VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas Greetings on the Occasion of the Beginning of the Academic Year

Dear international students,

It is a great honour for me to welcome you to Vilnius University and congratulate you on the start of the new academic year. I would like to thank you for choosing our country, our city, our historic University, and our academic community. My honest hope is that our University will become a new home for you.

I believe that in the face of the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, the ideals of the classical University are more alive than ever. Tolerance, respect for human life and dignity, respect for the Other, the desire for knowledge, the will to educate and seek the truth. And they are inseparable from experiencing new cultures and perspectives, as well as learning and acquiring professional skills. You will experience all of that in our open-minded community.

Universities have always been international in their nature. Vilnius University, from its very foundation in 1579, was also part of an extensive international network of universities.

This year we celebrate the 700th anniversary of our city. In 1323, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas, invited people from all over Europe to come to Vilnius and settle down for peaceful trade and business. I am happy to confirm that our commitment to be welcoming to international community continues to stand firm.

I hope you will explore our historic Old Town and its heart – Vilnius University. Also, I encourage you not only to study, but to plan your future in Lithuania. Hopefully, you will see that on the great basis of tradition and with the help of rapidly progressing science, we are building an open and creative society – a society founded on European values and traditions. Thank you for joining us and I wish you interesting studies and life-changing experiences at our University.