The Gazeta.pl news website reported on the JU press conference that took place on 20 February.

Festive 650th Jubilee celebrations will serve as a reminder that this occasion is important not only for Kraków and the University itself, but also for the entire country. “We want not only to celebrate, but also send a certain message,” said the JU Rector, Prof. Wojciech Nowak. “We wondered whether we should organise a few events and bring out suitable publications or adopt a broader perspective. We chose the latter, more demanding approach,” he added.

Therefore, the Jubilee will begin with a strictly academic event – the Congress of Academic Culture entitled “The Idea of University – Reactivation”. “It’s not about returning to the past, but rather about retaining what is most important – the academic culture – in the sense of common ideas and values, which sadly are currently eroding,” explained Prof. Piotr Sztompka, the originator of the Congress, which will be attended by 84 distinguished Polish scholars.

Community and corporation

“These days we can see a clash of two completely different ideas: the idea that university is an academic community and the idea that it should provide corporations with qualified workforce. This is the root of the problems of many higher education institutions and I hope that the conclusions of our debate will be put into practice,” said Prof. Sztompka.

The Jubilee celebrations will last throughout April and May, and will culminate between 8 and 10 May. On Thursday, 8 May 2014, a time capsule will be planted in the Professors’ Garden. Most events are planned to take place on 10 May, including a special JU Senate session attended by the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski. The world premiere of the “Universa Open Opera” spectacle (with music and libretto by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, the latter co-authored by Michał Rusinek) will constitute the grand finale of the celebrations

Student events

The Jubilee will include a multitude of conferences (e.g. the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland) and exhibitions (for instance, “JU Students Throughout the Centuries”) as well as sessions of the Student Parliament of the Republic of Poland Council and the Board of the European Students’ Union. The students will also create a mural in collaboration with Kraków’s artists and urban designer.