University of Silesia

Infobox_University
name = University of Silesia in Katowice
native_name = Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach
latin_name =


motto =
established = 1968
type =
endowment =
staff =
faculty =
rector = Prof. dr. hab. Janusz Janeczek
students = 45,655
undergrad =
postgrad =
city = Katowice
country = Poland (EU)
campus =
free_label =
free =
affiliations =
footnotes =
website = http://english.us.edu.pl
address = ul. Bankowa 12, 40-007 Katowice
telephone = ([phone]

Historical and Social Background

The University of Silesia in Katowice was established in 1968 as the ninth university in Poland and is an autonomous state university. The University has its origins in the Higher School of Education, which was founded in 1928 - at that time it was the only institution of higher education in the part of Silesia belonging to Poland. Later, the school became a branch of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, the oldest Polish University. It now has campuses in six cities in the region: Katowice, Sosnowiec, Rybnik, Chorzów, Cieszyn and Jastrzębie Zdrój. The majority of faculties are located in Katowice. The main University site, located within a five-minute-walk from the centre of Katowice, allows access to the many amenities of this progressive city.

The University is located in the centre of a heavily industrialised region. Coal, steel and other industries exert a strong influence upon life of local people. For that reason, the university concentrates on equipping its students for life, as well as for work, so that they may acquire a deeper understanding of their inner resources. University's close links with the Silesian region and local industries play an important role in ensuring that its courses meet the demands of the present day and fulfil students' expectations.The University of Silesia offers good research and teaching conditions for all who need to conduct research work, would like to pursue undergraduate, Master's Degree courses, postgraduate studies, training courses in professional skills and PhD studies.

Facts and Figures

*Total number of teachers - 1,903
*Total number of students - 45,655
*Number of faculties - 12
*Number of institutes - 23
*Number of departments - 75
*Number of inter-faculty units - 15

International Agreements

University signed Agreements of Cooperation with great number of foreign universities, e.g. Free University of Brussels, Karl - Franzens - University of Graz, University of Banja Luka, Université du Québec à Montréal, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, University of Zagreb, Ostravá University, Silesian University in Opava, Masaryk University, University Aarhus, University New Sorbonne, Paris III, University of Leipzig, University of Dortmund, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Moskow State University 'M. V. Lomonosov' and others.

International Teaching Units

*Silesian International Business School - set up in 1991 as a joint enterprise of the Academy of Economics and the University of Silesia, in collaboration with École Supérieure de Commerce in Toulouse (France), University of Strathclyde (UK) and other European academic institutions. The main idea behind its establishment was to provide the most gifted students with an opportunity to carve out a career suitable to their potential capabilities.

*International School of Political Science - set up 10 years ago, its main objective being education in the field. The institution also plays a significant role in the academic cooperation between Poland and France. The system of instruction in the School is modeled on institutes of political science in France. It is the first undertaking of this kind in Central Europe.

Departments of the Silesian University

The University of Silesia has schools of modern languages, natural science, technology and a language teacher training college.

It is divided into the following faculties:

*Faculty of Earth Science
*Faculty of Computer and Materials Science
*Faculty of Philology
*Faculty of Mathematics Physics and Chemistry
*Faculty of Law and Administration
*Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection
*Faculty of Social Sciences
*Faculty of Pedagogics & Psychology
*Faculty of Radio and Television
*Faculty of Theology
*Faculty of Art
*Faculty of Ethnology and Sciences of Education
*Faculty of Management

List of Rectors

*prof. dr hab. Kazimierz Popiołek (1968-07-02 - 1972-09-30)
*prof. dr hab. Henryk Rechowicz (1972-10-01 - 1980-07-05)
*prof. dr hab. Sędzimir Klimaszewski (1980-12-05 - 1980-12-15, 1980-12-16 - 1981-09-30, 1982-06-01 - 1984-09-30, 1984-10-01 - 1987-09-30, 1987-10-01 - 1990-11-30)
*prof. dr hab. August Chełkowski (1981-10-01 - 1982-01-16)
*prof. dr hab. Maksymilian Pazdan (1990-12-01 - 1993-08-31, 1993-09-01 - 1996-08-31)
*prof. dr hab. Tadeusz Sławek (1996-09-01 - 1999-08-31, 1999-09-01 - 2002-08-31)
*prof. dr hab. Janusz Janeczek(current Rector)

Notable Professors

*Krzysztof Kieślowski
*Krzysztof Zanussi
*Jerzy Stuhr

Notable Students

*Renata Przemyk - singer
*Krystyna Bochenek - politician
*Michał Rosa - movie director

External links

*En icon [http://english.us.edu.pl/ University of Silesia - website]
*Pl icon [http://www.us.edu.pl/ Uniwersytet Śląski - website]
*Pl icon [http://www.ryb.us.edu.pl/ Uniwersytet Śląski - Rybnik - website]