New Year's Address by the Rector

On January 13, the University of Pécs held its traditional New Year's Professors' Meeting. At the event, held in the György Romhányi Auditorium of the Medical School, the university's management and faculty looked back on the year 2025 and outlined their expectations for 2026.

The event began with a festive program: During the musical introduction, a musical adaptation of Mihály Babits' poem Az őszi tücsökhöz (To the Autumn Cricket) was performed first by Virág Sebestyén, soloist with the Voisingers. This was followed by Krisztina Madaras Simon singing Etta James' song I'd Rather Go Blind, with The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army closing the musical segment. The performances were accompanied by Szabolcs Balásy on the piano.

After the program, the participants watched a short film produced by the university television station, which recalled the most important moments of the institution's 2025 year and commemorated the university citizens who had passed away in the past year. The film provided a fitting backdrop for the year-end review and created an opportunity for quiet reflection and retrospection.

In his New Year's speech, Rector Dr. Attila Miseta thanked the members of the faculty for their dedicated work over the past years: This is the last time I will be giving you a New Year's greeting, and I would like to thank everyone for the past eight years, which have not been without its challenges! This community—not only the professors—but everyone behind them, represents the value of the University of Pécs which substantiates the kind of optimism I feel, namely that the University of Pécs is on an upward trajectory.

In his speech, he emphasised that the University of Pécs achieved numerous professional and scientific results in 2025, while further strengthening its domestic and international relations. He highlightedbe that the institution ranked between 741-750 in the QS Ranking last year: It is remarkable that PTE became the best domestic university in terms of student experience and the proportion of international students. The rector added that it is also a leader in sustainability, as PTE continues to be the greenest university in Hungary.

The rector underlined that in 2026, the focus will continue to be on improving the quality of education and research, supporting young researchers, and strengthening the cohesion of the university community.

Following the official program, as always, a group photo was taken of the professors attending the ceremony, followed by a more informal, friendly toast and conversation.

Author: Martina Aknai-Kiss

Translation: Hanna Leemans

Photos: Szabolcs Csortos