For Prospective Students
For Current Students
About UD
Practical Info and Contacts
“We are not just awarding certificates, diplomas and awards today: we are paying tribute to the triumph of science and scholarship, perseverance, commitment and human intellectual achievement,” said György Kossa in his welcome speech.
The Chairman of GTIDEA stressed that, indeed, knowledge is the greatest asset a human being can possess, adding that the achievements of the current degree holders would be an example and a message all by themselves: a message about achievement, responsibility and community values.
“The University of Debrecen has been holding high the torch of science and scholarship for almost five hundred years. You, respected members of the academic community, are going to continue this tradition while you will not only be part of the future, but also active in shaping it. Your task is now not only to pursue and cultivate science and scholarship, but also to pass it on to future generations. The young people who are now entering this field will look up to you. Be their role models,” said György Kossa in conclusion.
The title recipients, habilitated doctoral candidates and the winners of GTIDEA’s Publication Award, were also addressed by László Csernoch, Vice-Rector for Academic affairs at UD.
“The true power of a nation is in the quantity of academic manpower. It is not the fertile plains, mountains, minerals, climate and so on that make up this joint power, but the minds that can use them wisely. There is no greater weight and power than the human brain. Whether more or less of this is available will decide if the nation can have more or less fortune,” quoted the Vice-Rector the words of István Széchenyi, the founder of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
László Csernoch also called attention to the advantages and disadvantages of the growing use of artificial intelligence in his address. Machine learning algorithms now help businesses make data-driven decisions, while natural language processing tools enable more intuitive human-computer interactions, he said. However, the continuous development of AI poses important questions about ethics, workplace loss and the protection of privacy, forcing society to strike a balance between innovation and responsibility. Bill Gates put this in the following way: “The development of fully artificial intelligence could be the greatest event in the history of our civilization. It may also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.”
Addressing the habilitated degree holders, the Vice-Rector highlighted that, on the basis of their scholarly-scientific achievements and attitude, their successful classroom and academic presentations, the candidates have been recommended by relevant professional committees for the award of the title Dr. habil. This title is the sign of an honorary distinction among our university citizens.
“Yet you should never forget that education is, to quote W.B. Yeats' words, ‘not about filling a bucket, but about lighting a fire,’ i.e. it is about arousing curiosity and the love of learning, and not about passing on information,” said László Csernoch.
After the speeches, the ceremony continued with the swearing-in of the doctoral degree holders, the conferral of doctorates and the awarding of diplomas.
“...I hereby pledge to conduct myself in a manner befitting a doctoral degree holder at the University of Debrecen. I will do my best to enhance the reputation of the University. I will serve scholarly-scientific progress, universal human culture and the preservation of national values by respecting academic ethics,” were the exact words in the text of the oath taken in Hungarian and in English.
“We, the Vice-Rector and the Doctoral Council of the University of Debrecen, by virtue of our office, confer upon you, as a reward for your commendable academic work, the title of Doctor of the University of Debrecen, together with all the pertaining rights and privileges which, by law, are accorded to holders of academic qualifications,” was how Vice-Rector Endre Harsányi responded on behalf of our institution and its Doctoral Council.
Out of the 96 candidates, 78 graduated summa cum laude, 17 cum laude and 1 rite in the fields of humanities, medicine and health sciences, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and agricultural sciences.
The number of Dr. habil. doctorate awardees was 2 in the humanities, 8 in medicine and health sciences, 2 in social sciences and 2 in natural sciences, for a total of 14.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of GTIDEA-DE Publication Awards.
The awards Count István Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen - University of Debrecen Publication Awards (Gróf Tisza István Debreceni Egyetemért Alapítvány (GTIDEA)–Debreceni Egyetem Publikációs Díj) may be given to a lecturer, researcher or employee of the University who has published the results of research or other academic work of national importance in a prestigious professional publication and made the publication available in the University database. This time, as many as thirty individuals received the award. (Find the list of Ph.D. and habilitated doctors and the list of the winners of the GTIDEA Publication Award in the attachment.)
Press Centre – BZs
Photo credits: Márton Fejes
