They are emeritus, but that’s not the same as “not active”. This idea ran through this year’s ceremony for the five professors. Irena Radová, the Dean of the MU Faculty of Arts, reminded the audience: “I’m a Latinist” before quipping that she would much rather call them “meritus” professors – those who have earned merit. The work they do for their field, faculty and university does not end with the emeritus title; it continues.
Five new emeritus professors
This year, emeritus professors Petr Karlík and Ivo Pospíšil represented the Faculty of Arts. “Both are well-known figures, and we could talk about either of them for a very long time,” said Dean Irena Radová as she introduced them.
Petr Karlík is one of the leading figures in Czech linguistics of recent decades. He has been part of Czech studies in Brno since 1974, and his research focuses mainly on Czech syntax and generative grammar. He has co-authored and edited major works in Czech studies, including the extensive New Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Czech, of which he is one of the editors. He also built cooperation with linguists abroad. As a teacher, researcher and respected authority, he has shaped several generations of Czech studies scholars.
Ivo Pospíšil has left his mark on the history of Czech literary studies and Slavonic studies. His research focuses primarily on Russian literature, Slavonic literatures, comparative literature and literary theory. From 1995 to 2022, he headed the faculty’s Department of Slavonic Studies, playing a key role in preserving and developing Brno’s tradition of Slavonic studies and its international links. He has also mentored many students, doctoral candidates and young researchers.
Professor Petr Průcha, a leading figure in Czech administrative law and administrative science, received his certificate after a long career at the Faculty of Law. “Students still remember Professor Průcha fondly, and not only as an outstanding expert and textbook author. They highlight his extraordinary decency and humane approach, which is not a given among lawyers,” said Martin Škop, Dean of the Faculty of Law. Petr Průcha has been part of the faculty for five decades. Among other roles, he headed the Department of Administrative Law and Administrative Science and helped train several generations of lawyers. Throughout his career, he combined academia with legal practice, including as a judge and presiding judge of a chamber at the Supreme Administrative Court. As an excellent teacher, he then passed on his practical experience to students, something the faculty considers especially important.
Luděk Bláha, Dean of the Faculty of Science, introduced two professors: Jiří Holčík, an expert in mathematical biology, and Josef Komárek, who specialises in analytical chemistry and atomic spectrometry.
Jiří Holčík is a prominent figure in Czech biomedical engineering, medical informatics and mathematical biology. He worked at the Czech Technical University in Prague, where he also helped found the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. He has been with Masaryk University since 2008. As Deputy Director for Education at the MU Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, he played a key role in building and developing the Mathematical Biology degree programme. “In his research, Professor Holčík has long focused on the digital processing, analysis and classification of medical signals, especially those of the cardiovascular system, and on modelling biomedical systems. His research has also found practical use, leading, among other things, to four commercial programs for analysing ECGs in adults and children,” said Dean Luděk Bláha.
Josef Komárek has been part of the Department of Chemistry at the MU Faculty of Science since 1971. His lifelong specialisation is atomic absorption spectrometry, particularly the development of trace analysis methods and modern spectrometric techniques for studying environmental, clinical and geological samples. “He played a major role in building and developing the laboratory of plasma sources for chemical analysis – later the Laboratory of Atomic Spectrochemistry at the Faculty of Science – and in major research projects,” Bláha added. In recent years, Komárek’s work has also included analysing environmental samples from Antarctica.
As he presented the certificates, Rector Martin Bareš praised each professor’s professional and personal contribution and highlighted the value of distinguished academics and their long years of work, which are among the university’s greatest assets. He thanked them for everything they had done for Masaryk University and wished them all the best for the years ahead.
On AI, the future of universities and the purpose of education
The discussion that followed covered changes in individual disciplines, the use of artificial intelligence, the future role of universities and the purpose of higher education at a time of rapid technological and social change.
Petr Karlík noted that linguistics in particular is now under heavy pressure from the rise of artificial intelligence. In his view, language models can produce output that comes close to linguistic correctness in a way traditional linguistic disciplines never achieved. At the same time, they process huge amounts of data in a completely different way from humans, who acquire language naturally. Linguist Petr Karlík and Rector Martin Bareš, a neurologist by profession, then discussed the potential, and the limits, of understanding the human brain. While Karlík approached the topic from the perspective of language and linguistics, Bareš pointed out how much neurology and the treatment of neurological diseases have changed in recent decades.
The conversation also turned to the future of universities themselves. According to Rector Martin Bareš, demographic trends and the rise of artificial intelligence will force universities to be more flexible about whom they teach and what they offer. Alongside traditional degree programmes, he sees value in lifelong learning, including shorter courses and micro-credentials for people at different stages of their careers.
Towards the end, Petr Průcha called attention to the core purpose of higher education. He recalled his “unwritten creed” as a teacher: a university’s job is not only to pass on knowledge and skills. “Teachers should instil a desire for and interest in knowledge and skills in their students. Alongside teaching, our work should also include an element of character-building – even though our students are fully grown adults – that leads them to respect certain rights, which are the alpha and omega of a civilised society,” he said. According to Průcha, graduates take away not only knowledge and skills but also a certain responsibility that comes with being a graduate of their university. “They should always remember their university and faculty well and do them credit throughout their professional lives,” Průcha concluded.