Economist and dean of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics Miroslav Ševčík.
Prague – At the University of Economics (VŠE) in Prague, the dispute over the retention of the dean of the Faculty of Economics, Miroslav Ševčík, is escalating. Ševčík faces criticism for his long-term public appearances, including his presence at Saturday's anti-government demonstration in Prague. VŠE Rector Petr Dvořák considers it most appropriate for Ševčík to be dismissed by the academic senate of the Faculty of Economics, otherwise he wants to dismiss him himself. Ševčík sees no reason for his appeal, according to him, it is an excuse to get rid of an inconvenient person. A demonstration calling on Ševčík to resign was called for Wednesday by the students of the University of Economics.
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Economist and politician Ševčík, who worked as an expert of the Tricolor movement, led the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics for two electoral terms between 2010 and 2018, even then he faced student protests. The academic senate re-elected him last April. In the past, Ševčík took part in some protest actions against the government, on Saturday he was at an anti-government demonstration on Wenceslas Square and, according to the Forum 24 server, he took part in the subsequent attempt to remove the Ukrainian flag from the National Museum, which was accompanied by clashes with the police. Ševčík claims that he did not appear at the demonstration and only accompanied the man who was beaten by the police.
The university distanced itself from Ševčík's appearance at the demonstration on Sunday and stated that the dean's behavior was “out of line” for a long time. On Monday, Rector Dvořák called on Ševčík to resign, he wanted to announce his decision today, but in the morning Ševčík asked for an extension of the deadline for his comments on the call. After today's meeting of the school management, Dvořák statedthat he requested the immediate convening of an extraordinary meeting of the academic senate of the Faculty of Economics (NF) so that the senate could dismiss Ševčík.
“Given the responsibility of the NF academic senate for the proposal to appoint a dean and with regard to the wording of the University Act, the rector considers it the most appropriate step in this situation for the faculty senate to propose the dismissal of the dean of its own accord,” said Dvořák. If the faculty senate does not dismiss the dean, the rector uses the power to propose a dismissal on his own initiative, for which he needs the approval of the academic senate of the entire university. faculty senate and with the approval of the university's academic senate. This applies to situations where the dean seriously fails to fulfill his duties or seriously damages the interest of the university or faculty.
Ševčík told journalists today that he brought the videos from Wenceslas Square to the rector, as well as the statements of witnesses, which, according to him, are proof that he was only helping the injured there. “I consider the reason for my appeal, that I helped an injured person, to be inhumane and inhumane,” said the dean. He does not agree that it damages the good name of VŠE in the long term, as stated by Dvořák. Earlier, at the rector's request, he limited his public appearances – according to his words, he ceased to be an economic expert of the Tricolor movement and does not appear as a speaker at anti-government demonstrations. However, the academic ground is used for different opinions to collide on it, he emphasized. He did not want to anticipate how the academic senate of the Faculty of Economics will be maintained, according to him, its meeting will not take place before a week from now.
Students of VŠE, dissatisfied with Ševčík, called a demonstration in front of the school's headquarters on Winston Churchill Square on Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. They want to call on the dean to resign, or to appeal to the academic senate of the Faculty of Economics to dismiss the dean.
Ševčík (64) was a member of the Communist Party between 1985 and 1989. In 1989, he co-founded the Liberal Institute, was its director and chairman of the board of directors. In 2013, he was expelled from the organization, allegedly due to a fundamental failure in the management of the institute. Last September, Ševčík spoke at two anti-government demonstrations where, among other things, he accused Germany of wanting to dominate the Czech Republic with the help of the European Union. Dvořák described his statements towards Prime Minister Petar Fial (ODS) at the demonstrations as unacceptable personal attacks.
During the protests during Ševčík's previous leadership of the Faculty of Economics, students claimed, for example, that quality teachers were leaving the faculty because of the dean. Some teachers accused him of killing opponents and unethical behavior towards students and academics. In 2018, the Václav Klaus Institute awarded Ševčík an award as a significant personality of Czech economic higher education. In the past, Ševčík was repeatedly caught driving dangerously. In 2014, he drove in the opposite direction on the closed D5 motorway using a blue beacon.
