There were congratulations, professorial nominations and academic rituals, but this year’s University of Opole Day was not limited to the anniversary celebrations. The 32nd anniversary of the University’s founding also became an opportunity for an important discussion about economics, community, responsibility, and the place of humanity in a world dominated by haste, competition, and the logic of profit. Prof. Jerzy Hausner, the new honorary doctor of the UO, was at the centre of the event.
This year’s celebrations of the University Day were inaugurated to the sounds of music performed by the Academic Choir. The national anthem, Gaude Mater Polonia and Gaudeamus igitur were not only the musical setting of the ceremony, but also became its artistic interpretation, introducing the atmosphere of academic celebration to the Blue Hall of Collegium Maius.
The guests were welcomed by Prof. Jacek Lipok, Rector of the UO, who reminded them that the university’s anniversary is not only an opportunity to commemorate its founding in 1994, but also to express gratitude to those who helped create the university and continue to develop it. He emphasised that the UO remains a ‘still young, yet mature’ institution, dynamic, European and classical at the same time. ‘It is a university with a 32-year history, although its academic tradition goes back more than 70 years. It is still young, yet mature. It is a dynamic university, created by people who are young at heart and curious about the world,’ he said. The Rector also recalled the university’s recent successes, including impressive teaching and research results, as well as projects worth over PLN 100 million.
One of the most important moments of the ceremony was the honouring of the UO employees who had been awarded the title of professor in the past year. Scholars represented a wide range of fields, from the humanities and social sciences to medicine, which in itself was a clear reflection of the academic diversity of the university. Among them were literary scholars Prof. Sabina Brzozowska-Dybizbańska and Prof. Marek Dybizbański, medical scientists Prof. Agata Chobot and Prof. Piotr Morasiewicz, political scientist Prof. Danuta Gibas-Krzak, psychologist Prof. Dariusz Krok, and linguist Prof. Felicja Księżyk, whose research focuses on multilingualism and Polish-German language contacts.
The highlight of the celebrations was the ceremony of awarding an honorary doctorate to Prof. Jerzy Hausner. The laudation was delivered by Prof. Marta Maciejasz, who presented the laureate not only as one of the most important Polish economists, but also as an intellectual who consistently goes beyond the established boundaries of his discipline. She spoke about his academic career and the evolution of his research interests – from political economics and public economics to social economics and the economics of value, which he is currently developing and which combines economic analysis with philosophical, ethical and social reflection. She emphasised that his thinking about the economy does not stop at indicators, market mechanisms and growth, but goes further: towards social relations, culture, ethics and the quality of community life. ‘He is a living institution, a man of ideas, a man of science and values,’ she said. She also pointed out that Prof. Hausner’s achievements are important not only for economics itself, but more broadly for all those who are trying to answer the question of how to build a modern society without losing sight of the human being. “Value is essence, not a thing. It is a phenomenon, not an object… Values arise from social interactions and sustain those interactions,” she quoted one of the professor’s key ideas.
Prof. Hausner himself began his speech on a very personal note, returning to Opole as the city of his childhood, adolescence and first experiences. ‘I’m from here. This is my hometown. This is where I grew up, where I went to school, where I came of age,’ he said. ‘Opole shaped me as a boy and as an adult.’ He described the title awarded by the University of Opole as a particularly sentimental honour, as it connected him to the place of his youth, to which, as he emphasised, he had always returned whenever the opportunity arose.
However, this personal introduction quickly transitioned into a lecture on fundamental issues: the crisis of contemporary democracy, the weakening of social bonds, the need to rebuild the economic independence of citizens, and the necessity of thinking about the economy in terms of values, not just profit. He clearly contrasted the economics of value he promotes with the economics of greed. ‘I believe that the economics of value is necessary to restore the beneficial interdependence between the market economy (…) and democracy and social cohesion,’ he emphasised. He also spoke about the importance of locality, community and responsibility for young people who decide whether to study, work and build their future in a given city.
After the ceremony and lecture, the invited guests offered their congratulations.
Bishop Rudolf Pierskała spoke about the need to think about the university in terms of continuity: ‘Out of gratitude and respect for the University’s past, we care for the present (…) and let us also take care of the future,’ he said.
Sławomir Gradzik, Deputy Voivode of the Opole Voivodeship, read a letter from the Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, in which the author emphasized that honouring Prof. Hausner is also a reminder of the values he represents as a scholar and citizen: scientific integrity, public responsibility and the belief that knowledge should serve the community.
Zuzanna Donath-Kasiura, Deputy Marshal of the Opole Voivodeship, thanked the laureate for restoring the axiological dimension of economics. ‘Thank you for showing the importance of values in the field of science, where these values were not obvious,’ she said. ‘Thank you for showing the dangers of the economics of greed.’
Arkadiusz Wiśniewski, Mayor of Opole, emphasised that Prof. Hausner’s reflections are not only of academic importance, but also of practical significance – especially in a city that faces demographic challenges and the need to retain young people. ‘In a world where we chase after money (…) the reflection that you have demonstrated, Professor, is extremely valuable and necessary,’ he said. ‘It shows that we need to focus on what is most important in our lives, on ourselves, on people.
‘People, businesses and the economy are not only about producing goods, but also about producing good.’ These words by Prof. Jerzy Hausner, quoted in the laudation, perfectly capture the essence of both his achievements and the event itself, whose anniversary setting emphatically reminded us that the University of Opole remains a place that cultivates universal values, offering the prospect of sustainable development in keeping with the spirit of the university’s traditions.