Corvinus University Inaugurates New Campus with a Special Guest

Hungary Today 2024.02.23.

The inauguration ceremony of the rebuilt and renovated Corvinus University of Budapest building complex was held, reports Világgazdaság. The Gellért Campus is part of a HUF 17 billion (EUR 43.7 million) development. Following János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation, and Zsolt Hernádi, MOL CEO, and Marco Rossi, head coach of the national football team, gave a presentation to the students.

“Individual freedom only exists if there is institutional, constitutional freedom. If we translate this to the university, it is academic freedom,” said János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation, at the opening of the new complex of the Corvinus University of Budapest. He explained that we have an identity not only as individuals, as Hungarians, but also through the institutions where we study and work. Looking at Zsolt Hernádi, chairman of the board of trustees of the Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation that runs the university, he said that 25 years ago, MOL’s revenue was only HUF 5 billion (EUR 12.8 million), but today it is HUF 25 billion (EUR 64 million).

Csák also noted that he wants to increase the number of foreign students in Hungary from the current 42,000 to 100,000 by 2030. He also referred to the Erasmus and Horizon Europe programs, the Pannon scholarship program, and the HU-rizont, providing HUF 10 plus 8 billion (EUR 25.7 plus 20.5 million) for education and research projects.

MOL CEO Zsolt Hernádi began his speech by saying that he had a dream: to make a really good university.

We want to make Corvinus the best economics institution in Central Europe,”

he highlighted. “To do this, we need to increase research output and the number of foreign students and lecturers, and we need a new and modern teaching portfolio.”

Construction of the new campus. Photo via Facebook/Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem

Prof. Dr. Lajos Szabó, Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest, said: “To achieve our strategic goals, we need such a space and environment,” he pointed out, adding that Corvinus was one of the first institutions to change its model.

Fact

In 2021, the government adopted a proposal to change the model of higher education institutions. This meant that the majority of universities were removed from the scope of direct state-run institutions, and the rights of founders and maintainers were transferred to trusts established specifically for this purpose. The government’s aim was to ensure the country’s competitiveness and efficiency of its universities, while expanding “academic freedom.”

The Rector explained that new interactive and creative methodologies are needed that cannot be delivered in traditional classrooms – hence the need for the new campus.

Three quarters of the HUF 17 billion development came from public funds and a quarter was provided by the university’s foundation.

The following figures were given for the building complex:

14,000 square meters of the complex
11,000 square meters of surrounding parkland and 1,600 square meters of sports facilities
3,000 professionals worked on the project
the complex development serves 680 students
the campus has 408 rooms and 180 dormitories
386 solar panels and 86 geothermal heat pumps provide renewable energy
170 bicycles can be stored in the car park
electric charging points are available.

Design of the new campus began in 2020-2021, construction started in December 2021, and was completed by November 2023. The students were consulted for almost a year to ensure that their needs and ideas were included in the project.

The formal and ceremonial program was followed by an encore: a private lecture was held in English by head coach Marco Rossi.

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Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Facebook/Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem