35 Years of Stories That Bring Us Together
Thirty-five years of education, research, collaboration, challenges, achievements and, above all, human stories.
On Monday, 19 October 2026, the Faculty of Management of Comenius University Bratislava marked the 35th anniversary of its founding with a ceremonial academic event in the University’s historic Assembly Hall. This significant milestone offered an opportunity not only to look back at what the Faculty has achieved over three and a half decades, but above all to thank those who have contributed to its success.
Because a faculty is made up of more than buildings, study programmes, research findings and academic achievements. A faculty is made up of people.
The ceremony brought together members of the academic community, representatives of the University and Faculty management, former and current employees, teachers, students, graduates, partners and friends of the Faculty. Generations who helped establish the Faculty, supported its growth and are now shaping its future came together to celebrate.
Thirty-five years of courage, vision and shared endeavour
When the Faculty of Management of Comenius University was established in 1991, the story began of an institution that would gradually grow into a respected academic institution. Its development was built on bold decisions, new ideas, cooperation between faculties and, above all, the commitment of people who believed that high-quality management education had a firm place at Slovakia’s oldest university.
Over the past 35 years, the Faculty has undergone many changes. From modest beginnings, it has grown into an academic institution with 19 accredited study programmes, approximately 2,500 students and 200 permanent staff members. It offers programmes in Slovak and English, maintains international partnerships and runs joint study programmes, including a master’s programme leading to a double degree in cooperation with the University of Bordeaux.
Generations of students have changed, as have the ways in which education is delivered, the challenges facing research and the needs of society. Yet the most important aim has remained the same: to bring expertise together with openness, academic rigour with understanding, and knowledge with its practical application.
The ceremony also provided an opportunity to honour and thank the individuals and institutions that have made a significant contribution to the development of the Faculty of Management, supported its direction and helped create the conditions for its continued growth.
Special thanks go to the management of Comenius University Bratislava, the representatives of its academic self-governance and its university departments for their long-standing support, trust and cooperation. We also extend our gratitude to the Faculty’s founders, former deans and managements, distinguished academics and everyone who has helped shape its character and values over the past decades.
The celebrations also included the presentation of commemorative medals marking the Faculty’s 35th anniversary. The awards expressed gratitude and recognition to distinguished individuals and representatives of institutions from academia, public administration, the diplomatic corps, international partnerships and business. Mutual trust, openness and long-standing cooperation have helped the Faculty reach beyond its own academic community and create new opportunities for students, teachers and researchers.
As the Dean of the Faculty of Management, Prof. Peter Štarchoň, PhD, said in his ceremonial address: “A high-quality faculty is not created by its management alone; we create it together.”
These words capture the message of the anniversary gathering. The Faculty’s achievements are not the work of just a few prominent individuals, but of generations of people who have given it their time, knowledge and energy, and often a substantial part of their lives.
One of the most powerful ideas expressed at the ceremony also came from the address by the Chair of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Management, who reminded us that behind every achievement, project and decision is a person.
In his address, he highlighted humanity as a value that makes an academic community truly exceptional. He also stressed the importance of cooperation between faculties, academic freedom and a community in which everyone has a place.
This idea captures the essence of the 35th anniversary. Behind every lecture is a teacher sharing their knowledge. Behind every research finding is a team of people who have devoted their time and energy to it. Behind every successful graduate are years of study, encounters, experiences and support. And behind every thriving academic institution are many employees whose everyday work provides its firm foundations.
We do not want to forget any of them: the colleagues who helped establish the Faculty; those who devoted decades of their professional lives to it; those who are no longer with us, but whose work remains part of its legacy; and those who continue their efforts today.
A special place in this story belongs to the employees whose work is not always visible: colleagues in the study departments, library, finance, administration and technical services, as well as everyone working in support roles. Thanks to them, the Faculty can function, teach, conduct research and develop every day.
And above all, we remember our students and graduates. They are the reason the Faculty exists, continues to grow and has reason to look ahead to the decades to come.
A place people return to
The Faculty of Management is more than a place where people earn a university degree. For many, it is where they made their first major decisions, formed new friendships, began their professional lives, found opportunities and met people who influenced the direction of their lives.
It is a place where teachers become mentors, classmates become colleagues and graduates become partners who are glad to return to their alma mater.
These relationships create a value that cannot be measured by the number of publications, projects or awards. They build a community that extends beyond individual study programmes, departments and generations.
The ceremony reminded us that although the Faculty is constantly changing, its true strength lies in its ability to bring people together. Celebrating 35 years is not only an opportunity to look back. It is also a commitment to the future: to remain a faculty that embraces new challenges, supports talent and advances knowledge, while never losing sight of the importance of humanity.
As both addresses emphasised, the Faculty’s true greatness lies not only in what it can build, but also in what it can preserve as it grows. We therefore thank everyone who was there at the beginning, everyone who helped us grow, everyone who celebrated with us, and everyone who could not be there in person.
We thank our former and current deans, members of the academic community, teachers, researchers and all staff.
We thank the governance of Comenius University, our partners and our friends for their trust and for helping us move forward.
And above all, we thank our students and graduates for their trust, energy, ideas and achievements, and for carrying the name of the Faculty of Management of Comenius University out into the world.
We are 35 years old. We have much to remember, much to be proud of and much to look forward to.
And the most beautiful story? We are writing it together.