Rector Dr. Bronislaw Marcianiak ( on the right) requesting Ambassador Patricia Ann V. Paez to sign the AMU Guest Book; on the left is Vice Rector for Science, Research and International Cooperation Dr. Jacek Witcos
The UP Concert Chorus led by its conductor Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama with Amb. Paez and Rector Dr. Marciniak at the Rector’s office
Amb. Paez, Dr. Clarinda Calma and key officials of the AMU
In a recent meeting between Rector Bronislaw Marciniak and key officials of the Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU), on one hand: and with Philippine envoy to Poland Ambassador Patricia Ann V. Paez, on the other, the AMU officials declared their willingness to renew the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on education cooperation between the AMU and the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City.
The renewal of the MOA between UP-Diliman and AMU, which was signed on 01 August 2006 and but which expired in 2009, was the main agenda of the meeting at the AMU which is located in Poznan. Dr. Jacek Witcos, Vice-Rector for Science, Research and International Cooperation informed Amb. Paez that ten (10) Filipino students had already studied at the AMU.
Dr. Rafal Dymczyk, Associate Professor with the Faculty of Classical and Polish Philology said that the AMU is inviting Filipino students to take up their Bachelor of Arts degree in International Communication which Filipino students could avail of through scholarships provided under the Erasmus + program of the EU.
Dr. Witcos said that the AMU is also considering another form of educational cooperation with leading Philippine universities, specifically, the offering of a double degree program as well as possible job training for Filipino students in companies in the Wielkopolski region. Amb. Paez welcomed the proposals.
Engr. Pawel Arndt, a Member of the Poland-Philippines Parliamentary Group at the Sejm (Parliament) and Head of the Commission for Filipinos and Polish Economic Cooperation also attended the meeting at the Rector’s office. He informed Amb. Paez about a project proposal to strengthen the Philippines’ relations with Poland called“Poland-Philippines: Freedom and Solidarity- A Common Legacy.”
Before the meeting began, Rector Marciniak and the other AMU officials welcomed Amb. Paez with a “surprise” performance by the UP Concert Chorus, led by its conductor Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama. The UP Concert Chorus rendered two Pilipino kundiman songs at the Rector’s office.
The UP Concert Chorus participated in the Universitas Cantat 2015 or the 12th International Festival of University Choirs organized by the AMU and held from 31 May to 28 June 2015. Amb. Paez was able to watch its performances on 26 and 27 June where the impressed audience gave the Choir two standing ovations. Before its debut performance at the Cantat 2015 in the city of Poznan, the UP Concert Chorus won the Grand Prix over more than 30 choirs in a choral contest held a few days earlier in the city of Krakow. After their performances at the AMU, Amb. Paez hosted an appreciation dinner for all the members of the UP Concert Chorus and the Festival’s organizing team. It was the first time ever for the UP Concert Chorus to perform in Poland.
Others who joined the meeting at the Rector’s office were: Dr. Tomasz Mizerkiewicz - Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Professor at the Department of Polish and Classical Philology; Dr. Aleksander Mikokajczek - Director of the Interdisciplimary Faculty of the Humanities; and Dr. Clarinda Calma - a Filipino academic who teaches at the Tischer European University in Krakow.
The AMU is one of the top 3 universities in Poland and was named after Adam Mickiewicz - Poland’s national poet and a hero of the resistance movement. “The heritage of the AMU in Poznan dates back to a 17th century Jesuit college.” It later evolved as the Poznan University which was, however, closed down during the Nazi invasion in 1939. In 1955, the Poznan University was renamed as the Adam Mickiewicz University.
The AMU’s roster of illustrious alumni include: Marian Rejwski who broke the Germans’ Enigma Code; Mr. Jan Kulczyk who is the richest businessman in Poland; and Mr. Adam Szjenfeld a former member of the Sejm (Parliament) and who then served as the first president of the Poland-Philippines Parliamentary Group and who is now a Member of the EU Paliament.
Performance of the UP Concert Chorus being announced at Cantat 2015
UP Concert Chorus during the Final Night of Cantat 2015
UP Concert Chorus during the Final Night of Cantat 2015
UP Concert Chorus during the Final Night of Cantat 2015
The audience giving the UP Concert Chorus a standing ovation
The audience giving the UP Concert Chorus a standing ovation
The UP Concert Chorus and members of the Festival’s organizing team during the appreciation dinner hosted by Amb. Paez
The UP Concert Chorus and members of the Festival’s organizing team during the appreciation dinner hosted by Amb. Paez
The UP Concert Chorus and members of the Festival’s organizing team during the appreciation dinner hosted by Amb. Paez
Amb. Paez with the members of the UP Concert Chorus after the latter’s performance
