In a ceremony held at Prague Castle on 21 January, the new Rector of Charles University, Professor Tomáš Zima received, together with other newly elected rectors of public universities, his decrees of appointment from the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman. Also attending the ceremony on behalf of the university were the incumbent Rector, Professor Václav Hampl, and the Chairman of the Academic Senate, Professor Jan Hála.

Last week week, students at Charles University in Prague have gathered to commemorate Jan Palach Week. Many Erasmus students studying at Charles University in Prague may already be familiar with the name of Jan Palach: the square in front of the main building of the Faculty of Arts is named after him, and the building is also the site of a commemorative plaque for him.

Theresienstadt, one of many captivating sites of Czech history, caught my research interest after my visit there arranged by the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University. From my perspective as a student from England, history classes are bias towards American and western European studies, and the rich story of Theresienstadt is dramatically underrepresented generally in Holocaust studies along with the fruitful history of the Czech Republic.

The ‘Česká mše vánoční’ (Czech Christmas Mass), also known as the ‘Rybova mše vánoční’ or simply ’Rybovka’, is a lively, uplifting and moving Christmas Mass composed by the Czech composer Jakub Jan Ryba in 1796. It is considered to be an integral part of any Czech Christmas, like carp and cookies, and is performed annually in hundreds of churches and halls all across the country.

Saturnin, the 1942 novel by Zdeňek Jirotka, has proved to be enduringly popular with Czech readers, and it's not hard to see why. The novel tells the story of a well-to-do young man and his mischievous, quick-witted servant, as they encounter demanding family members, charming young women, escaped lions and troublesome plates of doughnuts. 

Meeting Rob Cameron, the BBC “stringer” correspondent for the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Prague was a mix-up of two different worlds for me: home and abroad. It was a unique opportunity to gain some insight in to the ambitious world of journalism, careers in mass media and a home away from home: “behind the scenes” at the biggest public broadcasting service of the UK.

For the official 2014 Charles University Calendar (sadly not on sale to the general public or students); it was decided to accompany the dates with beautifully designed high quality prints taken from theses and dissertations submitted by students  of the university from centuries ago.

The traditional autumn concert of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics on Thursday, 24th October 2013, was a special event this year. Students and friends had the first opportunity to admire the new Petrof Concert Piano acquired by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics for the Aula of the Informatics building in Malostranské náměstí, so called Professed House (Profesní dům).

Following a number of anti-Roma marches at the end of summer, associate professor Kristina Koldinská from the Department of Labour and Social Security Law of the CU Faculty of Law lost patience.

Up until now, the investigation into alleged plagiarism has utilised, amongst other means, the Urkund tool, which compared the thesis with the contents of websites, electronic sources, archives and book databases, scientific and other tests in digital form and with no regional or language restrictions.

The educational programmes presented in the exhibition were created between 2011-13 for exhibition projects of the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague and Galerie Rudolfinum in cooperation with the Art Education Department of the CU Faculty of Pedagogy through the NAKI joint research grant, awarded by the Czech Ministry of Culture. The exhibition will run until 18 March.

Charles University in Prague is in possession of one of the most valuable databases of oral history in Europe. The Visual History Archive, created through the University of Southern California by the Shoah Visual History Foundation, is a rich tapestry of primary research: witnesses, stories, testimonies, confessions of genocide survivors.

At a ceremony at the CU Scientific Council, the Rector of Charles University, Professor Václav Hampl, today gave out awards to the best graduates of the University at the annual Rector’s Awards. Professor Hampl also bestowed a Rector’s Award for Distinction. The Rector’s Awards for the best graduates of Charles University are bestowed on exceptional students in both the bachelor’s and master’s study programmes who have achieved exceptional results in the scientific, research, sports or cultural sphere.

Good news reached the Czech Institute of Egyptology of Charles University in Prague this January as one of its excavations was ranked number six in a listing of the Top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2013 by Heritage Daily.

Rada Akademie věd ČR a vedení Univerzity Karlovy nesouhlasí s novými pravidly veřejných soutěží, které vyhlásila Grantová agentura ČR. Požadují také, aby agentura zveřejnila postup, jak se granty posuzují. Tak se prý zachová transparentnost veřejné soutěže, v níž se rozdělují peníze. Podle Grantové agentury ale prohlášení akademiků a vedení univerzity vychází ze zavádějících interpretací a připomínky reagují na informace, které v jejím návrhu nejsou.

Zakladatel a mnohaletý ředitel Dětského centra v Mnichově a zakladatelská osobnost sociální pediatrie jako interdisciplinárního oboru zaměřeného na prevenci, výzkum a praktickou pomoc dětem se zdravotními postiženími odešel krátce poté, co před Vánoci minulého roku uspořádal na mnichovské univerzitě Ludwig-Maxmilians-Universität mezinárodní konferenci o autismu a dalších poruchách dětského vývoje, v devadesátém pátém roce svého doposledka tvořivého a seberozdávajícího života.

Klíč, prsten, pečetidlo, žezlo a řetěz. To jsou insignie, které 4. března slavnostně převzal nový rektor Univerzity Karlovy profesor Tomáš Zima. V průběhu inaugurace, která proběhla v prostorách Velké auly Karolina, se s vedením naší alma mater zároveň rozloučil bývalý rektor profesor Václav Hampl.

Osmnáct sportovců pojede na zimní paralympiádu do Soči. Mezi nimi i alpští lyžaři Oldřich Jelínek a Stanislav Loska, svěřenci absolventky Fakulty tělesné výchovy a sportu UK Mgr. Petry Syrovátkové.

Jaká je úroveň vysokých škol v Česku? Udělujeme moc akademický a vědeckých titulů? A kdo má vlastně jmenovat profesory? Otázky, na které už za pár minut budeme znát odpovědi. Začíná Dvacet minut Radiožurnálu. Jsem Helena Šulcová a přeji dobrý poslech. Hostem Dvaceti minut Radiožurnálu je nově jmenovaný rektor Univerzity Karlovy Tomáš Zim

„Glyptotéka Lubo Kristka pro mne představuje vyvrcholení jeho uměleckého zrání,“ tvrdí PhDr. Barbora Půtová, Ph.D., z Ústavu etnologie Filozofické fakulty UK, spoluautorka knihy Kristkova podyjská glyptotéka. Tento specifický soubor soch se nachází v oblasti Podyjí a nová publikace by k němu měla přitáhnout více pozornosti ze strany nejen odborné veřejnosti.