The Academic Senate of AVU will vote on the dismissal of Rector Kotalík

Prague - The Academic Senate of the Academy of Art (AVU) will vote today on the dismissal of the rector Jiří T. Kotalík. Senate chairman Tomáš Vaněk has previously criticized the rector in an open letter for leading the school inefficiently and allegedly bypassing the academic senate in the establishment of a new university center.
     Vaněk accused Kotalík, among other things, of being unable to take a clear stance on the overpriced contract for equipping the new media studios and digital laboratory for so long that the matter was referred to the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) for investigation. Conversely, Kotalík received support from the Association of Sculptors of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, who believe that the senate should act only after the investigation by ÚOHS is concluded.
     A vote to dismiss the rector requires the support of at least three-fifths of the 21 senators. Kotalík's term ends in a year, and the selection of a new rector would take at least six months. Kotalík previously led AVU for two terms from 1997 to 2003.