A STATEMENT BY THE V7 GROUP AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SUPPORTING THE STATEMENT BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD OF THE SLOVAK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY ON RESOLVING THE SITUATION AT THE FACULTY OF INFORMATICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIE
We are closely following developments at one of the faculties of the Slovak University of Technology.
We can see that despite the best efforts Rector Miroslav Fikar to resolve the situation, an acceptable compromise at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies has yet to be found.This case is another example highlighting the narrow limits on the managerial authority of rectors as the senior representatives of universities. Rectors bear direct responsibility for the events at the universities they lead and their development, but they do not have sufficient authority to solve problems such as those that have emerged at one of the faculties of the Slovak University of Technology.
We were pleased to receive information that the members of the Administrative Board of the Slovak University of Technology expressed their support for Rector Miroslav Fikar in his efforts to stabilize the situation at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies.
The situation at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies has become a broader social issue. It has uncovered several shortcomings in the system of management at Slovak universities and has opened the door to discussing the need for some changes. As the rectors of research and technical universities, alongside the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, we hereby join the initiative of the Administrative Board of the Slovak University of Technology and we give our unambiguous support to the Rector of the Slovak University of Technology in his efforts.
In response to the announcement of discussions on changes in the system of university management by the Ministry of Education, we hereby state that we will monitor this process closely and that we intend to participate actively in the preparation of these changes. At the same time, however, we unequivocally reject any efforts to curb the competences of self-governing academic authorities.