Response from the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School in connection with the Rzeczpospolita article Indian doctoral astronomy students in Law and Justice’s “forge of elites”
“Astronomical PhDs?” – SGMK welcomes everyone, regardless of political views
We strongly reject the dissemination of false information about the activities of the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School and deeply regret the unreliability of the content of the above article.
Of the 94 doctoral students at the SGMK Doctoral School, only nine are Indian citizens.
The article violates the good name of recognized scientists, SGMK employees and members of our academic community.
Lectures at the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School have been given by Nobel Laureates such as Prof. Joachim Frank, Prof. Paul Krugman, Prof. Wiliam Moerner, Prof. Didier Queloz and many other distinguished scientists, including Prof. John Tasioulas, Prof. Yochanan Shachmurove, Prof. Andrzej Dragan, Prof. Andrzej Niedzielski, Prof. Fabrizio Giulimondi, Prof. Garca Rocha, Prof. Michael Brodie, Prof. Nick Bostrom, Prof. Harold James, Prof. Gertruda Uścińska. We would like to assure in the strongest possible terms that none of the aforementioned or unmentioned persons working at SGMK is a member of any political party.
It is also untrue that the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School provides “only MBA and Doctoral School” education, as the article suggests. SGMK offers full-time undergraduate programs, postgraduate studies, as well as PhD and postdoctoral programs.
The article is unreliable and contains inaccuracies and suggestions that SGMK students use the Doctoral School “not to study in Poland, but as a means to enter Europe as third-country nationals.” Our doctoral students who are Indian citizens are graduates of renowned institutions and research centers, including the University of Hamburg, the University of Canbera, the Indian Institute of Technology, and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and have obtained the best results in the qualification procedures. They began their education in October 2024. As we conveyed to the editorial board of Rzeczpospolita, they are graduates of renowned universities and have been subjected to visa verification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It should be strongly emphasized that the opinions formulated in the article are only loosely connected associations and a political narrative not supported by logic or the real state of affairs. In addition, the cited quotes demonstrate hate speech, trying to bias readers through negative comments based on religion, nationality and ethnicity.
In connection with untrue information and statements that harm the good name of SGMK, as well as scandalous political insinuations against the academic community of Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School, we would like to refute the untrue statements contained in the Rzeczpospolita article Indian doctoral astronomy students in Law and Justice’s “forge of elites” and we urge all not to disseminate the false information contained therein. The editors of “Rzeczpospolita” will be sent a call for a correction based on the following:
1. The Ministry of Science has never stated in any documents or correspondence that the activities of the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School are ineffective.
2. The Copernican Academy does not conduct education and does not run a Doctoral School. The Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School is not a part of the Copernican Academy, and under the law it is an autonomous institution and a separate legal entity.
3. We kindly inform you that describing members of the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School academic community as affiliated with political parties or subordinate to politicians violates the personal rights of reputable scientists, is false and is perceived as intentional misleading of the public. Therefore, the editorial board of Rzeczpospolita, should issue an apology to the academic community of the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School, in particular to the following persons:
PROF. JOACHIM FRANK – biologist, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2017), Professor at Columbia University
PROF. PAUL KRUGMAN – economist, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2008), creator of a new economic geography and a new theory of international trade, Professor at CUNY and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University
PROF. WILLIAM E. MOERNER – Professor at Stanford University, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2014)
PROF. DIDIER QUELOZ – astronomer, Nobel Laureate in Physics
PROF. FABRIZIO GIULIMONDI – professor of administrative law and comparative constitutional law at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome
PROF. MICHAEL L. BRODIE – expert in artificial intelligence and big data, professor at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PROF. NICK BOSTROM – philosopher, founder of Oxford University Future of Humanity Institute, professor at Oxford University
PROF. JOHN TASIOULAS – ethicist and philosopher of law, founder of the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at Oxford University
PROF. MARIAROSARIA TADDEO – professor of digital ethics and defense technology at Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and the Alan Turing Institute
PROF. HAROLD JAMES – Princeton University
PROF. BARRY EICHENGREEN – professor at University of California, Berkeley
DR MARK ESPOSITO – professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University, ranked among the world’s top thought leaders of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
GERD LEONHARD – futurologist, one of the world’s best speakers.
The statement that the position of Chancellor at the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School is held by Mr. Wojciech Konrad is also No such person works at SGMK.
4. The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Copernican Academy have never duplicated the task of organizing the World Copernican Congress. On February 19, 2023, the Copernican Academy, for the first time in its history, organized the World Copernican Congress jointly with Nicolaus Copernicus University, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn and the Ludwik and Aleksandra Birkenmajer Institute of the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences (all the above universities received support of some PLN 5 million). Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń has never before organized a World Copernican Congress.
5. The statement regarding the duplication of tasks by the Copernican Academy with existing institutions is erroneous, as this line of reasoning defines all institutions involved in grant or scholarship programs in Poland as duplicating one another’s At the same time, we emphasize that all universities in Poland are engaged in education and in this sense they all duplicate one another’s activities.
6. It is also misleading to suggest that doctoral students with Indian citizenship did not meet the admission requirements of the Doctoral School of the College of Astronomy and Natural In fact, they have met all the requirements established by current guidelines of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, we emphasize that they are all graduates of renowned scientific institutions and universities, including the University of Hamburg, the University of Canbera, the Indian Institute of Technology, and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Of the 94 doctoral students at the SGMK Doctoral School, only nine are Indian citizens.
7. The effectiveness of academic research in Poland is determined by an evaluation process over a 4-year parameterization period. The evaluation of academic research at the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School is due for review no sooner than 2027, in accordance with the statutory 4-year parameterization period. Any earlier attempt to evaluate, determine the commensurability or efficiency of the activities undertaken is premature, especially given that SGMK began its activities in the second half of 2023.
In 2024, Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School was recognized with the “Polish Innovation Award 2024” and the “SYMBOL of Modern Education 2024” title.
SYMBOL is a nationwide program organized by “Market Monitor”, aimed at promoting companies and institutions that are unsurpassed role models in their industry – SYMBOLS, focused on the future, progress and innovative solutions.
We encourage you to read more about the undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programs at SGMK – www.sgmk.edu.pl
SGMK offers interdisciplinary postgraduate courses, doctoral studies, as well as full-time programs.
Mid-year recruitment is currently underway for new interdisciplinary undergraduate programs: Economics and Law in Practice (specializations: law in finance, law in business) and Management in Banking (specializations: international investment banking, electronic banking).
