Dear colleagues, dear students,

The end of the year is always a period when we balance, evaluate, set new goals and resolutions. I hope that 2022 was a year of good decisions, successful steps and realized goals for all of you. Together, we have overcome many obstacles and problems during the year, we have managed the repeated waves of the pandemic, we were able to respond promptly to the war situation beyond our borders and lend a helping hand to everyone who needed it, regardless of which side of the imaginary barricade they were on.

All the components of UCM have successfully aligned the study programs and the entire internal quality system of the university. We have set new policies and processes, we have overhauled the existing structures. Many thanks to all the faculties and the institute, the deans, the director, and all the staff of the faculties for how perfectly they managed these demanding processes. Thanks also go to all the employees of the rector's office, who participated in the daily running of the university with their often invisible work.

Our university also responded very promptly to the changes resulting from the amendment of the Higher Education Act, we managed to create the Administrative Board and approve the new UCM statute in time. I thank everyone who participated in this demanding process, especially the members of the Academic Senate for their flexibility and professionalism during these demanding processes.

I am very glad that our students were able to return to their desks after a long time at the beginning of the academic year. The university thus regained the true university spirit and creative atmosphere, which we missed so much during the pandemic and online teaching. We look forward to each and every one of you, your academic achievements, your activity and commitment. Many thanks to the UCM student council for starting the real student life at UCM and everything that goes with it.

We managed to implement and complete several ongoing projects and activities, but many are still waiting for us. We are not afraid of them, on the contrary. We look forward to new challenges!

We should all strive to constantly improve in what we do. Both you employees, students, and us, your management. Only together can we move our university forward and secure its rightful place in the Slovak and European academic space.

In the current situation of instability, uncertainties surrounding the government, state and university budgets, energy prices, war conflicts, external pressures and ideas of integration, we need each and every one of you more than ever for our university to be a strong, stable, solid and opinion-forming institution in the region.

In this Christmas period of time, allow me to express a few more personal wishes. The upcoming holidays are holidays of peace, love, understanding and blessings. I would love to see the love, peace, understanding and harmony to reign here at UCM, and between us. To be considerate, collegial, honest and friendly towards each other.

I wish you all good health, peace of mind, love and understanding in your families, teams and workplaces, happiness and success in everything you do, firm faith in a better tomorrow and constant optimism.

Merry and blessed Christmas holidays and all the best in the new year 2023!

Rector of the UCM, professor Katarína Slobodová Nováková