PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORTS - STATE OF SVU

State of the SVU in 1996

Report of SVU President Dr. Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr. to the
SVU General Assembly Convened in Brno, August 14, 1996

Let me first thank the Brno organizers for enabling us to hold our General Assembly meeting in Brno, in conjunction with the 18th SVU Congress. It is a historic event, as it is the first instance of holding our annual meeting on the soil of the Czech Republic.

When the present Executive Board began its term, less than two years ago, the position of the Society was not in an enviable situation. Our finances were in sad shape and there was general apathy among the membership partly due to unsettling political situation in the old homeland.

The first step the Executive Board took was to determine how bad the situation really was and then prepare a realistic agenda for the future. Our analysis and the proposed course of action were published in Zpravy SVU.

First, we had to deal with the notion of some of the members that SVU already fulfilled its mission and that the time has come to cease and desist which brought growing apathy among SVU membership. Through editorials and public discussions we reminded the members of the causes that led to the establishment of the Society in the first place, emphasizing that the defeat of communism does not mean that there is no more need to propagate Czech and Slovak culture abroad. We argued that the situation, when the Czech and Slovak Republics are attempting to establish their legitimate place among the democratic nations, requires external assistance which SVU could provide.

Administratively, we gave the greatest attention to SVU finances. To correct the deficit it was necessary to stabilize our financial base and institute a far reaching fiscal reform. A balanced budget was our goal and a sine qua non for any future fiscal commitment. Through careful planning we succeeded in
substantially lowering SVU expenses and through systematic collection of dues we also raised the Society's income. The Executive Board also succeeded in
acquiring some donations from external sources, particularly from individual donors.

A still unresolved problem is the relationship with certain West European local chapters, whose members pay their dues late and in insufficient amounts, or not at all. The SVU Bylaws clearly state that every bona fide member, irrespective of where she or he lives, must equally share in fiscal responsibilities of the Society so that major burden does not entirely rest on the shoulders of American and Canadian members. At the recommendation of the General Assembly, the Executive Board decided to return to the original way of collecting the dues, i.e., directly by the central Treasurer. This would automatically correct the problem and negate the question whether or not a given member's dues have been paid and whether he/she is entitled to participate in the elections which was always problematic whenever the dues were collected by local chapters.

Beginning with the year 1996, the Executive Board decided to raise the membership dues to $35 for individuals and $40 for both spouses, while the student rates remained unchanged at $5. The membership dues in the Czech and Slovak Republics were set at $10 for individuals and $12 for both spouses. As for the exemptions from paying dues, these were to be granted only exceptionally for transitory period and only for financial reasons. Retirement alone does not entitle anyone for such exemption. Treasurer's establishment of a new membership database has also considerably simplified management of our finances.

The Executive Board has also given great attention to the improvement of our contacts with the membership. As promised, we now regularity inform the members through our newsletter Zpravy SVU about our activities and problems that we confront.

In the spirit of rejuvenating the Society, the Executive Board gave impetus to a new membership drive. especially among the younger generation and among the professionals, irrespective of their background, interested in Czech and Slovak culture, as well as the descendants of Czech and Slovak immigrants abroad.

I am pleased to report about the exceptional work of our chapters in the Czech and Slovak Republics. The Prague Chapter under the chairmanship of Jaroslava Turkova, regularly organizes meetings with lectures, as does the Bratislava Chapter under the leadership of Prof. Alexander Tkac and the Kosice Chapter under Prof. Karol Marton. The SVU Brno Chapter directed by Dr. Marie Bobkova was fully engaged in the preparation of the 18th SVU World Congress in Brno. We are also pleased about the newly established Chapter in Presov.

Among the most active North American chapters are Washington DC Chapter and the New York Chapter, and to lesser extent Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and
Ottawa Chapters. In Western Europe Munich Chapter appears to be most active.

Publishing has always been considered by the Society as its imperative which the present Executive Board fully endorses. One of the first steps the Board has taken was to reestablish the English periodical Kosmas - Czechoslovak and Central Europan Journal after a three-year lapse. The periodical will be published twice a year in cooperation with the University of Nebraska under the editorship of Prof. Bruce Garver. The price of a single issue was set at $18.

The Executive Board also devoted considerable attention to cultural and scientific cooperation between our colleagues home and abroad. Our plan is to establish an academic network for the purpose of rendering advice and assistance to Czech and Slovak students and researchers studying abroad, especially the USA and Canada, as well as to our members abroad who planed to undertake studies in the Czech or Slovak Republics.

There have been repeated complains from our members that SVU had focused all its recent activities in Prague. This justified complaint convinced the Executive Board to hold the last year's Annual Meeting in Kosice, in conjunction with a conference "Technology-Humanity-Arts-Tolerance", organized by the Kosice SVU Chapter. The conference environment, about which we reported in detail in Zpravy SVU , was truly outstanding. not only for its high quality program but also for the exceptional hospitality we received there.

The criticism of the so called "Pragocentrism" also led the Executive Board to the decision to convene the present SVU World Congress in Brno with the focus on the cultural contributions of this beautiful and historically important Moravian land. The general success of the Congress, the kind reception of our hosts and the overall mutually agreeable atmosphere confirmed that the decision to hold the Congress in Brno was a wise one.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the members of the Executive Board for their dedicated work and cooperation. Generally speaking, I am very pleased to say that the Society again stands on firm ground.

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