A. Slaný: I was interested in economics and the perspective of national economies concerning the functioning of economic systems. Another incentive was the possibility of working with young people, namely with the generation who were determined to put their shoulder to the wheel: they did and I am grateful to them. I have worked at the FEA since its establishment; I was a member of the so called preparatory committee that dealt with all the aspects of founding the faculty.
I. Malý: I have been with the faculty since its very beginning. Before, I worked at the Institute of Economics and Management of the Non-Manufacturing Sector, and I was on an internship in Belgium at the time when the FEA was established. After I returned, I went through the selection procedure and became one of its first teachers ever.
M. Svoboda: I started to work at the Department of Corporate Economy as an instructor, then I worked at the Department of Finance.
A. Slaný: I think of a very successful project, a reliable and forward-thinking team of academic as well as non-academic staff.
I. Malý: A group of qualified, enthusiastic people who are dedicated to their trade and who inspire others. If you have excellent teachers and colleagues around you, it’s a joy to go to work.
M. Svoboda: A part of Masaryk University.
A. Slaný: I held the position for 14 years, so there were many things. For instance, my aim was to improve the quality of research and to obtain European funding for interesting projects. At a certain time, there were 49 students per academic at the faculty, which meant you could not give your full attention to the students, you did not know them and you could not actively communicate with them. One of the priorities of my programme in 2012 was to change this situation. We managed to decrease the number to 25 students per academic employee by the end of my term of office.
I. Malý: When I was elected dean for the first time, I primarily tried to maintain continuity; I did not want to introduce any fundamentally new things. We worked on the internationalization of the faculty and on the improvement of teaching quality. The number of students substantially increased during my second term of office, and thus we tried to keep and raise the quality of instruction for such large numbers of students.
M. Svoboda: I addressed educational, research, operational and managerial tasks.
A. Slaný: Yes, I remember those days with fondness and humility. If you are serious about it, you must see the role as a service to the academic community.
I. Malý: First of all, I feel deep gratitude to those who worked with me. And yes, it is nice to be a dean. It is also a very time-consuming job and I could not focus on my own publishing, for which I was sorry.
M. Svoboda: I prefer not to look back.
A. Slaný: I am proud of having succeeded in realizing my plans whether in improving the quality of research or obtaining European grants and implementing a number of projects. The magazine TÝDEN ranked the faculty as the best faculty of economics in the Czech Republic twice in a row. In the long-term perspective, the FEA is either the most or the second most sought-after economics faculty in the country.
I. Malý: I am proud to have been trusted by my colleagues enough to be elected dean for the second term, although originally I did not intend to run for the office. I am proud to have left the impression of a fair-minded and reliable boss of whom they didn’t need to be ashamed. I am also proud that we succeeded in creating quality degree programmes and in making the faculty friendlier to its students. This attitude has always been a faculty’s strength and I believe that it has been maintained and perhaps improved under my management. Of course, I am happy for the successful internationalization. As always, everything was team work. I was lucky to have excellent vice-deans; for instance, vice-dean Smutný was splendid in his work and there was not much left for me.
M. Svoboda: That’s for others to say.
A. Slaný: I think, or rather, I believe that the university again demonstrated one of its great strengths – to quickly respond to unusual situations. So, in my view, it managed very well.
I. Malý: Perfectly, as evidenced by the students’ feedback, which is surprisingly favourable. Masaryk University had long been preparing for inclusion of online features into the instruction. The necessary infrastructure was ready, we didn’t have to rush it out.
M. Svoboda: It is one of the new forms of study and probably our future.
A. Slaný: There is yet a lot to accomplish. The worst thing would be to gain an unjustified feeling of being pleased with ourselves and with our achievements. The world around keeps changing ever faster. I trust our good intuition and ability to predict future events, respond to them in advance and take the right steps. I see many opportunities for the faculty in the current business sector with its high demand for qualified workforce, technicians or investors. The FEA is a seedbed for young talents having the necessary knowledge and skills and mastering foreign languages, which is an ideal combination for modern companies and current environment. I think this is the main direction the faculty must take in the coming years.
I. Malý: I wish the faculty to have many talented and gifted teachers, people who enjoy teaching and enjoy doing it well, people who wish to be good at publishing and who can invent new things and gain fresh perspectives. If the faculty manages to gain such teachers, it will attract students who are motivated and interested. In such settings, the faculty will be able to overcome any difficulties that may occur. I think the FEA is heading in the right direction. The generation of teachers who were in the position of instructors during my term of office has matured. A lot of them have gained international recognition. In fact, it is unnecessary to wish for anything, because the faculty already has it.
M. Svoboda: Another 30 years, at least.
Antonín Slaný is one of the founders of the Faculty of Economics and Administration. He was its vice-dean in 1999–2004 and 2012–2020. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of Economic Policy, he is a Vice-rector Emeritus of Masaryk University and a member of the MU Internal Evaluation Board. He works at the Department of Economics, FEA, where he supervises 13 Bachelor’s and Master’s theses and four Ph.D. students. In his leisure time, he likes to hike and to ski. He also enjoys spending time with his little grandson.
Ivan Malý has been affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Administration since its establishment, for 30 years. During this period, he held a number of managerial positions; he was twice elected dean and he also was the head of the department and a vice-dean. He led the faculty as its dean in 2005–2007 and 2010–2012. “Then, as I approached fifty, I felt I was nearing burnout. I needed new stimuli, and so I welcomed the Rector’s offer and became the Vice-rector for Internationalization,” Malý recollects. He held this office from 2012 to 2019. At present, he is an associate professor at the Department of Public Economics. In his free time, he likes to be with his family and to play golf.
Martin Svoboda initially worked at the Faculty of Economics and Administration as an instructor of the Department of Corporate Economy and then at the Department of Finance. In 2005–2007 he was the Vice-dean for External and International Relations; he was elected dean in 2008 and held the office for two years. Currently he works as an associate professor at the faculty, specializing in financial markets and investment. He enjoys spending free time with his family.
On Monday, 18 November 2024, the AS ECON MUNI meeting confirmed the faculty leadership for the next four years. Most of the Vice-Deans continue with their agenda with updated priorities, the team will be newly completed by Oleg Deev as Vice-Dean for Strategy and Development.
In some parts of the city, it can be faster to ride a shared bike than to drive or take public transport. In Brno, these are areas like Nová Zbrojovka or Spielberg Office, where traffic is heavy and public transport accessibility is poor. Dr Ondřej Špetík from ECON MUNI talks about how Brno residents use the bike-sharing system in the following interview.
