President Caputova Dismisses Fikar from STU Chancellor Post

Bratislava, April 22 (TASR) – President Zuzana Caputova on Thursday dismissed Bratislava-based Slovak University of Technology (STU) chancellor Miroslav Fikar, the president’s spokesman Martin Strizinec told TASR on the same day.

The Presidential Office received the district court’s verdict, turning down the proposal for a preliminary injunction on the issue of Fikar’s dismissal from the post of STU chancellor by the university’s Academic Senate, said Strizinec. “This court decision removed a circumstance that might have caused legal uncertainty around the fulfilment of the Academic Senate’s will,” he added.

The president thanked Fikar for his efforts in protecting academic freedoms and the STU’s reputation.

The STU Academic Senate approved the proposal to dismiss Fikar from the STU chancellor post on October 26, 2020. From 42 valid votes, 25 was for Fikar’s dismissal, 14 were against and three senators refrained from the voting. In the proposal for his dismissal, Fikar was blamed for the managerial failure in resolving the case at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, statements for the media, the way of creating a budget and declining demand for study at the STU.

The Education Ministry examined the process of Fikar’s ouster for several months as well.