After exactly eight years, Marta Valešová is ending her term as Bursar and leaving Masaryk University. She had previously worked with MU as a member and later Chair of the Board of Trustees and is well placed to assess how well the institution has performed over the past 14 years.
In your opinion, how has Masaryk University changed during the time you have been working there?
What I have always liked about the University is that it is not afraid to tackle big issues and take on complicated challenges. It knows how to approach them, and this enables it to improve, or rather to close the gap with leading European and global universities. When I took up the position of Bursar eight years ago, I already saw MU as a strong partner, but I must say that the last eight years have exceeded my expectations. I have been involved in major changes and events, such as the university’s centenary celebrations, which involved a change of visual style, and the complete rethinking of the quality assessment of teaching with institutional accreditation, which goes hand in hand with the emphasis on the personal development of our staff. I can also mention the reintegration of the Faculty of Pharmacy into Masaryk University, the development of SIMU and the BioPharma Hub, the renovation of the Faculty of Arts complex, property transactions involving the campus, the conceptual approach to budgeting, financing and sustainability, and so on and so forth. I also see the great deal of influence our university has in the Czech higher education environment, where it can impact the development of higher education institutions and come up with interesting ideas for joint projects, for example in the area of staff development and sustainability.
Prior to becoming Bursar, you served for six years on the MU Board of Trustees. How much did you learn about how the university works during this time?
I examined its strategic plans, annual reports, economic management and I got to learn the basics of how the university operates. Looking back, it was more like a small taste of university compared to what my job as bursar entailed.
You were offered the post of Bursar by the former rector of Masaryk University, Mikuláš Bek. What led you to accept?
I thought it was an interesting idea. By that time, I had worked in senior positions in the public sector for about 14 years and had experience in financial and executive management of institutions. Nevertheless, I approached the job with great respect and a sense of responsibility. Being the Bursar of Masaryk University meant facing new challenges and dealing with new strategic projects, and I enjoy that.
What are the Bursar’s responsibilities?
The Bursar manages the university’s finances, investments and operational matters, and also heads the Rector’s Office. He or she is the person who should ensure that the institution runs efficiently and is governed well, i.e. it has experienced professionals and infrastructure, and provides a motivating environment for academics, students, researchers and other staff.
Perhaps the most visible has been your role in economic management. In the eight years of your tenure as Bursar, MU’s budget has doubled to almost CZK 12 billion. What has contributed to this increase?
As a university, we have long been able to increase our income from all sources, and we continue to do so. The contribution to educational activities paid for by the Ministry of Education has increased significantly, and even more so has the money from the national budget that goes towards the systematic development of research, where the quality of our scientific output shows. Hand in hand with this, MU – or rather its people – have been very successful in obtaining national and international grants, and we also generate money through our own activities. I am very pleased that my colleagues at the university are aware of the need to find other resources for development outside of institutional support, which does not grow in a stable and predictable manner, so it is necessary to keep at it and compete for other sources of funding. But of course, this places great demands on all academics and other employees, and I am aware that working at MU is no walk in the park. The role of the leadership of the university, its individual faculties, institutes and departments in terms of strategic management, the correct allocation of roles in teams and the correct distribution of resources is all the more important.
Is there still room for improvement in this area?
An institution of our size and prestige cannot afford to stop improving and become complacent. It is necessary to keep abreast of trends, to have visions for the development of the university and to update the university’s plans, to see if we are going in the right direction, if we are in shape and if we can reach or even exceed European or world standards. There is still a need for the Rector and the university management to negotiate the level and form of institutional funding with the Ministry of Education and the Government, especially now with regard to the demographic development and the increasing number of secondary school students and the strategic projects underway. We also need to think about salary increases and the fact that we need to pay quality people well. And I must stress that the university cannot rely solely on institutional funding, which is uneven and highly dependent on the state of public finances and the national budget. For an institution like ours to develop, it needs to be active and successful in grant programmes and also try to transfer know-how into practice, which can bring additional income in the long run. Finally, programmes for self-funded students and other forms of lifelong learning are a way for faculties to generate additional funding for their development.
MU has become very large, with ten faculties, two university institutes and a number of other units. How challenging has it been to manage such a diverse institution in terms of management?
I think we have been able to do this as a management team thanks to good communication within the university. Above all, we believe that the university only makes sense as a whole. In my opinion, the recognition that each part of the university is important to the whole, that each has its own specific role and must be respected, promotes cooperation and cohesion. We all agree on common rules that are accepted and aimed at the development of the university as a whole. There must also be trust between the MU management and the university components that everyone is doing their best for the good functioning of the MU. The motto of the current Rector, Martin Bareš, is “ten faculties, one university” and I stand by it. Our internal variability is an added value that we must be able to leverage. So, if I had to sum it up, I would use three key words: cooperation, respect and trust.
As Bursar you have had to deal with a number of emergencies, perhaps the most challenging of which was the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were certainly new and massive challenges. When the university closed essentially overnight, we had to quickly get crisis management processes in place so that the whole institution felt that we could cope and continue to function. We learned a lot of new things and ways of communicating, and at the same time, after the biggest Covid-19 crisis was over, we realised the importance of face-to-face meetings and collaboration. This has also forced the university to become even more computerised and digitalised, which is now helping it to develop more quickly.
The pandemic and other emergencies have brought the university closer together. They have also made us all more aware of the different needs and problems of the different university units. I am also glad that this time has shown how willing students and staff are to help and volunteer, for example through the MUNI HELPS Volunteer Centre.
You have been working intensively on sustainability in recent years. What has the university already done in this area and what is still to come?
Issues of this scale and importance need to be approached strategically and planned for the long term. People are always key – excellent professionals who understand their work and do it well. With them, I started early to think through and implement incremental steps, so that after a few years of sowing the seeds, we would have a broader and university-wide strategy to build on. We also took inspiration from our international partners. We started with procurement, operations, human resources and economics, and gradually added computerisation, catering, mobility, greening and green technologies, and so on. After initial small successes, we began to have more contact and collaboration with faculty colleagues teaching or researching sustainability. We have established the MU Board for Sustainable Developement with representatives from all faculties and units, and individual faculties have also started to form their own sustainability boards. In short, the snowball has started to roll, and I can leave the university satisfied that there is a university-wide sustainability strategy and a team of people in all faculties who are very positive about the issue, want to take it forward and have been actively involved in shaping the strategy. I would very much like to see the strategy grow and be filled with real steps, not just lip service. Fortunately, I think we’ve come so far that it can’t really be rolled back now.
Is the university also making progress in the area of human resources?
I’ve been building a good team for a long time, trying to select people well and develop their skills and competencies. At the same time, I want to create an environment that will keep them moving forward, so that they themselves become a driving force for the institution and for their subordinates. Being a good boss also means fostering a culture of collaboration and letting people know they are important to you. Because the real work of running the university is not done by the Bursar him or herself, but by dozens of people in the Rector’s Office. I just manage them.
What are you most proud of having achieved while at MU?
There are a lot of big issues and it is hard to choose between them, but because people come first, I am happy with the staff evaluation system, the specification of development goals and how they are linked to the university’s strategic plan. It’s a matter of principle that allows the university to have a single goal and move in one direction together. As Bursar, I also enjoyed the conceptual work on the budget and the funding of major strategic projects. Last but not least, I am pleased that we have been able to initiate greater interdisciplinary cooperation in the Rector’s Office and intensive communication with the faculties on many platforms.
Are you leaving something you regret not having finished?
A lot of great things have been achieved, but I want to be there in 2026 when the BioPharma Hub opens and becomes home to the Faculty of Pharmacy and other teams from the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and CEITEC, working closely together in teaching and research. I’d also like to see the renovated Faculty of Informatics and the multi-purpose sports hall, which will serve not only the Faculty of Sports Studies but the whole university.
And what will you miss the least?
Probably the hardest thing for me was convincing people who don’t want to do new and challenging things to embrace the vision and give it their best. But then again, the results are worth it and people can really work miracles sometimes, so I can’t say I won’t miss it at all. It’s all part of the job as a manager.
You’ll be leaving office at the end of October. Do you have any specific plans for the future?
I plan to spend the first two months abroad with my husband and son. I’m going to rest and clear my head a bit. I don’t have a concrete idea yet, but I would like to use my experience as a Bursar, my knowledge of the university, Brno and partners in the region. Maybe even look for opportunities in the field of international cooperation. I need some time to think about it.