SVU Commission for Cooperation with Czechoslovakia

November 1989 was a remarkable and eventful month in the history of Czechoslovakia. After forty years of monopolistic misrule by the Communist Party, democracy was restored to this traditionally democratic land, thanks to the bloodless Prague "Velvet Revolution."

This was also a turning point in the major aims and the activities of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. The establishment of contacts and cooperation with Czechoslovakia in various areas of arts and sciences have henceforth become the principal focus of the Society's activities. This reorientation of the aims and the priorities of the Society was agreed upon and advocated at a special meeting of the SVU Collegium of Presidents, convened during February 2-3, 1990.

At the initiative of the past Presidents of the Society, the Executive Board established a special fund to aid Czechoslovakia. In addition, individual Chapters of SVU started their own fund-raising drives, some of which were quite successful, particularly those in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA.

At the recommendation of the Collegium of Past Presidents, the Executive Board approved the creation of SVU Commission for Cooperation with Czechoslovakia and a narrower Planning, Policy and Coordination Council. The latter body comprised of Prof. Zdenek Slouka, Chairman, and Dr. Alexej B. Borkovec, Dr. Andrew Elias, Dr. Thomas Gibian, Prof. Jiri Nehnevajsa, Dr. Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr., Dr. Zdenek Suda, Dr. Michael Sumichrast, and Prof. Jan F. Triska.

Under the leadership of Prof. Slouka, the Commission sponsored two four-week seminars in Prague and Olomouc during the first post-revolutionary summer in Czechoslovakia: an economic seminar at Charles University and a social science seminar at Palacky University. The Prague seminar for economists was led by Prof. George J. Staller of Cornell University, while the social science seminar in Olomouc was designed and led by Prof. Zdenek Suda of the University of Pittsburgh.

The SVU Commission established close ties with the Charter 77 Foundation, the Soros Foundation, the International Institute of Education, IREX, and other organizations which have an active interest in assisting East European countries. In addition, the Commission and its Council began systematically developing cooperative links with Czech and Slovak institutions. Responding favorably to the Council's request, the Executive Board decided to hold the Sixteenth SVU World Congress in Czechoslovakia in 1992.

In June, 1990, Prof. Nabelek, together with several members of the Executive Board, had an opportunity to visit President Havel, who expressed appreciation to the Society for the work done on behalf of Czechoslovak culture.

In September of the same year, Prof. Zdenek Slouka led a delegation to Czechoslovakia, comprising a working group of the Council which included Prof. Jan F. Triska, Prof. Paul Trensky, Dr. Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr. and Prof. Anton Novacky, as was originally recommended by the Collegium of Presidents. This working group further extended the Society's cooperative links with the Czech and Slovak universities, academies of science, governmental agencies, and a variety of institutions. At the outset of the visit, the working group
held two conferences at Charles University. The first was attended by about 30 rectors, pro-rectors and deans of most Czechoslovak universities and by the officers of both science academies. The second included over forty leading scholars and scientists. Subsequently, the group went to Bratislava where it held comparable meetings with the officials and scientists of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak universities and representatives of the Ministry of Education. Out of this work, extending over two weeks and
including visits to dozens of Czech and Slovak educational research institutions, the working group of the Council prepared an extensive report entitled: "Czechoslovakia: Knowledge, Skills and Learning - Critical Assessment of Needs and Absorptive Capacities." The report, with specific recommendations, was made available to various funding agencies, foundations and endowments.

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