On Monday September 6, in the Museum of Ethnography, distinguished academics received the appointment documents for "egyetemi tanár" status. Among those appointed was Anton Pelinka, Professor, Department of Political Science / Department of Nationalism Studies.
"Egyetemi tanár" appointments, the highest academic category in Hungarian higher education, can only be made by the Hungarian President. Generally the procedure to receive the "egyetemi tanár" title if all criteria are met takes a year. At CEU there is a "CEU Egyetemi Tanár Evaluation Committee" which submits the proposal to the University's Senate for internal screening. If the Senate decides to propose a nomination after the screening, it is made public and sent to the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) for external review. Receiving the "egyetemi tanár" title, beside its prestige in Hungary, has immense importance for the University's Hungarian accreditation process of its doctoral and master's programs, since one of the conditions of the accreditation process is the number of institutionally recognized "egyetemi tanár" holders within the university. Presiding and handing over the documents at the ceremony were Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, Miklós Réthelyi, Minister for National Resources and Rózsa Hoffmann, State Secretary (Ministry for National Resources).