“When I graduated from the university, companies also invited me to work for them, but I simply couldn’t say no to this offer,” explains József Berács about why he began teaching at the university in the 1970s at the invitation of Attila Chikán. 

Now professor emeritus of the Institute of Marketing, he first set foot on campus in 1968, 57 years ago. Despite passing the entrance exam with good results, he was not admitted at first, as the political system at the time discriminated against graduates of church-run high schools. During his two years of mandatory military service, he applied again, was accepted, and began his studies in 1970. Not long after, he was also admitted to the Rajk László College for Advanced Studies. He eventually graduated in industrial economics with a specialization in marketing. 

“Coming from a multiply disadvantaged working-class family, the Rajk College meant especially much to me,” he recalls. 

The teacher who had the greatest influence on his life and career was Attila Chikán, only five years his senior and the first director of the Rajk László College. Chikán later became his PhD supervisor and ultimately persuaded him to commit to an academic career. Although he also received an invitation from the Department of Industrial Economics, he began his research and teaching at the Department of Marketing. 

In the nearly sixty years since, József Berács has experienced university life first as a student and then as a lecturer, teaching across all levels of education. During this time, he lived through the years of political transition while working at the university and later participated in several structural reforms over the decades. From today’s perspective, one might wonder: what makes someone stay at the same workplace for so long? Berács himself offers the answer: “Throughout my entire career, the most important thing has been the valuable professional and human relationships I owe to Corvinus. I have always been surrounded by colleagues with whom it was, and still is, a joy to work and think together. 

The alumni video with József Berács can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/IJr4DhDagQs