Dean's Opening Speech for the 2024/2025 Academic Year at JFMED CU
Read the speech delivered by Prof. Andrea Čalkovská, Dean of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Martin, during the opening ceremony of the 2024/2025 academic year.
Dear colleagues, esteemed students, and honored guests,
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words about our faculty. Let us take a moment to reflect on where we have been and where we are headed. Last autumn (2023), we welcomed a team from the Slovak Accreditation Agency and successfully accredited our study programs, while also aligning our disciplines for habilitation and inauguration procedures. We continue progressing under new standards.
The evaluation procedures and standards for Slovak medical faculties were recently officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), and it was at our faculty that the Slovak Accreditation Agency’s work was assessed. This recognition strengthens our international reputation and enhances our competitiveness in the global academic market. The degrees earned by our students are now internationally comparable and accepted by the global medical community.
We’ve also completed major projects funded by the EU’s structural and investment funds, including the first phase of the Biobank, which was finalized in April. We are working diligently to ensure this unique facility reaches its full potential. Since February, the land designated for the new hospital has no longer been owned by the university or faculty, allowing preparations for its construction to proceed without delay, as demonstrated by the ongoing activity on-site.
We also participated successfully in project calls under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, securing grants for eight projects through the Scholarships for Researchers initiative (R2-R4). In addition, our faculty members continue advancing their qualifications, with five habilitations and four inaugurations completed in 2024. We are currently accrediting further education programs, with 50 programs now offered and 1,106 healthcare professionals and 60 residents enrolled.
In preparation for the next cycle of scientific evaluation, VER2026, we are adapting our incentive tools to encourage publications that contribute to this process, in line with evolving science evaluation systems.
On the first day of the semester, I was reminded, as I have been many times before, of how empty the faculty feels during the summer. On September 16, the campus was once again filled with smiling students, gathered in groups, with backpacks on their shoulders. I warmly welcome all of you—students of General Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Midwifery, Public Health, PhD candidates, and especially our first-year students. We innovate and modernize for your benefit: from pre-state exam internships in your home regions to curriculum updates with a stronger focus on clinical subjects and the renovation of the Medical Education Support Center (our simulation center), which gained three new rooms over the summer. At the end of September, we will also participate in a major call from the Ministry of Education for simulation-based teaching, in partnership with University Hospital Martin, to further integrate this training with clinical practice.
Now, let’s take a brief look back. Imagine a scene similar to today—students, staff, and guests gathered to start the academic year, though perhaps on a smaller scale—in 1969. On July 21, 55 years ago, our faculty became independent. During a thorough cleanup of our archives, we discovered what I would call a treasure: a leather-bound commemorative book from the student dormitory of Comenius University’s Medical Faculty in Martin. On its first page, handwritten, it reads: “When the medical faculty in Martin was founded, much good was done, but also some bad. To those who come after us: Forget the bad, but ensure that your contemporaries and future generations are reminded of the good.” It is signed by J. Kukura on November 28, 1969. He knew what he was talking about—Prof. Jozef Kukura, MD. was the chairman of the committee for building the medical faculty in Martin. His determination and dedication to this effort were legendary. He later became dean of the medical faculty in Bratislava and wrote these words during a visit to Martin.
I believe this says it all. Those who experienced that time, and those who have studied the faculty’s history, know it was a challenging period. This is why we must learn from history—focusing not on what divides us, but on what unites us.
Since relationships are delicate, we greatly value and appreciate them. We owe special thanks to the city of Martin, whose support has been crucial. Just yesterday, Mayor Ján Danko was awarded the Comenius University Grand Gold Medal by Rector Marek Števček in recognition of this strong partnership. I would also like to thank University Hospital Martin, our main teaching base and research partner.
We have an eventful academic year ahead. In closing, I wish that, together, we continue building lasting values that will support us through both good times and challenges.