About 60 alumni from seven faculties gathered in the first half of September for a special event organised for Masaryk University graduates working in the Benelux countries. Some came from as far away as Luxembourg. The event took place on the campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, with which MU has collaborated for many years, and ended late in the evening.
Most of the graduates who attended the event work in European institutions such as the European Parliament, the European Commission and NATO, but there were also graduates from Czech ministries and other public bodies, as well as researchers working in local universities or private companies based in the Benelux countries. Masaryk University delegation that came to meet with them and learn more about their careers included Rector Martin Bareš, together with Vice-Rectors Petr Suchý, Jiří Hanuš and Monika Jandová, Dean of the Faculty of Law Martin Škop, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts Petr Dytrt, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies Veronika Velička Zapletalová, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration Markéta Novotná and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science Ctirad Hofr.
“I would like to welcome you to this second alumni meeting. I am very happy that after a year and three months we have managed to prepare this exceptional event again and I dare say that we are in the process of establishing a tradition. Thank you very much for coming today, we look forward to hearing more about your work and your careers,” said Petr Suchý, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation, who hosted the opening part of the meeting.
Rector Martin Bareš soon followed up on his words. “Thanks so much to all of you for being here today, some of you for the second time. And let me take this opportunity to say a few words about our alma mater, and also to recapitulate how we have developed since you graduated. I am very pleased that we are now ranked among the top 500 universities in the world. This is a great achievement in itself, especially when you consider that there are over 33,000 competing institutions around the world. Unfortunately, we Czechs tend to underestimate ourselves, so we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are a university with a very high quality of education and scientific research, and that we offer globally competitive study programmes. Our graduates, you, are the proof of that. And Masaryk University is only as good as its graduates,” said Martin Bareš.
Vice Rector Jiří Hanuš also gave a short speech, followed by a lecture by Russian historian Andrei Zubov, visiting professor at the Faculty of Arts, who spoke about the causes of war, the development of post-communist countries and the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, where he called on both countries to engage in dialogue.
Similar events held by universities abroad
The evening networking event was a chance for alumni to get to know each other, and some travelled far to attend. For example, Pavla Kolářová, a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, came all the way from Luxembourg, where she works at the European Investment Bank. “It is great that MU organised this meeting. I often hear from my colleagues at work that their universities are organising similar events abroad, and I am very happy that Masaryk University has taken up this idea. When I received an invitation to the event, I decided to go, even though it’s a 3.5-hour train ride to Brussels. It didn’t bother me at all that I didn’t know anyone at the event. I love meeting new people and it's actually a normal part of my life and work abroad,” said Pavla Kolářová.
Dalibor Jenne, a graduate of the Faculty of Social Studies who works as a diplomat in the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic to NATO, felt the same way. “I attended last year’s meeting in Brussels and I am very glad that Masaryk University has decided to organise the event again. It is a unique opportunity for us graduates to meet people from the university administration and faculties, as well as former teachers and fellow students. We can also network with people who work in other European institutions, which is very useful for us. So I will definitely be coming again next year,” said the graduate with a smile.
In addition to the graduates, the event was attended by current students, such as Milena Mücková, a student of the Faculty of Law, and Šimon Koleček, a student of the Faculty of Arts, who are currently in Brussels on an internship at the Representation of the South Moravian Region to the EU. “We liked the event very much. We didn’t know that there was such a lively alumni community in Brussels – not only Czechs, but people from Masaryk University in general. We liked being here a lot. We met a lot of new and interesting people and are glad we were able to participate,” said both students.
Members of the University’s administration and faculties agreed with the students and alumni that the event had been a success, and most of them expressed a desire for the meeting to be held again next year. The MU External Relations and Marketing Office, which organised the whole meeting, is already starting to plan for next year’s event and is confident that they will be able to attract even more participants next year.
“I am very happy that we received such positive feedback on the alumni meeting. Brussels is a key place where graduates from several MU faculties find important jobs, also thanks to courses leading to work in European institutions. Most of the graduates present studied at the Faculty of Social Studies or at the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Economics and Administration, but there were also graduates from the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Informatics. It was very interesting to hear about their current jobs, their plans and their interest in working with their alma mater. I look forward to next year. We hope to attract graduates from other faculties of our university,” said Petr Suchý, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation.
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