Interview with candidates for Rector of CU












            ******************************************************************************************

            * Interview with candidates for Rector of CU
            ******************************************************************************************
            Who will be the 508th rector of Charles University? We could find the answer to that as ea

            of October, when the CU Academic Senate will elect one of the candidates to the position o
            oldest university in central Europe. There are three candidates for the position – current
            CU Faculty of Arts docent Michal Stehlík [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UK-5114-version1-asffp3

            CU Prorector for Development Professor Stanislav Štech [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UK-5114-v
            ashtfp3teze.pdf"] and former dean, and current Vice Dean for External Relations and Develo
            Medical Faculty, Professor Tomáš Zima [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UK-5114-version1-aslf1pril

            The iForum university magazine brings you an interview with all three candidates.         
            • If you could change history, which decision from CU history would you re-evaluate?      
                                                                                                      
            Michal Stehlík:                         Stanislav Štech:                       Tomáš Zima:
            As a historian, I’m a little cautious abI would be very interested, for exampleIt is not g
            history’, but so be it. The 20th centuryCharles’ studium would have developed hdifferently
                                                                                                      
            a painful period for the university, witof Kutná Hora not been issued, resultinwere taken 
            ideological interference in its running,departure of many excellent masters anduniversity.
            expulsion of students and pedagogues. IfLeipzig and elsewhere. Would it have becannot be r
                                                                                                      
            further back, however, then I would go bsuch as Bologna or Paris? We can similacontext of 
            and the Decree of Kutná Hora, which trigthe split of the Charles-Ferdinand Univthe univers
            departure of many prominent persons, resa Czech and a German university in 1882. How would
                                                                                                      
            weakening and parochialisation of our althings be had everyone worked together more closel
                                                    what would the outcome be?                        
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
















                                                                                                      
            • Please name the three things that you feel currently represent the greatest barrier to t
            Michal Stehlík:                        Stanislav Štech:                         Tomáš Zima
            One major barrier is the attitude of th1. Financing (inadequate growth in spendiCurrent ba
            education and the inadequate level of seducation from the state budget compared inadequate
                                                                                                      
            gives. This is also related to the permfor OECD countries; absence of more resoucreative a
            to ‘reform’ the pedagogical environmentfor Prague; asymmetrical income from depabureaucrat
            sole result being a massive amount of edepartment).ed                           which cann
                                                                                                      
            in opposing these plans. One barrier th2. The growing bureaucracy and administraresearcher
            put in place is, perhaps, the lack of tof life at CU. Energy that should be devoA further 
            between faculties. I see the main causeown work is increasingly consumed with prfrequently
                                                                                                      
            the imperfect level of communication anreports and controls.                    Inadequate
            information within the university.     3. Lack of openness: participation in puba certain 
                                                   poor work with graduates; international ‘education 
                                                                                                      
                                                   educational’ activities etc.                       
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      


































                                                                                                      
            • The current slogan of CU is Charles University is yours as well! What should it be in te
            Michal Stehlík:                         Stanislav Štech:                         Tomáš Zim
            Some things don’t need to be changed no I hope that, by that time, CU will not neI must sa
            In ten years’ time it will be enough foradvertising slogans because the public wirarely. A
                                                                                                      
            fulfil this slogan.                     guarantee of quality.                    Open, fri






















































                                                                                                      
            • Which foreign university should CU try to emulate?                                      
                                                                                                      
            Michal Stehlík:                         Stanislav Štech:                         Tomáš Zim
            With the diversity of our university, I With its profile, from theology via the sThere are
            nominate one single institution. We coulmedicine and pharmaceutical, scientific aserve as 
                                                                                                      
            every quality institution in some respecand physics, Charles University is uniquewell-know
            we could take inspiration from their cambe difficult to find one similar that couHeidelber
            in the heart of the city, from Leuven thmodel. Say the University of Leuven. Let fields va
                                                                                                      
            on individual work with postgraduate stuinspiration in a number of high-quality uview of t
            Stanford or Toronto the emphasis on scieindividual fields, while keeping in mind fields cu
            of the day, though, we ourselves should under which they operate.                appropria
                                                                                                      
            such high quality that others strive to emulate us.                              a leading
                                                                                             to emulat





























































                                                                                                      
            All information on the rules and procedure for the election of the CU Rector can be found 
            registered candidates can be found HERE [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UK-5114.html"] .