The University of Debrecen sets an example, forms a strong community, and radiates stability and progress, which is the result of unity, collective thinking, and conscientious, persistent collaborative work, stated Zoltán Szilvássy, Rector, Zoltán Bács, Chancellor, György Kossa, Chairman of the Board of the István Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen, and Andrea Lampert, Deputy General Chancellor, during the traditional year-end ceremony held at the Hall, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the future.
The University of Debrecen’s Rector-Chancellery Cabinet and the Chancellery celebrated the end of 2025 and the upcoming Christmas holidays with a joint dinner. More than five hundred staff members, university leaders, lecturers, and researchers attended the festive event held on Friday evening at the Hall. As noted during the event, all attendees are the cornerstones of the University of Debrecen’s achievements over the past year and key drivers of future successes.
In his opening remarks, Rector Zoltán Szilvássy emphasized that only those who cooperate, seek solutions together, and work collectively—whether in education, research, or daily tasks—are capable of achieving great deeds.
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“Over the past ten years, the university has been characterized by stability: there have been no staff reductions, no regressions, the number of faculty and students has increased, and we are among the best universities in Hungary. This is a shared success for all of us. The university walls must be strong enough to withstand any external pressure, and looking at our large community, I see that our walls are indeed strong, and I am confident they will remain so in the future,” said the rector.
György Kossa, Chairman of the University of Debrecen Foundation, highlighted that the university is unique in that it not only focuses on the present but also draws from the past to look toward the future.
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“This year has not been simple either. As in this year, next year our goal will be to operate the institution efficiently, transparently, and in accordance with regulations, ensuring long-term stability. For the past 75 years, the university has sought to be autonomous. We must continue to protect and safeguard this autonomy in the future,” added the chairman.
In his speech, Chancellor Zoltán Bács praised the University of Debrecen’s community-building strength and the dedication of its staff, which consistently enables the university to achieve its goals.
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“This community is extremely important. Without it, our visions could not have been realized, and we would not have been able to implement the ideas developed over the past years. Thanks to this, based on income declarations, the University of Debrecen ranks among the five largest employers in the country. Since the 2013 integration, numerous changes have taken place, and we have faced many challenges, but together we have successfully overcome them. Autonomy serves the institution’s interests, and thanks to it, our destiny is in our own hands—we are in charge, we decide on developments, and based on this we can trust that in the future, we will go even further,” stated the chancellor.
Deputy General Chancellor Andrea Lampert also spoke at the event, highlighting that complex economic administration and processes can only be successfully managed within a well-structured system and with a strong team, as exists at the University of Debrecen.
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“The University of Debrecen handles a large economic volume. This year, our key performance indicators have continued to rise. We processed 95,000 orders, 5,000 contracts, accepted 126,000 invoices, recorded over 4 million accounting entries, and handled more than 1.2 million HR transactions. I believe all of this reflects the work we accomplished together in 2025,” said the deputy general chancellor.
Following the formal greetings, the audience enjoyed a performance by students from the University of Debrecen’s Institute of Contemporary Music. Talented young artists Emma Adamik, László Simonyi, Dominik Király, Krisztián Varga, and Gergely Labancz performed popular classical and contemporary Christmas songs with a modern twist. The organizers also created a special Christmas-themed selfie point for attendees of the year-end dinner, allowing every guest to take home a personal memento from the university’s grand year-end celebration.
(unideb.hu)
