The Academic Senate of AVU will be discussing the preparations for the election of a new rector on Wednesday

Prague - The Academic Senate of the Academy of Art (AVU) will discuss the preparation and initiation of elections for a new rector on Wednesday. The school needs to find new leadership after the resignation of rector Maria Topolčanská, who informed the academic senate last Wednesday. Topolčanská submitted her written resignation to Minister of Education Mikuláš Bek (STAN) on Monday, the AVU reported in a press release today. AVU is now led in the interim by the new vice-rector for academic affairs, Šárka Krtková, whom the outgoing Topolčanská appointed to the position on Friday. The process of electing a rector takes about three months, said Markéta Strnadová, head of the rectorate's office, to ČTK.

Topolčanská announced her resignation at an extraordinary meeting of the AVU academic senate last Wednesday, which addressed the proposal for her dismissal. According to the proposal, signed by 17 people from AVU, the rector had repeatedly attempted to circumvent the Academic Senate, downplayed problems, and cooperation with her had become unsustainable. This follows from the minutes of the senate meeting and the proposal for dismissal. Last Monday, all four vice-rectors resigned. They cited that their views on management and communication diverged too much from Topolčanská's approach.

On Friday, the outgoing Topolčanská appointed the new vice-rector for academic affairs, Krtková, which the school's academic senate agreed to. The vice-rector for academic affairs is authorized by the AVU statute to manage the school in full representation until a new rector is appointed. According to the school, Krtková's appointment ensures the stable functioning of AVU in the coming months.

The election of the rector candidate is announced by the academic senate according to the internal regulations of the school, which elects an electoral committee from among its members. Any member of the academic community has the right to propose a candidate for rector. Proposals must be submitted at least 30 days before the election and must meet specified requirements. The proposed candidate must agree to the candidacy, and a short biography must be part of the proposal, according to the regulations. According to the Higher Education Act, the president appoints and dismisses the rector on the proposal of the academic senate.

The vice-rectors who resigned last Monday denied that their departure was related to a recent petition that also criticized Topolčanská. They stated in a joint statement that they are proud of the quality and results of the school. The petition criticized Topolčanská for failing to perform her duties and for a lack of expertise and experience in the field. At the same time, the signatories requested a restructuring of AVU and the National Gallery and changes to the Jindřich Chalupecký Awards. Signatures on the petition included former AVU rector Milan Knížák, sculptors Jaroslav Róna and David Černý, director Jan Svěrák, architect Josef Pleskot, artist Michal Rittstein, and writer Jáchym Topol. The text was published by Barbora Šlapetová, the wife of former AVU educator Lukáš Rittstein, whom Topolčanská dismissed last year for attempted cheating and unethical behavior, as stated by Topolčanská on Czech Television.