Professor Józef Meyer, Rector of TUL from 1996 to 2002
An important task I set myself was to improve the investment situation of Lodz University of Technology, but this became extremely difficult due to lack of funds. During my term, the renovation of part of the buildings of the defunct Lodex textile factory (the former Schweikert factory) was completed. The palace became the dean's office of the Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, and another post-factory building was renovated to serve the needs of this Faculty mainly thanks to Professor Strumiłło. A smaller palace was adapted for the needs of the FTiMS deanery.
Even before the start of my term, the expansion of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering had also begun, and, after almost nine years, in 2000, it was completed. We also succeeded in establishing the TUL Main Library in the hall of the former Stomil. Previously, it had its place at the Textile Faculty.
Thanks to the activity of Professor Tadeusz Paryjczak, it was possible to build a pavilion for the needs of the chemical library and the Faculty of Chemistry. It was handed over in 2002. We also started to improve the premises of the Foreign Language Centre by erecting a building for the staff and administration, which resulted in them moving out of one of the dormitories on Al. Politechniki.
We also bought a further part of the hall formerly occupied by Stomil, to be used as teaching and computer rooms for the students of the Foreign Language Centre. In 1997, the adaptation of another post-factory Lodex building, the so-called ‘tramway, was started for the three faculties, and was completed in 2004.
On a large scale, we created small branches of TUL around Łódź. The first one was established in 1997 in Kaczki Średnie near Turek, at the Agricultural School Complex, where the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering opened its unit. For people from such a small village, this was hugely important because they felt valued. A total of seven such branches began to operate in Sieradz, Bełchatów, Konin, among others.... Due to the binding statutory restrictions, we started to transform our mini-branches into local teaching centres and in 2002 these were established in Sieradz and Bełchatów.
We also managed to make the Bielsko-Biała Branch independent, as a result of which in 2001 it gained the status of an independent university named the University of Technology and Humanities. It should be emphasised that this was possible thanks to the great commitment of the last two vice-rectors in charge of the branch and the kindness of the Bielsko-Biała authorities.