On May 12, 2014 a Polish-American debate was held in the Jagiellonian University Collegium Maius. It was a continuation of the Congress of Academic Culture, which took place at the JU from March 20 to 22, 2014 and was aimed to start a discussion on the most important problems, dilemmas and challenges faced by the Polish university as an institution in the second decade of the 21st century. It had sent a strong message on the role that the European academic tradition should play in our times.

The debate, entitled "Challenges and Dilemmas of Polish and American Universities in the 21st Century", was held in English. The main speakers included:

Professor Neil J. Smelser, Professor Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley, long-time Chair of the University's Academic Senate,

Professor Piotr Sztompka, Jagiellonian University, Head of the Congress of Academic Culture Programme Committee,

Professor Jarosław Górniak, Dean of the JU Faculty of Philosophy, JU Senate member.

The discussion was moderated by Dr Piotr Prokopowicz from the JU Institute of Sociology. The debate w be related to the question posed at the Congress of Academic Culture: if and how can we preserve the centuries-old traditions of university as an academic institution in the modern era of mass education, rising cost of education and research and globalisation? What happens to the academic community and social trust, what of the master-apprentice relationships, what about qualitative assessment of research results and the status of scholars, what are the ways of improving education, what of the special status of the university and its distinctness from other higher academic institutions, and finally, what of the university's mission to create not only qualified workforce, but also enlightened citizens? How to combat bureaucratisation, fetishisation of quantitative ratings, narrow profile of education, negating the importance of basic research and humanities, opportunism in selection of research subjects, multiplying only seemingly important activities, plagiarism and falsification, and permissiveness of the academic community towards such issues?

Photos by Jerzy Sawicz