The senators heard a report from Dr. Béla Merkely on his activities as rector in the previous year. Speaking about his vision for the institution, the rector said that in parallel with increasing its teaching, research and patient care activities, the university aims to become one of the top 100 higher education institutions in the world, and is already among the best medical universities in Europe. In addition, there is a steady increase in foreign language training. The current student population is 15,008, of which 5,139 are foreign students from 141 countries across 5 continents. The facility has 2,400 functioning beds for inpatient care, with outpatient services provided for almost 12,230 hours. With the integration of the Merényi Gusztáv site of the South Pest Central Hospital – National Institute of Hematology and Infectology into Semmelweis University, the Traumatology Clinic has also been providing care since 1 November. The university has also moved up in the higher education rankings, placed in the top 200 in medicine and pharmacology. Based on student reviews, Semmelweis University has been presented this year’s international award for best quality of student life. The institution is also working to improve its reputation. “All of our goals stand on three pillars: practice-oriented quality education based on tradition; innovation in research and development; and increasing the capacity of patient care,” emphasized Dr. Béla Merkely. He added that the institution would like to maintain and increase the financial and moral appreciation of the Semmelweis Citizens and to further develop the infrastructure. The number of teaching medical doctors has increased to 643, the number of specialists to 700, the number of residents to 710, the number of health professionals to 3100, the number of core support staff to 2,687, and staff salaries have also increased. As regards student life, the rector highlighted the cultural, recreational and sports programs, as well as the latest domestic Medical Cup and the recently established Directorate for Student Services. He drew attention to the growing number of D1, Q1 and Highly Cited publications related to university citizens, as well as the increasing number of PhD students.
The Board adopted the amendment to the institution’s Asset Management Plan. This will enable the refurbishment at the Department of Community Dentistry to start as early as the first half of 2024; the second phase of the refurbishment of the Szent Rókus Clinic to start ahead of schedule, in 2026; and the refurbishment of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology to begin in 2027.
The Senate has decided to rename the BSc in Public Health Inspector at the Faculty of Health Sciences to Public Health Specialist. The decision was taken not only to increase the appeal of the course, but also to express that the competences of the course cover a broader scope than that of an inspector.
The senators voted to change the faculty supervisor of the Specialist Training Course in Mental Health and Organizational Development at the Institute of Mental Health, Faculty of Health and Public Administration.
The amendment to the Rules on Honors and Awards was also adopted. This involved adapting a section to legislative change, clarifying the names of two honors, and changing the range of evaluators.
The Senate decided on bestowing the Pro Universitate Award, and also reviewed current applications for senior management posts.
Ádám Szabó
Translation: Judit Szabados-Dőtsch
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University (illustration)
