During a joint meeting of the Academic Councils of the Medical University of Gdańsk, the Technical University of Gdańsk and the University of Gdańsk, their members discussed the activities of the Fahrenheit Universities (FarU) to date and agreed on a common position regarding further development of the agreement between the three strongest universities in Gdańsk.
The meeting of the members of the Academic Boards and the authorities of the Fahrenheit Universities took place in the Senate Hall of the Gdańsk University of Technology. - 'May 24th is the anniversary of the birth of our patron, Daniel Fahrenheit. This is a good moment to talk about the idea of Fahrenheit Universities, sum up the activities so far and work out our position on the further development of FarU,' - said Sławomir Halbryt, the chairman of the PG University Council, at the beginning of the meeting.
Afterwards, prof. Adriana Zaleska-Medynska, director of FarU, presented to the assembled the activities that have been undertaken since the creation of the agreement. Among the initiatives discussed were: informational debates with the participation of rectors at all three universities (held in autumn 2021), numerous interdisciplinary scientific seminars, an ongoing series of public discussions and podcasts on public spaces in cities, a framework agreement with the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway and InvestGDA, Fahrenheit scientific scholarships (funded by the Mayor of Gdansk), and the Infoshare fair, during which, in October 2021, the scope of FarU's activities was presented at a special stand.
The Director of the Fahrenheit Universities also announced the upcoming initiative, i.e. the Fahrenheit Science Picnic, which will take place on Sunday, May 29, 2022, from 11 am to 6 pm on Góra Gradowa in Gdańsk.
Afterwards, the representatives of the councils - together with the chairmen Paweł Orłowski (GUMed), Sławomir Halbryt (PG) and prof. Maciej Duszczyk (UG) - evaluated the actions taken so far with regard to the functioning of the Fahrenheit Universities, and the outcome of the discussion was unequivocally positive.
- 'We all care about the most efficient implementation of jointly set goals within FarU. I am very pleased with the positive assessment of the University Councils because their voice is very important and allows us to act even more creatively and effectively,' - said prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of PG and chairman of the Assembly of Fahrenheit University.
Support of university councils for FarU activities
During the meeting, the authorities of the Fahrenheit University of Technology also announced that they would strive to take further, active measures to strengthen cooperation so that in the future it would be possible to create a federation of universities. Its establishment would enable the creation of an even stronger and more recognisable scientific and didactic centre in Gdańsk, which could play an important role not only in Poland but also in Europe and worldwide. During the meeting, the representatives of the university councils also pointed out the didactic, scientific, financial and promotional benefits.
Participants in the meeting also pointed out that under the FarU, it is possible to make even more active use of the diverse potential of the Pomeranian region.
- 'FarU is a chance to make wide use of this potential,' - highlighted prof. Piotr Stepnowski, rector of UG, who, together with the rector of GUMed prof. Marcin Gruchała and the rector of PG prof. Krzysztof Wilde, co-creates the Assembly of Fahrenheit Universities. - The proximity of the Baltic Sea and the presence in the economically strong region of Poland and Europe creates an additional, unique opportunity for the development of Tri-City education and science at the highest level - he added.
At the end of the meeting a common position of the councils of the universities was agreed upon and signed, in which the signatories declared their support for the FarU authorities to take further active steps to strengthen cooperation between GUMed, PG and UG, as well as their encouragement to strive for the creation of a federation of these universities in Gdańsk in the years to come, not excluding the possibility of other academic centres from the Tri-city and Pomerania joining the community.
