Alicja Korytkowska, President of the board of the University of Third Age in Lodz, welcomed the audience who arrived in large numbers to the ceremony, emphasising the activating importance of the university for senior citizens and thanking everyone who contributes with their support to the operation of this educational institution, which is extremely popular among senior citizens in Lodz. Today, the University of the Third Age in Lodz is one of the oldest and longest running initiatives of this type in the region and in Poland. At the moment, in the academic year 2024/25 more than 800 people have already signed up for classes in 22 thematic sections!
After speeches delivered by guests representing provincial authorities of Lodz (central and local government) and after singing the anthem, the participants were welcomed by Prof. Rafał Matera, Rector of the University of Lodz.
His inaugural lecture was entitled: Does Poland fit in the “narrow corridor”? It was devoted to the works of Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson and the so-called narrow corridor theory – the space between fear and repression brought by despotism (when the state has absolute power) and lawlessness that appears when the state is not strong enough. Prof. Rafał Matera, referring to rankings and indexes of freedom in various areas of life, also discussed Poland’s changing place in the “narrow corridor” in recent years, in which we as a country fortunately fit.
The ceremony ended with the joint singing of Gaudeamus by the listeners of the University of Third Age in Lodz.
Source: University of Third Age in Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz)