Wiadomości

Prof. Andrzej Sokala was elected Rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń for the term 2020-2024.

At the election meeting which took place on 12th March 2020 in the NCU Aula, 199 electors were present. 196 valid votes were cast. Prof. Andrzej Sokala received 181 votes in favour, 10 against, and 5 electors abstained.

For the last two terms of office, Prof. Andrzej Sokala served as the NCU Deputy Rector for Students and Staff Management.

Prof. Sokala was born in 1955 in Kamienica Polska, near Częstochowa. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (1978). After obtaining his diploma, he worked as a clerk in the National Bank of Poland, and then in Kombinat Państwowych Gospodarstw Rolnych in Wysokie (former Pilskie voivodeship). In the years 1980-1981 he served his judicial training in the Voivodeship Court in Bydgoszcz and passed the judge's qualifying exam with a very good result. In 1981 he was employed in the Department of Roman Law at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. In 1989, he obtained his doctoral degree in law, and his doctoral dissertation received a distinction in the prestigious "State and Law" competition. In 1999, he received the degree of doctor habilitated in legal sciences, and in 2011 the President of the Republic of Poland granted him the title of professor of legal sciences. Professor Sokala's research interests include Roman law and election law. He has been chairing the Department of Roman Law since 2000, and the NCU Centre of Electoral Studies since 2008.
Professor Andrzej Sokala has extensive organizational experience. In the years 2000-2005 he served as Deputy Dean (for two terms of office), and in the years 2005-2012 - as Dean of the NCU Faculty of Law and Administration (also for two terms of office). He also briefly held the position of Head of the Department of Canon Law (in 2000). Currently, he is the vice-rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń for Students and Human Resources Policy. He has promoted eight PhDs and about 230 Masters and Bachelor students in law, administration and European studies. He supervises other doctoral students. He has been a frequent reviewer in the courses for the title of professor and for the habilitation and doctoral degrees. For his educational activities he was awarded the Medal of the National Education Commission by the Minister of Science and Higher Education in 2005. He is a member of several scientific societies. In the previous term (2011-2015), he was an elected member of the Committee on Ancient Culture of the Polish Academy of Sciences (in the Committee he was Chairman of the Election Committee). He has completed scientific fellowships, among others in Rome, Padua and Perugia. He was a fellow of the Centro Incontri e Studi Europei in Rome. In 1991-2001 Prof. Sokala was the Director of the National Electoral Office in Toruń. Currently, he closely cooperates with the State Election Commission, the National Election Office, the Ombudsman and the European Parliament Information Office in Poland. In May 2000, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the Gold Cross of Merit "for his contribution to the democratisation of electoral law and the conduct of elections". It should be added that Professor Andrzej Sokala has been elected to important state bodies of the Republic of Poland. It should be added that Professor Andrzej Sokala was elected to important state bodies of the Republic of Poland. In December 2003, the Sejm elected him as a judge of the State Tribunal, and in October 2015 as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. He did not take up the latter post for reasons that are commonly known.
The rector-elect is married, has three children. He is interested in hiking and mountain climbing (he has climbed, among others, Matterhorn), collects old postcards about the Tatra Mountains, is a fan of blues and blues-rock (his favourite band is ZZTOP), is keen on abstract art (his favourite painter is Henryk Stażewski) and sport (especially female tennis and speedway).