Dear Members of the Academic Community, Colleagues, and Friends,
It is with great pleasure that we, the Governing Body of Pro Deo International, welcome you to the private official opening of our university. The world is in need of more high-quality education, and we cannot stress enough the importance of extensive, high-quality education for our country and the rest of the world. As the future demands for competence change radically, the role of universities continues to grow in importance—but in a different way than before. Universities are expected to be active, creative, open-minded, and unbiased, taking on the role of true pioneers. They should not merely follow others or conform to changes without question.
For this reason, ProDeo does not aim to compete with existing institutions but to complement their work. We have already established partnership agreements with several distinguished universities, allowing us to offer unique courses not available locally. Our goal is to provide education tailored to the modern world, preparing our students to face and overcome new challenges.
The world is evolving rapidly, with globalization, open knowledge, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, digitalization, cryptocurrencies, climate change, sustainable development, and resource sufficiency bringing significant changes and challenges faster than we anticipate. How can human well-being and the resilience of our country, Europe, and the world be sustained?
We need new thinking, creativity, and operational approaches, alongside steadfast political decisions both locally and globally. High-quality research and research-based teaching offer solutions and equip our students with the skills needed for the future. It is crucial to build expertise that enables lifelong learning and fosters the creation of innovative solutions—solutions we may not even conceive of today. To achieve this, we believe in working closely with other universities to facilitate faculty and student exchanges. Alone, progress can be difficult, but through cooperation with educational institutions worldwide, we can make education more accessible and cost-effective.
Our success depends on competence, and we are internationally recognized as a country with a high level of education. However, besides quantity, quality is of equal concern. The quality of education, the content of studies, and the methods of teaching and learning all require attention at every level—from early education to doctoral programs. Genuine cooperation is needed across the entire education spectrum, especially between universities and secondary schools. The evolving world and its changing competence needs demand this collaboration.
Instead of competing for limited national resources, our focus should be on productive collaboration at both national and international levels. Competition does not generate more funding; rather, we must seek international funding from the EU and global foundations while forming partnerships with high-quality institutions abroad.
All crucial guidelines and solutions for the future of higher education must address the increasing global competition for top students. We must utilize our resources and management expertise to enhance quality and competitiveness, focusing on our existing and emerging strengths, spearheading projects, and developing research infrastructures that support them. Broad-based confidence in universities’ ability to achieve the best possible educational outcomes is both desirable and essential.
To advance these critical issues, the Board has identified five key areas for development over the next few years:
We will continue working on these major initiatives, recognizing that their full development will take more than two years. These efforts should also help guide the evolution of our educational system and the higher education sector as a whole. Through collaboration and a strong sense of community—both within our institution and with our partners—we can achieve great results, foster well-being, and become true pioneers in shaping a better future.
We wish you all a happy and exciting academic journey ahead!
Sincerely,
The Governing Body of ProDeo International
