While the CZU auditorium hall came alive with Christmas workshops on Wednesday, December 3, and people interested in donating bone marrow came here, the academic community was meeting inside. The CZU Academic Senate symbolically convened the annual meeting for the first week of Advent, a time of hope and expectation.
Expectations were definitely exceeded by the two terms of office of the outgoing rector Petr Sklenička, under whose leadership the university moved among the best educational institutions in the country and the world between 2018 and 2025. The balance sheet of his tenure as head of the university, which he presented to the CZU academic community on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, proved that reality.
“Eight years ago, I promised that we would be among the top five, and today we are among the top three. If we don´t give up, in four years we can reach the top spot among Czech universities,” said Rector Petr Sklenička.
According to official data, the university is constantly strengthening its position in world rankings. It educates experts who can withstand the tough competition of the academic environment of the best foreign universities, are increasingly making their mark in impact journals, and are receiving prestigious European grants. Petr Sklenička’s eight-year term of office was also exposed to two major tests: the Covid pandemic and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Under his leadership, the university addressed both of these challenges in a first-class manner, becoming an example for other universities.
During Petr Sklenička´s rectorship, the face of the campus has also changed noticeably. New buildings have been constructed here, including the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture, the Pavilion of Environmental Studies, and the Food Pavilion. New modern spaces for the Poníček children´s group are about to open, and the university´s great pride is the reconstruction of the G dormitory.
Such a picture was outlined in the outgoing rector´s final speech to the CZU academics, along with his thanks to everyone who has contributed to the university´s current excellent form.
In the subsequent discussion, when asked whether CZU has a reserve somewhere, the rector mentioned two facts: “I think there is still a certain imbalance in the fields, not all of them are pulling us upwards. What I would also like to see in the future, and what may be more important than our excellent publication outputs, are international patents and applied outputs. We are currently doing very well in publishing articles in impact journals; the numbers speak for themselves. However, in the coming years, it will be more important to support more innovative results,p” the outgoing rector of CZU, Petr Sklenička, outlined future challenges.