 

It has also become a tradition of the UG celebration to award individual Karol Taylor scientific prizes to academic teachers. From the hands of the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, and the Vice-Rector for Research, prof. Wiesław Laskowski, the following received the award: prof. dr hab. Danuta Makowiec from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Węgrzyn from the Faculty of Biology.

Due to health reasons, two other Taylor Award winners were absent: prof. Lech Chmurzyński from the Faculty of Chemistry and dr. hab. Piotr Zientara, prof. UG from the Faculty of Economics.

In the further part of the ceremony, the floor was taken by Dean prof. Monika Bąk from the Faculty of Economics, who warmly welcomed everyone to the Faculty and briefly presented its history, going back to its roots, i.e. to the times of the Second World War, when in 1942 the clandestine Maritime Institute was established at the secret University of the Western Territories. Then she presented the achievements of the Faculty against the background of the profiles of the honorary doctorates of the University of Gdańsk in the field of economics.

- 'The mission of our faculty is to achieve an increasingly higher academic standing and modern education of students in line with the requirements of the labour market, but also to contribute to solving current problems of socio-economic life,' - said prof. Monika Bąk concluding her speech.

Then, dr Magdalena Markiewicz asked dr hab. Wojciech Bizon, prof. UG, president of the management board of Univentum Labs, a special purpose vehicle of the University of Gdańsk, to take the floor and lead the part regarding awarding prizes to the winners of the first edition of the Young Fahrenheit competition for young scientists. The award was presented by the Rector to dr Marta Krychowiak-Maśnicka from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and GUMed, dr Karolina Pierzynowska from the Faculty of Biology and mgr Mateusz Baluk, a PhD student at the Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Chemistry.

Dr hab. Monika Bąk, prof. UG and prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski then presented the Silver UG Medals, which were awarded to long-time UG employee dr hab. Witold Toczyski and Jacek Tymiński, President of Vetro Port & Shipping Services, for their long-standing and committed activity for the development of the University of Gdańsk.

The penultimate item on the agenda was the ceremony of prof. Leszek Balcerowicz's assumption of the Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Department. - 'At the University of Gdańsk, the patrons of the departments are our eminent honorary doctorates, whose memory we wish to cultivate in particular due to their lasting contribution to the development of our academic centre. Today we are initiating this beautiful academic custom at our University by entrusting the first of three named departments, the Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Department for the academic year 2022/23, to prof. Leszek Balcerowicz,' - said the Rector of UG.

Prof. Leszek Balcerowicz, who is an honorary doctor of UG, thanked the Rector and the UG community for the recognition and trust and then delivered a speech emphasising, among other things, that: - 'It is the system that decides whether a state starts a war and how a society lives in times of peace.'

After prof. Leszek Balcerowicz's speech we again heard the Academic Choir of UG. As a gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the choir prepared two pieces: E. Kozak's composition 'Dymu moi' to fragments of Taras Shevchenko's poem from 1840, the second - Psalm of those standing in line - from Krystyna Prońko's repertoire to words by E. Bryll (1980 'Kolęda nocka'), the second verse of which was sung in Ukrainian.

- 'Let Ukraine hear it and know that it has friends in us,' - concluded the Rector of UG and closed the ceremonial meeting of the Senate.