Reunion 2023:  10th anniversary of the awarding of diplomas to Faculty of Veterinary Medicine students

The first inauguration of the academic year for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine took place in October 2007. At that time, the group of English-speaking veterinary students numbered just 11. In March 2013, the first graduates of the English-speaking Faculty received their Diplomas of Veterinary Medicine.

The ‘Reunion 2023’ ceremony was held on the SGGW campus Saturday, 24 June 2023, combined with the presentation of the diplomas to celebrate the 10th anniversary.

The ceremony brought distinguished guests and alumni from all corners of the world.

The ceremony was honoured by, among others:

▪ Prof. Marta Mendel, Pro-Rector for international cooperation,

▪ Prof. Marcin Bańbura, Director of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine,

▪ Prof. Zdzisław Gajewski, Director of the Centre for Translational Medicine

▪ Prof. Agnieszka Jackowska-Tracz, Vice-Dean for Foreign Language Studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

▪ Prof. Michał Godlewski, Vice-Dean for Foreign-language Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 2016 – 2021

▪ Prof. Romuald Zabielski, Vice-Dean for Foreign-language Studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from 2007 to 2016,

▪ Dr Kobi Monovich, representative of IMS International Medicine Studies,

▪ Dr Piotr Kwiecinski, Vice President of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), representing veterinarian organisations from 38 European countries.

The event was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – Prof. Michał Skibniewski, who welcomed the guests gathered in the Crystal Hall and introduced the history of the English-language Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Speeches by the University authorities and guests followed the ceremony.

– Education is the most important value; it is a ticket to career and adult life, said the Rector Marta Mendel. The SGGW diploma is your value, thanks to which you can look into the future with confidence and look for your dream job.

The culminating moment was the presentation of diplomas to the graduates of the FVM, who were honoured with a warm ovation from their colleagues and the participants of the ceremony. Cameras were set in motion to capture these special moments.

The 10th-anniversary celebrations were honoured by the presence of the SGGW Choir, under the baton of Dr Paweł Choina, which aroused great enthusiasm among the attendees. The SGGW Choir performed two pieces derived from folk music (Oj, nasi jadą; Mazur) and a piece by the Green Day band Good Riddance.

The official part ended with a joint photo of graduates, students, University authorities, teaching staff and guests.

Afterwards, the 10th-anniversary celebrations continued in the Rector’s Palace garden, where backstage talks took place with live music by LZA “Promni” and refreshments. It was also a necessary time to build student collaborations with external stakeholders, who knows, perhaps their future employers…😊

 – In the ten years of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s existence, we have released 366 veterinarians into the world. The total number of current English-speaking students is 291. We have students from many countries around the world. The largest group, about 65%, are students and graduates from Ireland; however, we also have students from such far-flung countries as South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Sri Lanka and the Faroe Islands, said Vice-Dean Agnieszka Jackowska-Tracz.

The event was also an excellent opportunity to integrate the entire teaching environment of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Current Polish and English-speaking veterinary students, teaching, and administrative staff attended the ceremony.

This was the first event of its kind organised at the FVM Faculty.

See you on the next anniversary planned for June 2025!