Five years of EUniWell: well-being of the future

Six people standing in a room by a brick wall. In the background, there is a blue and pink banner with the inscription “euni well – European University Well-Being.
From October 22 to 24 this year, the University of Cologne hosted ceremonies, conferences, and workshops marking the fifth anniversary of the EUniWell European University Alliance. The Medical University of Warsaw joined the alliance this year as one of its twelve member institutions.

On the eve of the celebrations, the EUniWell Rectors’ Assembly took place. Prof. Rafał Krenke, Rector of WUM, participated in the meeting. The EUniWell Council, which includes Prof. Michał Grąt, WUM Vice Rector for internationalization, promotion and development, met as well. There was also a meeting of institutional coordinators from all member universities, at which WUM was represented by Dr. Olga Rostkowska.

Anniversary conference

The ceremonial anniversary conference on October 22 brought together researchers, students, and representatives of European institutions. They discussed how higher education and scientific research can shape a just, inclusive, and sustainable future. The keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. Lara Aknin from Simon Fraser University in Canada, who spoke about the World Happiness Report. Representatives of EUniWell member universities and Susanne Conze, Head of the Higher Education Unit at the European Commission, took part in a discussion on the importance of well-being at the individual, social, and environmental levels, as well as on the role of universities in creating the conditions necessary for sustainable development.

Lecture and workshops

On October 23, the interactive Base Camp included thirteen practical workshops along with an open lecture by Dr. Laurie Santos, a cognitive scientist and professor of psychology at Yale University, about her course “The Psychology of the Good Life”, which became the most popular lecture series in the university’s history. The workshops, led by respected researchers from the EUniWell community and by students, focused on health, well-being, diversity, and civic engagement. One of the workshops, dedicated to the desired and undesired effects of dietary supplements, was conducted by Dr. hab. Joanna Giebułtowicz and Dr. Sylwia Michorowska from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis at the Faculty of Pharmacy of WUM.
 

On October 24, a meeting of the EUniWell Student Council took place. WUM was represented by Zofia Tarcz from the Faculty of Medicine and Maria Kienitz from the English Division.

 

A lecture hall with a large screen displaying the slide “Opening ceremony.” At a white table on the podium stands a female speaker, while conference participants are seated in the rows, some of them using laptops.
Conference participants are seated in rows in the lecture hall, with laptops, notebooks, and water bottles in front of them. One person is holding a microphone, taking part in the discussion.
Three people are standing and talking in a modern interior with a green wall. One person is holding a cup with a spoon and has a lanyard with an ID badge hanging around their neck.
The photo shows a group of nine people standing in a hall by a brick wall. In the center, there is a vertical blue and pink banner with the inscription “euni well – European University for Well-Being.”
A lecture hall filled with conference participants seated in rows. On the tables, there are laptops, notebooks, pens, and cups.
Three people – two wearing white lab coats and one in a suit – are jointly cutting a large rectangular cake placed on a metal cart.