35 years ago, while still at the Higher School of Education in Opole, a study programme called Environmental Protection Systems was created. The institution later became the University of Opole, and the programme was renamed Environmental Protection. Three and a half decades later, on 16 January 2026, people who helped create it – mainly scientists and former and current students – met at the anniversary celebrations and the Alumni Reunion.
The celebrations consisted of three parts – two official events in the University of Opole’s Lecture Hall at Oleska 48, and a social gathering at the Zagłoba Inn. During the block entitled ‘Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow of Environmental Protection’, the following speakers took the stage: Prof. Krystyna Borecka, (‘The Beginnings of the Environmental Protection programme in Opole’), Dr Katarzyna Łuczak (‘The present and future of the Environmental Protection study programme’) and Prof. Czesława Rosik-Dulewska, full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (‘Environmental Protection programme at the University of Opole’).
‘This is a major event that required a lot of logistics and support from sponsors, to whom we are very grateful. We wanted to invite as many graduates of our Environmental Protection programme as possible, and I think we have succeeded,’ said Dr Katarzyna Łuczak, from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology. ‘Although artificial intelligence-related study programmes are currently leading the way, there is still demand for environmental protection specialists in the labour market. There are more and more documents in various sectors of the economy that require this aspect to be further specified. We ourselves want to care for the environment, and this deepens the scope of our efforts in this area.’
During the first part, the Vice-Rector for Education, Prof. Anna Weissbrot-Koziarska, and representatives of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, including its Dean, Dr Dariusz Suszanowicz, also took the floor. They were joined by guest speakers, including Monika Jurek, Voivode the Opole Voivodeship, and Małgorzata Stelnicka, Deputy Mayor of Opole.
‘Environmental protection at the University of Opole was the first such study programme in Poland. In our region, as a university, we have been associated with it for years,’ emphasised Dr Dariusz Suszanowicz, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology. ‘The Environmental Protection programme has been running at the UO for 35 years, and its first graduates left the university 30 years ago. Today, they include scientists and civil servants who deal with environmental protection at the municipal, district and regional levels.’
‘The Careers of Graduates’ was the second part of the official meeting, providing an opportunity to hear from graduates of the Environmental Protection programme who now represent the scientific community, public administration and industry. During their speeches, they talked about how to put the competences acquired during their studies to practical use and how diverse career paths related to environmental protection can be.
‘I was one of the first students of a study programme that was then called Environmental Protection Systems. We were attracted by its thematic diversity, and we had a whole spectrum of courses, from chemistry, through mathematics and physics, to typically environmental courses. All this was enriched by numerous laboratories,’ recalled Prof. Marzena Rachwał. ‘Shortly after graduating, I started working at the Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze. Today, I am a professor at the Fire Service Academy in Warsaw, and I believe that in terms of research and implementation of various technologies, there is so much to be done in environmental protection that graduates of this study programme will always find some field of activity.’
After the official part of the ceremony, the participants met at the Zagłoba Inn. The event was accompanied by an exhibition entitled ‘35 Years of Environmental Protection’, which presented a cross-section of the history of this field of study at the Higher School of Education and later at the UO. The entire anniversary celebration, including the Alumni Reunion, was organised by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, UO.