【Photo Diary】 (2) Visit to Norway, Poland

Published on November 27, 2023

[October 25, From Bergen, Norway, to Kraków, Poland]

En route from Bergen to Kraków. I can sleep anytime, anywhere.

Kraków Old Town, the historic center of the former capital of Poland.

[October 26, Kraków, Poland]

A luncheon hosted by Jagiellonian University for our delegation. Poland’s oldest university established in 1364 comprises 16 faculties where nearly 4,000 academic staff conduct research and provide education to almost 40,000 students.

The medieval buildings of Jagiellonian University.

I was presented with this replica of a Copernican armillary sphere with the sun at the center, named after the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543).

He developed the heliocentric theory after studying at the university, then known as the University of Kraków, between 1491 and 1495. This model positioned the sun at the center of the universe, motionless, with the earth and the other planets orbiting around it in circular paths.

The university’s other notable alumni include Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) and the 1996 Nobel literature laureate Ms. Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012).

Making a speech at a ceremony celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) held in the historic Assembly Hall of Collegium Maius (Latin for "Great College"), Jagiellonian University's oldest building, dating back to the 14th century.
I told some 30 participants: “It is our pride and joy that we have been able to build our wonderful friendship with the Jagiellonian University. I sincerely hope that Sylff at Jagiellonian University will continue to play a pivotal role in further expanding the friendship between our two nations.”

A commemorative photograph with the Sylff alumni. Since 1992, the program has supported nearly 300 fellows of Jagiellonian University. Many of them now assume important positions in academia and government, including international organizations, and have become role models for younger fellows.
The Sylff fellowship program was established in 1987 by The Nippon Foundation to support the education of graduate and doctoral students who possess high potential as leaders in public life. So far, we have supported more than 17,000 fellows at 69 universities, including Jagiellonian University, in 44 countries around the world.

Talking with Sylff alumni at the jubilee celebration reception about how well they are doing.

From left, Professor Paweł Laidler, Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Studies and chairman of the Jagiellonian Sylff Steering Committee that manages the fellowship program; the author; Professor Armen Edigarian, Vice Rector of the university; and Professor Habil Andrezej Mania, former chair of the Sylff steering committee.

(To be continued)

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