President Ivan Gasparovic, under Act 102 paragraph 1 letter h / Constitution of the Slovak Republic, appointed 27 new university professors in the Presidential Palace. The following were present at the ceremony: Dušan Caplovic, Minister of Education, Science Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic, Peter Plavčan, General Director, Department of Higher Education Ministry of Education SR, Libor Vozár, President of the Slovak Rectors' Conference, Viktor Smiesko, Chairman of the Higher Education Council SR and Ľubor, Chairman of the Accreditation Committee.
Ivan Gašparovič sincerely congratulated the newly appointed university professors for their success in their professional careers. He stressed, "The title of professor is undoubtedly a great success and recognition, but also a major commitment. A moral and professional responsibility rests on your shoulders. You are responsibility for the education of the new generation of top experts."
The president noted that Slovakia has a great spiritual and intellectual potential. However, it should create the conditions for free use and social seriousness it deserves. "For our prosperity depends mainly on the educational level of the population, the ability to succeed at home and in the global labour market, to succeed in fierce international competition."
He noted that there are more painful areas, but in his opinion, one of the key problems of the higher education system today is the problem of disrespect of the labour market. "The principal obstacle to solving problems which chronically beset higher education is inadequate and poor communication between universities, students, teachers, prospective students, and the labour market. As with any other market, no educational market can function without adequate information regarding the employability of graduates, their feedback, even without knowledge of the employers’ requirements. There is a vicious circle that cannot be interrupted without information about the transition of graduates from education to practice. If a school provides education that is not required by the labour market, the resulting effect is lost, "said the Slovak President.
"The ancient wisdom says that the greatest asset a person has is what one knows and it cannot be taken. Intervention of the most recent scientific knowledge is extremely labour intensive. We must give young people scientific knowledge in a creative way in terms of forms and approaches to topics of current knowledge. It is creativity that determines success," said Ivan Gašparovič.
The president stressed in his speech "if we succeed, we must support the traditional methods with new forms and approaches. Also, because of our membership in the EU, which is not only associated with the benefits, but also with co-responsibility for the development of common European policies. It is important for us that we also consider the short tasks along the lines of a long-term strategic way of thinking."
The importance of teamwork in the educational process was also highlighted. "I'm talking about collective responsibility for the education and training of graduates of our universities and colleges. It is also true that the best legacy from graduates is if they not only commemorate their teacher but also their alma mater as a teacher who has prepared them for life, so they are not lost."
"The Professorial title is therefore committed to the increase of activity. Especially in the field of research activities, which await more challenging duties. Keep in mind to educate our young people. Do not be sad for every minute that you spend on education and the education of young people, creative atmosphere in their teams, unity of our society today and also international cooperation, "said the Slovak president at the end of the speech.
On behalf of the professors, the Head of State Helena Majdúchová gave thanks. She concluded that this is the highest educational title that can be achieved by a teacher during one’s carrier. Education is the cornerstone of any successful and wise society, which affects all areas of our lives. The decisive action and mission of universities, from which we come from, is to educate and train our students. Any knowledge that we present must be understood as relatively temporary, but built on a solid moral and ethical basis in order to, on one hand, lead students to humility and to respect what has been done, on the other hand, to encourage a healthy self-confidence and desire to continue to push the boundaries of knowledge."
The following university professors were appointed:
doc. PhDr. Róbert Babeľa, PhD., MBA
v odbore: verejné zdravotníctvo
doc. MUDr. Marián Bernadič, CSc.
v odbore: normálna a patologická fyziológia
doc. PhDr. Samuel Brečka, PhD.
v odbore: masmediálne štúdiá
doc. RNDr. Jaroslav Briančin, CSc.
v odbore: anorganické technológie a materiály
doc. PaedDr. Zsolt Cséfalvay, PhD.
v odbore: logopédia
doc. RNDr. Peter Fedor, CSc.
v odbore: ochrana a využívanie krajiny
doc. MUDr. Vladimír Hegyi, PhD.
v odbore: dermatovenerológia
doc. RNDr. Milan Hutta, CSc.
v odbore: analytická chémia
doc. RNDr. Jaroslav Jaroš, CSc.
v odbore: matematika
doc. Ing. Ľudovít Jelemenský, DrSc.
v odbore: chemické inžinierstvo
doc. RNDr. Jana Kaduková, PhD.
v odbore: hutníctvo kovov
doc. Mgr. art. Rajmund Kákoni
v odbore: hudobné umenie
doc. JUDr. Soňa Košičiarová, PhD.
v odbore: správne právo
doc. RNDr. Ľudevít Kádaši, DrSc.
v odbore: molekulárna biológia
doc. Ing. Tatiana Kováčiková, PhD.
v odbore: aplikovaná informatika
doc. PhDr. Ján Liďák, CSc.
v odbore: medzinárodné vzťahy
doc. Ing. Helena Majdúchová, CSc.
v odbore: ekonomika a manažment podniku
doc. Ing. Peter Markovič, PhD.
v odbore: finančný manažment
doc. PaedDr. Marián Merica, PhD.
v odbore: športová edukológia
doc. PhDr. Oľga Orgoňová, PhD.
v odbore: slovenský jazyk a literatúra
doc. RNDr. Mariana Pajtášová, PhD.
v odbore: materiály
doc. Ing. Milan Polakovič, PhD.
v odbore: chemické inžinierstvo
doc. MUDr. Viera Rusnáková, CSc., MBA
v odbore: verejné zdravotníctvo
doc. Ing. Maroš Soldán, PhD.
v odbore: bezpečnosť a ochrana zdravia pri práci
doc. PhDr. Marta Součková, PhD.
v odbore: teória literatúry a dejiny konkrétnych národných literatúr
doc. Alexander Stepanov, CSc.
na odbor: hudobné umenie
doc. MUDr. Gabriel Valočík, PhD.
na odbor: vnútorné choroby
Translation: Anthony James Ronald Atkinson
