At Prague Castle, Martin Bareš was appointed the new rector of Masaryk University by President Miloš Zeman. He will take over on 1 September from Mikuláš Bek , whose second term in office ends on 31 August. Bareš, who has been serving as the dean of the MU Faculty of Medicine, will become the 34th rector of Masaryk University after being elected to the office by the Academic Senate on 1 April.
Martin Bareš has already announced the names of the vice-rectors he will present to the MU Academic Senate in September. Two of the seven vice-rectors have already served under the previous rector.
His priority as a rector is to help the university attain a higher level of quality in both education and research. “Masaryk University has invested a lot in its facilities, which are currently at a top European level. However, we need to continue to develop the potential of our academic staff and students, who are – and will remain – the main factor that drives the success of our university,” says Martin Bareš.
His primary goal is for Masaryk University to rank among the top 500 in respected international university rankings and move ahead of Charles University, the current top Czech university, by 2030.
A further area that Martin Bareš intends to focus on is the social role of Masaryk University. “As a university, we have to be more sensitive to what society needs and express our opinion on important social challenges and issues. While we are an apolitical institution, we must fulfil our duties towards the general public, especially since we have the necessary expertise,” says the new rector.
Due to his upcoming role as MU rector, Martin Bareš has already resigned from his position as the dean of the MU Faculty of Medicine as of 1 September. The elections for the new dean will be announced in the next session of the Academic Senate of the MU Faculty of Medicine. The faculty will be headed by the current vice-dean, Martin Repko, until a new dean is elected and appointed.
Martin Bareš is a neurologist with experience in university management, where he first served from 2011 to 2018 as the vice-rector for development and then as the vice-rector for academic affairs. Since last February, he has also been the dean of the MU Faculty of Medicine. He is a professor at the First Department of Neurology at the MU Faculty of Medicine and St. Anne’s University Hospital, where he previously held the position of department head.
The leadership team
Martin Bareš has already announced the names of the vice-rectors he will present to the MU Academic Senate in September. Břetislav Dančák, the current dean of the MU Faculty of Social Studies, is to become the vice-rector for internationalisation and the rector’s authorised representative. Šárka Pospíšilová, the head of the Centre for Molecular Medicine at CEITEC MU, will be the new vice-rector for research and doctoral studies.
Jiří Hanuš, a professor of history at the MU Faculty of Arts, will become the rector for personnel and academic affairs. Radim Polčák, the head of the Institute of Law and Technology at the MU Faculty of Law, has been chosen as the vice-rector for legislation, information technologies, and corporate relations. Vladimír Žítek, the head of the Department of Regional Economics and Administration, will be the new vice-rector for development.
Two vice-rectors from the previous leadership team will continue in their roles: Michal Bulant, a mathematician, will continue as the vice-rector for education and quality, while Hana Svatoňová, a geographer, will serve as the vice-rector for student and graduate affairs and external relations.