A letter by professor Bogumiła Kaniewska, Ph.D. D.Litt., AMU Rector
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With reference to information which has recently been available in the media, particularly in the Internet and in social media, I wish to assure the entire academic community that the enrollment process at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań (AMU) has been going on without any irregularities, and respected the binding legislation. Rules concerning the enrollment of foreigners had been made available at our web site (https://amu.edu.pl/kandydaci/kandydaci-zagraniczni) prior to the initiation of the enrollment process.
AMU has not adopted any extraordinary procedures for foreigners and the same rules concerning the weight of final high-school exams apply to both Polish and foreign nationals. Moreover, rules concerning tuition are identical for Polish and foreign students entering tuition-based courses. A letter confirming the above-mentioned information was forwarded yesterday to the Ministry of Education and Science yesterday.
The increasing number of foreign students at AMU is a result of many years of our efforts aimed at a further internationalization of our University and that of the ERASMUS+ program, an increase of the number of bilateral agreements, strengthening the status of a research university and increasing the importance of a European University. All of these efforts assume an increase of mobility and a rise of the number of foreign students and academics at AMU.
Mobility is not a new idea and it has existed for ages, practically since the early beginnings of the implementation of the idea of universitas consisting in taking university courses in different, often very distant locations. Jan Kochanowski studied at the Padua University, Nicolas Copernicus at the Padua University and the University of Bologna and Maria Skłodowska-Curie at the University of Sorbonne in Paris. The Lubrański Academy followed the Italian University models and our old Polish universities in Kraków, Vilnius and Lviv had both foreign academics and students.
In our times, many Poles study at foreign universities and enjoy access to university education in many countries of the world. Noble university traditions assume equal access to knowledge, openness and respect for diversity. I shall maintain this tradition and shall make sure that exclusion is absent at AMU.
The recent presence of a banner at the Collegium Minus Building with a message “AMU for Poles” and certain reactions to this message published in the media bring memories of a history lesson we learned some time ago relating to “bench ghetto” and “numerus clausus”.
We all remember that history lesson as well as the high price the entire humanity, and Poles in particular, had to pay, therefore Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań is now and shall be in the future a University for all. Only this way can we serve the society, Poland Europe and the World.