Joint research projects, student and staff exchange, and the prospect of developing joint degree programmes are among the key areas of cooperation initiated during the visit of Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski, Rector of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (UKSW), to the United States. Meetings at St. John’s University, Fordham University, and Idaho State University mark a new stage in building strong transatlantic partnerships for UKSW.
Developing relations with American universities is an important step in the internationalisation of our University. The cooperation initiated during the visit brings together international research collaboration, the development of our educational offer, and new opportunities for academic exchange and experience. It is built on shared research interests and the academic potential of the partner institutions, creating opportunities for joint initiatives across the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and medical sciences.
-We are building strong transatlantic partnerships that are intended to bring tangible benefits to our academic community: new exchange opportunities, joint research projects, and prospects for developing joint degree programmes. St. John’s University, Fordham University, and Idaho State University are outstanding institutions with which we see many shared areas of interest, as well as opportunities to complement one another’s experience and expertise and, of particular importance, our distinctive identities. We want UKSW students and doctoral candidates to gain knowledge and experience in an international environment, while our researchers contribute to teams addressing important research challenges. We bring to these partnerships our own academic achievements, identity, and an ambitious vision for the development of the University – emphasises Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski, Rector of UKSW.
The visit of the UKSW Rector laid the foundations for developing long-term institutional relations. Key areas for future cooperation include academic exchange and student and staff mobility, including the potential use of the Erasmus+ programme, the development of joint research projects, and expanding teaching cooperation in fields covered by the academic programmes of the respective universities. This approach provides a framework for building partnerships involving different faculties and research teams across UKSW.
St. John’s University in New York is a partner with which UKSW shares a broad range of academic interests. A comparison of the profiles of the two institutions points to significant opportunities for cooperation, particularly in law, psychology, education, economics, political science, philosophy, and history, as well as biology and computer science. These fields offer opportunities for student and faculty exchange, as well as for the development of joint seminars, publications, and research projects.
An important foundation of the relationship with St. John’s University is its Catholic academic tradition, which provides a strong basis for dialogue on the role of values in education, the social responsibility of universities, and their commitment to serving the common good. In this context, initiatives combining ethical reflection with research into contemporary social change, education, and the responsible use of emerging technologies offer particularly promising avenues for cooperation.
These areas reflect the profiles of both institutions and provide a solid foundation for further developing the partnership. Cooperation with Fordham University in New York, an institution rooted in the Jesuit tradition of education, also opens up broad opportunities for collaboration. Shared areas of interest include, in particular, law, theology, philosophy, psychology, education, sociology, economics, and political science, as well as history and communication and media studies.
The convergence of academic interests provides a strong foundation for comparative research, the exchange of teaching experience, and the development of international research teams. During a meeting between UKSW Rector Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski and David Gibson, Interim Director of the Center on Religion and Culture, the participants discussed potential areas of cooperation and opportunities for closer engagement between the institutions they represent.
Key areas identified for potential collaboration between researchers from UKSW and Fordham University include the protection of human dignity and human rights, the role of religion in public life, social change, the ethics of emerging technologies, and the challenges facing contemporary education.
– It is important to emphasise that bringing together European and American research perspectives makes it possible to examine a wide range of academic and educational issues within a broader cultural and institutional context. Our cooperation will include a series of seminars, guest lectures, summer schools, and jointly prepared publications. I am convinced that cooperation with universities in New York, which are closely aligned with us in terms of their identity and offer enormous academic potential, will deliver tangible results and foster the development of both individual members of our academic community and the University as a whole – emphasises Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski, Rector of UKSW.
An important part of the visit also included discussions at Idaho State University, whose academic profile points to significant opportunities for cooperation in health sciences and nursing, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, and environmental engineering.
-This University in a ‘distant country,’ as the Rector described it during our conversation, offers an excellent basis for cooperation with our Multidisciplinary Research Centre in Dziekanów Leśny. The potential areas of cooperation could also extend to psychology and the social sciences, as the laboratory facilities of this unique institution support not only technical research, but also research into the impact of technologies — developed here on a significant scale — on society and human beings. I hope that joint research projects with this University will begin as early as next year, making UKSW its first partner from Central Europe – says Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski, Rector of UKSW.
The potential partnership with Idaho State University is particularly promising in terms of connecting fundamental research with practical applications. Potential areas for joint projects include the use of information technology tools for data analysis, environmental research, and interdisciplinary initiatives focused on health and quality of life. In the field of nursing education, cooperation could facilitate the exchange of experience in professional training, teaching methods, and the development of students’ competencies.
One of the most important dimensions of the partnerships initiated during Rector Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski’s discussions is the prospect of student, doctoral candidate, and staff mobility at UKSW. The Erasmus+ programme also provides opportunities for mobility to the United States. This opens the door to gaining experience in the American academic environment, exploring new approaches and methods, and establishing direct academic contacts that may lead to tangible research and practical outcomes.
For students, transatlantic exchange offers an opportunity to broaden their knowledge, develop language and intercultural competencies, and gain valuable experience that can better prepare them for the international labour market. For researchers and doctoral candidates, it provides opportunities to develop professional networks that can lead to joint research projects, publications, and grant proposals. In this way, academic mobility can serve as a starting point for lasting cooperation between research teams on both sides of the Atlantic.
An ambitious direction for further cooperation is the development of joint degree programmes in corresponding fields of study. The starting point will be jointly delivered courses, English-language modules, seminars, and short-term intensive programmes. The social sciences and humanities, as well as selected areas of the physical and natural sciences, represent particularly promising fields for further international cooperation with UKSW’s new partners in the United States.
The partnerships with St. John’s University, Fordham University, and Idaho State University strengthen UKSW’s presence within the international academic community. Their development, initiated by Rev. Prof. Ryszard Czekalski, Rector of UKSW, opens up new opportunities for education and research for the University community, while also enabling UKSW to contribute the academic achievements of a Warsaw-based university to the wider international research community. The Rector’s visit to the United States thus marks an important direction for the further development of UKSW: building lasting partnerships that will lead to joint initiatives and create new opportunities for students, doctoral candidates, and staff.
07 October 2026
