In the article the deliberations concerning university, its place in the present world, the status of
academics and students, and cooperation between university and business were shown. Moreover,
the authors pictured how amendments to the Higher Education Law in 2005 influenced the creation
of new fields of study. Some new majors were presented, especially the practical ones created at the
University of Silesia in Katowice. Particular attention was paid to the promotion and crisis communication,
the field of study that was developed and still is managed in a substantive and organisational
way by the academics in the Irena Bajerowa Institute of the Polish Language
