ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the reforms and modifications of the Polish higher education system in general and Lodz University in particular. It outlines generalizations about the national system and applies them to the University of Lodz, determining whether or not the university fits a national model. The University of Lodz, one of the major universities in Poland, has also been affected by the transformational processes, perhaps a bit faster than elsewhere in Poland mainly because of a dynamic and foresightful administration under the leadership of Professor Michal Sewerynski, the elected rector of the University of Lodz from 1990–1996, who had also been president of the Conference of Polish Universities. Demoralization, decentralization, and increased autonomy became principal issues in the process of transition. In post-communist countries that have discarded centrally planned systems, any restrictions on academic autonomy were seen as steps backward.
