It is our very great pleasure to present a special English-language edition of Alma Mater, the second in the magazine's 18 years addressed primarily to the Jagiellonian University's international community of associates, co-workers, and students, and to the young people who would like to come to our University for a period of study.
In this edition we would like to show our international readers Poland's oldest University, one of the earliest European universities, which in 2014 will be celebrating the 650th anniversary of its foundation. Over the centuries the Jagiellonian University has educated many celebrities who now enjoy global renown – the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, Pope John Paul II, Nobel prizewinner Wisława Szymborska, the novelist Stanisław Lem, the poet Adam Zagajewski, the British historian Norman Davies, the film-maker Krzysztof Zanussi. But we intend to do more than just present the University's historic legacy; we want to show its tremendous potential for scholarship, which ranks it top of the academic table in Poland and makes it a paramount centre of Polish and European culture.
Naturally the Jagiellonian University's location in Kraków is important, too. In a class of its own, the City of Kraków is generally regarded as the heart of Poland and has been dubbed a city of kings, saints, scholars, and artists. Thanks to its special atmosphere and magnificent heritage sites such as Wawel Hill and the Market Square with St. Mary's Basilica and the Cloth Hall, every year it is attracting over 8 million tourists from all over the world. Many of these visitors are scholars and students. And it is for them, too, that we are issuing this special edition of Alma Mater, an idiosyncratic guidebook to the University. You will be taken round the Jagiellonian University by its Rector, Vice- Rectors, its Administrative Chancellor, some of its professors who are working on international projects, and representatives of its students and alumni. Your guides will show you that the Jagiellonian University is the place for the ambitious, a bridgehead between tradition and present-day challenges. It is a University that is not only building up its potential for scholarship and teaching, but is also pursuing an ambitious investment plan, building stateof- the-art facilities with lecture halls and laboratories appointed with the latest equipment. Poland's first synchrotron research centre on such a grand scale is currently being constructed on the University's campus at Pychowice. Modelled on a Swedish stateof- the-art prototype, the Solaris facility is due to open in 2014, offering a broad spectrum of research prospects for specialists from many disciplines. It will be available not only to scientists from all over Poland, but also to users from abroad.
Browse through the articles in this issue. I'm sure many readers will appreciate their variety and the multitude of illustrations. I hope you enjoy reading the magazine.
Rita Pagacz-Moczarska
Chief Editor
- QUALITY OF TUITION ABOVE ALL — Interview with Professor Wojciech Nowak by Rita Pagacz-Moczarska
- Jacek Popiel — THE BUILDINGS OF POLAND'S OLDEST UNIVERSITY
- Maria-Jolanta Flis — THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY'S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
- Stanisław Kistryn — RESEARCH AT THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY
- Andrzej Mania — SEVEN CENTURIES OF TEACHING
- Piotr Laidler — THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL COLLEGE
- Jacek Popiel — THE UNIVERSITY'S STRUCTURE
- Ewa Pędracka-Kwaskowska — THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
- Stanisław Dziedzic — MOST CELEBRATED CITY
- Antoni Jackowski — KRAKÓW: AN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR RELIGIOUS TOURISM
- Franciszek Ziejka — THE ALMA MATER JAGELLONICA AND HER FOUR JUBILEES
- SOME OF THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY'S VISITORS
- Krzysztof Stopka — THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
- Zdzisław Pietrzyk — TREASURES OF THE JAGIELLONIAN LIBRARY
- Interview with Sarah Aitken and Peter Brown by Monika Stawicka — The Jagiellonian University welcomes EAQUALS
- Jan Maciejewski — THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY POLISH RESEARCH CENTRE IN LONDON
- SUPPORTING INNOVATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE
- Jacek Urbaniec — The e-Learning Centre: PROFICIENCY IN EDUCATION
- Andrzej Kononowicz, Irena Roterman — VIRTUAL PATIENTS
- MEDICINE: MY LIFE'S PASSION — Interview with Dr. Anita Koszyk-Szewczyk by Rita Pagacz-Moczarska
- Małgorzata Sypniewska — THE KRAKÓW CHOICE
- Piotr Horbatowski — THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY SUMMER SCHOOL OF THE POLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
- Mariusz Kusion — INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT POLISH UNIVERSITIES
- Jerzy Duda — KRAKÓW ON THE WORLD'S POSTAGE STAMPS