Prague, Oct 20 (CTK) – Prague’s Charles University Rector Tomas Zima will continue heading the oldest university in Central Europe until 2022 since its Academic Senate elected him for another four-year period on Friday.
Zima received 51 votes, his rival Jan Cerny won 17 votes.
Charles University (UK) was founded in 1348. The UK has the 314th position on the latest world list of the best universities by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Last year, the UK had about 49,000 students and 11,400 employees.
Zima’s next mandate is to start in February. His election is yet to be confirmed by President Milos Zeman.
Zima criticised Zeman for rejecting to appoint three university professors in 2015, saying the president violated academic freedoms. He is one of the Czech rectors who did not take part in the traditional awarding ceremony held on the national holiday of October 28 in protest against Zeman’s decision not to invite to the event two rectors who had a dispute with him.
In 2020, the UK is to start building two big research centres, Biocenter and Globcenter, in the Prague-Albertov campus.
Zima is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. He was the dean of the UK First Medical Faculty in 2005-2012. He has been UK rector and head of the Czech Rector’ Conference since 2014.
Earlier this month, Hana Machkova was re-elected rector of the Prague University of Economics, Jaroslav Miller was re-elected rector of Palacky University in Olomouc, and Danuse Nerudova was elected new rector of Mendel University in Brno.
