Welcome of the Dean

What are the goals, of all those pursuing a university education? What would their families consider, adequately rewarding, for the sacrifices they are expected to make, and how can these aspirations be fulfilled?  

To take things first, at the very beginning of this great path to success, we often tend to either neglect, or underestimate any proper goal setting. The process in question, is defined basically, by two guidelines, or to put it, in an even better way, by two quality characteristics our goals should always pertain to, namely, that they ought to be realistic, since otherwise they are rarely accomplished, being integrated into a timeframe, by producing specific results, too. Needless to say that, such an attitude, certainly, helps us in avoiding any delays, and prevents us from losing our bearings, or even disappointing ourselves, in the end. 

Admittedly, society expects from the University to conduce to professional success, financial security and social recognition, too. Indeed, such a “threefold”, used to be the keen desire and objective, not only of all the people, who aspire to study at a University School someday, but also of those, who support, both financially and morally, this really hard effort. Nevertheless, what are the chances of these goals being realistic and consistent with the prerequisite of a gradual personal development?

The answer to this question is rather obvious. How can one be justified to expect immediate and complete success, through their undergraduate studies? How this could, ever be possible in a dynamically, evolving financial environment and in a society that puts its values under constant reassessment? How competitive is the “hunt for success” today, in an academic environment that is growing “explosively”, and being “triggered and sparked”, by the perpetual and fervent thrust of research and the needs of society, too?

Any gradual development, as well as any steady progress, towards the path not only to success, but also to felicity, requires rationality and ability to address problems methodically, and to solve them effectively. Such a process calls for people who manage to get older, without losing their eagerness for new knowledge, their enthusiasm for making advances, improvements and discoveries in their lives, besides their respect for excellence, fostering modesty, filled with repugnance to “any novel sign of impudence” that comes in their way.

Therefore, let’s make these properties the centre of our goal setting, and let’s encourage young scientists to make their first step into the exciting and demanding field of Animal Biosciences, regarding it only as a means, and not as an end in itself, towards their path to individual development and professional independence. Furthermore, we may support them to develop critical ability, keen spirit and self respect, as they open up their own truly hard pathway, towards specialisation and innovation.

Last but not least, we, that is, the teachers and of course, the parents, should not disregard the statement of fact, that intelligent people can learn more with a question than with an answer; Bear in mind, this is the kind of scientists we seek to educate in the School of Animal Biosciences!