How different are the initial vision and goals of the university from the ones it follows today? What do they have in common? These are the questions we asked Jiří Hanuš, the Vice-Rector for Academic and Cultural Affairs of Masaryk University.
The mission of Masaryk University is to contribute through its activities to a quality and healthy life for all generations and to a free, cohesive and safe society. What was the social role of the University in the beginning and how do you think it has changed?
A certain change in mentality can be seen in the way this mission is formulated. When the university was originally founded, it was important that it should be a “Czech” or “second Czech” university, so the national dimension played a major role. With a certain degree of exaggeration, it can be said that the culmination of the Czech national revival came with the new nation-state – Czechoslovakia – and the completion of its social institutions. When people talked about health, freedom and cohesion, they focused primarily on the national/collective level, not so much on the individual, and on the other hand universal, levels as they do today. But there is no doubt that, despite this important difference, the social role of the university was as topical then as it is now - to create a social elite capable of meeting the challenges it was meant to face.
How has the public perceived Masaryk University in recent years, during the Covid-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine and other challenges?
Every threat, danger or disaster changes society, including universities. There is always a surprise or shock at the beginning, which is ideally followed by a quick and appropriate response. This was the case with Covid in Ukraine and, unfortunately, with the tragic event at the Faculty of Arts in Prague just before Christmas last year. This is all new to us, unprecedented. The last pandemic took place a hundred years ago, the conflict in Ukraine brought war unexpectedly close to our borders, the situation in the Middle East threatened our cooperation with Israeli universities, the Mas shooting in Prague disturbed us and made us wonder whether we, like some other Western countries, might have to deal with this sad phenomenon in the future. And what are some examples of solutions? There is MUNI HELPS, which has proven to be a viable platform not only for volunteer work, there is the comprehensive support for students and teachers from Ukraine, and the financial and professional psychological support for students and employees of Charles University.
Did the last five years also bring positives?
The most positive thing I see is that despite all the problems, both national and global, we are managing to continue with the goals we have set for ourselves. Despite these multiple crises, we are developing a new Faculty of Pharmacy, we are continuing to build the Bohunice University Campus and we are developing our international links. This is what I believe is essential: that all the difficulties do not prevent us from fulfilling our mission, which is to teach and research. We should not be paralysed by any of the challenges.
The primary role of a university is to educate. Here, after 105 years, a huge range of possibilities has opened up. The first MU students learned from books, today’s students have artificial intelligence. Did the students of a century ago have an advantage over those of today? What are we building on and what can we envy them for today?
That’s a good question. Yes, there have been huge changes due to scientific and technological advances. But as a historian, I tell my students not to fall for the idea that previous generations have nothing to teach us. In the case of our university, this is clear – the founders of our first four faculties showed great enthusiasm and the ability to overcome obstacles, including financial ones. Of course, I am referring primarily to the teachers, but we can also speak of the “founding” generation of students who helped to establish the University as a prestigious institution that has earned its place in the sun. The first generation of students, I think, had a deep attachment to the university, they valued their education and their teachers. The graduates were proud of what they had been through. This is still a big issue today. As for scientific and technological progress, this is a challenge that will also mean changing the way we teach, write papers and so on. I’m getting old now, so I’m one of those people who regret that students often spend time watching 20-second clips online instead of reading novels. But each generation has its own challenges.
Masaryk University is built on solid foundations, but it keeps up with the times – in what areas do you think its dynamism is most evident?
The answer will be somewhat subjective, but it seems to me that in addition to some disciplines (sciences and humanities), the university campus is proving to be a place where collaboration between the faculties and research programmes based there is taking place. In short, the campus was and is a good investment that has proved to be a good springboard for further development in the decades to come. We can see this today with the example of the new Faculty of Pharmacy building. Masaryk University is developing rapidly in the field of information technology, sustainability in the broadest sense, teaching and other areas. International rankings also show that we are on the right track. We are also very active in the national debate about research universities and their position in the higher education system, in the reform of doctoral studies and in the area of staffing.
Today, education is no longer “just” about bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. Can you say that today it is possible to grow up and mature with Masaryk University?
I am one of the people who studied here and my professional career is linked to Masaryk University, so I am growing old with it. I can see that there has been a huge change since my youth, which is due not only to the development of the university but also to the development of a free society since 1989. As I said before, it is about contacts and more cooperation with alumni, with secondary school students and – as in the case of MjUNI – even with children. This trend is, of course, in a healthy tension with the need for international engagement, with student exchanges and participation in international programmes, with the arrival of international teachers and the departure of our teachers abroad, and so on. Our university wants to be a Western university – internationally oriented, open and flexible. That is the tension we are dealing with: between providing a national infrastructure and being open to the world.
There is a lot of talk these days about supporting doctoral studies. How successful are we in motivating outstanding students to stay in academia?
At the University, we are currently discussing the future shape of doctoral studies. We are talking about the quality of studies, the possible streamlining of programmes, financial support for students, the work of the Board of Internal Evaluation, the status of doctoral students and the elimination of academic failure, their involvement in grants and projects, and many other things. Moreover, this is not just a matter for one university, but for a wider national debate. At the moment, this reform is being hotly debated at the university. Our motivation is the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge international research, to have quality supervisors and a good environment in a university town. Improving the financial conditions for doctoral students is also on the table.
What makes us attractive to international students and our university world-class? Is it also our achievements in the field of research, where we are able to attract international funding?
Their numbers are growing rapidly. Our attractiveness is also based on price, which is still more affordable than many other Western universities. The university will undoubtedly compete for international grants, European projects, IRC projects, Horizon projects and so on. From my point of view, this is also important because we are not only the university of Tomáš G. Masaryk, but also a university that preserves the legacy of Gregor Johann Mendel, the founder of genetics, which increases interest abroad. We have CEITEC, a leading scientific institute. The study of psychology in three faculties meets the needs of society, our Antarctic station fulfils the research role of MU, and I could go on.
Has the notion of “academic ground” changed in any way compared to the past? Are its values (respect for others, freedom and responsibility) still valid and would it be appropriate to add some new ones?
In my opinion, “academic ground” is a very broad term that includes not only all our buildings, the campus, dormitories and canteens, the museum and the university centre in Telč, but also the community of students and teachers, the university administration, mutual communication and certainly the values we share. These values are largely universal – fortunately, we live in a democratic country where it is our duty and pleasure to support democracy. The university is a fundamentally open space, where freedom of speech, free discussion, equal opportunities and a good atmosphere are protected. The academic ground is therefore also an environment and “the free air we breathe”. To this I would add a matter that is topical today – academic ground offers space for rational debate free of distortion and misinformation, without ideological lenses, with a fundamental tolerance of different opinions. This is more than relevant today – there are many separate camps in society that do not talk to each other, and many emotional arguments that lack a rational basis. In this sense, the academic ground is irreplaceable.
What do you think the slogan “Ten faculties, one university” means today?
It is a way of describing our goal of bringing together the strength (and even the brand) of faculties, institutes and the university. To illustrate what I mean, some people say they’re going to Brno to study computer science or philosophy, others go to Masaryk because they’ve heard it is good. This is a necessary link that underlines our quality.
If you were to list famous teachers, researchers and alumni – who were and are the first to come to mind, and who could we include from recent decades?
There are hundreds of people from all walks of life, and it's hard to choose just one because you have to leave a lot out. But if I have to mention a few names... From the founding generation, I would mention the lawyer and economist Karel Engliš, the lawyer František Weyr, the medical doctor Otakar Teyschl, the English scholar František Chudoba, the naturalist Vladimír Úlehla and the literary scholar Arno Novák. This is certainly a narrow selection, for more I refer to our web pages and books devoted to the history of MU. But it is also necessary to mention dozens of people who have passed through our university during all or part of their studies. To name a few: Jan Skácel, Oleg Sus, Ludvík Kundera, Božena Komárková, Zdeněk Rotrekl, Antonín Přidal – these are people who are well known in the world of Czech culture. And certainly many other scientists, athletes, musicians and, no doubt, politicians. Actually, wait – I almost forgot a key figure from the beginning of the university's history, who was not our graduate, but the first honorary doctor, Leoš Janáček, to whom the university pays tribute and who has influenced many of our students, graduates and teachers with his music for a hundred years.
As a historian, would you hazard a guess as to how our actions now – in the early years of the University’s second century – will be judged and interpreted by your future colleagues in fifty years’ time?
I’m not a prognosticator, I’m a historian. Nobody knows whether our descendants will like the way we worked, or what we tried to do with the university. I imagine that many of the things we think are important today may be forgotten in fifty years’ time, precisely because they’re no longer relevant or taken for granted. It is true that the university does not work in the perspective of five decades, at most one or two. Otherwise, we would be utopians, not realists. But in some areas, I think we need to take a longer view. When the campus was founded, it was with a vision for the long-term future. When we added pharmacy to the university’s family of faculties, we also started a long process. It is the life of an institution that is here for the long haul because it is part of the backbone of the social fabric.
What are you most excited about in the near future?
We are looking forward to the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the University and the many cultural and social events that will take place this year. Masaryk and Mendel Days, concerts, and new books from our publishing house. I am looking forward to the autumn school that we are organising at the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts. I am also looking forward to our guests from abroad, who bring a breath of fresh air to the university – this year we will be awarding honorary doctorates to guests from the USA and Europe. My personal contribution is to invite more experts from Ukraine and members of the Russian exile community.