Comenius University News

SUMMER SCHOOLS ARE TAKING PLACE ONLINE THIS YEAR

Due to ongoing preventive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, several summer-long educational projects have decided to switch to an online form of tuition for this year. The summer school of Slovak language and culture organized by the Centre for Continuing Education is taking place in small groups through the MS Teams application from 13 to 24 July. Over ten working days, students will acquire and improve their communication and language skills in Slovak, and they will learn about the diversity of the history and culture of Slovakia. This course is intended for students from the age of seventeen and older who are living abroad as well as for Slovak expatriates and high school students in their final year. Secondary school students who love programming, physics, and mathematics will be able to participate in the Trojsten summer school. From 13 to 24 July, live lectures have been taking place online, and they will later be available on YouTube. This summer school includes lectures on such topics as the Eyes of (Bio)informatics and Graphics in Computer Games. Study Academica Slovaca (SAS) is another summer school which will take place remotely. This school of Slovak language and culture will hold language seminars, conversation lessons, and lectures online from 3 to 14 August. The oldest summer school in Slovakia is provided by the Faculty of Arts and annually educates foreigners who study Slovak as well as other Slavists, students, cultural workers, managers, teachers, translators, and others who are interested in the Slovak language and culture. A novelty this year is the Economy in a Circle summer school, which is aimed at explaining the basis of the circular economy to pupils in the fifth to ninth grades of primary school. Through lectures, workshops, and games on topics such as product design, waste management, dealing with biodegradable waste, green buildings, and consumer behaviour, it wants to show children how practical solutions can work in everyday life. This will be the only school to take place on site, doing so from 10 to 14 August at the Faculty of Management. This course is being organized by the Centre for Management Development and Applied Research at the Faculty of Management, the 3E Institute, and Circular Slovakia. "We spent almost the entire summer semester at Comenius University online. As many measures in relation to the spread of the virus are ongoing, I am pleased that our school organizers have chosen to move to the online environment rather than undertake tuition on site. I believe this year will not be any less attractive for students, but it will certainly be a memorable year for all of us in terms of how successfully we have managed the pandemic," said Comenius University rector, Marek Števček.

THE BEST FACULTY IS AT OUR UNIVERSITY

The ranking evaluated the publishing activities of faculties for 2019. It assessed published articles in eighty-two prestigious journals with a natural sciences focus which were selected by an independent group of experts. The ranking determines the number of publications and the co-authorship of researchers from a given institution. Of the academic institutions in Slovakia, Comenius University in Bratislava ranked the highest, and in the evaluation of all institutions in Slovakia it came in second place after the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The prestigious Nature Index of institutions is compiled by Springer Nature. "The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics at Comenius University has long been at the top of the rankings of Slovak faculties in the field of the natural sciences. I am pleased that we are again the top faculty in Slovakia in the Nature Index. I am also pleased with the fact that as a faculty we produce some of the most employable graduates," said Daniel Ševčovič, the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics. "I am proud of the scientists from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics of Comenius University, who have long proven that they are at the top in their field and not only in our region. In addition to educating the next generation of professionals and scientists, they are pushing ahead in their research, and this significantly contributes to the good reputation of the entire university," added the Rector of Comenius University, Marek Števček.

COMENIUS UNIVERSITY HAS THREE NEW PROFESSORS

The president encouraged the newly appointed professors not to ease up in their efforts as scientists and for them get their studies and articles published as much as possible in prestigious scholarly journals. She said that for the scholarly performance of the academic sphere to improve, there was an expectation that professors would set an example. In her speech, she stressed that the profession of a university teacher was not an easy one if it was done with firm conviction. She also pointed out that the job of professors was to contribute to a society's knowledge and wisdom. “Wisdom is not merely accumulated knowledge. It is living knowledge, part of which is a strong foundation of values, because knowledge without living values has no purpose. By contrast, value-based learning ought to be the foundation of society,” she said. The newly appointed professors from Comenius University in Bratislava: Associate Professor Monika Huraiová, Faculty of Natural Sciences (geology) Associate Professor Tibor Baška, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin (public health) Associate Professor Júlia Kanovská Halamová, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (social and occupational psychology)

COMENIUS UNIVERSITY HAS BECOME PART OF A EUROPEAN SUPER-UNIVERSITY

Thanks to the ENLIGHT alliance, students will have the opportunity to study at several universities at the same time. Doctoral students and researchers will be able to engage more flexibly in various collaborations across universities. The three-year project period will be used by Comenius University to prepare a new concept of internationalization for the university in the field of teaching. Joint courses and study programmes will be created where students and teachers from the participating universities will participate either in person or virtually. The ambition of the project is to better prepare students for the future. In addition to Comenius University, the ENLIGHT project connects the University of Ghent (Belgium), the University of Bordeaux (France), the University of Uppsala (Sweden), the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), the University of the Basque Country (Spain), the University of Göttingen (Germany), the National University of Ireland in Galway, and the University of Tartu (Estonia). This connection embodies the geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences existing in Europe. The network wants to reap these benefits in offering new flexible international study opportunities that can be tailor-made. Comenius University plans to involve 50% of its students in ENLIGHT's activities through short and long study stays and various forms of virtual mobility. Unlike the Erasmus+ programme, which consists mainly of individual mobilities, the ENLIGHT alliance offers opportunities for the gradual coming together of universities in planning joint courses, summer schools, and study programmes. "I am proud that our university has become part of this pan-European network. I believe that studying at Comenius University will be even closer to the standards of the best European universities," said Marek Števček, the Rector of Comenius University. The alliance also includes non-academic institutions such as the City of Bratislava and Eset (a major IT company). As a result, the alliance will influence the creation of practice-oriented study programmes and current societal challenges such as climate change, the role of artificial intelligence in society, and social and cultural diversity. To a much greater extent, the global involvement and influence of universities in solving the major problems of civilization will increase. In addition to Comenius University, the Technical University of Košice and the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra are also connected with European universities in similar networks. *** ENLIGHT stands for European university Network to promote equitable quality of Life, sustainability and Global engagement through Higher education Transformation. Students from the universities involved also worked closely together in the preparation of the project, as they are its end users. The student network will continue to play a key role in planning activities.

Comenius University will not organize graduation ceremonies in summer

Since the very beginning of pandemics, Comenius University (CU) adopted many preventive measures, which according to Slovak and foreign professionals contributed to successful managing the epidemiological situation in Slovakia. On Sunday 8 March, the rector of CU suspended the full-time teaching and during following weeks closed students’ hostels — among them also the biggest accommodation complex, the University town of Ľ. Štúra — Mlyny. ‘Not ale measures were popular at the time of their implementation. Not all of them were adopted easily. However, I am doing them as I consider them reasonable, rational, and sometimes inevitable. I am glad we, to a large degree, contributed to managing the first wave of pandemics. However, we cannot lower our guard’, says the rector Števček. Due to the transition from full-time to distant teaching, the examination period has been prolonged until the end of August at several CU faculties. The primary aim was to let the students in their final study year complete their study in the current academic year, which CU also achieved. Some students have already successfully passed the state examinations, the first online state examinations were held at Faculty of Medicine, CU in Bratislava in April. Until today they were held at other faculties online or under strict hygienic measures by attendance. Many students desire to complete the university study with a graduation ceremony. The academic ceremony, in which not just students but also their families or friends take part in the time when the values of the seven-day moving median are growing is a significant risk. I am proud that people from all corner of the world study at our university, we have many international students. However, nowadays, mass events, which graduation ceremony surely is, represent a considerable risk. In quite a small space and for a long time the people from the whole country meet, including children or seniors. Despite an enormous respect for academic rituals, the determination to protect the health of students, their relatives and colleagues outweighed. The recent school leavers will get their diplomas after all completed control processes; the faculties will provide them detailed information. In the case of favourable development of the epidemiological situation, CU plans to organize graduation ceremonies in autumn of this year.

COMENIUS UNIVERSITY TO BUILD ACTIVE AGEING CENTER

Active Ageing Center will be presented by faculty management, university management and project leaders at the press conference on July 1, at 11:00 a.m. at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of CU (Dean's Boardroom, Nabr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 9, Bratislava). The project's ambassadors, successful UK graduates - presenter Alena Heribanova and sports commentator and journalist Dusan Gabani will also be present. The center is the first center of its kind in the region, providing 600-700 seniors a year the opportunity to complete coordinated programs under the supervision of qualified professionals. They will use proven scientific knowledge in the field of physical activity and physical therapy, aimed at restoring and improving physical fitness, condition and health promotion. „The experience from the world, as well as the results of research projects from our workplace, conclusively show that the negative consequences of ageing – the increased incidence of chronic diseases and the resulting gradual deterioration of the functional abilities of individual organ systems – can very effectively be prevented or even reversed by appropriate motion intervention programs," says project supervisor, Prof. Dusan Hamar. The Centre will also provide a space for cooperation between research institutions, health insurance companies, healthcare providers and other entities, allowing the gained information to positively influence strategic and policy decisions aimed at improving quality of life and social inclusion of seniors. The Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of CU is cooperating on the project with the Institute of Physical Medicine in St. Pölten, Austria. Other partners and supporters are Bratislava – the capital of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava Self-Governing Region, Trnava Self-Governing Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, Vseobecna zdravotna poistovna, UNION poistovna, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of CU, Samorin Municipal Government, municipalities – Prellenkirchen, Wolfsthal, Berg, Kittsee, Hainburg a. d. Donau; SVA – Sozialversicherungsanstalt der gewerblichen Wirtschaft, Landesstelle Niederösterreich, SVB – Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Bauern and VAEB – Versicherungsanstalt für Eisenbahnen & Bergbau. The interregional V-A cross-border cooperation program project Slovak Republic-Austria is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

THE CLUSTER’S PRIORITIES ARE INTERNATIONALIZING SCIENCE AND SUPPORTING SLOVAK SCIENTISTS

One of the priorities of the scientific cluster, which is also part of the memorandum, is the internationalization of research. In this area, the three institutions are cooperating on multiple projects. The SASPRO 2 project, initiated by the Slovak Academy of Sciences, which invited Comenius University and the Slovak University of Technology to join it in the second call, allows for the improved mobility of international researchers at Slovak centres. The Slovak Academy of Sciences can accept up to twenty researchers, and both universities can accept ten each. Altogether, this will create conditions for cooperation with forty researchers from abroad. “I perceive its uniqueness on two levels. One of them is supporting the return of Slovak scientists who have spent a long time abroad, and the other is the internationalization of the research space in Bratislava,” said Pavol Šajgalík, who is the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Another project is aimed at modernizing the research infrastructure of Comenius University and the Slovak University of Technology. This is the Accord project, which represents the largest ever investment in infrastructure modernization and the strengthening of scientific capacity. Perhaps the best public demonstration of the irreplaceable role of scientists and researchers was seen during the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, it was the doctors and experts from these institutions who stood on the front line. They worked daily with samples from those who had been potentially infected, and they developed new tests and innovative protective devices. “At a time of closed borders and a lack of medical devices in Europe as well as around the world, we proved that we had the most important things right here at home. These were the top scientists and experts who, in a really short time and often under modest conditions, managed to develop world-class technologies and projects,” said the Rector of Comenius University, Marek Števček. Comenius University and the Slovak University of Technology were the first universities to halt full-time tuition, doing so on 8 March, and send students home, thus helping prevent the mass spread of the virus in its early days. While public confidence in research institutions such as the Slovak Academy of Sciences and universities has been shown to have increased in a survey, the government has been shifting funding from European structural funds intended for science and research into other areas. “As research leaders, we currently perceive the stopping of European structural funds for science and research for the 2016 to 2020 period as a very serious problem. In particular, the reallocation of 170 million euros for other purposes, which violated the principle of partnership, will lead to research universities once again remaining with the notional ‘short end of the stick’ at the end of the programme period,” said the rector of the Slovak University of Technology, Miroslav Fikar. Last week, the representatives of scientific institutions met with the Minister of Education, Branislav Gröhling, to discuss the issue of tackling the lack of finances for science. The minister pledged to address this issue by Monday 29 June. Comenius University and the Slovak University of Technology have decided on a common strategy for appealing to new students. Last year at the large post-secondary education fair in Brno in the Czech Republic, they manned a joint stand and presented Bratislava as a quality destination for tertiary study. Both universities plan to expand this cooperation further. Along with the City of Bratislava, they intend to have a joint stand at this year’s event. Both universities are also repeatedly organizing university-wide open days. The scientific cluster also wants to respond to societal challenges in the future. A number of these relate to combating climate change and environmental issues. The Minister of the Environment invited the leadership of both universities and the Slovak Academy of Sciences to cooperate on creating independent analyses of the current state of affairs. Projects in this area where the institutions are both involved include a water management project in Slovakia.

The V7 group and the Slovak academy of sciences condemn the playing down of plagiarism

The claim that every student cuts corners to make their studies easier is an insult to the thousands of students who are currently defending their honestly written theses at our universities. It also belittles the work of thesis supervisors who try to guide their students in the gradual learning of the basic principles of science, the work of reviewers who spend hours studying students’ theses and writing reports. and the work of committees that comprehensively assess students’ ability. An academic degree should not be some adornment which politicians or businesspeople use to increase their social status. It should be the result of honest research. It should be a declaration of determination to dedicate one’s life to disciplined thinking. It should be a sign of willingness to distinguish empirically verifiable facts from half-truths, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories. Plagiarism is as old as academia itself, and it also occurs at the world’s best universities. The best way to minimize plagiarism is to consistently and patiently explain the principles of academic work. At the same time, we need to take an uncompromising approach and enforce academic ethics, even at the level of seminar papers. We need to guide students so that the writing of theses is not seen as just a formality. The V7 Group and the Slovak Academy of Sciences hereby declare their commitment to further improving internal processes in order to prevent plagiarism. We also call on those politicians who have committed plagiarism not to play down this problem and to appropriately accept responsibility for their actions and face the consequences. Signatories:

Miroslav Fikar, Rector of the Slovak University of Technology
Klaudia Halászová, Rector of the Slovak University of Agriculture
Jozef Jandačka, Rector of the University of Žilina
Stanislav Kmeť, Rector of the Technical University of Košice
Jana Mojžišová, Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy
Pavol Sovák, Rector of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University
Pavol Šajgalík, President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Marek Števček, Rector of Comenius University

The Association of Research and Technology-oriented Universities of the Slovak Republic (the V7 Group) consists of Comenius University in Bratislava, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, the Technical University of Košice, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the University of Žilina, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, and the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice. The members of the V7 Group have agreed on coordination and joint action in promoting support for science, research, and innovation in the Slovak and European research areas.

Law students support the wave of solidarity

The pandemic and its unprecedented consequences naturally caused many legal problems and issues. Several improvised student initiatives began to emerge almost immediately, and they offered free legal advice to those affected by the crisis. However, these initiatives had to be halted as students are generally not eligible or professionally qualified to properly provide legal services. Nonetheless, these initiatives motivated the Faculty of Law to start thinking about how legal assistance could be effectively provided to those affected by the coronavirus. This is why the scope of the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre, which is part of the tuition programme at the Institute of Clinical Legal Education, was widened to include legal assistance to people who needed it in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. The Students’ Legal Counselling Centre has been part of the educational process at the faculty since 2015 and is a part of clinical legal education (also known as legal clinics). The ambition of legal clinics is to provide a natural link between lawyers’ education and its practical application. In addition to the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre, students have the opportunity to help non-profit organizations within the Legal Clinic for the Non-profit Sector course, which the faculty provides in cooperation with the Pontis Foundation. This subject was successfully transferred into online form during the coronavirus so that the pandemic would not threaten it. For the development of verbal speech, the Legal Clinic for Communities course is very useful. Here students can bring various legal topics to an audience of selected communities. Currently there are partnerships with many primary and secondary schools, a women's prison in Nitra, a resocialization facility in Senec, a children's home in Bernolákovo, a dormitory for the homeless, and a retirement home, where students regularly give talks. The Legal Clinic for Communities had to be discontinued during the coronavirus pandemic for obvious reasons, but we believe that we will be able to continue with it in the next semester. As part of the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre, students provide legal assistance to people who cannot afford the help of a professional lawyer. Students work on legal analyses for clients under the supervision of experienced lawyers and other experts from the faculty and the legal profession. This allows students to acquire valuable practical experience, meaning they are better prepared to pursue a career in law, and this also be useful for people who have a legal problem but do not have enough money for a lawyer. During the coronavirus pandemic, the activities of the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre focused on legal problems resulting from the coronavirus through a public call. More than thirty students were involved in counselling and they took on about fifteen legal issues. The problems were very diverse, and because the coronavirus pandemic created an unprecedented social situation, solving them required students to be more creative and to apply more effort than with normal legal problems. For example, students of the faculty helped their counterparts from other faculties who turned to the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre with questions related to the Work & Travel programmes. Other legal issues included things like cancelled flights, package tours, involuntary stays in state quarantine facilities, employee entitlements during the pandemic, and many other areas. It is really important to highlight the active and responsible approach taken by the students. At the same time, we are grateful to the faculty leadership, especially to Dean Eduard Burda, for supporting this project as well as the development of legal clinics in general, because they are an important addition to the traditional (theoretical) subjects provided to students. Many doctoral students also participated in the activities of the Students’ Legal Counselling Centre by coordinating the handling of cases and overseeing the communication of students with lawyers and clients. Over two months, we worked at full capacity, and we are delighted that this bore fruit, as evidenced by the very positive feedback from the grateful recipients of our legal aid. The work of students was supervised by experienced lawyers and experts from the faculty and the legal profession to ensure the quality of the centre’s outputs. In this regard, we would like to thank Stentors, Löwy & Löwy, Grand Oak Legal, Sedlačko & Partners, Kaduc & Partners, Strémy, Staněk Vetrák & Partners, Pavol Cvik—Advokát, Peter Serina, Dominik Schronk, and Mikuláš Krippel. Zuzana Mlkvá Illýová, Director of the Institute of Clinical Legal Education, Faculty of Law, Comenius University

COMENIUS UNIVERSITY IS EASING RESTRICTIONS AND PREPARING FOR ITS SUMMER ACTIVITIES

From 1 June 2020, the Rector of Comenius University, Marek Števček, authorized educational activities in person, including examinations and the meetings of academic bodies. A condition of this, however, remains the adherence to the recommended hygiene and safety rules. At some faculties, state examinations will take place in person, whereas at others they will remain with the remote examination model at the discretion of faculty management. The university dormitories are also slowly returning to normal. The rector cancelled the directive that had closed the accommodation facilities of Comenius University in March (the Ľudovít Štúr Campus–Mlyny, the Družba Halls of Residence, the Lafranconi Student Dormitory, and the University Dormitory and Canteen at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin). Until 30 June 2020, final-year and doctoral students will have a preferential entitlement to accommodation provided they meet the set conditions. The aim is to meet the needs of those students who are taking the state examinations in person. Those who had received an exemption for accommodation shall remain at the dormitories. Students who had not formally left the dormitories can return to use them for accommodation purposes. At present, the Družba Halls of Residence are still housing people who are in state quarantine after having returned from abroad. Currently preparations are underway to allow the dormitories to be used by students during the summer. Comenius University allowed the faculty deans to grant students an exemption from the assessment stages of their studies in special cases relating to the spread of COVID-19. This applies in particular to students who objectively were not able to fulfil their obligations, for example, in the case of subjects which could not be completed remotely. The difficult financial situation for many parts of the university has led to organizational changes. The Centre for Continuing Education, which provides education for senior citizens in the University of the Third Age programme, as well as education for foreigners and expatriate Slovaks and continuing education, shall be disbanded as a self-governing part of the university with effect from 1 January 2021. Its activities will then be under the governance of the Rectorate of Comenius University. The university believes that this change will bring about a higher degree of interconnection of continuing education with the other activities of the university. The university is aware of the importance of continuing education and will try to preserve all the good things that have been built in this area during the existence of the centre as an independent body. Comenius University is moving the dates of summer graduations in the historic auditorium of the university to the autumn. "In the case of interest from faculties and a favourable epidemiological situation, graduations can take place in the alternative dates in autumn," said Zuzana Kovačičová, the Vice-Rector for Education and Social Affairs. In the university building on Šafárik Square (entrance from the back on Múzejná Street), the Comenius University Information Centre resumed its activities with the sale of university merchandise, which, in addition to t-shirts and sweatshirts, includes a special addition for this year in the form of cloth facemasks bearing the university logo. In addition to regular teaching, the ongoing crisis has also affected the eighteenth year of the Children's Comenius University, which will be held online. The Minister of Education, Branislav Gröhling, will be the first to address the children. Over the summer, lectures will be given by Professor Silvia Pastoreková from the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Associate Professor Lenka Sokolová from the Faculty of Education at Comenius University. This year's topics will cover pandemics and viruses. A popular place to relax near the Danube, the Comenius University Botanical Garden has also opened its gates. These days there is a blooming rosarium full of colours and scents, where visitors can admire about two thousand roses from one hundred and fifty different species. The garden will also continue the tradition of regular summer concerts in cooperation with the Bratislava Culture and Information Centre.