Academic year opening ceremony at the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education
The new academic year opened for 1 386 students at the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education (II. RF KMF) on September 27. As tradition, the ceremony took place at the Reformed Church in Beregszász.
The event began with a parade of historical flags of Transcarpathia, carried into the church by college students dressed in Kuruc-era costumes to the sound of the tárogató. Afterward, Ferenc Taracközi, senior pastor of the Reformed Parish in Beregszász, welcomed the participants.
After our national prayer and the college anthem, Rákóczi Ferenc bús éneke, the guests were welcomed.
István Csernicskó, rector of the II. RF KMF, began his speech by pointing out that we are in the third year of the war, which is full of uncertainty, and in this uncertainty, there needs to be a stable point for the longstanding Hungarian community. That stable point is the Rákóczi College.
“The professional foundation of the college is stable. We are increasingly connecting with the European higher education area. The institution’s range of programs is expanding, our faculty is undergoing professional development, and we are being recognized in both national and international university rankings,”
he emphasized. He also added that while in 2020, we offered only 19 programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, for the upcoming academic year, the college will offer 30 programs. While in 2020 we started the academic year with 939 students, the 2024/25 year will begin with 1 386 students.
“I would like to thank my colleagues and staff for their work, which contributes to making our college a stable and reliable point in a world turned upside down. I also thank the students for trusting us and choosing to apply here. I wish everyone a successful academic year!”
he concluded his speech.
Following the rector’s greeting, Katalin Szili, chief advisor to the Prime Minister and former Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, welcomed the attendees.
“Today is a celebration. It is a celebration of Hungarian higher education in Transcarpathia, as it was exactly 30 years ago that the idea of establishing higher education in the region was born. This day is a celebration for the founders, the newly enrolled students, and the entire Transcarpathian community, as the future intellectuals will emerge from these walls,”
she said. She then expressed special thanks to president Ildikó Orosz, rector István Csernicskó, and all the teachers for their tireless efforts.
After the greetings, the first-year students took their vows, after which Ildikó Orosz, president of our college, and István Csernicskó officially inaugurated the freshmen as students of the institution with a handshake, followed by the Student Hymn.
“The Rákóczi College is the only institution in Transcarpathia that offers Hungarian-language higher education and vocational training for the youth living here. Thanks to its wide-ranging activities, it serves as a stable intellectual base for the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, playing a significant role in preserving Hungarian identity, ensuring Hungarian-language education, and passing on the Hungarian mother tongue. It saves values, it saves lives!”
said Veronika Varga-Bajusz, the Secretary of State in charge of higher, vocational and adult education at the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation, as she welcomed the first-year students.
At the academic year’s opening ceremony, the Rákóczi Award, established by the College’s Scientific Council, was presented. This award recognizes individuals who have played a decisive role in establishing Hungarian-language higher education in Transcarpathia and in the preservation and development of the college. Recipients are those who, through their moral stand and financial support, have significantly contributed to the education of thousands of Hungarian students in Transcarpathia, thus aiding their success in their homeland. Each year, the award is given to two individuals—one from Hungary or abroad and one from Transcarpathia. In 2024, the Hungarian recipient is Katalin Szili, chief advisor to the Prime Minister and former Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary. In 2024, the award recipients were Katalin Szili and Mihály Tóth, a retired senior researcher at the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and chairman of the Memorial Park Committee in Szolyva.
At the academic year’s opening ceremony, the “High School of the Year” award was presented for the first time. This recognition is given to one, or up to three, Transcarpathian high schools that collaborate with the college and had the highest number of students enrolled in the college’s programs during the most recent admissions period. In 2024, the “High School of the Year” award was given to the Lajos Kossuth Lyceum in Beregszász, the Reformed Lyceum in Péterfalva, the Platan Lyceum in Beregszász and the Vocational High School of the Rákóczi College.
After the award ceremony, Orosz Ildikó, president of the II. RF KMF, began her opening speech by quoting the refrain from the song Álmodtam egy világot by the band EDDA Művek: I dreamed a world for myself / Here I stand in front of its gates / Give me strength so I can enter/ Before these high walls, I still have faith. She then invited the audience on a journey through time, bringing to life the events that took place 30 years ago at Rákóczi College.
“Many did not believe in or trust the plan we started at that time, but there were those who stood by the cause and supported it according to their own abilities and in their own place. They, like us, and you, dear freshmen, have dreamed a world for themselves, and it can only be realized with God’s help,”
she concluded her greeting.
Afterwards, the representatives of the historic churches asked God’s blessing on the freshmen and senior students, the teachers, the staff and all those present.
The ceremony ended with the singing of the Szózat.
Anita Kurmay
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