History

Mathematics at the University of Poznań and Adam Mickiewicz University, 1919–1993

7 May 1919 First inauguration of the university in Poznań

1919 Establishment of the Faculty of Philosophy, which included two departments of mathematics:

Mathematics Department I – headed by Zdzisław Krygowski
Mathematics Department II – headed by Franciszek Włodarski

1921 Creation of Mathematics Department III, headed by Kazimierz Abramowicz

1925 A Faculty of Mathematics and Science and a Faculty of Humanities were created separately from the Faculty of Philosophy. The former consisted of 13 ordinary and 9 extraordinary departments. The ordinary departments included Mathematics Department I; there were also two extraordinary Mathematics Departments and a Department of Theory and Methodology of Science (headed by Zygmunt Zawirski).

1929 Włodarski was succeeded as head of Mathematics Department II by Mieczysław Biernacki.

1929 A course in cryptology for mathematics students at the University of Poznań was organized by request of the Ciphers Office of the General Staff in Warsaw (with Krygowski’s approval). Participating students included Marian Rejewski from Bydgoszcz, Henryk Zygalski from Poznań, and Jerzy Różycki, born near Kyiv.

1934 The mathematics section was moved from the Imperial Palace to the Collegium Chemicum building at 6, Grunwaldzka Street. It functioned there in the years 1934–1939 and 1945–1950. During the Nazi occupation (from 1941 to 1945) the same building housed the mathematical institute of the Reichsuniversität.

1937 On Abramowicz’s death, Mathematics Department III was taken over by Władysław Orlicz.

1939 Józef Marcinkiewicz was nominated professor of the University of Poznań, and was to take over the department from Krygowski in 1939/40 (he did not in fact begin work due to the outbreak of war).

In the period 1919–1939 the average number of mathematics students was around 160; approximately 20 students graduated each year.

1945 The Faculty of Mathematics and Science contained one Department of Mathematics (headed by W. Orlicz) and a Department of Theory and Methodology of Science (headed by Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz until 1955).

In the 1949/50 academic year the staff consisted of two full professors, one associate professor (docent), and eight assistant professors and assistant researchers.

1950 The mathematics section was relocated to premises in the Collegium Maius building at 10, Fredry Street.

1951 The Faculty of Mathematics and Science became the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Within that faculty, the Department of Theory and Methodology of Science became the Department of Logic (headed by Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz until 1955, and then by Seweryna Łuszczewska-Romahnowa).

In the 1961/62 academic year the combined Department of Mathematics was split into Mathematics Department I (headed by Władysław Orlicz) and Mathematics Department II (headed by Andrzej Alexiewicz).

In the 1966/67 academic year, under the reform of the system of studies, three mathematical study courses were introduced: a four-year teacher education course, and two five-year courses in theory and in numerical methods (the courses diverged after the second year of study).

1968 The mathematics staff moved to the former tenement building at 48/49, Matejki Street, which was renamed Collegium Mathematicum (it had previously been Collegium Philosophicum).

In the 1968/69 academic year the staff consisted of two full professors, five associate professors, and 31 assistant professors and assistant researchers.

1970 The Mathematics Departments were replaced by an Institute of Mathematics, whose first director was Andrzej Alexiewicz. It included the following research groups: Algebra and Number Theory (led by Włodzimierz Staś), Mathematical Analysis (Władysław Orlicz), Geometry and Topology (Andrzej Alexiewicz), Mathematical Logic (Seweryna Łuszczewska-Romahnowa, and from 1974 Tadeusz Batóg), Mathematics Teaching (Wanda Nowak), General Mathematics (Jerzy Radecki), Numerical Methods (Jerzy Albrycht), Probability and Mathematical Statistics (Roman Taberski), and Real Function Theory (Julian Musielak).

1972 A new journal was established under the title Functiones et Approximato. Commentarii Mathematici (its first volume appeared in 1974).

1978 The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry was split into the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and the Faculty of Chemistry. The Institute of Mathematics was part of the former. After Alexiewicz (1970–1987), the directors of the institute were Mirosław Krzyśko (1987–1990) and Julian Musielak (1990–1993).

1992 Computer Science was introduced as a specialisation for mathematics degrees.

Mathematics and Computer Science at AMU after 1993

In autumn 1993 the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics was split to form a Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and a Faculty of Physics.

1993–1999 The dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science was Michał Karoński; the vice-deans were Jerzy Kaczorowski, Zbigniew Palka, Magdalena Jaroszewska, and Krystyna Katulska (in 1996–1999).

Changes in faculty structure 1993–2020

In October 1993 the faculty newsletter (Informator Wydziałowy) began to appear monthly, reporting on news and events related to the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. It has been edited by Maciej Kandulski (to 1998) and Roman Murawski.

1993 Inauguration of the annual Professor Władysław Orlicz Ceremonial Lectures (see biography of W. Orlicz).

In April 1994 the faculty rented 800 m² of space in the building of the former school at the Hipolit Cegielski Works on 28 Czerwca 1956 Street.

1994 Inauguration of the annual Wojtek Pulikowski Ceremonial Lectures (see biography of W. Pulikowski).

In the 1995/96 academic year the staff consisted of 14 full professors, 11 associate professors with habilitation degrees, 3 docents, 11 assistant professors with habilitation degrees, 22 assistant professors with doctoral degrees, 20 senior lecturers, and 28 assistant researchers.

In the 1995/96 academic year the faculty had 1572 students (956 full-time, 234 part-time on five-year courses, 172 part-time on three-year vocational courses, 204 on postgraduate courses, and 6 doctoral students).

1995 Computer Science was established as a separate course of study.

1997 Tomasz Łuczak received the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) Prize in the pure sciences.

1999–2005 The faculty’s dean was Zbigniew Palka; the vice-deans were Jerzy Kąkol (1999–2002), Henryk Hudzik (2002–2005), Krystyna Katulska (1999–2002), Marek Nawrocki (2002–2005), Mieczysław Mastyło, and Ryszard Urbański.

2001 Collegium Mathematicum moved to the university’s Morasko site.

On 8 June 2001 the Council of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science adopted a resolution giving the new faculty building in Morasko the name “Collegium Mathematicum im. Władysława Orlicza” (after Władysław Orlicz).

2005–2012 The faculty’s dean was Marek Nawrocki; the vice-deans were Jerzy Kąkol, Roman Murawski, Tomasz Szulc (2005–2008), Wiesław Kurc (2008–2012), and Leszek Skrzypczak.

In the 2005/2006 academic year the staff consisted of 20 full professors, 25 associate professors with habilitation degrees, 3 assistant professors with habilitation degrees, 48 assistant professors with doctoral degrees, and 23 senior lecturers.

In the 2005/2006 academic year the faculty had 1863 students (999 full-time, including 621 in mathematics and 378 in computer science, 171 part-time on five-year courses, 176 part-time on vocational three-year courses, 53 on part-time master’s degree courses, 390 on postgraduate courses, and 74 doctoral students, including 39 full-time and 35 part-time).

2008 Inauguration of the annual Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski Computer Science Lectures (see biographies of M. Rejewski, J. Różycki, H. Zygalski).

2012–2020 The faculty’s dean was Jerzy Kaczorowski; the vice-deans were Paweł Domański (2012–2014), Witold Wnuk (2014–2020), Jerzy Szymański, Roman Czarnowski, Jerzy Jaworski (2012–2014), and Marek Wisła (2014–2020).

2013 Establishment of the Poznań Mathematical Foundation; its founders and sponsors were Wojciech Gajda, Jerzy Kaczorowski and Krzysztof Pawałowski.

2015 Creation of a course of study in Teaching Mathematics and Computer Science.

2016 The Poznań Mathematical Foundation announced the first competition for the Edyta Szymańska Prize (see biography of E. Szymańska), awarded for the best scientific work in mathematics and theoretical computer science in 2015–2016 by a woman associated with the Polish mathematical community.

2017 Creation of a course of study in Data Analysis and Data Processing.

2020 Under a structural reform of AMU, a Pure Science School was formed, and the departments within the faculty were consolidated (see departmental structure after changes made in 2020). Current departments

Since 2020 the dean has been Krzysztof Dyczkowski; the vice-deans are Tomasz Schoen, Edyta Juskowiak, and Tomasz Górecki.

In the 2021/22 academic year the staff consisted of 28 full professors, 42 associate professors with habilitation degrees, 44 assistant professors with doctoral degrees, and 16 senior lecturers.

In the 2021/22 academic year the faculty had 1149 students, including 829 full-time (210 in mathematics, 438 in computer science, 114 in teaching mathematics and computer science, and 67 in data analysis and data processing), 290 part-time (41 in mathematics, 197 in computer science, 52 in data analysis and data processing), and 30 doctoral students (28 full-time and 2 part-time).

Compiled by Roman Murawski