Professor Jan Krysiński, student at TUL from 1952-57 and rector in the years 1990-96 and 2002-08.
Jan Krysiński – student of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
When I was a student, there were no clubs, but we used to go to so called ‘knees-up’ on Saturdays in, e.g., the present Senate Hall of the University of Łódź, because the parties were inter-university. Such evenings between 6 and 10 p.m. always had an artistic part with poems, songs, but they had to go through censorship. The youth were poor but more integrated, the neighbourhood compact. The Łódź academic community stuck together. We didn't go to the cinema or theatre very often. Tickets were distributed at the university. Radio Żak was not yet functioning; it was established in 1959.
Concerts took place only during knees-up. But at TUL we had a dance group, a choir, and an orchestra, which unfortunately was dissolved because everyone thought they were playing so well that rehearsals were not necessary.
Students were generally poor. Everyone wore the same jacket, sweatshirt all year long. These were often military outfits. I remember that there was a fashion, for example, for brown leather ski boots that had square noses. That's what you wore at the time. Everyone got dressed as they wished, but we looked poor. On the other hand, everyone proudly wore their student caps. Lodz University of Technology had (and still has, only nobody wears them) maroon caps, whereas the University of Łódź white ones.
Professor Jan Krysiński - Rector
Recalling the four terms in which I had the honour of leading Lodz University of Technology (12 years in total) and the four election campaigns, I must say that the most important was the first time I didn't think I would become rector. Every employee of the university was able to nominate a candidate in an envelope. There was a lot of excitement until the last minute, and in the end it turned out that I was the only candidate. It was the time right after the 1989 elections, when everyone was delighted with freedom in Poland. There was an atmosphere of necessary change at Lodz University of Technology, but in fact from December '90, until the election of the University's new authorities, not much happened.
When I first took up the post there was no ceremonial handover of authority by the predecessor. It was only after my second term that I introduced the ceremonial honorary handover of the symbol of authority – the chain. I think this creates a nice atmosphere and marks the continuity of the rector's authority.
From the beginning I was aware of the importance of the internationalisation of studies. At one of the first election meetings, I said that it was my dream to hear foreign languages at TUL. This has become a reality, as there are now more than a thousand students at the International Faculty of Engineering (IFE), established in 1992, and you hear foreign languages from foreigners and Poles at TUL.
We have made sure that Lodz University of Technology is visible in the social life of the region. Examples of our efforts include the University of the Third Age, the Children's University and the TUL Secondary School.
I cooperated with the rectors of other universities in Łódź. For my last two terms I was the chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Łódź Public HEIs. For the last term I was the chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities of Technology (KRPUT), currently I am its honorary chairman. In 2002-2008 I was a member of the Presidium of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP). The fact that I was entrusted with such important functions underlines the prestige of Lodz University of Technology.