Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw


Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw is a Polish state university created on the basis of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw. UKSW is a public university that offers education in the humanities, social studies, and natural sciences, and, since 2019, medicine.
The university has twelve faculties located in two campuses in Warsaw's Bielany district: on Dewajtis and Wóycickiego Streets. The university offers forty majors, including medicine, psychology, law, journalism, environmental engineering, Italian philology, and economics.
In 2016, the Mazovian Laboratory Center of Life Sciences UKSW was established on the campus at the Wóycickiego Street site. In 2019, the university received the European Commission's "HR Excellence in Research" award, confirming its adherence to the principles of the European Charter for Researchers. In addition, all faculties of the university are under the supervision of the Minister of Science and Higher Education; four of them – the Faculties of Theology, of Christian Philosophy, of Canon Law and of Family Studies – are additionally supervised by church authorities.
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History

In 1954, the and the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University were closed down. They were transformed into the Academy of Catholic Theology. At the same time, the was removed from the University of Warsaw and became the basis for the multidenominational Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw. In the same year, the authorities displaced the Marian Fathers – who had been operating from Polkowa Góra, the former-Camaldolese monastery, since 1915 – from the orders' monastic and hermitage site in Bielany, Warsaw; the newly-founded ATK was given the vacated monastery complex.
The Academy of Catholic Theology was a state university, established by a decision of the then Council of Ministers. According to canon law, theological faculties should be created or approved by the Holy See, so the creation of the new university was ill-received by the ecclesial community. Primate Stefan Wyszyński, then archbishop of Warsaw, was imprisoned in the years 1953–1956. After regaining his freedom, he did not immediately accept the university. Only since 1960, with the approval of the Holy See, did he respect the academy and consider himself grand chancellor of the university. The Academy of Catholic Theology was granted full ecclesiastical rights in 1989, henceforth becoming both a state and a church university.
In 1954, the Academy of Catholic Theology employed sixty faculty members. There were 415 students studying there. It had three faculties: Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Canon Law, and Faculty of Christian Philosophy. The university was fully funded by the state. The number of students allowed to enroll was strictly determined by the communist authorities of the Polish People's Republic. It was not until the 1980s that the number of students increased significantly. In 1987, the Faculty of Church Historical and Social Sciences was created from a portion of the Faculty of Theology.
Further development of the university took place in the 1990s: the number of professors and students increased, new majors were opened. Changes within the institution allowed it to become a university. It took place on 3 September 1999, and the university was named after Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.

Campuses

The university consists of two main campuses: the Dewajtis campus at 5 Dewajtis Street in Bielany; and the Wóycickiego campus at 1/3 Wóycickiego Street in Młociny.
Dewajtis Campus, in addition to teaching rooms, has the Main Library, the radio and television laboratory, the rector's office, and the headquarters of university authorities.

Wóycickiego-Młociny campus

The campus in Młociny is under ongoing expansion. On 14 February 2008, the first part of the Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research – Auditorium Maximum was opened there. It is where lecture rooms, laboratories and a student canteen are located. In February 2009, Building 23, which houses the Faculty of Historical and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Christian Philosophy, and the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, was completed. In 2015, the newly built Life Sciences Laboratory Center was opened. In 2020, a modern field house was put into use. The headquarters of the Faculty of Medicine – Collegium Medicum and Multidisciplinary Research Centre in Dziekanowo Leśne are under construction.

Transport

The Wóycickiego Campus can be reached by several bus lines, including the line "114" leading directly to the campus gate from the Młociny metro station.
The Dewajtis Campus is about from the nearest tram stop.

Governance

The head of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University is the rector. The governing and administrative bodies of the university are the secretariat and the senate. Making up the secretariat are the positions of chancellor, deputy chancellor, and bursar, and their support staff. The senate enacts university regulations and consults with the rector on university management and development. It appoints members of the university council; the council's role is to advise the senate on policy.
In June 2020, Professor Ryszard Czekalski was elected rector of the university for a term of office from 2020 to 2024. Czekalski is a priest and canon of Płock Cathedral. His Doctor habilitatus degree in theology was conferred in 2014.
For the same term, Associate Professor Anna Fidelus was re-elected vice-rector for Student Affairs and Teaching in 2020, having held the office 2016–2020. Fidelus' Doctor habilitatus in social rehabilitation was awarded in 2013. Associate Professor Marek Stokłosa, who is vice-rector for Research and International Cooperation achieved his Doctor habilitatus in 2016 in the field of canon law.
The Grand Chancellor of the university oversees the church faculties of Theology, Christian Philosophy, Canon Law and Family Studies. From 2007, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Warsaw, Kazimierz Nycz, has held this position.

Earlier rectors

The following is a list of rectors of the ATK:
  • 1954–1956 – Jan Czuj
  • 1956–1965 – Wincenty Kwiatkowski
  • 1965–1972 – Józef Iwanicki
  • 1972–1981 – Jan Piotr Stępień
  • 1981–1987 – Remigiusz Sobański
  • 1987–1990 – Helmut Juros
  • 1990–1996 – Jan Łach
  • 1996–1999 – Roman Bartnicki
For UKSW, the position of rector has been held by:
  • 1999–2005 – Roman Bartnicki
  • 2005–2010 – Ryszard Rumianek
  • 2010–2012 – Henryk Skorowski
  • 2012–2020 – Stanisław Dziekoński
All of the above UKSW rectors had been conferred with the Doctor habilitatus degree.

Honorary degrees

ATK has awarded doctorates Honorary degrees to the following people:

Students and staff

In the 2020-2021 academic year, about 10,000 students were studying at the UKSW, and about 800 academic teachers were employed. There are 300 employees in the library, administration and service.
There are many student organizations at the university, including the Student Government, the UKSW Independent Students' Union, the UKSW Erasmus Student Network, and scientific clubs.

Faculties and fields of study

Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University currently has twelve faculties and over forty majors, such as:Faculty of Theology:
  1. Institute of Theological Sciences: theology, religious studies
  2. Institute of Media Education and Journalism: journalism and social communication, theology Faculty of Canon Law: Canon lawFaculty of Christian Philosophy:
  3. Institute of Philosophy: philosophy, philosophy and culture of East-Central Europe
  4. Institute of Psychology: psychology
  5. Center for Ecology and Ecophilosophy: environment conservation, sustainability studiesFaculty of Historical Sciences:
  6. Institute of Archaeology: archaeology, management of cultural heritage
  7. Institute of History of Art: history of art, cultural property and environmental protection
  8. Institute of History: history, history Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences:
  9. Institute of Political Sciences and Administration: political science, European studies, internal security
  10. Institute of Sociology: sociology, social work
  11. Institute of Economics and Finance: economyFaculty of Law and Administration: law, administration, international relations, man in cyberspaceFaculty of Humanities:
  12. Institute of Polish Philology: polish philology
  13. Institute of Classical Philology and Cultural Studies: classical philology, Italian philology, cultural studies, museologyFaculty of Family Studies: family studiesFaculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. School of Exact Sciences:
  14. Institute of Chemistry: chemistry
  15. Institute of Computer Science: computer science
  16. Institute of Mathematics: mathematics
  17. Physics Department: physicsFaculty of Education: philosophy of education and special educationFaculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences: biology and environmental engineeringFaculty of Medicine – Collegium Medicum: medicine, nursing