The Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364, is the oldest university in Poland. It was the second university in Central Europe after the one in Prague (1348). Studium Generale was the University’s name at the beginning of its history. Modelled on universities in Bologna and Padua, it comprised three faculties: liberal arts, medicine, and law. Over more than six centuries, the benches of Krakow's Alma Mater have been occupied by many famous Poles and Europeans. It was here that Nicolaus Copernicus studied – the man who “stopped the Sun and moved the Earth”. In 1938, Karol Wojty?a began his Polish philology studies at the Jagiellonian, interrupted by the beginning of the Second World War and later continued in the university’s underground teaching. Karol Wojty?a worked at the Jagiellonian until 1954, and as Pope John Paul II he became a doctor honoris causa in 1983. Today’s Jagiellonian University combines tradition with the challenges of contemporary society. Over 45 thousand students study in 15 faculties at each of the three stages of study: bachelor, master’s, and doctoral, in accordance with the Bologna Process. The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) enables students to combine studies at the Jagiellonian with those in other European countries. The teaching staff is made up of over 3 600 academic lecturers, of whom almost five hundred are titled professors. Researchers from the Jagiellonian effectively battle for grants from European research programmes, and the University graduates do very well for themselves in the national and international labour markets. The University’s Arts heritage ensures that it is more than just a research and teaching centre. It is one of the centres of Polish and European culture. It gathers together artists, and encourages artistic endeavours among its employees and students. Publications by people connected with the University influence the world around us and join Europe’s artistic output.