Poznan Induction Days 3, 4 & 5 September 201

Wednesday, 3^rd of September

After Lisbon and Sheffield is now the time to celebrate the Crossways Induction Days on the Eastern side of Europe. This year host is the Adam Mickiewicz University located in Poznan, Poland: the University has joined the programme only in 2012 and it is now ready to welcome Professors and administrators representing the ten universities of the Consortium and students from the current and past selections. Most of the participants arrived on the 3^rd of September to attend the three days meeting and were welcomed by a warm and sunny weather in one of the biggest University cities in Poland with over 140.000 students every year. The designed accommodation for all the members was at the student residence Dom Studencki Jowita, located close to the modern train station - built in the occasion of the UEFA European championship in 2012, where Poznan was one of the host cities - and only 15 minutes walking from the city center and the main university buildings.

As usual, the agenda is full and there is barely the time to leave the baggage at the residence, first stop is at 17:00 at the Collegium Novum for the first Academic Council. Late arrivals could join the other delegates for dinner and were happily introduced to the delicacies of the Polish cuisine and to the enchanting atmosphere of Poznan Old Market square by night.

Thursday, 4^th of September

The meeting celebrates its official beginning with the arrival of the last delegates and students to the Collegium Novum where the Head of the Department of Romance Studies and local coordinator of the Crossways Master, Professor Miroslaw Loba, welcomes the participants, followed by the speech of the General Coordinator of the Master, Professor Jonathan Pollock. After his general introduction of the programme and a brief presentation of the agenda on the upcoming days, it is time for the single Universities to present their facilities, courses and programmes. Seven of the ten Universities of the Consortium had sent a representative to narrate their features and remarks: Poznan, Bergamo, Guelph, Lisbon, Perpignan, Santiago de Compostela, Sheffield and Saint Andrews.

The morning ended with a delicious lunch to help the contributors gaining strength for the important event scheduled in the afternoon: the first Crossways Graduation Ceremony in the Lubranski Hall of the Collegium Minus, one of the historical buildings of the University. The Ceremony was hosted by the AMU deputy president Professor Jacek Witkoś, by the Head of the Department of Romance Studies, Professor Miroslaw Loba and by the General Coordinator of the Master, Professor Jonathan Pollock. The students of the round 2012-2014 were present to collect their Diploma of termination of studies.

During the second part of the afternoon, the Professors gathered for the Academic Council meeting with the aim to discuss the current issues and to organize the reunions for the next academic year. At the same the students and alumni started their meeting, chaired by Chiara Dalla Libera (current administrator at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and previous Crossways student). During the consultation, the students elected their new representative: Romina Cácia. Both the academic and the student meeting were attended by Natnaree Kanjanawattana (2013-2015 student representative) who reported to the council the current issues faced by the students, their suggestions and feedback. She then joined the student meeting to explain the duties of her role and to share her experience both as a student and as a representative to the new students.

            The first day ended with a delightful Gala Dinner at the Concordia Design Restaurant, where all the delegates had another great opportunity to taste the delicacies of the Polish food in a unique environment.

Friday, 5th of September

The morning of the third day started with the continuation of the Council meeting where the Professors had additional time to go through the last pending issues of the Master. During the second part of the morning, the students had finally the time to clear their doubts and ask to the Professors specific questions about their study paths, deadlines, standards of evaluation, requirements for the dissertation and for the dissertation report and more explanations about the internship and the language training.

            The open session scheduled for the first part of the afternoon aimed to encourage the students in approaching the coordinators of the different Universities and to give them the possibility to ask more ad hoc questions. After the open session - free from the academic duties – the group could finally take a guided tour of the city of Poznan: until then, they only had the time to walk from the residence to the meetings and back. Following their guide, they had the chance to know more about the history and to visit the charming monuments of their hosting city, such as the cathedral, the Old Market square and the Imperial castle.

The three days meeting finished again with everyone sitting at the table in front enjoying delicious food and discussing future projects and expectations. During the dinner, the dining companions had the privilege to assist to a private piano concert given by the second year Crossways student, César Castañeda Valencia.

Author: Chiara Dalla Libera