| SVU |
CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |
Executive Board Meeting - December 5, 1998
The newly
elected SVU Executive Board held its second meeting on December 5, 1998 in Mila Rechcigl's
home. in Rockville. Present were eight members, representing sufficient number to
constitute the quorum.
The Executive Board noted with appreciation the congratulatory letter from President
Vaclav Havel on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts
and Sciences. The verbatim reproduction of President Havel's letter, with English
translation, appears elsewhere in this issue of Zpravy SVU.
The first order of business was the follow-up on the SVU World Congress in Bratislava.
Following the financial report of Past Secretary- General Vera Ulbrecht, Rechcigl informed
the Board of Professor Tkac's letter, expressing satisfaction with the payment of the
outstanding bills. The idea of publishing selected papers from the Congress has been
tentatively tabled, pending the submission of a realistic proposal.
Next on the agenda was a discussion of Rechcigl's draft of the Society's Mission
Statement. Apart from stylistic changes, it was suggested that an additional area of
emphasis be added to current SVU priorities, i.e., to serve as a focal point for the
developing civil society. The other priorities are: 1. to enhance and promote Czech and
Slovak culture, 2. to coordinate and assist the work of SVU members, 3. to foster
cooperation between scientists, artists, and other professionals, as well as with cultural
institutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and those abroad, 4. to assist with the
preservation of Czech and Slovak cultural heritage abroad. The revised SVU Mission
Statement is printed below. It bears directly not only on the future of SVU but also on
the question what the Society can offer its members and ipso facto on the recruitment of
new members. Vice President Jaroslav Verner has the responsibility of translating these
aspirations into a practical menu of services which could be offered to potential SVU
members.
With reference to membership and our services, some time was devoted to the discussion of
the SVU Clearinghouse, based on the materials prepared by Juraj Slavik. Since the
previous experiences with various questionnaires, published in Zpravy SVU or sent directly
to members by mail, were largely unsuccessful, it was felt that we ought not to pursue
this approach. Instead, it was felt that it would be by far more practical, to simply
announce the existence of such Clearinghouse in Zpravy SVU and give Juraj Slavik's name,
phone and FAX numbers, as the main contact. In case of inquires, he would then contact the
relevant people to render possible assistance. Individual Executive board members offered
assistance in helping with networking.
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Publications have always been considered a cornerstone of SVU activities. Based on
Professor Machann's report, the monograph containing selected talks from the 1997
Conference in Texas is in press. There is a separate announcement of the book in this
issue of Zpravy. We urge members to send in their orders as soon as possible. The
Executive Board commented favorably on the appearance and contents of Zpravy SVU and
expressed thanks to Dr. Andrew Elias for his good work. In order to assure that news is
not out of date it was recommended that the Editor includes in each issue a specific
deadline for submission of the news items. Another delay in the issuance of the next issue
of the English periodical Kosmas was received with regret and concern by the Executive
Board. In the meantime, Vice President Josef Machac and his committee are
proceeding with the in-depth evaluation of the periodical with the aim of making it a
viable enterprise.
The upcoming SVU Conference in Minnesota is taking shape. Based on Rechcigl's report, the
central theme of the Conference will be "Czech and Slovak America - Quo Vadis ?"
Three general areas will be covered in the program: The historic and contemporary issues
relating to Czech and Slovak Americans, the preservation of our cultural heritage abroad,
and the relations with the Czech and Slovak Republics. The Conference will culminate with
the address by President Havel. Professor Josef Mestenhauser was designated as the
conference coordinator.
Considerable time was devoted to the discussion of the next SVU World Congress, scheduled
for the year 2000 in Washington, D.C. This will be an extraordinary event - our 20th
World Congress - which will take our Society into the next Millennium. As was reported
earlier, the Congress will congregate on the campus of American University which is
offering the Society a number of advantages. The tentative dates for the Congress are
August 9-13, 2000.
The local arrangements are in the hands of the SVU Washington D.C. Chapter, under
the chairmanship of Dr. Alexej Borkovec. The logistics are coordinated by Dr. Vera
Borkovec, who is a Professor at American University, and the Local Arrangements Committee,
which she is assembling. In this connection, Vice President Milton Cerny and Mila
Rechcigl had a very successful meeting with Claudio Grossman, Dean of the Washington
College of Law, who offered SVU facilities of his school for the Congress. At the
suggestion of Milton Cerny, the Executive Board agreed that the central theme of the
Congress will be "Democracy and the Civil Society into the 21st Century." As an
interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary society, we'll also have the customary sessions
and symposia based on various disciplines. Another meeting is planned with the President
of the American University Dr. Benjamin Ladner.
The last item on the agenda was the question of preservation of our cultural heritage
abroad, a new project which is spearheaded by Rechcigl. In this connection, as was
reported previously, the Society has been awarded a grant from the Czech Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to survey historical sites and monuments, and the archival material
relating to Czech Americans. This announcement was placed in various newspapers and
newsletters, in US, Canada and Europe, as well as on Internet, with the aim of stimulating
interest among our people as well as the general public. A detailed account of the project
was published in Czech the News.
The project is envisioned as a long-term and broadly based effort, involving close
cooperation with individual Czech American organizations and the relevant institutions in
the Czech Republic, such as Naprstek Museum. It is our hope to eventually enlarge the
project to also include the Slovak materials with the cooperation of the relevant Slovak
organizations in America. The key Czech American organizations were invited to join the
National Heritage Commission, the makeup of which is being finalized. Apart from the SVU,
which is coordinating the overall effort, the following societies agreed to join this
important undertaking: Czechoslovak National Council of America, American Sokol, CSA,
SPJST, RVOS, Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Moravian Heritage Society, Czech and Slovak
Heritage Association of Maryland, American Czechoslovak Club of North Miami. Additional
organizations would be welcome.
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