In recent years, the Albert Kázmér Faculty of Széchenyi István University in Mosonmagyaróvár has significantly renewed its training offer and infrastructure, furthermore it has expanded its corporate network, and has embarked on the path of internationalisation. Sustainability, advanced food technologies, rural development and precision farming - these are some of the catchphrases that describe the new approach. The path begun under the deanship of Dr. Éva Szalka will be continued by Dr. Tamás Tóth.

"The year 2016 was a milestone in the life of the faculty in Mosonmagyaróvár, as it was the year when it joined Széchenyi István University, whose management provided all the help from the very beginning. The integration has created a new opportunity for the faculty, bringing stability, security and unprecedented development.

With the renewal of the Old Castle as our central building, we are playing an even stronger role in the life and daily life of the city. We have updated our teaching staff with young, modern-minded professionals, and significantly broadened the spectrum of our training, research and innovation activities", Dr Éva Szalka, the former Dean of the Albert Kázmér Faculty in Mosonmagyaróvár from July 2016 until last summer, enumerated the changes that have taken place.

Dr. Éva Szalka was succeeded by Dr. Tamás Tóth as Dean of the Albert Kázmér Faculty of Széchenyi István University in Mosonmagyaróvár at the beginning of the academic year. (Photo: András Adorján)

She stressed that the faculty has become an innovative workshop for sustainability, with a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary knowledge and cooperation between different disciplines.

"Several elements of the broadening of our educational palette are a curiosity in domestic higher education. For example, we also launched the first training courses for precision agriculture engineers and drone control and data analysis. Our aim is to continuously follow the challenges of the sector and to provide the country with practice-oriented training to ensure that we have professionals who can respond to them", the vice dean emphasized. She added that the faculty's new departments have also given a much stronger focus to the field of environmental protection, which is extremely important for a sustainable future.

Dr Tamás Tóth took over the responsibilities of the Dean in the summer of 2023. As he said, over the past eight years, Széchenyi University in Mosonmagyaróvár has managed to lay such strong foundations that have made up for decades of deficiencies in infrastructure, equipment and human resources.

As examples, he mentioned the renewal of the castle and its surroundings, the completion of the castle captain's building, the energy modernisation of the Deák Square and Lucsony Street units, the Insula Magna Visitor Centre and the new library. Education, research and closer cooperation with industry are all served by the university's Smart Farm, which uses state-of-the-art technologies.

The castle of Mosonmagyaróvár and its surroundings, which is the centre of the faculty and one of the jewels of the city, have been completely renewed. (Photo: András Adorján)

"For us, the change of dean was a transition, in which I continuously took over the tasks from my predecessor. I would like to continue on the path she started, so it is no coincidence that Dr. Éva Szalka continues to support my work as Dean's advisor", he underlined. He also added that they would like to take digital and automated production to an even higher level in the future, setting a model for farmers to follow.

The dean also pointed out that within the framework of the educational renewal, the faculty was the first in Hungary to launch the ESG - environmental, social and corporate governance expert - master's degree, as well as the precision animal breeding and feed specialist engineering degree.

He noted that the analysis of data obtained with precision tools is of priority for efficiency, that is why - also taking advantage of the interconnection of different disciplines - a master's degree in this field is planned in Hungarian and English.

The former and the current dean also agree that one of the biggest tasks of the next few years will be internationalisation at the University’s faculty in Mosonmagyaróvár.

As they say, the process is already underway, and the aim is to launch as many courses as possible that will provide key skills not only for domestic but also for international professionals. The institution also plans to launch joint dual courses with foreign universities and new English language courses.

Finally, Dr. Tamás Tóth said that the engineering knowledge found at Széchenyi István University, combined with the field of food industry, agriculture or environmental protection results in innovative solutions that can be embodied in specific patents and novel technological solutions in the future. "Our aim is to enter the international arena with as many of our courses as possible, to create new courses together with our partner areas, to further strengthen our corporate relations by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by our smart farm, to implement as many research and development projects as possible together with them, and to raise our scientific and publication activities to an even higher level. Our ambition is to contribute both to sustainability and to the competitiveness of the region", the Dean summarized.