Declaration from Pawłowice put into effect – Wrocław Academic Union created

The organization will support its members by implementing statutory actions, decreasing operational costs and increasing competitiveness and creativity. On one hand, the membership is based on the autonomy its members and their organizations. on the other hand, its purpose is to integrate its members around common goals and in financing partnered projects. This will be based on rules of proportions, which will determined after reaching a consesus from each of union member.

The signing of the document took place in a ceremonial setting held in the Knights Hall at Town Hall and was attended by city authorities, rectors, pro-rectors and various deans from the universities and academies involved.

Professor Tadeusz Szulc began his opening speech by quoting a Wisława Szymborska’s poem – ‘It could have happened, it had to happen. It happened’. Professor Szulc then recounted the origins of the agreement and referenced the Pawłowice Declaration, which resulted in the creation of the coordinating team under his supervision. Wrocław Academic Union is another step on the path to integration. The temporary Managing Board will be supervised by Professor Marek Bojarski – who also spoke about the history of the colleges and said that in ‘the changing world, universities have always been a mainstay of knowledge and science’.

After the presentation the document was signed by the following:

• Professor Halina Milnerowicz – Vice-Rector for University Development in place of Professor Ryszard Andrzejak - Rector of Wrocław Medical University
• Dr. hab. Magdalena Blum-Rak – Deputy Rector for Artistic and Scientific Affairs in place of Professor Krystian Kiełb - Rector of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław
• Professor Jacek Szewczyk - Rector of The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław
• Professor Juliusz Migasiewicz - Rector of the University of Physical Education in Wrocław
• Professor Bogusław Fiedor – Rector of Wrocław University of Economics
• Professor Roman Kołacz – Rector of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences
• Professor Marek Bojarski – Rector of Wrocław University

-“Your magnificence, I’m falling in love with you” – said Rafał Dutkiewicz President of Wrocław while addressing the rectors. “ Science must have freedom but it hates draught” – he said, as he quoted the words of Professor Twardowski the supervisor of his doctoral thesis. He also expressed hope that the Wrocław academic environment will continue the in the Lwow traditions, where new scientific ideas and theories have exploded. ‘If Poland is to face up to its present challenges it will have to support universities’ – added the president, emphasizing the need for cutting off the painful legacy of Stalinist times, which is still visible in the fragmentation of universities. President Dutkiewicz promised that the city would support and may even finance an audit of Wrocław universities, which will be conducted by OECD.

Professor Henryk Ratajczak, former rector of Wrocław University, congratulated the founders of Wrocław Academic Union and expressed his satisfaction on the creation of the Union and not a ‘Megauniversity’.

The artistic setting of the ceremony was accompanied by the academic choirs directed by Professor Alan Urbanek.

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The Wrocław Academic Union will be responsible for managing common policy concerning the creation of modern, unique, research and also on an artistic infrastructure including; specialist scientific and artistic centers, didactic infrastructure and creating other faculties, (both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary). It’s focus will also be on exchanging research personnel, creating new scientific units (with the right of granting scientific degrees and titles), as well as implementing undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The integration of operations is aimed at the improvement of educational forms for doctoral studies, the development of the Academic Electronic Library of Wrocław and in creating an academic publishing house. The Union will also try to organize a common integrated system of education including foreign languages, physical education, humanistic sciences, and alternative possibilities of studying certain subjects at different universities.

The union will also be involved in projects connected with creating a social base, including student hostels (and its central management) as well as integrating operations connected with the academic sport center in Wrocław and the creation of a student culture center.

It will also oversee common policies concerning domestic and foreign promotions and specific universities will then implement a uniform electronic system of management.