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The ceremony of granting the Bishop Roman Andrzejewski Award, who was for a long time a National Farmer's Priest, was held on February 26th at the seat of the Polish Episcopal Conference in Warsaw. The ceremony was attended by the authorities of the Catholic Church, among others, Bishop Alojzy Orszulik SAC - the Honorary President of the Chapter, His Eminence Cardinal  Kazimierz Nycz - the Metropolitan of Warsaw, Bishop Artur Miziński - Secretary General of the Polish Episcopal Conference, many politicians related to agriculture and the economy, among them  Janusz Piechociński - the Minister of Economy, Marek Sawicki, Ph.D. - the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dariusz Młotkiewicz - Deputy Chief of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Eugeniusz Grzeszczak - Deputy Marshal of the Sejm, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski - the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control and Wojciech Hermeliński - Chairman of the National Electoral Commission.

The ceremony was attended by many journalists who deal with agriculture and rural matters on a daily basis, among them Marian Zalewski, Ph.D. - a Member of the Board of the Polish Television and a large group of employees of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, including current and former university authorities and the authorities of various faculties, members of the Senate, administrative staff and students, as well as family and friends of Professor Szymański.

The award was granted to Professor Alojzy Szaymański by His Eminence, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, the Metropolitan of Warsaw.

The Jury appreciated that Professor Szymański managed the university in a consistent way, in the spirit of respect for tradition that requires care for rural development by supporting family farms and raising love for Poland. Professor Szymanski's principle that knowledge, intellect and moral attitude should be the highest values of the University of Life Sciences was rated highly. The chapter also acknowledged the unique contribution of Professor to the development and modernization of the university. WULS-SGGW is one of the modern life sciences universities of international prestige, with the title of the most innovative and creative institution of higher education in Poland. As it was stressed in the chapter's decision, the Warsaw University of Life Sciences celebrates its 200 years of existence, and the prize for its Rector, Professor dr hab. Alojzy Szymański, is also a symbolic honoring of the university faculty and the entire university community.

The ceremony was of a very sublime character. The guests were welcomed by Bishop Arthur Miziński, the Secretary General of the Polish Epicsopal Conference, who said, i.a. "It is the eleventh time that we participate in the Bishop Roman Andrzejewski Award ceremony. By honoring the Rector Szymański, we also want to pay tribute to the entire academic community of WULS-SGGW."

Then a video was shown that presented the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

Laudation given by Rev. Prof. dr hab. Stanislaw Dziekoński, the Rector of the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, who said, i.a.: "Professor Alojzy Szymański is the second rector of the WULS-SGGW in Warsaw who receives this award. In 2005, it was also received by Professor Maria J. Radomska, who served as the Rector of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in the years 1981-1987. Two terms of Rector Szymanski is a period of intensive development of the University. WULS-SGGW is not only a university which is focused on teaching, learning and cooperation with the Polish economic environment, but also a university, that remembers its roots. "

Then Dziekoński presented Professor Szymański's life and work.

The justification of the Award Jury was given by the Prelate, Rev. Ireneusz Juszczyński. His Eminence Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, while presenting the award to Professor Szymanski, said, i.a.about the merits of Professor Szymański for the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

The congratulatory letter of the President Bronislaw Komorowski was read by Dariusz Młotkiewicz - Deputy Chief of the Chancellery of the President of Republic of Poland. President Komorowski wrote: "An impressive job that was done by academic centers is one of the pillars that have contributed to the development of the country. I am convinced that under the rule of Professor Szymański, the graduates of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences are very successesful in their personal lives and contribute significantly to the development of Poland"

Slawomir Siwek, the Chairman of the Foundation "Solidarna Wieś" informed the guests that the Award Committee received many congratulatory letters addressed to Professor Szymański.

At the end of the ceremony, the laureate of the Bishop Roman Andrzejewski Award, Professor dr hab. Alojzy Szymański, the Rector of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, spoke. The Rector said, among other things: "It is with great emotion that I stand before you today, in this special place, which is the seat of the Polish Episcopal Conference, the place where Polish history is intertwined with the contemporaneity, and thank you for the Bishop Roman Andrzejewski Award. I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and the entire academic community of WULS-SGGW, because it is really the community that is the real winner. "Professor Szymanski also said: "I treat receiving the award today - which is very prestigious for me and for the university - as an award primarily for the fact that for many years of the work of rectors and the university staff, we managed to create in WULS-SGGW a local homeland - Here in the heart of Poland, in its capital, in Ursynów, we have our world! It is designed so that the young people who want to shape their future in a better way have their mainstay and a sense of security, and live in a world not detached from their roots. "

So far, the Bishop Roman Andrzejewski Award, which was established by the "Solidarna Wieś" Foundation, was granted to: Professor Andrzej Stelmachowski, Professor Maria Radom, Cardinal Józef Glemp, Prelate Boguslaw Bijak, Bishop Alojzy Orszulik, Maria Stolzman, Ph.D., Barbara Fedyszak-Radziejowska, Ph.D., Roman Kluska, Josef Rottenaicher / Germany, Archbishop Jozef Michalik.