Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici

Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica celebrated its 25th anniversary

On 3rd of October 2017 in Aula Beliana on Tajovského street 40 in Banská Bystrica, we celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the founding of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. It was connected with the ceremonial opening of the academic year 2017/2018 and the unveiling of the Matej Bel statue.

Domestic and foreign guests visited our celebrations; ambassadors, Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for Investments and Informatisation Peter Pellegrini, President of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic Daniela Ševcová, representatives of the state administration, public administration and self-governed office, representatives of major state and social institutions, rectors, vice-rectors of 18 domestic and foreign universities. Former rectors of our University were also part of the celebrations, including our first rector Dr. h. c. prof. PhDr. Ján Findra, DrSc. and current management of our faculties.

The ceremony was opened by the rector of the university, doc. Ing. Vladimír Hiadlovský, PhD. who highlighted the personality of Matej Bel and the significance of his message to the generations. Rector expressed the honour that the university carries his name.

Matej Bel University is also proud to belong to the town of Banská Bystrica. It is reflected in the quality of cooperation between the city and the university. The deputy of the Mayor of Banská Bystrica, Mgr. Jakub Gajdošík, who gave the personal greeting from the Mayor of Ján Nosko confirmed the fact in his speech.

Rector´s speech reminded some important milestones in the life of the university. With the establishment of MBU, they also established the University of the Third Age. This University of the Third Age is also celebrating its 25^th anniversary and it is an inseparable part of the education in our region.

The University places emphasis on internationalization and a close cooperation with foreign universities and institutions that are supporting education. This year, our university was awarded a prize for the number of Erasmus + teachers and staff in Slovakia. This award demonstrates the interest of our foreign partners in our university.

The mission of the university is a high quality education. Matej Bel University is proud to have a large number of successful graduates in various areas of activities. One of them, soprano singer Adriana Kučerová, who amazes her opera audience in Europe and America, took part in the ceremony.

The speech by Peter Pellegríni, Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Informatization, was personal even more because he is one of the MBU graduates, too. He wished the university a success and quality students.

On this occasion, rector highlighted the quality of the teaching staff at the University and awarded Rector's Prizes - medals with the portrait of Matej Bel stamped by the Kremnica Mint. The prizes were handed over to 25 prominent university figures working in the field of research, science, art, internationalization of studies, project and publishing activities, as well as to those who contribute to the building and dissemination of the university spirit and successfully represent our university in Slovakia and abroad. The rector's prize was also taken over by a leader of a team of top scientists in the field of mathematics and statistics research, prof. RNDr. Ľubomír Snoha, DrSc. The Accreditation Commission identified 54 top scientific teams in Slovakia, our team was one of the seven top teams with the exception for Bratislava and Košice teams.

At the same time, the rector awarded two exceptional gentlemen with the UMB's highest award - Magnum Decus Universitatis (great adornment of the university). The first one, Dr. h. c. prof. PhDr. Ján Findra, DrSc., being the first rector of our university, earned it for his extraordinary efforts to establish Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, to build its conceptual direction and for a significant personal contribution in fulfilling the mission of the university. For the extraordinary contribution to the development of university education in Banská Bystrica and the personal contribution in fulfilling the MBU mission, the other prize was also taken over by Dr. h. c. prof. PhDr. Julius Alberty, CSc., whose words were used for a spot in a film documentary about a twenty-five-year old university.

Finally, the statue of Matej Bel, created by the sculptor doc. Peter Gaspar, was ceremonially unveiled in the area in front of Aula Beliana on Tajovského street.

In the afternoon, the program of celebrations continued with the theatre To nemá chybu (It´s flawless) performed by Radošinské naivné divadlo. The selection of the artists was not accidental. Stanislav Štepka is not only an author, art director, actor and director of Radošinské naivné divadlo, but he is also the Doctor Honoris Causa in MBU Banská Bystrica.

"What to wish to our university on the occasion of today's celebration? I have a lot of institutional desires, I will emphasize two, in my point of view, the most important ones. Universities are, since their establishment, the temples of knowledge that are concentrating a multitude of wise and intelligent people under one roof. In particular, these people create the university itself. The university is as strong as strong and cohesive are its personal pillars. I am not afraid of the intellectual capital at our university, I am more concerned about the current state of society that is undermining its cohesion. It should be natural that everyone contributes to the strengthening of the whole university by looking beyond the horizon of their workplace and the whole faculty. On the contrary, it has become natural and not unusual, that many of our problems are produced by ourselves, and that these problems are absolutely unnecessary. Neither side is helpful. That is why I wish we could sincerely enjoy every success of the individual and be able to promote it to the joint success of the whole institution. To find the ways to deal with things, in the first place, the simplest solutions often lie in that coherence.
And I also want young people to go to university especially to seek out wisdom. The society needs it very much, maybe even more than ever before," wished the rector doc. Ing. Vladimír Hiadlovský, PhD, to the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica.