GMU Hosts 33rd Conference of Editors of Academic Newsletters and University Websites

For four days, Gdynia Maritime University hosted academic media editors from across Poland, who gathered to discuss – as they do each year – the future of university communication, share knowledge and good practice, and seek new ways to communicate science and shape the public image of higher education institutions.

The guests were welcomed in the Tadeusz Meissner Auditorium by the Deputy Rector for Enterprise and External Engagement, Professor Tomasz Tarasiuk, who officially opened the conference. The welcome ceremony concluded with a performance by the Zawisza Czarny Male Shanty Choir.

The four-day conference featured thematic sessions focused on matters vital to the work of academic editors and press officers, alongside maritime topics and presentations introducing the host institution, Gdynia Maritime University.

Editorial Session

The first part of the conference opened with a talk delivered by GMU legal advisers Arkadiusz Brzeski and Piotr Sarzyński, who addressed copyright law and image protection in the work of university editors and press officers – what is permitted, and what should be avoided (particularly litigation).

Dr Zenon Lica, Associate Professor at the University of Gdańsk, delivered a topical presentation entitled Feminitives in the Work of an Academic Editor and Press Officer, examining female noun forms designating professions, roles, and posts that have existed and evolved since the Middle Ages. Professor Lica also presented his dictionary of feminitives, scheduled for release in print and online formats. 

Professor Krzysztof Goczyła of Gdańsk Tech – a Polish language enthusiast – led a workshop entitled ‘The Nuances of Polish Through the Eyes of a Practitioner’, which took the form of a language proficiency quiz. First place was awarded to Daria Bruszecka-Przytuła from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, followed by Joanna Stasiak and Zuzanna Szwedek-Kwiecińska from GMU in second and third place. Commendations were presented to Beata von Schada Borzyszkowska from GMU and Alina Naruszewicz-Duchlińska from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

Dr Marek Kaszewski from the University of Pomerania in Słupsk delivered a presentation on the declension of Polish and foreign surnames, a subject of keen debate in the context of the internationalisation of Polish academic institutions. The lecture addressed how foreign surnames are inflected, when apostrophes should be applied, and whether individuals can claim uninflected status for their surname contrary to grammar rules. 

Dr Natalia Pawłowska, Deputy Dean for General Affairs of the GMU Faculty of Computer Science, delivered a lecture entitled Digital Assistant – AI in the Work of an Academic Editor and Press Officer, addressing training digital assistants and preventing hallucinations.

The editorial session also incorporated maritime themes. HM Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, delivered a lecture entitled Christopher Columbus – Who on Earth Was That Guy?. Attendees learned about conflicting theories surrounding the explorer’s origins (proposing he may have been Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, a Sephardic Jew, or Polish – a grandson of Władysław Jagiełło) and were introduced to the history of navigation.

A further maritime highlight was a maritime search and rescue workshop led by Paulina Krajewska from the Department of Ship Operations at the GMU Faculty of Navigation. She outlined fundamental search and rescue principles and demonstrated personal life-saving appliances governed by international conventions. In the practical portion of the workshop, participants tested donning immersion suits against the clock and learned the principles of safely abandoning a sinking vessel and putting on lifejackets.

Maritime and University Session

As the 33rd Conference of Editors of Academic Newsletters and University Websites was held in Gdynia and hosted by a university defined by the sea, the programme included a dedicated maritime section, featuring a visit to the GMU Faculty of Navigation.

Situated on the seafront, the Faculty offered conference participants journeys across the sky and the oceans. Marek Szczepański led editors on a tour of constellations and astro-navigation at the Antoni Ledóchowski Planetarium, while Master Mariner Paweł Kołakowski demonstrated navigation simulators replicating conditions at sea.

The adjacent Naval Museum opened the submarine ORP Sokół for tours, while the Gdynia City Museum made available its permanent and temporary exhibitions prepared for the centenary of Gdynia.

The programme also included a historical tour of the GMU Hall of Tradition and the University's heritage, conducted by curator Joanna Stasiak, and Małgorzata Sokołowska.

The maritime theme extended into the evening programme: an informal networking evening was held at the Bukszpryt student club featuring live music by Johny Roger, followed by a formal dinner at a seafront tavern in Orłowo.

The organisation and coordination of the 33rd Conference of Editors of Academic Newsletters and University Websites were managed by: Małgorzata Sokołowska, Editor-in-Chief of the GMU Newsletter; Joanna Stasiak, Curator of the GMU Hall of Tradition; Zuzanna Szwedek-Kwiecińska, GMU Press Officer; and Beata von Schada Borzyszkowska, Coordinator of the GMU Multimedia Communications Office.

The conference was attended by editors from the following institutions: AGH University of Krakow, the Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology, Lublin University of Technology, Maritime University of Szczecin, Poznan University of Technology, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the University Clinical Hospital in Białystok, Jagiellonian University, Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, the Medical University of Białystok, the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, the University of Agriculture in Krakow, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, and the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin.

Warm thanks are extended to the Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, for granting his patronage to the conference and delivering an inspiring presentation.

Gratitude is also expressed to everyone who supported the organisation of this nationwide event, particularly GMU Chancellor Filip Malata and Bursar Eugeniusz Paweł Orzeszek, Sincere thanks are directed to the Promotion Office, the Public Procurement Team, the Logistics and Transport Department, and the Facilities Management Department.

Special thanks are extended to the speakers who shared their expertise during the lectures and workshops.

The 34th Conference of Editors of Academic Journals and University Portals will be held at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.