Gdynia Maritime University GMU

Speech of HM The Rector of GMU during the ceremony for the conferral of the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa of Gdynia Maritime University on Professor Hans Rummel

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Professor Hans Rummel,

Our Distinguished Guests and Friends,

Today is a special day. Not only for our friend, Hans Rummel, but also for Gdynia Maritime University. Today, for the first time in the history of our University, we will award the title of doctor honoris causa to a foreign citizen. This momentous occasion gives cause for great celebration.

There are three key dates in this procedure for the award of this honorary doctorate. On the first date, 26 January 2023, following my nomination, the Senate of Gdynia Maritime University initiated the procedure for the conferral of a the honorart title of Doctor honoris causa on Professor Hans Rummel of Hochschule Bremerhaven, voting unanimously in its favour. The second date, 15th June 2023, is the date of the decision of the Senate of Gdynia of Maritime University to award Professor Hans Rummel the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa. The third date is today, 6 October 2023, when the Senate of Gdynia Maritime University will ceremonially confer on Professor Hans Rummel the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa.

Nominations for the conferral of the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa require the support of three external university senates, and so I held talks with Szczecin Maritime University, the Polish Naval Academy, and Hochschule Bremerhaven. The Rectors of these first academic institutions, Professor Wojciech Ślączka and Contra Admiral Professor Tomasz Szubrycht accepted my request without hesitation and successfully petitioned their respective Senates to also support the nomination. In addition to declaring his support, the Rector of Hochschule Bremerhaven, Professor Alexis Papathanassis, also volunteered to provide one of the three positive opinions required in the procedure from independent professors. Professor Piotr Przybyłowski agreed to the role of promoter, and Professor Piotr Jędrzejowicz, as a reviewer, provided the second opinion. The third and final reviewer of the nomination was Roman Śmierzchalski of Gdansk University of Technology.

As I have said, today is a special day, but it is also a special year. This year we celebrate the 45th anniversary of cooperation between our University and Hochschule Bremerhaven.

Our cooperation with the German University began at the end of the 1970s as the first such cooperation between Polish and German higher education institutions since before the 2nd World War. The situation was undoubtedly unique, and it is rather astonishing that the partnership was allowed to go ahead.

The relationship between the two institutions therefore has a strong historical dimension. We were the first. Right from the very beginning, the one person who has been involved in this cooperation was and still is Professor Hans Rummel, our great trusted friend. Of course, we cooperate with many other professors from Hochschule Bremerhaven. In alphabetical order, Professor Gerhard M. Feldmeier, Professor Dieter Lompe, Professor Alexis Papathanassis, Professor Josef Stockemer, Professor Frerich van Dieken, and many other Professors. They are and you are our close friends, but Professor Hans Rummel is and always was a symbol of the cooperation and friendship between our two universities. I am very grateful that many such distinguished have made the effort to be with us here today to witness this historic moment.

Having spent many months on the Dar Młodzieży, Professor Hans Rummel was much more than a participant in future voyages for which he was on board. He was an outstanding lecturer of English, providing language training not only for the students but also for the crew. 

In 2022, when our University inaugurated its MBA in Offshore Wind Energy, we were supported in this new enterprise by Hochschule Bremerhaven, with the involvement of both the rector of the University and Professor Hans Rummel.

Professor Hans Rummel is the Chair of the "Friends of Dar Młodzieży" Association in Bremerhaven. Every year when our tall ship arrives in Bremerhaven, a gathering of members of the Society is held, and often they pass on a significant donation to the ship. I have witnessed several times the welcome of our ship by Professor Hans Rummel at the port of Bremerhaven, who has always awaited the arrival of the frigate with a great white and red bouquet. It looks very majestic and lovely.

Professor Hans Rummel is also a recognised person in Bremerhaven. He is currently the vice-president of the German Association for Maritime English and an honorary member of the Hochschule Bremerhaven Senate.

Professor Hans Rummel, our informal ambassador in Germany, is an exceptional person of merit for Gdynia Maritime University.

Dear Hans, we honour you with a the honorary title of honoris causa for two reasons. First your contribution to the development of cooperation between Gdynia Maritime University and Hochschule Bremerhaven, and second, your achievements in the development of methods and tools in the teaching of marine communication in English.

Esteemed Professor, Honorary Doctor of Gdynia Maritime University, please accept my most sincere and heartfelt congratulations on behalf of our entire academic community, professors, staff, students, and friends, and my deepest respect and gratitude for the long-standing and fruitful cooperation between our institutions. I wish you all the best in health and for the future.