We celebrated our first anniversary here at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology in a truly Hollywood style. There was a "half-joke, half-serious" gala of stars named, after the Faculty acronym in Polish, the Golden WITka awards. There was also a plebiscite for... Paddington Bear and, of course, a reaally huge cake.

The first birthday of the Faculty is a good opportunity to sum things up, boast about your successes, and above all, to express gratitude. Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, dean of the Faculty – a lover of cinema – decided to thank the most outstanding employees of the Faculty in a truly Hollywood style and the surprise he prepared for them caused much enthusiasm.   

– Most of you know that I am a film buff and I watch a lot of movies. We all know the famous film festivals and their awards. Cannes has Golden Palms, Venice – Golden Lions, Berlin – Golden Bears, and the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology has... our own FICTional Oscars – the Golden WITkas. Please note what the board says: "half-joke, half-serious" – said Prof. Andrzej Kucharski. – The Faculty's first birthday is a good opportunity to thank those people who have proven to be always willing to act, to have many ideas and – very importantly – to be outstanding personalities.

Before the dean handed the awards to the faculty heroes – the equivalents of famous film characters – he declared the choice to be his own, subjective one. Let's then present the winners of the first Golden WITka awards in the history of our Faculty in individual categories.

Bob the Builder, a man with inexhaustible energy, an atomic drive, who constantly creates something, takes up new challenges at the University.

Our Bob is of course… Prof. Tadeusz Więckowski, former rector of the University, head of the Department of ICT. The good spirit of many University projects. The Father Founder of the Faculty.

Clark Gable probably needs no introduction to anyone, he is the romantic character and a heart-throb of all time, who, whether in a jacket or in a jumper during Cybertron, is always refined and elegant.

Our Faculty's romantic lead of all time is... Dr. Wojciech Wodo from the Department of Fundamentals of Computer Science, who deals with computer security and cybersecurity, but also with biometrics and identity issues. He takes care of the White Hats student research club and is involved in the activities of the "Politechnika" Film Discussion Club.

– I was genuinely surprised by the award and I am very happy that I was so appreciated – it is a very nice feeling. I think it is the first time in my life that I have received such an unexpected award – said Dr. Wojciech Wodo. “I really enjoyed the convention. I'm a big fan of meetings. I had the opportunity to talk to a dozen or so people with whom I probably would not have met for months. In addition, I met a few new people, and in a few cases I linked a face with the name or photo from the Internet.

MacGyver – a versatile man, he can make something out of nothing, he can fix everything, always helpful, always kind.

MacGyver is none other than... Czesław Kupczyk from the Department of ICT, commonly known as Mr Kubuś.

John Keating, the legendary teacher from the film "Dead Poets Society." A great teacher, he tirelessly gathers young people around him and does it with passion!

Our passionate educator is, of course, Dr. Maciej Nikodem from the Department of Technical Computer Science, organizer of the Team Projects Conference.

– Congratulations to all the winners. By the way, I would like to say thanks to the people involved in the organization of the Team Projects Conference, because my WITka is also theirs – said Dr. Maciej Nikodem.

Elvis Presley needs no introduction, but not everyone knows that Elvis – like our hero – played the guitar and… sang gospel.

Our guitar player and gospel singer is… Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz, head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence. The Father Founder of WIT and among others tutor of young scientists. Recently, a member of the Faculty's WITels band.

– I would like us to be able to share our bread just as we know how to share our knowledge – said Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz.

The Queen of the Wild West is a steadfast woman in a world dominated by men. Anyone who has seen the movie knows that it's not worth messing with her. Just like with our…

Barbara Sękowska, unequalled and unchallenged head of human resources.

Gandalf, our Faculty's sage and – as he says about himself – an eternal student, because he spent 99 semesters at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. He knows the answers to difficult questions. It's a rare thing!

Our Faculty's Gandalf is... Prof. Jerzy Świątek from the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering. The Father Founder of the Faculty. A long-time employee of WUST. He will soon celebrate his 100th semester at the University. Congratulations!

At the end, the dean invited all employees present at the ceremony to take join the party. He reminded that many festivals also have an audience award and encouraged everyone to vote for the Faculty's... Paddington Bear, either a woman or a man. It is important that this person is kind and ready to cooperate and help.

The dean's invitation was met with great enthusiasm. Employees willingly took part in the voting. However, the end result surprised many, especially the author of the idea... Prof. Andrzej Kucharski. It turned out that with the votes of the Faculty's employees, we have as many as FOUR Paddingtons, including the dean himself!

Receiving the award, the greatly surprised dean heard from the room jokingly: "who lives by the sword..."

Our Paddingtons are:  
•    Dr. Bogumiła Hnatkowska, vice-dean for academic and educational affairs;
•    Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, dean of the Faculty,
•    Czesław Kupczyk, the only person to be actually awarded twice,
•    Marek Krupa, an employee of the dean's office.
 

“It's always nice to receive an award, no matter what form it takes. Paddington Bear is a nice character, although I think Maya the Bee would suit me better – said Dr. Bogumiła Hnatkowska. “I would like to thank all the employees I work with. The award, at least in half, is due to them. Their kindness and help give strength and motivate to work harder. Karma does come back.

In turn, Marek Krupa from the dean's office admitted that he did not expect the audience award, but he is very happy with it.

“I did not expect such an award. I feel incredibly appreciated by the employees of the Faculty, and in particular by my colleagues from the dean's office, to whom I owe this award to a large extent. It is a pleasure to work in a good and well-integrated team. As can be seen, everyday work, process improvements, sharing knowledge and fostering good relations brings results. I hope that students also appreciate our daily contribution to the development of the Faculty. Thank you again for this award – added Marek Krupa.

Congratulations to all the award winners!

The best way to celebrate is with friends

We celebrated our one-year anniversary with employees and invited guests. The ceremony was attended by none else than WUST Rector, Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs himself, and by Jakub Mazur, vice-president of Wrocław and chairman of the Faculty's Advisory Board.

– We are celebrating the first year of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at Wrocław University of Science and Technology! We have been working together with the academic community for many years, and one of the examples of cooperation is our active participation in the Advisory Board of the Faculty, which I have the honour to chair, alongside the representatives from Nokia and Google. We are proud to support this prestigious Faculty. Best wishes and greetings to all employees – said Jakub Mazur.