At its meeting today, the Academic Senate of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB) elected a candidate for the position of Rector for the period 2024-2028, prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., the current Dean of the USB Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters.
Prof. Pavel Kozák was elected by 32 votes, 4 senators abstained from voting.
"First of all, I appreciate the trust that the senators have placed in me by their election and the long-term support of the deans of individual faculties. I take my election to the post of Rector as a huge personal commitment," commented the elected candidate for the post of Rector, Professor Pavel Kozák, who also briefly outlined his vision for the fulfilment of the Rector´s function: "I want to develop a modern and competitive university that will be transparent in its management, decision-making and communication with the public. For students, USB must be the first choice for its quality of education and pleasant motivational environment. I want to strengthen the brand of the University of South Bohemia in the region, nationally and internationally. For the region, the University of South Bohemia is unique in its scientific potential and irreplaceable in the professional education of teachers, health professionals, social workers, farmers and other professions."
Prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., is a Czech scientist and educator who specialises in crustacean and mollusc breeding. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
He was born in 1971 in Pacov. He graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, where he received his degree in engineering in 1993. In 2002 he received his Ph.D. degree from the same university, in 2009 he attained the rank of associate professor and was appointed professor in the field of Fisheries at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia in 2015.
Pavel Kozák is an experienced leader, in 2009-2017 he was the director of the Research Institute of Fisheries and Hydrobiology in Vodňany and also the head of the Laboratory of Fish and Crayfish Ethology. From 2009, when the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia was founded, he acted as the Vice Dean for External Relations until 2013 and then in 2017 he became the Dean of the Faculty, which he is today.
He has been a member of the Academic Senate of the University of South Bohemia, the International Scientific Council of the Faculty and the CENAKVA Centre, and the scientific councils of several educational or scientific institutions. He was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture as a member of the Monitoring Committee of the OP Fisheries (MoA) and other committees related to fisheries. He has been a member of the International Astacological Organisation since 1998 and has acted on its immediate board since 2015. He is a long-standing member of the Czech Republic Grant Agency's evaluation panels and currently chairs the Plant and Animal Ecology panel.
Pavel Kozák is married, has three children and three grandchildren. In his free time he enjoys fishing, cycling, reading and nature.
The candidate for the post of Rector of the University of South Bohemia is elected by the Academic Senate of the University of South Bohemia, which has 40 members. They are representatives of all eight faculties of the university, each faculty is represented in the senate by three academic staff and two students. The nomination of a candidate for the post of Rector is accepted if a majority of all members of the Senate, i.e. at least 21 senators, vote in favour of the candidate. The Rector shall be appointed by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the Academic Senate of a public higher education institution.
The term of office of the current Rector, prof. PhDr. Bohumil Jiroušek, Dr., ends on 31 March 2024.
Introductory photo - source: ČTK, Václav Pancer
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