On 01 January 2020, University changed its departmental organisational structure.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering was changed into the Faculty of Automatic Control, Robotics, and Electrical Engineering.

1. THE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AT THE GOVERNMENT HIGHER SCHOOL OF MACHINE CONSTRUCTION AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (PWSBMIE) IN THE YEARS 1929-1945

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Poznan University of Technology was created in 1929. By its 15 October 1929 ordinance, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education changed the name of the Government School of Machine Construction in Poznan, which was created in 1919, into the Government Higher School of Machine Construction and Electrical Engineering (PWSBMiE) and established the Faculty of Electrical Engineering as the School’s second faculty (the Faculty of Machine Construction was started in 1919 and was the School’s first). The Faculty of Electrical Engineering started its teaching activities on 01 February 1930, which is 90 years ago.

The Faculty was created as a response to demand of the technical and economic environment in Poznan and Wielkopolska at large. The city of Poznan already had trams and trolleybuses (Poznańska Kolej Elektryczna), a radio station in ul. Bukowska, three power plants: in ul. Grobla, in Spółka Akcyjna H. Cegielski (H. Cegielski S.A.) and ul. Garbary, newly established in 1929. The city’s power grid was being extended. It also needs to be stressed that Poznan organised the Polish General Exhibition (Powszechna Wystawa Krajowa, the famous PeWuKa) in 1929. It is also worth pointing out that as early as in 1928, Koło Stowarzyszenia Elektryków Polskich (the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers, SEP) originated from Koło Elektrotechników Polskich (the Association of Polish Electrical Technicians, established in Poznan in 1919. Koło Stowarzyszenia Elektryków Polskich members helped to convince the authorities that Poznan should educate electrical engineers for the sake of the developing city and its emerging industry. In the first activity period, studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at PWSBMiE (1930-1939) lasted 3.5 years.

The first year was the same for the Faculty of Machine Construction and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. For this reason, as early as on 20 January 1932 the first seven Faculty of Electrical Engineering graduates at PWSBMiE were able to defend their diploma theses. Until 1939, the number of graduates totalled 182. Zdzisław Bitner was the first. His diploma thesis was titled: Opracowanie koncepcji sieci i zasilania energią elektryczną miasta dla ok. 600 tysięcy mieszkańców (“The Concept of a Power Grid And Delivering Power to a City With About 600 000 Inhabitants”.

PWSBMiE students graduated with the degree of technologist. During the studies, students completed their internship in the School’s mechanical workshop. They also completed a two-month industrial internship during summer holidays. The latter was organised by the students themselves based on an employment contract in the following companies: H. Cegielski S.A. Poznan, Wiepofama, Wielkopolska Odlewnia and Fabryka Narzędzi i Maszyn S.A. Poznan. Studies at Polish two existing universities of technology, namely Warsaw University of Technology and Lviv Polytechnic National University and AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow lasted four years and granted its graduates the degree of engineer. Vocational training of both PWSBMiE’s and Warszawska Szkoła im. Wawelberga i Rotwanda’s (a school with a similar status) graduates was thought of very highly. They were readily employed in different companies and were promoted quite quickly.

In PWSBMiE, Bratnia Pomoc (Brotherly Support), a student organisation, functioned, which supervised the Dormitory, a dining area, and a bookshop with scripts, learning materials, and stationery. By decree by the Council of Ministers of 03 February 1947, all PWSBMiE’s graduates were granted the degree of engineer. Some PWSBMiE Faculty of Electrical Engineering lecturers were: Zygmunt Butlewski, Stanisław Idźkowski, Bazyli Iwaniuk-Kowalczuk, Marian Jarkowski, Eugeniusz Jezierski, Stanisław Rejowicz, Jan Rybarski, Antoni Schoenhuber, Władysław Ślebodziński, Józef Węglarz, and Wilhelm Zielonka.

 The first head of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was Bazyli Iwaniuk- Kowalczuk (1930–1936) and in 1936, the Faculty was led by Stanisław Rejowicz. PWSBMiE had the following directors: Wiktor Maćkowiak (1919-1930), Bolesław Orgelbrand (1930-1936), Tadeusz Świeżawski (1936-1938), and Stanisław Rejowicz (1938-1939). Under German occupation, the School ceased its activity. Faculty of Electrical Engineering lecturers and students were dispersed. Many of them spent the occupation years in concentration camps.

2. THE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AT THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING (SZKOŁA INŻYNIERSKA) IN THE YEARS 1945-1955

PWSBMiE resumed its activity just before World War 2 ended, in April 1945. By the 03 September 1945 decree, the Minister of Education changed PWSBMiE into the School of Engineering with the following faculties: Building Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Apart from the School of Engineering, thanks to the Polish Engineering Association’s (NOT) efforts, Poznan Part-Time School of Engineering (WSI) was created in 1950 with the following faculties: Land and Water, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The first dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at SI was Alojzy Kotecki, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at WSI – Czesław Rukszto. In 1946, Józef Węglarz, a Gdańsk University of Technology graduate, became the dean of SI. He fulfilled that role till 1955.

In the years 1945-1955, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the School of Engineering ran a “strong current” field of study (Electrical Engineering) in the specializations: Power Stations, Power Grids, Electrical Machines, Electrical Installations, Electrical Devices and Industrial Electrical Engineering, as well as some “weak current” specializations (Communication, Telecommunications): Radioengineering, Telecommunication Engineering, and Wired Transmission.

The first lecturers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at SI and WSI were: Bolesław Bielecki, Zygmunt Butlewski, Stanisław Idźkowski, Alojzy Kotecki, Franciszek Lipiński, Stanisław Olszewski, Jerzy Penkala, Stanisław Rejowicz, Jan Rybarski, Czesław Rukszto, Konrad Szukalski, Kazimierz L. Szymański, Antoni Schoenhuber, Józef Węglarz, Jan Zborowski, Wilhelm Zielonka, and Roman Zimmerman. In 1951, the Faculty of Engineering at WSI employed Stefan Seidel. 3 years later, i.e. in 1954, he was employed by the Faculty of Engineering at SI. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at SI had the following laboratories: the Laboratory of Electrical Machines and Measuring (head: Stanisław Rejowicz), Laboratory of Radioengineering (head: Roman Zimmerman), Laboratory of Telecommunication Engineering (head: Władysław Szubert), Laboratory of High Voltages (head: Jan Zborowski), and Laboratory of Electricity (head: Piotr Okrzos). In 1952, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was divided into the following chairs: Basics of Electrical Engineering (head: Konrad Szukalski), Electrical Machines (head: Józef Węglarz), Electrical Measuring (head: Jerzy Penkala), Electrical Drives (head: Kazimierz L. Szymański), Receivers and Transmitters (head: Władysław Szubert), Electrical Grids (head: Jan Zborowski, from 1954 Stefan Seidel), Low-Voltage and High-Voltage Electrical Devices (head: Bolesław Bielecki), and Mathematics (head: Zygmunt Butlewski).

3. THE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AT POZNAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE YEARS 1955-2019

Following the 03 September 1955 resolution by the Council of Ministers, the School of Engineering and Poznan Part-Time School of Engineering was merged into Poznan University of Technology, a fully academic institution with the right to educate students up to the tertiary level.

Apart from the didactic activity, which was dominant in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at PWSBMiE between the years 1930-1939 and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the School of Engineering and Poznan Part-Time School of Engineering in the years 1945-1955, scientific research and education of academic staff was started. The Faculty’s employees received the first scientific titles of doctor of technical sciences: Tadeusz Puchałka (1956), who moved from Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza (AGH University of Science and Technology) in Kraków to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, in February 1956, and Leonard Łada-Czarnowski (1959), Stefan Seidel (1959), Zygmunt Szwaja (1961), Kazimierz L. Szymański (1961), Zdzisław Kachlicki (1962). Starting in 1955, the Ministry of Higher Education decided that the Faculty of Electrical Engineering studies be conducted only within “strong current” specializations. “Weak current” ones were discontinued. The Faculty’s lecturers, who fulfilled important roles in the didactic process, were promoted to professor associates, titles that were available for university teachers. In 1955, the positions were held by: Bolesław Bielecki, Leonard Łada- Czarnowski, Jerzy Penkala, Stefan Seidel, Władysław Szubert, Konrad Szukalski, Kazimierz L. Szymański, and Józef Węglarz.

The Faculty’s organisational structure was also updated and the following chairs were created: Industrial Automatic Control and Electronics (head: Władysław Szubert), Agriculture Electrification (deputy head: Stefan Biedroń), Physics (head: Alfons Zajączkowski), Electrical Machines (head: Józef Węglarz), Electrical Measuring (head: Jerzy Penkala), Electrical Drives (head: Kazimierz L. Szymański), Basics of Electrical Engineering (head: Konrad Szukalski), and Electrical Grids (head: Stefan Seidel). Mathematician Zygmunt Butlewski (1956) was the first to be granted the title of extraordinary professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, and the roles of associate professors were subsequently granted to the following: Józef Węglarz (1957), Tadeusz Puchałka, Stefan Seidel, and Władysław Szubert (1959) [5].

In 1961, Zbigniew Jasicki of the Silesian University of Technology started work at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Following from that, in 1962 the Chair of Electrical Grids was divided into two: the Chair of Electric Power Engineering with prof. Zbigniew Jasicki as its head and the Chair of Electrical Devices and High Voltages headed by prof. Stefan Seidel. In 1966, associate professor Stanisław Góra moved from Gdańsk University of Technology to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology. Also, associate professor Mieczysław Frąckowiak was moved from Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń.

 In 1963, Kazimierz L. Szymański as the first didactic employee of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, obtained the degree of habilitated doctor of scientific sciences at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology. In 1964, the title of extraordinary professor was conferred on Stefan Seidel.

In 1966, the independent scientific staff at the Faculty of Electric Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, comprised of the following: Zygmunt Butlewski, Zbigniew Jasicki, and Stefan Seidel, and the following associate professors: Mieczysław Frąckowiak, Stanisław Góra, Tadeusz Puchałka, Władysław Szubert, Kazimierz L. Szymański, and Józef Węglarz. This allowed the Faculty of Electrical Engineering to apply for the ability to confer a doctoral degree in the scientific discipline: the Electrical Engineering. The qualifications were given to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, in November in 1966. On 26 April 1967, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Board, Poznan University of Technology, conferred a doctoral degree in science in the discipline of the Electrical Engineering to Bolesław Zaporowski, a staff member. In 1968, associate professor Józef Węglarz received the title of professor, prof. Artur Metal moved from Szczecin University of Technology to Poznan University of Technology (1968), prof. Józef Wąsowski moved from the Silesian University of Technology (1968), and associate professor Mirosław Dąbrowski moved from Łódź University of Technology (1967). The Faculty’s following staff members were given the title of habilitated doctor in Electrical Engineering: Mieczysław Banach at Warsaw University of Technology (1968), Czesław Królikowski at Łódź University of Technology (1968), Aleksander Kordus, the Silesian University of Technology (1969), Zygmunt Szwaja at the Silesian University of Technology (1969), and Antoni Woźniak, Warsaw University of Technology (1969). The Faculty’s following staff members became associate professors in 1968: Stefan Biedroń, Bolesław Bielecki, Stanisław Grzybowski, and Zbigniew Stein. All this made it possible for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, to obtain the right to confer the scientific title of habilitated doctor in the discipline of Electrical Engineering in 1969.

The first such degree was given to Jan Węglarz, the Faculty’s staff member, by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Board, Poznan University of Technology in 1977. In 1970, the state authorities decided to divide the Faculty into institutes. The chairs were replaced with three institutes: Electric Power Engineering (the first director of which was Stefan Seidel and subsequently Czesław Królikowski (1975-1996), Józef Lorenc (1996-2019), and Zbigniew Nadolny since 2019), Industrial Electrical Engineering (the first director of which was Mieczysław Banach and subsequently Zbigniew Stein (1981-1990), Ryszard Nawrowski (1990-2002 and 2008-2019), Konrad Skowronek (2002-2008), and Wojciech Szeląg since 2019), and Automatic Control (the first director of which was Antoni Woźniak and subsequently Zygmunt Szwaja (1981-1987) and Jan Węglarz (1987-1988). In 1974, the fourth institute, the Institute of Electronics, was set up in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology. It has been headed by the following people: Artur Metal, Jarosław Gąszczak in the years 1977-1981, and Zdzisław Kachlicki since 1981).

Starting from the 1970s, as didactic staff and laboratories developed, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, decided to start new fields of electrical studies: Telecommunication (from 1975; in 1991, the name was changed into Electronics and Telecommunication), Computing (from 1976) and Automatic Control and Robotics (from 1988), which was novel in the entire country. Thus after a twenty-year break (1955-1975) at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, studies in the field of the so called “low current” were commenced. At the same time in the 1970s and 1980s, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering conducted intensive scientific research and educated scientific staff not only in one discipline of Electrical Engineering, but also in the following disciplines: Automatic Control and Robotics, Computing, and Telecommunication.

Many staff members of the Faculty obtained the degree of doctor and habilitated doctor of technical sciences as well as professor academic titles. This allowed the Faculty to confer the scientific title of doctor and habilitated doctor in the following disciplines in 1988: Automatic Control and Robotics and Telecommunication, and since 1991, Computing. Starting in 1991, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, as one of the few such faculties in Poland had the right to confer the scientific title of doctor and habilitated doctor in the four following disciplines: Automatic Control and Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computing, and Telecommunication.

Progress in scientific and research and didactic activity was followed by changes in the Faculty’s organisational structure. In 1984, the Centre of Computing (headed by Zbigniew Kierzkowski) was moved to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Until then the Centre had been an inter-faculty unit. In 1985, the Institute of Electronics changed its name to the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication (headed by Zdzisław Kachlicki, and Andrzej Dobrogowski since 1989). In 1988, the Institute of Automatic Control changed its name to the Institute of Computing, Automatic Control and Robotics (headed by Jan Węglarz), and in 1990 – to the Institute of Computing (headed by Jan Węglarz). The Division of Automatic Control and Robotics was also created (headed by Antoni Woźniak).

In 1992, the Division of Automatic Control and Robotics and the Centre of Computing was merged to create the Chair of Automatic Control, Robotics and Computing (headed by Antoni Woźniak, Janusz Stokłosa in the years 1996-1999, and Andrzej Kasiński since 1999). In 2001, the Institute of Computing at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, and the Institute of Engineering Management, the Faculty of Machine Construction, Poznan University of Technology, created a new faculty, namely the Faculty of Computing and Management. A dozen or so staff members of the Institute of Industrial Electrical Engineering, the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, and the Chair of Automatic Control, Robotics, and Computing moved to the Faculty. After that, the Faculty of Computing and Management was given the right to confer the degree of doctor and habilitated doctor in the discipline of Computing, rather than the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.

In 2002, the Chair of Automatic Control, Robotics, and Computing was changed into the Institute of Automatic Control and Information Engineering (headed by Andrzej Kasiński, and Paweł Drapikowski since 2016).

In 2003, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, was extended to include the Institute of Mathematics (headed by Jarosław Werbowski, and Ryszard Płuciennik starting from 2012), which was an inter-faculty unit until 1970.

In 2006, the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, apart from the Division of Metrology was changed into a new faculty at the University, namely the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunication. After that, the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunication was given the right to confer the degree of doctor and habilitated doctor in the discipline of Telecommunication, rather than the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. In the same year, the Institute of Industrial Electrical Engineering changed its name to the Institute of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Electronics (headed by Konrad Skowronek, Ryszard Nawrowski from 2008, Wojciech Szeląg since 2019). It comprised of the new Division of Metrology and i Optoelectronics (headed by Anna Cysewska-Sobusiak, and Grzegorz Wiczyński since 2017). In 2017, the Institute of Automatic Control and Information Engineering changed its name to the Institute of Automatic Control, Robotics, and Information Engineering (headed by Paweł Drapikowski).

Since 2006, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering has had the right to confer the scientific title of doctor and habilitated doctor in the two following disciplines: Automatic Control and Electrical Engineering. In 2018, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering as Poland’s first faculty of this kind, acquired the right to confer a doctoral degree in the scientific discipline of Power Engineering. Since 1955, the consecutive Deans of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology have been: Stefan Seidel (1955-1956 and again in the years 1958-1960), Konrad Szukalski (1956-1958), Józef Węglarz (1960-1969), Zbigniew Stein (1969-1977 and again in the years 1990-1996), Aleksander Kordus (1977-1981), Aleksander Szaflarski (1981-1987), Bolesław Zaporowski (1987-1990 and again in the years 1996-2002), Ryszard Nawrowski (2002-2008), Konrad Skowronek (2008-2013), and Zbigniew Nadolny (2013-2019).

Until 31 December 2019, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, comprised of the following Institutes: Electric Power Engineering (headed by Józef Lorenc, Zbigniew Nadolny since 01 October 2019), Industrial Electrical Engineering and Electronics (headed by Ryszard Nawrowski, Wojciech Szeląg 01 October 2019), Automatic Control, Robotics and Computing Engineering (headed by Paweł Drapikowski), and Mathematics (headed by Ryszard Płuciennik).

In the academic year 2019/2020, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, educated almost 2600 students, including 1860 full-time students, in the five following fields of studies: Automatic Control and Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, Computing, and Technical Mathematics, as well as about 720 part-time students in the following fields of studies: Automatic Control and Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, and Computing.

In the years 1967-2019 the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Board, Poznan University of Technology conferred 483 doctoral degrees in science and 105 habilitated doctor degrees in science.

For the 90 years of its history, teachers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering have hugely contributed to the advancement of some scientific specializations in Poland and all over the world. Two professors of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, were members of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN): Mirosław Dąbrowski, PAN corresponding member (1989-2013), and Jan Węglarz, PAN actual member (from 1991 PAN corresponding member, from 1998 PAN actual member, since 2001 professor of the Faculty of Computing, Poznan University of Technology). Faculty of Electrical Engineering teachers have been members of various national and international scientific associations and organisations. Among other things, they are members of PAN committees in the current term (2020-2024): the PAN Electrical Engineering Committee (Andrzej Demenko, Paweł Idziak, Wojciech Szeląg, Rafał Wojciechowski, Krzysztof Zawirski and Bolesław Zaporowski), and the PAN Energy Committee (Bolesław Zaporowski).

For the 90 years of its history, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering has hugely contributed to the development of Poznan University of Technology. The successes and achievements of its teachers in the area of science and development, didactics, and laboratory development led to the creation of three faculties on 31 December 2019: The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Electronics, and the Faculty of Telecommunications (now the University had a total of 10 faculties). The main source of achievements and successes of the Faculty has first of all been the scientific and didactic staff, who conducted scientific research and high-quality classes, and thus contributed to its development.

The main element that supported the development of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was the attractiveness of such field of studies as: Automatic Control and Robotics, Computing, Electronics and Telecommunication or Electrical Engineering and Power Engineering in the recent years. Thanks to this the most talented science school leavers became students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The most talented and diligent students became assistants in the Faculty. Then at a relatively young age they went on to obtain the degree of doctor, habilitated doctor, and professor, which contributed to the development of the Department.

Since in 2018, the Minister of Science and Higher Education decided to introduce new scientific disciplines, as of 01 January 2020 Poznan University of Technology changed its organizational structure. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering was changed into the Faculty of Control, Robotics, and Electrical Engineering (WARiE). It comprised of: The Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (IEiEP), the Institute of Automatic Control and Robotics (IAiR), the Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (IRiIM) (earlier: the Institute of Automatic Control, Robotics and Information Engineering) and the Institute of Mathematics (IM). The Dean of WARiE was Andrzej Kasiński from 01 January 2020, and Wojciech Szeląg since the beginning of the new term 2020/2024, i.e. 01 September 2020. At the beginning of the new term the following were made the directors of their respective institutes: Cezary Jędryczka (IEiEP), Paweł Drapikowski (IRiIM), Dariusz Pazderski (IAiR), and Ewa Magnucka-Blandzi (IM).