The election of a candidate for appointment as rector of Tomas Bata University (UTB) in Zlín took place on 29 September 2026. The academic senate of the university decided by secret ballot that the university would be led for a further four years by the incumbent rector Milan Adámek.[1]
Course of the election
Three candidates competed for the post of rector: Milan Adámek, David Tuček, vice-dean of the Faculty of Management and Economics, and Roman Čermák, vice-dean of the Faculty of Technology.[1] The academic senate has 38 members. In the first round Adámek received 19 votes, Tuček 13 and Čermák six.[1] In the second round 19 senate members again voted for Adámek and 13 for Tuček, with six votes invalid.[1] At least 20 votes were needed for election; Adámek reached them only in the third round, in which he defeated Tuček by 20 votes to 12, with the remaining six votes invalid.[1]
After the election Adámek told journalists that the election had been more demanding than in the previous term, because it was then decided in one round, whereas this year it took three.[1] He added that he had not seen the third round in a very positive light, but that it ended well in the end.[1]
Appointment and plans for the next term
The rector must be appointed by the president, and Adámek is due to begin the new term on 15 December 2026.[1] The rector's term is four years, and under the rules a person may head the university for at most two consecutive terms.[1]
Adámek said that the university should be modern and digital, with less administration and more room for education and science.[1] He called the start of construction of a development centre for digitalisation essential and stressed the need for safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence in teaching and science.[1] In his words, the university's greatest reserve, but also opportunity, is the digitalisation of internal processes.[1] He also plans to open selected subjects of accredited programmes to the public and wants to increase the number of foreign students and support the development of research centres.[1]
Among other plans he mentioned addressing the space needs of the Faculty of Humanities, where a large number of students study in non-medical health programmes, and of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications, which teaches in several locations.[1] A new building of the Faculty of Technology is to open in spring 2027 and the opening of a student club is being prepared.[1] According to the plan, construction of a sports hall could begin in 2027.[1] The university also wants to expand the capacity of its halls of residence, with new halls to be built at Růmy.[1]
Milan Adámek's career to date
Adámek, aged 59, was dean of the UTB Faculty of Applied Informatics from 2014 to 2022 and afterwards its vice-dean.[1] At the head of the university he succeeded Vladimír Sedlařík at the end of 2022, whom he then defeated in a secret ballot of the academic senate.[1] The Zlín university was founded in 2001, has six faculties and almost 10,000 students.[1]
Related articles: Milan Adámek
Chronology
- — The academic senate of Tomas Bata University in Zlín re-elected rector Milan Adámek for another four years. ČTK / České noviny Deník: Zlínský kraj
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Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 29 September 2026