On the occasion of the academic celebration Dies academicus, several laureates of our faculty, whose work makes an exceptional contribution to the development of the university and higher education, received their awards today in the Karel Engliš Auditorium.
In the field of economics and informatics, the award went to Ing. Dušan Mladenović, Ph.D., for his work on the impact of offering free vaccines on the tourism sector.
In the same category also received the award prof. Ing. Juraj Nemec, CSc., for his contribution in the field of public policy, legal and institutional reforms of the public sector in many transit countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Africa.
The prize for innovation in teaching goes to Ing. Bc. Sylva Žáková Talpová, Ph.D. and Ing. Mgr. Jan Žák, for the simulation game Scrum Game used to teach project management.
The award in the employee category went to Ing. Marie Hladká, Ph.D., for her activity in the field of volunteering, specifically for the organization Giving Day for Ukraine.
"We are happy about the award mainly for two reasons - firstly, it shows what teaching at university looks like today - it is practical and reflective of current topics. And secondly, the award helps to further popularize economic topics and especially project management, which is one of the areas that our students can pursue after their studies," explains Sylva Žáková Talpová and Jan Žák adds.
For Dušan Mladenović, the Dies academicus is an important recognition of his scientific work and activities. "It is a strong motivation to be persistent and to continue with quality, up-to-date research with social impact in the future. It means a lot to me and my family, and I am very happy that hard work is being noticed by our university," he said immediately after the award ceremony.
For Maria Hladka, this day is also special: "This is an award that I appreciate very much. It is not only mine, but also that of my colleagues and students at the faculty who participated in the event with me. I have long been involved in the topic of philanthropy and it is inspiring to project this phenomenon into faculty life." When asked what, apart from material assistance, she sees as the greatest importance of volunteering for contemporary society, Marie Hladká adds: "The real impact of giving, whether in the form of time or money, is only one side of the coin. Volunteering takes us out of our comfort zone and we have to perceive the world in a different context. We learn to help, to be helpful, to maintain community among people. We don't have to look at the wealth of society only through an economic lens. The ancient Greek historian put it very precisely: 'Wealth and poverty are not in the house, but in the soul.'"
In the case of Professor Nemec, Dies academicus is another milestone in his 40-year academic career, during which he has been working on public sector and public administration issues. He is one of the most important academic experts in this field not only in the CEE region. He is serving his second term as a member of the United Nations Commission of Experts on Public Administration. In the past, he has been President or Vice President of major professional organizations in his field.
Congratulations to all awardees for their great work for ECON MUNI and the whole university!
The Faculty of Economics and Administration is heading an innovative project bringing the microcredentials system to two Asian countries. The project will also map the current state of microcredential courses and bring the sharing of good practices within the European Union.
Jakub Červený, a researcher and lecturer in the new Master's Programme in Applied Health Economics, is an analyst at the Slovak Ministry of Health. His research was devoted to regional differences in health care utilisation and the likelihood of survival of patients after a heart attack during outpatient treatment. He is now coming to ECON MUNI where he will teach future health economists, among other things, how to process health-related data.
