On 15 October, three anniversaries were celebrated in the Gdańsk City Hall: the 35th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences, the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Psychology, and the 80th birthday of prof. dr hab. Waldemar Tłokiński, the first Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The ceremonial meeting brought together a large group of the academic community and friends of the Faculty, as well as representatives of the local government, among whom were many graduates of the largest faculty of the University of Gdańsk. The theme of the conference marking the 35th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences was: ‘Gdańsk social thought. Creative revisits on the 35th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk’.

The word ‘human being’, along with concepts such as ‘community’, “society” and ‘cooperation’, seemed to be a kind of motto for the triple celebration that took place in the Main Town Hall. The 35th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences was attended by a large and diverse group of people connected with the Faculty in various ways. The most important guest was prof. dr hab. Waldemar Tłokiński, the first Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, who was celebrating his 80th birthday.

The large number of guests (including many graduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences) was a source of joy for the current Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, prof. dr hab. Michał Harciarek: ‘I see many familiar faces here. I am very happy about this, because it shows that even though 35 years have passed, we are still here together as an academic community,’ he said.

On behalf of the University authorities, the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, dr hab. Urszula Patocka-Sigłowy, prof. UG, read a letter from the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski. ‘For three and a half decades, the Faculty of Social Sciences has not only developed science, but also (which is extremely important) co-created reality and built society,’ we heard. The Vice-Rector (following the Rector of the University of Gdańsk) emphasised the importance of social sciences in a world of dynamic change. It is this field of science that allows us to understand these changes, teaches us what responsibility is, and helps to create a united and open society.

About the Faculty of Social Sciences in the past and present

Prof. Waldemar Tłokiński shared, above all, the history, including the difficulties that the Faculty had to face at the beginning of its operation as a separate unit, separated from the Faculty of Humanities. ‘We thought that the division would eliminate the problems, but it only divided the problems in half,’ joked the first Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. He recalled the challenges associated with the time of social and political change (the 1990s) and the need to adapt to the reality of the time. He thanked prof. Jerzy Brzeziński (currently a doctor honoris causa of the University of Gdańsk), who was the ‘pillar’ of the new faculty, and expressed his gratitude to all those who had been involved in creating this unit from the very beginning. Over the years, the Faculty of Social Sciences has developed significantly and (in the words of the professor) ‘has transformed from an uncertain ephemera of structures into a lasting monument to the idea of humanity’. ‘Today, we are not closing this story. We are confirming its development after 35 years,’ emphasised the jubilee.

Prof. Michał Harciarek spoke about the Faculty of Social Sciences today, emphasising the unit's strengths in many aspects: scientific, didactic and those slightly less obvious from the point of view of ‘evaluation points’. Above all, he appreciated the people who make up the Faculty: ‘The success of this Faculty lies, among other things, in the fact that regardless of criteria or parameterisation, we, as Faculty employees, try to do what we are passionate about - and do it one hundred per cent (...) A good competitor must always be ready. Thank you for always being ready in your work at the Faculty of Social Sciences in your institutes; for doing your job with passion.’

Lecture on the achievements of Prof. Waldemar Tłokiński

Lecture by dr Barbara Kijewska, prof. UG, Digitisation of interpersonal communication (on the achievements of Prof. W. Tłokiński), presented during the ceremony, was a tribute to prof. Waldemar Tłokiński and his interdisciplinary achievements (neurolinguistic and medical). It referred to topics close to the professor's heart, including the so-called individual language experience, understanding messages and the risk of information isolation, especially among older people. The lecture prompted reflection on the consequences of the digitisation of information, its excessive simplification and the impoverishment of verbal code. The decline in language practice can lead to devastation in the areas of the brain responsible for linguistic communication.

Other speeches

After the lecture, other guests of the jubilee conference took the floor, including the Deputy Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivode, Marcin Skwierawski. ‘It is difficult to find a local government that does not have graduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences,’ he joked, before presenting the Dean of the Faculty with the ‘Pomerania Award’ in the form of the coat of arms of the Pomeranian Province.

A representative of the city authorities read two letters from the Mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz - one on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences, the other with wishes for prof. Waldemar Tłokiński. The Deputy Mayor of Sopot, Michał Banacki, wanted to express his gratitude above all: ‘Students come and go, and there is not always an opportunity to thank them.’ The official part of the conference also featured speeches by: Łukasz Bejm, Chairman of the Sports, Recreation and Tourism Committee of the Gdańsk City Council (who presented the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences with a mini figurine of Hewelion the lion), prof. Michał Markuszewski, Rector of the Medical University of Gdańsk, dr hab. Wojciech Zalewski, prof. UG, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration UG,  dr hab. Romana Kadzikowska-Wrzosek, prof. SWPS University, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology in Sopot at the SWPS University, and prof. dr hab. Jerzy Brzeziński, who read a letter from the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Adam Mickiewicz University, dr hab. Mariusz Urbański, prof. AM.

For many people, the official speeches became an opportunity for reflection and reminiscences related to the Faculty - or concerning their own experiences, even from their student days, when many of the current speakers, professors, representatives of university authorities or local governments did not believe or did not know where they would end up. As prof. Harciarek said, perhaps in the social sciences there is no strict transfer of technology, but there is a transfer of people to society.

University of Gdańsk Medals

The presentation of awards was the last element of the official part of the ceremony. The Rector of the University of Gdańsk decided to award medals of the University of Gdańsk to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Individuals honoured with the Bronze Medal of the University of Gdańsk:

• Dr hab. Jarosław Załęcki, prof. UG
• Dr hab. Ewa Rodziewicz
• Dr hab. Krzysztof Piekarski

Recipients of the Silver Medal of the University of Gdańsk:

• Prof. Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński
• Prof. Tadeusz Palmowski
• Prof. Iwona Sagan
• Prof. Maria Mendel
• Prof. Marek Malinowski
• Prof. Mariola Bidzan
• Prof. Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka
• Prof. Stanisław Judycki
• Prof. Zbigniew Treppa
• Prof. Józef Majewski

Prof. Waldemar Tłokiński was honoured with the most important award. ‘For his dedicated work for the development of the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as for his unwavering support for the University of Gdańsk and for building a positive image of our Alma Mater,’ the Rector of the University of Gdańsk presented prof. Waldemar Tłokiński with the Gold Medal of the University of Gdańsk DOCTRINAE SAPIENTIAE HONESTATI.

The conference was graced by a performance by the University of Gdańsk Vocal Studio.

50th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk Institute of Psychology and Gdańsk social thought

In the second part of the meeting at the Main Town Hall, the University of Gdańsk Institute of Psychology celebrated its 50th anniversary. A panel dedicated to memories from half a century of activity of a unit older than the Faculty of Social Sciences was led by Dr hab. Henryk Olszewski, prof. UG.

The last two sessions were devoted to Gdańsk social thought in various aspects and contexts, from past experiences to future challenges. The sessions were chaired by the vice-deans of the Faculty of Social Sciences: dr Paweł Śpica (session ‘Gdańsk social thought in actu: Around the past active in the present’) and dr hab. Radosław Kossakowski, prof. UG (session ‘Gdańsk social thought in potentia: Around the future’).