Almost a hundred people received their gold diplomas in person at an event held in two parts at Széchenyi István University on 6 June. The ceremony, during which engineers and technicians who graduated from the predecessor Technical College of Transportation and Telecommunications (abbreviated as KTMF in Hungarian) over the past fifty years were honoured, took place for the third time this year.

The range of courses offered by Széchenyi István University, and with it its student numbers, have steadily expanded since the foundation of the KTMF in 1968, and its socio-economic role in the region has become increasingly important. The institution now has an international reputation for teaching and research in 11 fields of study, covering a broad spectrum from engineering, information technology and economics to law, health, sport, social sciences, food science, as well as pedagogy and the arts.

The university has welcomed not only former students receiving their diplomas from Apáczai Csere János Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences in Mosonmagyaróvár and the Faculty of Performance Arts, but also engineers and technicians who graduated from its predecessor, the KTMF. Nearly 160 Széchenyi alumni applied for this year's call, and almost a hundred of them received their gold diplomas in person at the institution's campus in Győr.

The gold diploma ceremony was held at the New Knowledge Space building on the campus of Széchenyi István University in Győr. (Photo: András Adorján)

Professor Dr Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice-president for academic affairs welcomed the former students who graduated from the institution 50 years ago and he highlighted: the university has become one of the most dynamically developing higher education institutions of the country thanks to the conscious building of the previous decades. "From the very beginning, the primary goal of our university has been to prepare students for a successful career. In the long run, the career paths of the gold diploma candidates present here are the most credible testimony to the results of this", he emphasized. The Rector also spoke about the short-term demonstration of the quality of the education, proudly sharing with the audience the recent student success of the SZEnergy Team, which won Europe's biggest energy efficiency competition, breaking the world record for the third time.

He also pointed out that since being awarded the university title in 2002, the institution has built a multidisciplinary environment and strong corporate partnerships that have led to its inclusion in seven world rankings by the two major higher education rating organisations, QS and Times Higher Education. "The value of a degree from Széchenyi University is demonstrated by the rapid job placement, above-average incomes and the several excellent career paths that have emerged from our university," he added. At the end of his speech, he praised the career path and successes of the former students with the gold diplomas.

Professor Dr Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice-president for Academic Affairs of Széchenyi István University talked about the development of the institution over the last 50 years. (Photo: András Adorján)

"Our teachers were very knowledgeable, extraordinary people, and they passed on a huge amount of knowledge to us. We were very lucky to attend here because we could study from professors who gave us both professional and human guidance for life”, Mrs. Varga (Lászlóné Varga), who graduated in fixed-line telecommunications at KTMF, recalled. She underlined that her time at the college was a defining period for her, and it is a great pleasure for her that the university is commemorating its graduates of half a century ago with such a ceremony.

Sándor Pásztor, from Balassagyarmat, also remembers with gratitude the institution where he graduated as a telecommunications technician and plant engineer. "Our college years were fantastic, we learned a lot from each other and our professors. I think back with great fondness to professor Jószef Kuti, he always impressed us with his legendary lessons and his amazing memory", he recalled his KTMF memories with emotion. He added that he was honoured to receive an honorary diploma from the university as a jubilee former student.

Gallery of the gold diploma ceremony (Photos: András Adorján)