Improving European Universities. International Conference on Gender (In)equality in Academia
On November 21-22, 2024, the University of Rzeszów hosted an International Conference entitled "Improving European Universities: International Conference on Gender (In) Equality in Academia". This event was part of the project "UR Welcome – Increasing the Degree of Internationalization of the University of Rzeszów", financed by the NAWA Welcome to Poland program. The conference was organized by the Office for Equal Treatment of the University of Agriculture, under the leadership of the Academic Ombudsman, Dr. Joanna Uliasz, with substantive support from the Institute of Legal Sciences of the University of Rzeszów.
The conference was a result of the implementation of the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) by the University of Rzeszów, which is an eligibility criterion (a mandatory requirement of the European Commission of the EU) for projects from the EU Framework Programme Horizon Europe.
The conference covered three thematic areas:
- Experience of implementing GEP at various European universities;
- Regulations of Polish law in the field of prevention of discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), and mobbing at the university;
- Systemic solutions in the field of counteracting discriminatory practices and various forms of violence against students that may appear in the academic community.
In the first thematic area, Prof. Cilia Willem from the University of Rovira and Virgili in Spain (a leading university in the implementation of GEP) delivered a keynote speech titled "Gender Equality Plans at the University: Challenges and Rewards". Subsequently, papers were presented by Dr. Magdaléna Musilová from Comenius University in Bratislava, Telma Velez from the University of Iceland, Dr. Janine Hicks from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Dr. Ana Kaminska from Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, as well as professors from the University of Rzeszów: Roman Uliasz (attorney-at-law, sworn translator of English) and Paweł Korzeniowski.
In the second thematic block, employees of the Institute of Legal Sciences of the University of Rzeszów presented their work: Dr. Wojciech Kosior (prosecutor), Dr. Agata Ludera Ruszel (judge), and Dr. Artur Trubalski (attorney-at-law). Their presentations addressed the broadly understood liability of the employer (rector) for violating provisions of labor law, civil law (on the prohibition of discrimination, counteracting mobbing, and the protection of personal rights), and criminal law provisions regarding the commission of malicious offenses or persistent violations of employee rights.
The third group of issues was presented by Dr. Sławomir Bździuch (ILS UR) and students of the University of Rzeszów, including the Students' Ombudsman, Wiktoria Bednarz (law student at ILS UR).
In addition to foreign guests, the conference was attended by representatives of Polish research centers. The event featured heated discussions and exchanges of views on the need to implement the GEP, its material scope, and barriers to the implementation of the gender equality plan, which is considered a fundamental value of the EU.
Duration and place: 21-22 November 2024, Rzeszów
