Origin

At the end of the 80's, the communist system in Poland was leaning towards collapse. The biggest food price hikes in eight years in February 1988, with a minimal increase in wages, were under-heated by social sentiment. Those in power had to admit that the economic reforms to date had not been successful. 

State property dominated the country, the zloty was not convertible, and high inflation combined with the decapitalization of production assets and technological backwardness exclusively translated into chronic market shortages. The Business Activities Act of December 28, 1988, the so-called Wilczek Act (from the name of the then Minister of Industry), opened the way for private capital to establish companies. With the changes in the economy, there was an urgent need for managerial education. At that time Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński and his colleagues from the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw began to make plans to set up an educational institution that would conduct managerial studies of the MBA type. In Poland nobody had done anything like that before, the idea was so innovative that even the opinion-forming weekly "Polityka" wrote about it.

People brought up in a centralist-bureaucratic world of planned economy think in its proper categories. They cannot do otherwise... There are too many things they can't do differently. For example, they cannot use microcomputer networks. They don't know marketing, they don't know what to require and what to use consulting for, and we already have the entire consulting market. Accountants are usually guys with oversleeves, filling debit and credit positions – while a modern accountant should be a high-class diagnostician: to analyze and determine the financial condition of an enterprise.

Andrzej K. Koźmiński, "Polityka”, 1988

On February 6, 1989, the Round Table, i.e. the communist government's talks with the Solidarity opposition, began, culminating in the partially free parliamentary elections held on June 4, 1989. This date is considered in Poland as a symbolic moment of transition from the communist system to democracy and free market. Three days after the elections, on June 7, 1989, an agreement to establish a company called the International School of Management (MSZZ) was signed. Among its 15 shareholders were institutions: Kasprzak Radio Station, Accountants Association in Poland, Centrala of Horticultural and Apiculture Cooperatives, PTTK, and among private individuals, professors Andrzej Koźmiński, Stefan Kwiatkowski, Oktawian Koczuba, Andrzej Zawiślak, Józef Okolski and Robert Rządca.

The initiators of the International School of Management realized that Poland urgently needed to educate a group of professional managers, because local management will be the best guarantee for the stabilization and development of the resurgent free market economy. MBA graduates would become an economic elite, which in time would take over the helm of the Polish economy. The International School of Management initially operated in three rented office rooms at Siedmiogrodzka Street in Warsaw. The company's management board was joined by other scientists who worked closely with Prof. Koźmiński: Witold Bielecki and Krzysztof Obłój. Administrative matters were supervised by Mirosława Łukasiewicz-Kwiatkowska. It was there that Prof. Koźmiński and his closest associates completed a team of lecturers, prepared a program of MBA studies and started to recruit the first year of students. This involved the need to make many people aware of what MBA studies are, which were not associated with anything in Poland. One of the staff members of the large industrial team even asked: "Why is there anyone in Poland who needs this NBA (American professional basketball league)?".

The year 1989 was a breakthrough in the Polish economy. Laws providing the basis for market liberalization came into force: corporate income tax, central bank and banking law. In January, the rationing of petrol and coal and car vouchers were abolished, and in August – meat cards. The price of freedom was the country's enormous debt and hyperinflation – 640% per year. The rescue was provided by the so-called Balcerowicz's plan, the Minister of Finance, prepared together with a team of foreign consultants, who advised the government of Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, appointed after the June 4 elections.

In October 1989, 42 people began MBA studies at the International School of Management. 27 of them, completed. Original curriculum, which included a combination of theoretical and practical elements typical of MBA studies, taking into account the specifics of Polish transformation. Some classes were conducted in English and some in Polish. Most textbooks and teaching aids were available only in English. Among the students were directors of state companies and private craftsmen, graduates of technical and humanities studies. Classes were held in Teresin, 50 km from Warsaw. Why there? In Warsaw in the 80's there was a lack of accommodation, there were no hotels of decent standard and moderate prices, even the catering offer left a lot to be desired. Finding a center of excellence for farmers in Teresin, with a relatively good didactic and hotel base, was a brilliant move by Prof. Stefan Kwiatkowski and Oktawian Koczuba, who was responsible for logistics and finances of the International School of Management. Professor Krzysztof Obłój recalls that time: - The atmosphere in Teresin was unusual. During the classes we all lived there, both students and lecturers, which was conducive to intensive learning and the formation of lasting ties between the participants. In the middle of the day there were gymnastics classes, marching, playing football. We often tried to invite lecturers from abroad who sometimes slept in my small apartment in Bielany, because it was too expensive for us to put them in the hotel.

The leadership of the International School of Management was made up of people of science, not businessmen, so from the beginning they wanted the school not only to make money, but also to have scientific ambitions, if possible on a world level. In April 1990, a conference on management strategy on international markets was held, which was attended by representatives of London Business School. Subsequent international conferences concerned privatization and industrial policy.

One year later, the second track of MBA studies began and the school started additional commercial activities: short courses and trainings for government institutions and companies. The hit was the training for local government officials organized in Zakopane. Professor Stefan Kwiatkowski initiated a new area of activity, which became strategic consulting services for companies and institutions offered by the International School of Management. The political environment was also changing. The Liberal Higher Education Act of 1990, which introduced academic autonomy at state universities and enabled the creation of private universities, came into force.

The demand for managerial knowledge in a country undergoing systemic transformation turned out to be even greater than the founders of the International School of Management anticipated. However, the company had considerable limitations in the development of programs, because it did not have a didactic base - it did not have premises, equipment necessary to conduct classes, there was even a shortage of lecturers. People who conducted MBA classes at weekends worked at Warsaw University. A private company could not count on the organizational and financial support of foreign partners, which the University of Warsaw would have received, but as a state university, it could not yet charge for education.

It was not until 1991 that a chance a non-departmental International Management Center (MCZ) was established at the University of Warsaw, which could offer paid MBA studies. Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński became the director and Prof. Krzysztof Obłój became the manager of the MBA program, so there was a personal union between the International School of Management and the MCZ. A few years later, the Center was joined to the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw. Both institutions operated at the same address at 4 Nowy Świat Street and worked closely together. The University's MBA program gained foreign partners: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the Mellona Foundation grant. The third track of the MBA program led by the International School of Management could leave Teresin and use the MCZ lecture hall at Nowy Świat in the center of Warsaw.

In February 1992, the first issue of the magazine "Master of Business Administration", directed by Piotr Rządca, was published. Currently, the journal is published under the title "Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe" and is a highly-scoring, English-speaking scientific journal, since 2018 placed in the Scopus database. After two years of operation of the International School of Management, its shareholders had to answer the strategic question whether elite postgraduate managerial education has development prospects comparable to those of general higher education addressed to high school graduates.

The answer to this question was worked out jointly by the management group of the International School of Management during an exemplarily prepared and conducted strategic session. It was moderated by Professor Andrzej Koźmiński. Using the tool they taught MBA students, the professors gave themselves a clear answer: yes, right now there is a need to establish a university! In the discussion, there were voices for and against. The International School of Management was already earning money and giving stability to its lecturers, and taking on a new challenge was associated with a high risk. The most insistent on establishing the university was Prof. Oktawian Koczuba, who had the full support of Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński.

People joked that my dad, Oktawian Koczuba, created this university for me because I was taking my matriculation exams at that time and getting ready for the exams for the studies – says Prof. Magdalena Koczuba-Sobieraj, who was a first-year student and currently works at KU. – That's partially true. My dad always tried to give me the best in life, he wanted me to study at a good university.

After obtaining permission from the Minister of National Education on March 31, 1993, to run the university, recruitment for the Bachelor's studies in Management and Marketing began. On October 4, 1993, in a rented auditorium at Rozbrat Street, in the former training facility for PZPR personnel (the communist party, which until recently ruled the country, and after 1989 was quickly losing its importance), a ceremonial inauguration of the first academic year of the newly established university, then called the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, took place. The guest was Lesław Paga, President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, which was reactivated two years earlier. 

The university, with less than 300 students (124 full-time students and 130 part-time students), had big problems with the premises in its first year. Classes were conducted in rented rooms at Rozbrat Street, at Żurawia Street and at Nowy Świat Street. The key issue was to find a permanent location for the university. Henryk Pisiński, for many years the chief administrator of the entire university's campus, found a building in Warsaw's Praga district, at 59 Jagiellońska Street. The owner of the property was the collapsed ZOPAN (a company that had developed and produced scientific equipment) at 29/31 Stalingradzka Street (the street name was changed in 1992). The takeover of the premises from the factory's liquidator was based on the principle of paying off its debts to creditors. At that time, the external economic and political conditions, which were the basis for the preparation of the PEST analysis, did not look optimistic. The year 1993 in Poland was marked by persistently high inflation, rapidly rising unemployment (3 million people did not have a job at that time), introduction of new taxes – PIT, VAT and excise taxes. The highest price of the changes is paid by the employees of hundreds of state-owned enterprises that went bankrupt, like ZOPAN, and they lost their jobs. However, despite poverty (40 percent of Poles lived below the social minimum), something exceptional happened at that time – Poles felt they were the hosts of their own country, who paid taxes, but also had demands on those in power.

In the summer of 1994, a part of the ZOPAN premises at Jagiellońska Street was renovated for the university, so that from September onwards classes for two years of students could start there. There was still a great deal of disorder around and it was difficult to predict whether the former factory could be transform into a campus for the university. In December 1994, during the first Christmas Eve in his own office, the Rector, Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński, raising a Christmas toast, told his colleagues that the best business university in Central Europe educating foreigners would be established here.

This visionary declaration caused consternation among the listeners, most of whom knew the best universities in the world. However, the lack of faith in the Rector's words did not extinguish the enthusiasm for action, on the contrary. The whole team with consistency and extraordinary determination set about creating such a university, overcoming countless obstacles every day. The idea was to internationalize, with Professor Stefan Kwiatkowski as its natural leader. As one of the first Polish Fulbright scholarship holders, a UN scientific consultant and former UNESCO employee, he had extensive contacts all over the world. He encouraged university employees to participate in foreign conferences and organized similar events in Warsaw. Professor Stefan Kwiatkowski, on his own initiative, conducted Business English classes, because not all enrolled students knew English well enough. For this reason, the Rector hired the best teachers to make language competences a positive distinction for Koźmiński graduates. The first year students constituted a rather harmonious group, which quickly integrated. In February 1994 they went to a joint sports camp organized by the university in Zakopane, and in June to an integration and sports holiday in Łeba. Such trips have become a tradition of the school. The International School of Management actively promoted their educational offer. In July 1994 a ranking of Polish universities was published, prepared by "Rzeczpospolita" and "Businessman Magazine", in which the university, described here as "Professor Koźmiński's school", was among the top five most popular universities. In the summer of 1994 intensive renovation works were carried out in the buildings at 59 Jagiellońska Street, so that already in September the first renovated hall could host the second conference of the international organization accrediting universities in the region – CEEMAN. In October 1994, 900 students inaugurated the new academic year. On November 15, 1994, the university signed a contract for the purchase of the entire ZOPAN enterprise with the buildings at Jagiellonska Street. Thus the beginning of the future campus was established.

Professor Witold Bielecki was responsible for the computerization of the university, and his wife, Anna Bielecka, PhD, undertook to create a computerized system of student service. It was a pioneering period of computerization in the country. The hit of advanced technologies were Taiwanese PCs, which cost bayonets, so it was difficult to find them in offices, government institutions or public universities. 

The first procedures and rules of conduct for the dean's office and students were written by Anna Bielecka, PhD. There were no patterns that could be copied, and the need to regulate this area in an institution where the student is also a client was strong.

SOS – a student service system – was the first such system in the country. It allowed to collect and process data about credits, exam results. It contained all the information necessary for students: schedules of classes, examination cards, compositions of exercise groups, etc. It also created the possibility of transferring the reports to the Central Statistical Office. In spring 1995 this system was already operational. It underwent many changes, along with the changing technology and increasing amount of data to be processed.

– recalls Anna Bielecka, PhD, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs from 1993 to 1996. The biggest problem of the young university was its premises. In the first renovated room on the second floor of building A, where the ZOPAN conference room was previously located, the Rector and the accountant worked separated from the rest of the team by a closet. There was no hall in the building, so it had to be built urgently. Building C was built on the foundations of the former electroplating shop, and a few years later building B, where the College of Law is now located. Building B is named after Prof. Oktawian Koczuba, who died suddenly in 2001 as a co-founder of the university. Initially, the school did not employ enough people to establish departments from them, but for better communication, a transitional institution of chairmen was created, who coordinated didactic processes and scientific research within their field of knowledge. The organization and management was coordinated by Włodzimierz Piotrowski, PhD, economics and finance by Prof. Alojzy Nowak, accounting and controlling by Teresa Kopczyńska, PhD,  marketing by Prof. Teresa Taranko, quantitative methods and informatics by Prof. Witold Bielecki, law by Prof Andrzej Patulski, social sciences by Bożenna Józefowicz, PhD, and managerial workshops by Prof. Robert Rządca. The real departments were formed only in the third year of the university's existence and initially there were six of them. During the inauguration of the third academic year the Rector, Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński, presented the balance of the university's achievements so far: 1723 students, 24 employees, including nine professors, nine PhDs and six MSc's, 12 seminar rooms, two lecture halls, three auditoriums, four computer labs, 6 thousand volumes in the university library and one catering bar.

A breakthrough event was the granting in March 1996 of the right from the Minister of National Education to conduct Master's studies in Management and Marketing – immediately for 25 years. This enabled the first undergraduate students to continue their studies at the same university smoothly from October 1996, and to obtain a Master's degree after another two years. This, however, did not meet the ambitions of the Rector and the management of the university. "We want our university to become an important center of management science. We want to be a leading center!' – said then Rector Koźmiński, who decided to focus on the development of scientific research and scientific exchange during seminars and conferences.

On October 25, 1996, the first critical theory of organization seminar was held as a continuation of the tradition of Professor Tadeusz Kotarbiński's famous post-war praxeological seminar in Poland. The organizers and first moderators of this event were professors Tadeusz Pszczołowski, Witold Kieżun and Wojciech Gasparski. The seminar is still held at KU, and since 2017 it has been managed by professors already educated in the Academy: Dariusz Jemielniak and Dominika Latusek-Jurczak. In 1996, on the initiative of Professor Bogdan Wawrzyniak, the first edition of cyclical conferences dedicated to current scientific research and managerial recommendations "Report on Management" took place. Many future doctors and professors who were preparing dissertations on related topics appeared at them. Professor Stefan Kwiatkowski, who has consistently strived for internationalization, initiated scientific research in cooperation with the Swedish Lund University. He has also often represented KU in international academic forums, marking with his presence the existence of a young, ambitious research unit in Central Europe. In 1996, the first 200 graduates left the university with a Bachelor's degree.      

The number of students has increased significantly thanks to the launch of Masters' studies. In October 1997, 1275 new students started their first year at the Academy. The university grew from 300 students to 2500, and could even create its own AZS Sports Club with several sections. Representatives of the students took part in sports competitions in various disciplines in the academic league. When the first year of the Bachelor's degree left the university, the unemployment rate in Poland was more than 12 percent, so there was a question of how more and more of the next graduates, will cope on the labor market. With them in mind, the Rector appointed the plenipotentiary for graduate employment. His task was to establish direct contacts with employers, monitor the labor market and help graduates to find jobs. It was not until the second and third year of the year that the Students' Council was established. In cooperation with the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Anna Bielecka, PhD, in May 1996 the Council organized the first School Days, which were accompanied by considerable publicity. There was a special tram in Warsaw which advertised studies at the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management – still the name of KU at the time. Since then, every year students have had their event called "Kozminalia". 

In 1997 the university launched an international student exchange. The first foreign student, Monika Roberts, came for an exchange from Greenwich University in the United Kingdom. After the launch of her Master's degree, the development of the university accelerated; it was possible to establish a five-year law degree. With this perspective, the Senate of KU entrusted Professor Wojciech Góralczyk with running the newly established Department of Law. At the same time, the Senate decided to open another course of study called Finance and Banking. In July 1997 the Centre for Management Studies was established as a separate scientific-research institute headed by Professor Bogdan Wawrzyniak, Vice-Chairman of the Committee of Organization and Management Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The focus on conducting own research became an important element of the university's strategy, which already then started to prepare for the international EQUIS accreditation. The university publishing house, managed by Marek Kamiński, which initially published scripts, increasingly often prepared books and textbooks. Scientific conferences and seminars held at the Academy provided interesting materials for these publications. The International School of Management, which created the university, also conducted MBA studies all the time. Two tracks of MBA students starting their studies annually could not satisfy the national demand for good managerial education. Therefore, even two strands of MBA students started their studies annually, and this did not meet the national demand for good managerial education. The university created a new MBA program, this time specialized, for engineers, conducted jointly with the Chief Technical Organization. A year-long post-graduate studies in various specialties also appeared in the offer. The university and International School of Management did not resign from consulting and training activities. In 1997, training in accounting and finance was organized for Telekomunikacja Polska and in negotiations for LOT. As time went by, the university was more and more visible on the map of Polish higher education. In June 1997, "Wprost" weekly published a list of 12 Polish universities of international class. We were placed on the first place among non-public universities in this ranking. Professor Andrzej Koźmiński, as a leader of the community, became head of the Convention of Rectors of Non-Public Schools established by the Minister of National Education. In the same year he was also invited to the elite world organization International Academy of Management, consisting of only 180 people, where he is the only Pole.

In the fifth year of its activity the student community consisted of 3500 people and the university employed 190 people on a permanent basis. The inauguration of the academic year was honored by the speeches of distinguished guests, Prof. Włodzimierz Siwiński, Rector of Warsaw University, and Prof. Kazimierz Przybysz, Deputy Minister of National Education. A few years later both professors joined the group of academics of Kozminski University. The university continued the necessary investment processes aimed at building a modern campus. 

A team of permanent employees, strongly involved in the creation of the school, expanded and consolidated around the mission outlined at the very beginning. Their common goal was to build a university that would refer to the good traditions of Polish science, organization and management, a university that was universal enough not to become a copy of a business school of the American or European type, and at the same time using the unique experience of Polish systemic transformation. The declaration of full internationalization was realized a year later, when English-speaking management studies began. The internationalization was to include not only the didactic process, but also scientific activities. In May 1998, the UNESCO-EOLSS Department of Intellectual Entrepreneurship, headed by Prof. Stefan Kwiatkowski, was established and operated as part of a worldwide network of similar institutions. In 1998, the most important event for the university was obtaining the right to confer the degree of doctor of economic sciences in the field of management science.

At the end of the millennium the first period of transformation in Poland was coming to an end. The economic situation in the country stabilized. Polish higher education was one of the sectors that was spared the transformational collapse, mainly due to the possibility of partial commercialization of education. Only full-time studies at state universities remained free of charge, and all forms of part-time education were offered with a tuition fee. Due to the high and growing demand for higher education, 200 private universities were established in the country by that time. The good economic situation of the public universities is illustrated by the impressive investments made at that time in expanding the teaching and training base. 

The whole Warsaw and Poland have changed. More and more modern office buildings, hotels, housing estates were built in the capital, the first, 12-kilometre-long metro section was operating. Warsaw has become an interesting place to visit and see the effects of the successful system transformation. In June 1999, only six years after the establishment of the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, thanks to the special efforts of the Rector, Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński, and the consistent efforts of Prof. Stefan Kwiatkowski, the European Foundation for Management Development granted EQUIS accreditation as the first university in Poland and the sixteenth in Europe. The EQUIS mark confirms the high quality of education, which the university could already boast about. From that moment on the university is an important participant of the European market of managerial education. No other Polish university of economics or university department received this prestigious accreditation until December 2017, when EFMD accredited the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw. EQUIS accreditation, granted to a very young university at that time, was a great development impulse. It allowed to introduce international standardisation of the educational process in the form of ECTS credits, to verify the program so that it was compatible with the programs of other accredited universities in the world, to expand the center of postgraduate education with flagship MBA studies and a wide range of specialized postgraduate studies, to develop scientific activities and international exchange with other universities. The university started to play in a different league, competing with 13 thousand business schools worldwide. 

• Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management places first in all national rankinags (by "Wprost", "Polityka", "Rzeczpospolita") for private higher education institutions.
• By the decree of the Presidium of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP), Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management became a member of CRASP, as the only representative of private universities.
• Prof. Grzegorz W. Kołodko established the TIGER Research Center for Transformation, Integration and Globalization.

• Accreditation Committee CEEMAN (Central and East European Management Development Association) granted the University its accreditation.
• Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management obtained the rights to conduct a 5-year Master's Program in Law.
• The Academy acquired the rights to conduct studies on a Master's level in Finance and Banking (Master in Finance and Accounting now).

• The Academy acquired the rights to conduct studies on a Master's level in Administration.
• The Polish Centre of Research and Certification awarded Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management a Certificate of Quality System in postgraduate education.
• Prof. Robert Mundell, 1999' Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, was a guest of LKAEM.

• By the decision of the Central Commission for Academic Titles and Degrees, Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management became the first ever private university in Poland to possess the right to grant PhD habilitation in Economic Sciences, in the field of Management.
• The Ministry of National Education and Sport granted the University with rights to conduct studies in Sociology.

• Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, as the first in Poland, created a 3-year PhD program in the field of Management (Doctoral School now).
• New undergraduate program started – European Studies.
• First ever habilitation colloquium took place.
• LKAEM, as the only university in Poland which obtained a distinguishing rating for its Management and Marketing course, awarded by the State Accreditation Committee.

• We receive confirmation of unconditional EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) accreditation.
• The Students Legal Clinic began operating – as a first for private universities. The President of Warsaw - Lech Kaczyński - was the one to cut the ribbon during the grand opening.
• The grand opening of the Academy's new building by 57 Jagiellońska street. Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management now possesses 4 buildings, whose area covers a total of 21,000 square meters. During the new building opening ceremony, for the very first time, extraordinary graduates were awarded with the "Kozminski University Eagles of Success" trophies.

• The ceremony of granting the Doctor Honoris Causa title to prof Witold Kieżun by Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management. This is the first Doctor Honoris Causa title granted by a private university in Poland.
• First graduates of the Law Program receive diplomas during the graduation ceremony.
• Opening of the Judiciary Museum at the University.

• Our University joins the Global Compact – a United Nations program.
• Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management is the undisputed leader in rankings created by "Rzeczpospolita", "Perspektywy", "Wprost", "Polityka", "Gazeta Finansowa" and "Home&Market". 
• At the same time LKAEM obtained first place and a gold medal at the Polish Academic Championship, organized by the University Sports Association.
• The Euro*MBA program, created by a consortium of 5 European universities, including LKAEM, obtained the prestigious Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation.

• The University receives the AMBA international accreditation for MBA programs.
• The Central Commission for Academic Titles and Degrees made the decision to grant Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management with rights to award PhD titles in Economic Sciences, in the field of Economy.
• We have rights to conduct graduate studies in the field of sociology.
• LKAEM, as the only private university in Poland, became a full-fledged and individual member of the European University Association – which represents the academic community and is the main representative of European universities and conferences of rectors.
• Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, by the decree of the Minister of Science and Higher Education received a new name – Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego, translated into: Kozminski University.

• Kozminski University (KU) – as the only university in Poland – for the first time in its history appeared in the educational rankings by the "Financial Times".
• The Central Commission for Academic Titles and Degrees awarded KU the ability to grant PhD titles in the field of Law.
• The University obtained the rights to conduct Bachelor and Master's degree studies in Economics.
• Prof. Edward C. Prescott, a Noble Prize laureate in Economic Sciences (2004) was our guest and gave the lecture "The Depressed U.S. Economy and its Consequences for the Polish Economy".

• Kozminski University once again received a distinguishing ranking for its Management education, by the Polish Accreditation Committee.
• The Science Board of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, as a result of parametrical rating of functionality of science units, between years 2005-2009, placed KU in category 1.
• KU Rector, prof Andrzej Koźmiński received an "Oscar" throphy from the Minister of Science and Higher Education - as a tribute for the achievements accomplished by the University.

• Kozminski University joined an elite group of business universities in the world, possessing the prestigious AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation.
• KU obtained the rights to grant PhD habilitation titles in Economic Sciences, in the field of Economy.
• Prof. Witold T Bielecki becomes the Rector of the University. Prof. Andrzej K. Koźmiński, the founder and long-time Rector, steps into the role of the KU President.

• The Law Program of Kozminski University obtained a distinction from the Polish Accreditation Committee.
• Prof. Hermann Simon, world-famous author; management expert, entrepreneur; founder of Simon-Kucher & Partners, received a Doctor Honoris Causa title from Kozminski University.
• The 5th World Congress "International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics" took place at Kozminski University. A special guest – former President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa – made a speech during the opening session.
• The solemn anniversary inauguration of the new academic year was attended by Polish President Bronisław Komorowski.
• The mobile app iKozminski was developed, as the first such tool offered by Polish universities.

• Kozminski University obtained permission to grant PhD titles in Social Sciences, in the field of Sociology, as well as PhD titles in Economic Sciences, in the field of Finance.
• The Polish Accreditation Committee made the decision to provide KU with distinction for its Administration Program.
• The founder of IKEA, lngvar Kamprad, received the Doctor Honoris Causa title from Kozminski University.
• Prof Edmund Phelps, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, was a guest of Kozminski University during the scientific conference "Management and economic policy for development".

• President of Kozminski University, Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński, received a special award for the University from the "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" journal, for skillful connection of education and business. The journal awards companies, that bring Poland closer to the world.
• Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist of the World Bank, was a guest of Kozminski University, for the first time in our history.
• KU students took first place in the "Entrepreneurship, finance and management" contest, organized by the Educational Foundation for Entrepreneurship.
• Kozminski University received a distinction for its academic exchange program ERASMUS, in the institutional category in the EDUinspiracje (EDUinspiration) contest.
• The director of the TIGER Research Center at KU, Prof. Grzegorz W. Kołodko organized the "Quarter of a century of transformation, and what's next?" conference, during which, 3 former prime ministers made an appearance: Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and Waldemar Pawlak.

• Kozminski University forms a strategic alliance with ESCP Business School in Paris, the oldest and one of the best business schools in the world.
• KU Executive MBA ranked first in the ranking of MBA programs published by the “Wprost” weekly.
• Kozminski University hosted an international conference EURAM'15 – European Academy of Management.
• In the competition "Leaders of University Management LUMEN" Kozminski University won two statuettes: for university management and for internationalization.
• In the ranking of "Most Attractive Employers" KU won the first place in three categories, including the category the best preparation for entering the labor market awarded by the university students.
• The University of Szczecin awards an honorary doctorate to Professor Andrzej K. Koźmiński, President of Kozminski University.
• Prof. Dariusz Jemielniak on the Wikimedia Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
• GrowPoint, the university entrepreneurship accelerator started to operate.
• A blog run by our students (studentsinwarsaw.com) won the contest for the Company Blog of the Year 2015 in 2 categories: "A young blog" and "A blog of a large company".

• Kozminski University obtained the rights to grant PhD habilitation titles in Law Sciences, in the field of Law.
• KU Master Program in Finance and Accounting obtained CFA Institute Recognition.
• KU’s College of Law, celebrating its 15th anniversary, ranked first in “Rzeczpospolita’s” ranking of law studies on the category of non-public higher education institutions.
• The first Ph.D. defense in economic science conducted jointly by KU and ESCP
• KU scientists have created the Balanced Development Index to assess the level and degree of sustainability of Poland's socio-economic development, as well as to prepare a forecast for the next few years.
• Kozminski University held a DEBATE OF THE PRIME MINISTERS – a conference of 8 former deputy prime ministers responsible for the Polish economy  and the current Minister of Finance and Development, Mateusz Morawiecki.  
• Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński, the President of Kozminski University, received the "Wektor" statuette – from the oldest and the biggest employer organization, the Employers of Poland – for creating one of the most important academic institutes in Poland and for building cooperation between science and business environments.
• Kozminski University received the Diamond Grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education – for financing projects of the most talented students.
• Management student Agnieszka Kobus returns with a bronze Olympic medal from Rio de Janeiro.
• Gold and bronze medals for KU tennis players at the European Student Games.
• KU’s Academic Sports Association remains the Polish academic champion in the category of non-public higher education institutions continuously since 2009.

• KU independently represents Poland in the "Financial Times" ranking of the best Executive MBA studies, taking 17th place in Europe and 68th in the world.
• The AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International Board of Directors decided to extend Kozminski University's accreditation.
• Professor Andrzej K. Koźmiński, the President of Kozminski University, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by ESCP Europe in Paris, the oldest business school in the world.
• Kozminski University and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) signed an agreement, which will help our students obtain an international management accounting diploma.

• The Polish Accreditation Committee has awarded Kozminski University with a distinction for education in finance and accounting.
• Professor Edward C. Prescott, who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in the field of economics in 2004, has become a doctor honoris causa of Kozminski University.
• In the "Financial Times" global rankings, KU is spectacularly ranked 17th in the Masters in Finance ranking, 20th in the Masters in Management ranking and 74th in the Executive MBA ranking. Once again, KU is the best business school in Central and Eastern Europe.
• The Master in Finance and Accounting program at KU was granted the ACCA accreditation.Thus, this program – as the only one in Europe – has three prestigious accreditations of professional associations: CFA, CAIA, ACCA.
• KU’s Doctoral School is launched.

• The Polish Accreditation Committee has awarded us a distinguishing mark for our management programs forthe third time.
• Prof Andrzej K. Koźmiński, the President of KU, received an award as part of the "lnternationalization Stars 2019", awarded by representatives of Polish universities. Also he was among the laureates of the THINKTANK center "To whom is Polish business listening to?" ranking.
• A consortium with the participation of ESCP Business School, Kozminski University and four other leading business universities announced the EU4E project: creation of a European University specializing in entrepreneurship education.
• Kozminski University has opened their Bloomberg Laboratory. Thanks to this solution, the learning process is based on real analyses, indicators and information from all financial markets in the world.
• Jubilee of the 30th anniversary of the MBA program. The KU graduate community holding an MBA title is over 5000 people.

• Prof. Grzegorz Mazurek has been appointed Rector by the Board of Trustees and the Senate of Kozminski University for the term 2020-2024. The former Rector, Prof. Witold Bielecki becomes the President of KU, and Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński – the Honorary President of KU.
• The University was included in the first edition of the Positive Impact Rating as one of 30 business schools in the world and the only one from Poland.
• As the first university in Poland, KU also announced its Sustainable Development Goals – its own program prepared for 2020-2030, consists of 6 out of 17 goals from the UN Resolution. 
• KU received the Business School Impact System (BSIS) certification, showing the real impact on the socio-economic environment. 
• In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the digital transformation of the University has gained momentum. The University has successfully implemented the online learning process on all levels and modes of studies. 

• Kozminski University has joined the group of the world's leading business schools which form the EMBA Consortium - Executive MBA Consortium for Global Business Innovation.
• The University became a member of the RRBM - Responsible Research for Business and Management, a virtual organization and community of scientists from all over the world.
• The University has introduced online programs to its educational offer: Bachelor and Master programs in management as well as postgraduate studies and trainings in selected areas. 
• The University was awarded the title "Trustworthy Brand 2021" in the category "Business Education" by Polish entrepreneurs and managers.
• The Wellbeing Office has officially started its operation.
• KU sportsmen and sportswomen were qualified to the National Academic Team.
• KU started using renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic panels, and an apiary was built on the University's roof.
• In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the safety of the KU community, hybrid and online learning dominated.

• In reaction to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and as a gesture of solidarity with Ukrainians, a  refugees support point based fully on volunteers’ work operated at the University.
• We have obtained the AACSB accreditation once again for the next 5 years. Thus, our University remains one of about 100 elite business schools in the world that hold the so-called "triple crown" accreditation (EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB). 
• For the first time ever, KU became the leader of the Financial Times' Executive Education Open ranking in Central Europe (ranked 64th worldwide).
• Kozminski University in the international Positive Impact Rating (PIR) has moved up to the group of schools with a positive impact culture, embedded in governance and systems, with visible results and progress in many impact dimensions
• The KU Faculty  of Law celebrated its 20th anniversary.
• Prof. Andrzej K. Koźmiński, KU Honorary President, was awarded an honoris causa doctorate by the University of Warsaw.
• KU students named the best tennis and chess players in Europe at EUSA European Academic Games
• The 1st mountain hike – Kozminski Beskid Trip, with the participation of students and faculty of our University, took place.
• KU’s first honey harvest from hives installed on the University's roof

• Prof. Eric Cornuel, President of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), received an honorary doctorate from Kozminski University.
• The University has established its own endowment – the first in the Polish academic environment. Profits earned will be used to support the development of young generations, academic staff and scientific research.
• KU was ranked by THE Times Higher Education Impact among universities from around the world that are making a positive impact on the future by pursuing global sustainable development goals.
• The University received a distinction from the UN Global Compact Network Poland for its climate protection activities.
• The Kozminski@TopHighSchool Program has been launched, the aim of which is the university's cooperation with the best high schools in Poland.
• Kozminski University together with Microsoft organized the conference "ChatGPT in education - evolution or revolution?".
• We are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of our University. On this occasion, among others, the book "The Future Is Today. Trends Shaping Business, Society and Leadership" was published, prepared by 60 prominent KU scientists.
• Time Capsule burial ceremony. The capsule contains a letter to the future community of Kozminski University, as well as items typical for the present time. It will be opened in 20 years.