The Brno Faculty of Architecture does not have a dean before the start of the semester

Rector of VUT prof. RNDr. Ing. Petr Štěpánek, CSc. (photo: David Christian Lichtag, studenta.cz)

Brno - The Brno Faculty of Architecture is less than a week before the start of the new semester without a properly appointed dean. The Academic Senate elected Rostislav Koryčánek, but a faction of professors and associate professors opposed him. They threatened to leave, which would paralyze the faculty. The rector of the Brno University of Technology, Petr Štěpánek, took some time to consider and recently asked Koryčánek to respond in writing to about 25 questions concerning the future of the faculty, its personnel, economic, and educational situation.
    Koryčánek said today to ČTK that he would not process the answers. According to him, this would only postpone a decision that the rector must make anyway: either appoint Koryčánek or side with his critics. He believes that all essential information has already been presented in the election program, or the rector could have asked him during a personal meeting.
    Furthermore, Koryčánek claims he does not have enough background information to provide some of the requested answers. "After starting at the faculty, I wanted to conduct an audit. Only then would it be possible to create a schedule for what should happen," he stated.
    Koryčánek was chosen by the Academic Senate back in May. Some professors and associate professors are bothered that the potential dean is neither an architect nor an engineer and has not been associated with the faculty so far. Moreover, he does not have a doctoral degree. According to the school's board of trustees, the dean should also be a recognized academic worker who is active in fields directly related to the faculty's focus.
    Students considered the actions of some educators to be backstage pressure. They wrote a petition and organized a protest march. They emphasized that they are not fighting for Koryčánek, whom they have different opinions about, but for democracy at the faculty. The rector already called for unity and for finding common ground in a statement to the academic community in July.
    Koryčánek is an art historian who deals with architecture in its broader contexts. He led the House of Arts of the City of Brno, is behind the Brno Architectural Manual project, and was a long-time editor-in-chief of the magazine Era21. Now, according to his own words, he is not just waiting for the situation at the Faculty of Architecture to be resolved but is also looking for other opportunities.