A Brief History of Academia in Gorzow Wielkopolski [1]

 dr hab. prof. AWF Tomasz Jurek 

The  Faculty  of the Eugeniusz Piasecki University School of Physical Education in Gorzów Wlkp. meets with success in a town with hardly any academic tradition. Initially, it was  the only university in Gorzów District and met the ambitions of local circle to the best of its modest  abilities. Not before  the midst of the nineties, after a quarter of a century of solitary functioning, was it joined by new universities.

Thanks to the combination of traditions in the field of scientific investigation and the didactic ones of the maternal university with the experience of teachers’ training in Gorzów Wlkp. a modern type of academic center could have been developed. Dates indicating changes in the structure of the university signify stages of its development. The first stage comprises years 1971-1984 while within the branch of Poznań University School of Physical Education the groundwork of organization, personnel and base for scientific research and the process of teaching were created. The university got an extensive building  of the former Teachers’ College for didactic purposes, students’ hostel, river  port on Warta and built a sports hall with the extension for sport and didactic purposes. A lot of the university teachers who started their job in those  days got tied dwellings from the resources of Gorzów Wlkp. town.  The assistance of Poznań University School of Physical Education in the field of research and didactics was invaluable at the time and its numerous scientific workers equipped with supreme qualifications (professors, doctors) Gorzów Wlkp. was severely deprived of, regularly attended for lectures and seminars in the town.

The second stage of the development spans the years 1984–1993 and is related with the period of so-called first faculty  which after the first decade was turned into an Institute to reinforce the teaching  staff of Poznań Physical Education Faculty aspiring to having capacity to qualify for assistant-professorship. The Faculty in Gorzów Wlkp. received  an athletic stadium; moreover, ambitious reorganization of syllabuses was made up, extramural courses were reactivated and a new branch of education-coaching  was initiated. Over one thousand students graduated from  the Faculty in Gorzów Wlkp., the number of  teachers employed amounted to over one hundred people, including ten professors and assistant-professors.

The span 1993–2003 constituted the third, mature phase of the development of Gorzów Wlkp. branch of the University School of Physical Education, which acting  as an Institute seized an opportunity of improving the quality and range of specializations offered. Opening a new library, building an extension for sport and educational purposes at the stadium and erecting second sport hall contributed to it. Simultaneously it was the decade of an increase in the number of students to over  1400 and an increase in the number of independent research workers and teaching staff. The Institute offered a wider spectrum of specializations for the students to choose from and the number of specializations amounted four then. Thanks to these achievements the standing of the university was established and a five thousand student graduated from the university. It lead to more ambitious plans of creating the Faculty again and this event took place in 2003.

The shortest span of the development of the university ranges from 2003 to 2006,while the University in Gorzów Wlkp. was promoted to the standing of the Faculty of Physical Culture in Gorzów Wlkp. As a result of long-term increase in the number of the teaching staff of professors which consisted of eighteen independent research workers or tutors and high quality of the research the Faculty of Physical Culture in Gorzów Wlkp. received a right to  conferment of a doctor’s degree which has been anticipated for a long time. The first two defendings of doctoral thesis took place in June 2006.The number  of specializations for the students to choose from grew larger from the hitherto four to six ones and a new students’ hostel was at students’ disposal. A  two-phase tertiary education was initiated (taking either licentiate or master degree).

Three and a half decades of the development of the university lead to the reflection that the offer of  tertiary education has been constantly broadened and undergoing alterations, especially after 1989 and in consequence of Poland’s accession to the European Community. It’s worth mentioning that numerous extension courses for intramural and extramural studies, coaching and training studies comprising several sport disciplines were introduced in the period under consideration. The university granted ten thousand qualifications for a coach, instructor or referee (umpire).The remarkable contribution to the process of educating the teaching staff was made  by the  Teaching Staff  Training and Development Postgraduate Studies which was originated in 2000.

In general, the number of students who got their student’s book of registration of courses in  Gorzów branch amounted 11.5 thousand in the span 1971–2006 among whom there was a considerable group of 6204 graduates (intramural studies – 3644, extramural studies – 2078, post-graduate – 482). After graduating they found a job in schools, school supervision, physical education departments of the administration, clubs and sport associations, Government offices, uniform service such as police, army, fire brigade, enterprises and private companies, co-operatives, outpatients’ surgeries, studies and others. It has been estimated that seventy five per cent of graduates has found jobs related to education while twenty five per cent made a career in jobs not related with education. What matters is that a considerable number of graduates achieved an important position  in social hierarchy and hold in good  repute in their rank in society.

Beside teaching, research work was the second  advantage of the development  of  the branch of the university in Gorzów Wlkp. It lead to the promotion of particular Ph.D., Sc. D. Doctors, assistant professors and professors and attaining high renown of the university in the field of research. The representatives of the humanities were crucial in the process. Professors Jerzy Gaj and Bernard Woltmann were the founders of “Gorzów School of History of Physical education’ which was well-known all over the country and which was co-originated whereafter succesively by professors Marek Szczerbiński, Leonard Nowak, Tomasz Jurek and Piotr Godlewski. Professor Bogdan J. Kunicki conducted  an interesting research on the middle-sized town problems  and its creative circles  and investigated ancient theory of social thought.

Besides  the humanities scientific research on biology was developing. Professor Maria Kwilecka initiated an interesting investigation on biorythmics of human body. Professor Roman Zimny co-ordinated  research by way of experiment on hodology of nerve centre. A considerable progress in the research on efficiency of a human being has been followed by physiologists; the activities of professors Anna and Artur Jaskólscy , and then professor Zdzisław Adach  were conspicuous in the area. Since the   very outset of the activity the  university was engaged in,  invaluable research on the fauna of western regions of Poland was pursued by professor Lucjan Agapow whose efforts were supported by  a botanist  professor Ludwik Lipnicki who took up bioindication. This research contributed to creating two national parks and a few nature reserves. A set of researchers under the management of professor Kazimierz Szyszka who co-operated with Gorzów medical circles  focused on exercise in aspect of biochemistry and enhancing exercise by athletes. The origins of research on theory of sport was linked with the output of professor Eugeniusz Wachowski. General outline of research on theory of sport and anthropomotor activity has been created since 1988 by professor Włodzimierz Starosta who cooperated with professor Tadeusz Rynkiewicz in respect of theory of coaching.

Since 2004 the Branch Faculty of Physical Culture has been participating in the European Union’s educational project entitled “Development of cross-cultural competences through sport in the context of the broadening of the European Union” as a partnering institution. Within the project, Gorzów Faculty has been cooperating with the Institute of Sports and Sport Science of Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany, with the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University in Prague, Check Republic, as well as with Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, France. The Community Center for Documenting and Studying the History of Scouting Abroad based by Gorzów Faculty, actively cooperates with several scientific institutions in Poland and abroad including the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London, the Polish University Abroad, and the Polish Library in London. Organization of scientific conferences has always been an important element of the organization of scientific work. Within the foreign cooperation, the long-term cooperation with the Universite Charles de Gaulle – Lille III has been especially effective. Other organizational units of the Branch Faculty of Physical Culture have also been involved in the international cooperation: the Chair of Theory and Methodology of Sports has made contact with numerous scientific circles in Germany (Universität Greifswald, Universität Magdeburg, Potsdam). The Department of Biology and Nature Preservation has been cooperating with the University in Copenhagen. Other foreign partners include the Institute of Polonia Culture Research in Munich, the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London, the Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad in London, Józef Piłsudski Institute in London, the Polish University Abroad in London, the Polish Catholic Mission in Buenos Aires, the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in New York, the Central Archives of Polonia in Orchard Lake, USA, and the Institute of Polonia Biographical Research in Vaudricourt, France.

Gorzów Faculty has not lived by the didactics and science alone. Students and part of the staff have engaged in practicing sports, especially in the academic club AZS–AWF, which was created in 1972. A total of 15 sections have been  active within the club during the 35-year period: aikido, acrobatics, basketball (men and women), body-building, canoeing, gymnastics, handball (men and women), judo, track and field, rowing, volleyball (men and women), and wrestling. The athletes’ greatest achievements both in Poland and abroad have been in judo, canoeing, track and field, rowing and handball. Indisputably, two-time Olympic champion Tomasz Kucharski has been our sport icon for several years. Another rower Piotr Basta – presently a ZWKF’s lecturer – was an Olympian and World Championships medalist; Michał Jeliński, in turn, is a current world champion. Maria Gontowicz, vice world champion and Barcelona Olympics participant, has become the judo section’s flagship athlete, likewise, Halina Kunicka, European and World Championships multi-medalist, has become the flagship athlete of the body-building section. Track and fielders, belonging to the highest national First League and having numerous individual achievements, have always been the Faculty’s ambassadors; the best have been, among others, high jumpers: Ireneusz Madej, Dariusz Biczysko, Karol Getek, Dawid Jaworski and Iwona Jakubczak; runners: Jan Karol, Eugeniusz Krawsz, Jacek Oraczewski and Aleksandra Dereń; throwers: Olympian Dariusz Trafas, Mirosław Szybowski and Wojciech Kondratowicz; as well as track and fielder and bobsleigher, Turin Winter Olympics participant Ireneusz Żurawicz. Another student, luge racer Krzysztof Lipiński also participated in the same Olympic Games. Among canoeists, Marek Zachara has been prominent, and the recent years have brought the achievements of World and European Championships gold medalists: Olympian Łukasz Woszczyński and brothers Roman and Tomasz Rynkiewicz. Other canoeists who have taken part in the Olympic Games are Rafał Głażewski and Małgorzata Czajczyńska.

Student Mirosław Pych deserves special emphasis. He has been a participant and multi-medalist in Paralympic Games in track and field events in the years 1992–2004. There have also been excellent wrestlers among our students: two-time Olympic champion Andrzej Wroński, Olympic champion Ryszard Wolny, vice Olympic champion Jacek Fafiński, Olympic bronze medalist Józef Tracz and Olympians Marek Garmulewicz and Dariusz Jabłoński. Among team sports athletes, handball players are especially worth mentioning; they have reached the Poland Cup final and played in the highest national league for several years. The School’s sport legend is alpinist Tadeusz Kudelski, who climbed many of the highest mountain peaks including Mount Everest, from which he did not manage to come back.

Apart from didactics, science and sport, the Faculty has enjoyed a lively student life, and the history of each Year has been full of colorful events. Students have been members of youth organizations, including Polish Students’ Association, Socialist Polish Students’ Association, and since 1980 Independent Students’ Association. Admirably dynamic has been the Section of Sporting Events, the Polish Scouting Association has been active, and we have been  ministered to by priest Witold Andrzejewski and other priests. After 1989, the role of Students’ Self-government increased, and since, it has been the main animator of the social and cultural activity of our students. They have issued magazines, formed entertainment groups, and belonged to various organizations, mainly connected with sport, recreation and tourism.

While summarizing the last 35 years, some measurable achievements are worth noticing. There has been an increase in the scientific and didactic staff: from 5 doctors to 17 professors and assistant professors and 51 doctors. Employees of Gorzów Faculty have been authors of a total of 3.5 thousand publications including over 250 self-contained ones. They have participated in over 300 conferences in Poland and abroad. Student athletes won a total of 8 Olympic medals, including 6 golds.

The perspective of the past 35-year period gives us the right to conclude that Gorzów branch of the University School of Physical Education has fully exploited every opportunity for development, and can be proud of the measurable effects in the fields of science, didactics and sport. Its pride and wealth are the multitude of over 6 thousand alumnae and a group of meritorious employees, devoted to their Alma Mater Gorzoviensis at every position.