Among the guests at the Palacký University Gala Evening at the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., were also relatives of some great figures of 20th century Czech history. During the evening, UP Rector Martin Procházka met Jana Kánská, daughter of Milada Horáková, the most famous victim of the communist show-trial murders, and Andrea Pohl, great-grandniece of the second Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš.
Olomouc’s university had a unique opportunity, together with the Olomouc Region and the City of Olomouc, to present themselves to the U.S. public. More than 200 invited guests came to the gala evening held at the end of April at the premises of the Embassy of the Czech Republic, among them were also UP alumni living in the USA, representatives of partner American universities, American scientists, businessmen, and financiers.
“We presented our university as an institution with a history of more than four hundred and fifty years, but also one that is lively, modern, successful, and active in the field of international cooperation. We are working on developing relationships with our existing partners in the USA, however it is also vital for us to look for other opportunities for support and fundraising, so that we can open the door for gaining international experience to as many of our students and faculty as possible,” noted Martin Procházka, who thanked the Czech Embassy and the American guests for their warm welcome.
Together with Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Jiří Stavovčík, he also discussed further cooperation and support with representatives of Moravian University and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.
During the gala event in Washington, D.C., in addition to Rector Procházka and Vice Rector Stavovčík, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the USA Miloslav Stašek, the Director of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids Cecilie Rokusek, and UP alumnus Adam Matěj, who is currently a post-doctoral student at Georgetown University, also spoke to the gala guests. The artistic accompaniment was provided by Katelyn Bouska, a pianist with Czech roots, who played pieces by Czech composers such as Leoš Janáček, Marek Keprt, Miloslav Ištvan, and Vítězslava Kaprálová.
