The ceremonial opening of the Congress took place at the Prof. Wacław Szubert Assembly Hall, University of Lodz.
The deliberations and thematic panels of the Congress, hosted by one of the main organisers, i.e. the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the University of Lodz, will run until Friday, 20 September and the wealth of sessions, panels and events accompanying the event is so enormous that the programme alone has 93 pages.
The opening ceremony of the Congress with the participation of the university authorities, scientific political science organisations, authorities of the local government of the city and the province, took place at the Prof. Wacław Szubert Assembly Hall. The gathered guests were welcomed on behalf of the Dean's Board of the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the University of Lodz by Dr Agata Włodarska-Frykowska, secretary of the Congress.
I feel convinced that the 6th Congress of Political Science is a great event that we will celebrate together
– she assured
Rector of the University of Lodz, Prof. Rafał Matera, while welcoming the participants of the Congress, referred to the tragedy of the flood victims and the aid campaign that our university has also joined.
Welcome to Lodz, a city, which contrary to the southern areas of Poland, is safe today. Welcome to the University of Lodz – a human university, close to the needs of all employees, managed by the new Rector's authorities. I would like to thank the organisers from the Faculty of International and Political Studies for believing in the possibility of organising a high-profile congress. I hope that since the main theme is the politics of the future, during the event we will not only complain that politics is going badly, but we will be able to work out valuable solutions for the future
– underlined Rector of the Univerity of Lodz..
The Congress participants were welcomed by the Rector of the University of Lodz, Prof. Rafał Matera.
Prof. Dr hab. Magdalena Musiał-Karg, President of the Polish Political Science Association, assured that the 6th Congress of Political Science was not only a meeting of minds, but also the creation of a community that inspires research work, a place for discussion on the challenges of the political science community, a source of ideas and inspiration. She thanked all those involved for the effort they put into organisation of the event.
The Congress participants were also welcomed by, among others, Prof. Dr hab. Jolanta Itrich-Drabarek, Chairperson of the Political Science Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Dr Pablo Oñate from the University of Valencia – President of the International Political Science Association and – in the role of the host – Prof. Ryszard Machnikowski, Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Lodz.
The Polish political science community is very active in public discourse, we are known from TV as experts and we have more and more topics to analyse. The theme of the Congress indicates that we face many challenges in the future
– said Prof. Ryszard Machnikowski.
Referring to the motto of the University of Lodz: Veritas et Libertas, the Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Studies emphasized that it refers to freedom in research activities, but not only.
We can only speak the truth in conditions of freedom, freedom from restrictions. Polish science requires deregulation to free itself from the restrictions to which we have been subjected
– stated Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Studies.
At the end of the opening ceremony, those most involved in the organisation of the Congress, Dr Agata Włodarska-Frykowska and Dr Paweł Stępień received thanks and flowers from the Dean of the faculty, and Prof. Dr hab. Magdalena Musiał-Karg presented the distinguished scientists with awards from the Polish Political Science Association for the best doctoral dissertation and scientific article in the field of political science.
After the ceremonial opening of the Congress, the 1st Academic-Local Government Cooperation Forum for representatives of local government authorities was held in the Faculty Council room. The discussion "Dilemmas of the local government system. In search of an optimal model of representation" was attended by: Dr hab. Adam Gendźwiłł, Associate Professor at the University of Warsaw, Sylwester Marciniak, Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, judge of the Supreme Administrative Court, Dr Anna Materska-Sosnowska from the University of Warsaw and Prof. Anna Młynarska-Sobaczewska from the Polish Academy of Sciences. The meeting was moderated by Dr hab. Krzysztof Urbaniak, Associate Professor at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
Source: Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz