Semmelweis University officially opened its new academic year at a ceremony held on September 4, 2011 at the Budapest Congress and World Trade Centre. The ceremony was honoured by the attendance of Hungarian President Pál Schmitt, as well as various foreign diplomats accredited to Budapest, politicians and university officials.
The event took place in Hungarian, German and English, reflecting the trilingual nature of the university.
In his opening greeting to students, Rector Tivadar Tulassay asserted that once one has become a Semmelweis University student, they must commit themselves to remaining such within their hearts for the rest of their lives. “You are the future, you mean survival, progress,” he told them. Rector Tulassay emphasised that Semmelweis University offers a diploma which cannot be bought for easy money: here, one must put forth a patient and persistent effort in order to attain true knowledge and cultivation. He offered the words of the author László Németh to those who might lose heart in the years of struggle ahead of them: “One who lives among people must be like a gold digger: one hundred kilograms of mud for every gram of gold, that should be the calculation.”
Following the Rector’s opening remarks, President Pál Schmitt delivered his ceremonial address, in which he drew the new students’ attention to the fact that they have not merely set a diploma as their objective, but have also designated for themselves the potential course of their futures. The successful attainment of the diploma is not the end goal, but is rather merely an admission into the world of science, he emphasised.
In President Schmitt’s words, Semmelweis University is one of the leading Hungarian higher education institutions, a true research university, which is considered a market leader in the Eastern-Central European region in the fields of education, research, health care and innovation. He referred to the University’s Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences as an important scientific workshop for national sports, within the walls of which many potential medal winners are presently studying and preparing for future competitions. There is always a need for champions and role models who are worthy of being emulated, he said.
Vice-Rector for General Affairs Ágoston Szél brought the creed of Ignác Semmelweis to the first-year students’ attention: “One whom a patient entrusts with their life must do everything within his or her power to save that life.” The University’s namesake, also known as “the saviour of mothers”, was able to place this goal above his professional and academic career, refusing to back down from his truth even when this act threatened his very livelihood, the vice-rector stated.
Dr. Gergely Toldi, who earned his M.D. diploma this year, told the fresher students to never forget that the desire to help others is what brought them to this field of occupation in the first place. He surmised that this foundation will provide the strength necessary to overcome the often difficult circumstances and stand fast by their chosen vocation.
The new international students were greeted by the Foreign Students’ Secretariat, with Professor Márk Kollai, director of the English Language Programme welcoming those studying in English, and Professor Erzsébet Ligeti, director of the German Language Programme, addressing the German language students.
Following the speeches, all fresher students took the solemn oath in their chosen language of instruction, after which Rector Tivadar Tulassay presented Outstanding Teacher honours and Pro Universitate prizes.
Outstanding Teacher honours were given to: Dr. László Tornóci (Department of Pathophysiology); Professor Janina Kulka (2nd Department of Pathology); Associate Professor Andrea Dorottya Székely (Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology); Professor Kálmán Hüttl (Heart Centre); Associate Professor Péter Kivovics (Department of Prosthodontics); Dr. Gábor Krajsovszky (Department of Organic Chemistry); Edit Török Varga (Division of Foreign Languages and Communication); and Master Lecturer Lajos Németh (Department of Sport Games).
The University Senate awarded Pro Univesitate prizes to: Dr. Huba Kalász (Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy); Professor Imre Romics (Department of Urology – director); Dr. János Gerle (Department of Prosthodontics); Dr. Mrs. Péter Rudnai (Centre of Language Communication); and Zsuzsa Szabó (Semmelweis University Training Primary and Secondary School).
The awards ceremony was followed by a first-class performance of Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 by the Medic Orchestra, which ended the ceremony on a fittingly high note.
Over two thousand freshers – approximately 630 of them international – will begin their studies at the university this year.
Pálma Dobozi and Szilvia Tóth
Translated by Gina Gönczi
