The University Diversity Day organised on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme at the University of Lodz.
This year Erasmus Programme celebrates its 30th anniversary in Europe and to mark this milestone the University of Lodz has organised a conference at the Faculty of Philology on 5th December 2017.
Currently students from over 95 different nationalities study at the University of Lodz. We are extremely proud that more and more international students choose our University. The University Diversity Day at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Lodz was organized on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus programme, which radically changed the face of the European study system.
Poland has been participating in the Erasmus program since 1998. Data, which cover the period up to 2014, show that over 60,000 exchange students came to Poland and almost three times as many Polish students went abroad. In the category of lecturers, these numbers are: 20,000 and 34000 people. The programme is not only a great educational exchange experience, but also a cultural challenge widening horizons. Millions of students in Europe have benefitted from the advantages that Erasmus exchanges have provided in terms of their overall learning experience and preparation for the workplace.
Every year, hundreds of international students come to study at the University of Lodz, where they find a suitable place to broaden knowledge, meet interesting people, experience cultural exchange and develop their skills. In this academic year, the University of Lodz hosts about 600 students from the Erasmus programme.
The exhibition The University Diversity Day "Why Lodz?" was the first point of the celebrations. The unique portraits of about forty international students who study at the University of Lodz were first displayed at the Faculty. Later they will be found in all university buildings and in the city of Lodz. Additionally, posters include answers of the photo session participants who were asked to describe why did they choose Lodz? Through the exhibition, our university desired to build an academic community based on respect for cultural, religious and social diversity.
At. 10.00 Intercultural workshops for UL students titled "Cultural Awareness Workshop" took place planned. They were conducted in English and followed by the Corridor Food Festival serving foreign regional dishes made by the international students. Oriental flavours, regional dishes, and a pinch of multi cultures were served.
Main anniversary celebrations The Conference The Faces of Diversity took place in parallel with the ongoing activities. The Conference was opened by Rector of The University of Lodz Professor Antoni Różalski accompanied by Professor Eleonora Bielawska-Batorowicz, University of Lodz Institutional Erasmus+ Coordinator. After Coordinator’s introduction the invited official guested were asked to join the discussion panel: "How the Erasmus programme changed Polish Universities?". Among invited speakers were: Mrs Maria Bołtruszko from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Mrs Dorota Rytwińska from the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, dr inż. Dorota Piotrowska from the Technical University of Lodz, Wojciech Kuczyński, MD Institutional Erasmus+ Coordinator at the Medical University of Lodz, Professor Artur Gałkowski, University of Lodz Institutional ECTS Coordinator and Miss Agata Lech, Head of the Erasmus Student Network UL. The discussion was very fruitful and interesting. It has presented different aspects of Erasmus Programme and its impact on academic communities in Lodz, Poland and Europe.
The afternoon session included second discussion panel “Diversity Management in a Firm” guided by dr Agata Rudnicka from the faculty of Management UL. The participants were: Professor Izabela Warwas from the faculty of Economics and Sociology UL, Mr Mikołaj Ługowski, Director of Lodz Branch of Nordea Bank AB, Mr Piotr Chimko, Business Process Expert in Philips and Mrs Joanna Wojtasik, Head of the Sustainable Development Section of Rossmann SDP Poland. Different aspects of diversity management in the company were discussed.
The conference as well as the anniversary of the Erasmus Programme at the University of Lodz and the University Diversity Day closed with a lecture by dr Monika Kopytowska from the Faculty of Philology titled: "Cultural diversity: practices, challenges, opportunities" and international students’ presentations of their projects on cultural diversity.
Feel free to see more:
photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/promocja_ul/albums/72157690649593375
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjm2FAsOh2k
Thank you all for joining us and making this day a trully Diverse Day!