While on a visit to Warsaw, on 15 January, 2025, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited SGH Warsaw School of Economics, where he met with students of our university. In 2023, the Senate of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics awarded President Zelensky the title of doctor honoris causa.
The head of the Ukrainian state was welcomed by Piotr Wachowiak, Rector of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
“It is a great honour for me to welcome Mr. President within the walls of our Alma Mater, the oldest and one of the leading economic universities in Poland and Europe. It is a great honour for the community of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics that Mr. President has decided to visit our university. We are very, very grateful for that,” said the Rector at the beginning of the meeting in the main hall.
“We are very impressed by the heroic attitude of the Ukrainian people and you personally. Thank you for fighting not only for your country, but also for our common European values, and freedom in Europe and in the world. You have demonstrated your commitment to freedom, self-determination and democracy many times in the past, starting with the referendum held on 1 December, 1991, in which over 90 percent of participants voted for independence, through the broad social movement sparked by the Orange Revolution, and ending with the revolution that defended Ukraine's right to choose the European path of development and integration with the EU. However, it was only the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, the occupation of eastern Ukrainian territories and the armed attack by Russian forces on Ukraine in February 2022 that made the world realise how fragile the foundations of geopolitical reality are, proving at the same time that democracy, freedom and the rule of law are not given once and for all. And we have to fight for them every day,” Mr. Wachowiak emphasised.
“From the very first moments of Russia's aggression, SGH Warsaw School of Economics has been actively involved in providing humanitarian aid to people in areas affected by war. We have welcomed many people, mainly Ukrainian women and children, providing them with places in our student dormitories. We have organised collections to raise money and collect items. We have also expanded academic cooperation with our partners in Ukraine, trying to respond quickly to their needs (…),” the Rector recalled.
He pointed out that experts from SGH Warsaw School of Economics and Ukrainian universities, including students and doctoral students, have made an effort to develop a strategy for the reconstruction of Ukraine. “I am proud of these actions and extremely moved by the solidarity that the difficult situation in Ukraine has awoken and which continues in our community (…),” Mr. Wachowiak noted.
“All these circumstances, together with the great admiration of our community for your heroic attitude in the face of Russian aggression, meant that my proposal to award you an honoris causa doctorate met with an enthusiastic response on the part of the community of our university,” emphasised the Rector of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
The President of Ukraine expressed his thanks for the reception at SGH Warsaw School of Economics: “It is an honour for me to be here today. I would like to thank the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and the ordinary people (gathered) here as I am also an ordinary person. I would like to thank people, Poles, and students for supporting ordinary Ukrainians at a very difficult time through volunteering, support, relationships, and devotion. (…)
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
“First of all, the most important thing is to be human,” emphasised Volodymyr Zelensky. “These are the values we are fighting for. I would like to thank you for that. I am very glad that Ukraine has Poland as its neighbour. I am very glad that Ukrainian students have such friends as students from Poland. And so I think that there are still many challenges ahead of us. But, as Mr. Wachowiak said, when we remember the 1990s in Ukraine and all the revolutions that our homeland went through, then the bloody Russian full-scale war against Ukraine, we will overcome all these challenges, we will achieve a just peace for Ukraine, victory (…) and we will rebuild our country,” the Ukrainian head of state emphasised. “I am convinced that we will do this together with our great, strong friends, with our neighbours, with you,” he added.
FOT. Kancelaria Prezydenta Ukrainy
The meeting with students concerned the future membership of Ukraine in the European Union, the involvement of students and graduates in activities to support the integration of Ukraine with the EU, the reconstruction of Ukraine, understood as a fair and inclusive process for all regions of the country, reducing Europe's dependence on energy imports from Russia, as well as the development and further strengthening of Polish-Ukrainian relations.
FOT. Kancelaria Prezydenta Ukrainy
After the meeting, the President gave an interview to four journalists from selected Polish media in the main building of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. That same evening, the interview was published simultaneously by TVN 24 and Onet, and on their websites by the daily newspapers "Rzeczpospolita" and "Krytyka Polityczna".
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
At a meeting on 24 May, 2023, the Senate of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics awarded the title of doctor honoris causa to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The decision to award the title of doctor honoris causa to the President of Ukraine, which has been repelling Russian aggression since 24 February, 2022, was the next stage of the procedure initiated in a resolution on the commencement of doctoral dissertation, adopted unanimously by the Senate of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics on 22 March, 2023.
On 26 May, 2023, the Rector of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Piotr Wachowiak, surrounded by senators, submitted the resolution of the Senate of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics to award the title of doctor honoris causa to Volodymyr Zelensky to the then Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zwarych, so that the latter could pass it on to his president.
As Ambassador Zwarycz emphasised at the time, the title of honoris causa for the leader of Ukraine, awarded by the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, is the first such distinction awarded to him in Poland.
In the opinion issued by the Senate Science Committee of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, which recommended Volodymyr Zelenskyy's candidacy for the title of doctor honoris causa in recognition of his “contributions to international cooperation and activities for freedom and dignity in the modern world”, it was noted that the President of Ukraine represents a new type of international leader - an authentic, charismatic and heroic leader, representing such values as wisdom, courage and responsibility in an extreme situation.”
The reviewers of this honoris causa doctorate, which is important for the university and Polish-Ukrainian relations, are prof. dr hab. Danuta Huebner (MEP), dr hab. Daniel Przastek, prof. UW, from the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw, and dr hab. Krzysztof Kozłowski, prof. SGH, director of the Institute of International Studies of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, and Vice Rector for Teaching and Students Affairs. The doctoral supervisor was Piotr Wachowiak, Rector and Professor of the SGH Warsaw School of economics, and director of the Institute of Management.
Those present at the meeting with President Zelensky included Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, and university authorities, lecturers, doctoral students and students. The main hall was filled to capacity.
Our guest also signed the guest-book:
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be a guest to the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and it is with great honour that I accept the title of doctor honoris causa.
I am extremely grateful for the support given to Ukrainians and Ukraine. Together we will surely triumph!
I wish your university new scientific achievements, creative students and joint successes in projects (implemented) with Ukraine.
Glory to Ukraine!
Long live Poland!
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.”
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
Meanwhile, Warsaw received the honorary distinction of Rescuer City from President Zelensky. The President of Ukraine presented it to the Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, in the office of the Rector of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Piotr Wachowiak. “We appreciate all the help that Warsaw has provided to our nation in the most difficult times. Thank you for your solidarity with the Ukrainian people and for your meaningful support for our defence,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram account.
FOT. Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
Following the visit to the Warsaw School of Economics, a post accompanied by photos was published on President Zelensky’s Facebook account:
“I met with students of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, where about 300 Ukrainians are currently studying. I am grateful to Polish students for supporting ordinary Ukrainians in this difficult moment with their attitude, dedication and volunteering. We discussed Ukraine’s future membership in the EU, our country’s need for experts in the field of European integration, as well as the development and further strengthening of Ukrainian-Polish relations. Watch the full conversation (you can enable automatic translation into any language in the YouTube settings – ed.).
