The Academic Senate of the University of Ostrava elected a candidate for the new Rector. The senators chose from four candidates. Already in the first round of the two-round election, they elected an Americanist, Associate Professor Petr Kopecký from the Faculty of Arts. Kopecký received 23 votes, which is more than the required supermajority of 38 possible votes. The elected candidate should take office after his appointment by the President from March 1, 2023.
The 38-member Academic Senate, composed of students and academics, met at the University of Ostrava to select a new Rector by a secret ballot. The current Rector, Professor Jan Lata, could not run again after two four-year terms.

Four candidates, all from the University of Ostrava, applied for the post of Rector:

• Professor Roman Hájek, Medical Doctor and the current Vice-Rector for Strategy and Development
• Associate Professor Jan Hradecký, Geographer and the current Dean of the Faculty of Science
• Associate Professor Petr Kopecký, Americanist and the current Vice-Chairperson of the UO Board of Internal Evaluation
• Professor Aleš Zářický, Historian and the current Vice-Rector for Study and Lifelong Learning

The elected candidate for Rector of the University of Ostrava, Petr Kopecký, said after the election that the university is not facing an easy period and thinks that the Rector’s priority in the current situation is to negotiate an increase in funding for higher education institutions in cooperation with other universities.

“We are at a time where it is going to be difficult to keep people in the university because the scissors between salaries in regional schools and university are opening up. This is a subject I will have to address intensively because without good people we cannot run the university well. This is an important topic for me,” says Petr Kopecký.

All the candidates presented their visions at a university-wide assembly of the academic community. “I offered a vision to the Academic Senate that is consistent with what I have been doing for the last 25 years in the volunteer and nonprofit community, in municipal politics and, in recent years, at the university-wide level. We are at a time where it is going to be difficult to keep people in the university because the scissors between salaries in regional schools and university are opening up. This is a subject I will have to address intensively because without good people we cannot run the university well. This is an important topic for me,” says Petr Kopecký.

“The future will be extremely difficult not only for Associate Professor Kopecký, but also for the entire university. The economic crisis will hit universities and inflation will hit employees. Rising prices in the construction industry will also be a major complication. We are planning two major projects at the University of Ostrava and we would also like to renovate the halls of residence and buildings of the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science. The situation will not be easy, however, I keep my fingers crossed for Associate Professor Kopecký, I believe that he and his colleagues will cope with this and that the University will survive the difficult year that awaits us and that it will continue to strive to create an international and scientific university that will play an important role not only in the Czech environment, but also in Europe and in the world,” outlines the outgoing Rector of the University of Ostrava Jan Lata.

“I am very pleased that the University was able to generate four very high quality candidates for the position of Rector. It shows that the university is healthy and the environment inside is as it should be on university ground. The competition of all four candidates and the election itself was very dignified and I thank everyone for that. The fact that Associate Professor Kopecký is clearly a good choice for the university is evidenced by the fact that he was elected in the first round, so he certainly has the confidence of the academic community. I am glad that he has such a strong mandate and I believe that he will be successful,” says Jan Lata about the election.

The protocol on the election process will be sent to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports which will then forward it to the Office of the President of the Czech Republic. The appointment of Associate Professor Petr Kopecký to the post of Rector by the President of the Czech Republic can be expected in January. The mandate of the current Rector expires on February 28, 2023.

Results of the election:

• Professor Roman Hájek: 4 votes
• Associate Professor Jan Hradecký: 7 votes
• Associate Professor Petr Kopecký: 23 votes
• Professor Aleš Zářický: 4 votes