Often, we read in the press that Czech universities have not made sufficient use of the freedoms which have been granted to them since 1989; that they have not intrinsically changed, that they behave conservatively - that is, that they are conserving the old, unhappy state of affairs, and that they do not have the will to change. Sometimes, we even hear that they have deliberately elected individuals to the function of rector, who have no understanding for the process that is required of them and refuse it. Setting aside the fact that these critics are, in the main, unable to formulate the substance or the content of those reforms which are so needed, and that at times their criticism is of a purely expedient nature - i.e., by pointing out the inadequacies of a partner or a competitor (e.g. the alleged weakness of their scientific output, or the alleged inadequacies of their quality control), they hope to draw attention to their own qualities, however putative or sporadic - this criticism does not have any base in substance. Our university has also been the subject of certain similar complaints.
I think, however, it would be evidently and highly unfair if we were to overlook the deep changes which have taken place in the last five years, especially at our university. Needless to say, I am here thinking not merely of democratic changes and the rehabilitation of both teachers and students, even if it is precisely this process which has taken up so much of our time, both at our individual faculties and at the university as a whole. Nor am I thinking of our extensive activities abroad, which have attempted to renew the good name and the reputation of Charles University in the world. I would like, first and foremost, to draw attention to certain fundamental structural changes which are still continuing, even if some of them have already transformed the contemporary face of the university. It is enough to remind ourselves of the foundation of the Faculty of Social Sciences, which not only signalled the transformation of the former Faculty of Journalism into a modern school of social sciences, supported by three major structural pillars - that is, the disciplines of sociology, political science and economics -- but has also, through its internal development and its adoption of new statutes, demonstrated that it is truly a school for the cultivation and the teaching of the social sciences in the spirit of the world's best traditions. Let us also remember the incorporation of three theological faculties into the university, the purpose of which was not merely to undo the injustices which were perpetrated against these faculties by the previous regime, but also the reinforcement of the inner spirituality of the university and the opening of new opportunities for education and the acquisition of knowledge for students of other, secular faculties. The influence of these faculties on the work of the school, on the activities of its academic organs, is not only undeniable but is still growing. Let us further remind ourselves of the creation of CERGE (the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education), today an independent school within the framework of the university, organised and developed with the help and participation of the University of Pittsburgh, the Mellon Foundation and other American institutions, including financial support from the American government.
All of us know how damaging it is for the development of the university, when we shut ourselves away into our individual disciplines and stake out boundaries (especially administrative ones), which stand in the way, not only of horizontal movement within the university, but also of communication between different disciplines, institutes and faculties. The creation of the Institute for the Foundations of Education and Culture (already firmly rooted in the structure of the university) serves, amongst other things, to counter precisely this tendency; just as does the Charles University Centre for Environmental Studies, which was founded in order to coordinate, initiate and represent the activities of Charles University in this extremely important field. I would also like to mention the foundation and activities of the Centre for Theoretical Studies, which performs this interdisciplinary function in the area of the natural sciences. Further, one must not forget the European Communities Documentary and Information Centre, founded in the framework of the university at the suggestion of, and with funding from, the European Union; its function is to disseminate information about political, economic and legal questions in the relationship between the EU and the Czech Republic. Finally, we must not forget that we have laid the foundations of our future Institute of Advanced Studies in the form of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, the first division of which, specialising in postgraduate training in biomedicine, has not only been up and running for three years, but is becoming a model for the further development of doctoral studies at Charles University, and at other universities and the Czech Academy of Science. For that matter, all these Institutes and Centres are connected to the institutes of the Academy of Sciences, in ways that range from individual contracts on cooperation to the pooling of organisational resources and staff.
In the framework of the university, we have also created a functional system of internal grants for the funding of academic research. The system is gradually being expanded, and includes procedures for verifying the effective spending of our research budget. Similarly, after the appointment of the new administration in 1994, the university embarked on an internal evaluation, a process which is now in its final stages. It promises to produce new perspectives and new impulses for the whole university and for its future direction.
The process of change, however, does not stop short at the level of the university. Deep intrinsic changes have also taken place in recent years at individual faculties, which have affected teaching methods, the structure of the subjects which are taught, and the ways in which students are assessed; they have brought completely new subjects of study, which react flexibly to changes in society, and they have led to the foundation of bachelor studies in certain subjects. The conditions of acceptance for applicants to the university have been newly reformulated and our students themselves have changed: for the most part, the old passivity has vanished and has been replaced by a heightened activity and an effort to actively acquire new knowledge. There has also been a radical increase in the number of possibilities for students who wish to study abroad, and year by year, we have seen a growth in the interest of students from Western universities who wish to study at our faculties and institutes.
Of course, the teaching staff of the university has also changed and today there is no longer anyone in a position of leadership, from the heads of individual departments and institutes on up, who has not had to compete for their post. The contemporary face of the university is primarily determined by the new docents(readers) and professors, that is, by those who have been appointed since 1990.
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