24Oct,2023
Annual conference of Catholic University Partnership
On October 19-20 2023, an international conference entitled "Prominent personalities of Catholic universities and their stories" was held at the Catholic University of Ruzomberok (Slovakia), which was organized by the Catholic University of Ružomberok together with the Nanovic Institute for European Studies (University of Notre Dame, USA) as part of the cooperation of the partnership of Catholic universities "CUP" (Catholic Universities partnership). From Sulkhan-Saba orbeliani University, Prof. Dr. Vaja Vardidze head of the Councill of Advisors of the University attended the conference.
The ceremonial opening of the conference was connected with the awarding of the Doctor honoris causa title to Robert Nanovic, the founder of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame, a great supporter of Catholic education in Central and Eastern Europe. The former director of the Nanovic Institute and founder of CUP A. James McAdams received the award for Robert Nanovic from the hands of the rector of the Catholic University in Ružomberok, Jaroslav Demek.
Officials and academics from Catholic universities of Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia) took part in the event.
After the opening speech of Markéta Rusnáková (vice-rector for international relations), contributions from the University of Notre Dame (USA), Ukrainian Catholic University (Ukraine), Catholic University of Croatia (Croatia), The John Paul II were heard over the course of two days. Catholic University of Lublin (Poland), Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Hungary) and of course the Catholic University in Ružomberok.
Catholic University Partnership (CUP) is a project of Nanovic Institute, that aims to support catholic university leaderships in Central and East Europe. Within the project, there are organizing annual conference dedicated to the different topics. In 2022 Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University hosted the CUP annual conference with the topic: Resilience and Recovery, Challenges for the Universities.