Prague at Night

In 2008, when Pittsburgh celebrates its 250th anniversary, Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, will have been the center of Czech political, cultural, and economic life for more than 1,100 years. Think of it this way: Prague was a city for more than 800 years before the French explorers came across the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers.

And yet, as eternal as Prague seems, quite a bit perished during the “Velvet Revolution,” the name for the non-violent upheaval in Czechoslovakian society that began in November 1989.

“The Czech Republic has been subjected to some type of outside influence or rule for most of the past 400 years,” says Kevin Kearns, PhD, a member of the Board of Trustees at Carlow University, and a professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Pittsburgh, who recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Prague. “First it was the Habsburgs in Austria, then the Nazis, then the communist party rule largely under the influence of the former Soviet Union. Their educational and social institutions have been significantly impacted by this history and—during and since the Velvet Revolution—have played a prominent role in the evolution of the Czech Republic as a free and independent state.”

While free and independent are generally considered to be good things in our western ideology, in personal terms, Kearns says he noticed that the Czechs have a generation that, if not entirely lost, nevertheless, is definitely confused by the whirlwind of change.

“Someone in his or her 70s was probably in their mid-50s at the time of the Velvet Revolution, and in their teens when the communists took over,” he says. “They lived their whole adult lives under the rule of the communist state. Some of them are confused by—and perhaps out of sync with—this modern capitalist society that the Czech Republic has become.”

Kearns says that while there are those who are delighted with all that the Czech Republic has become, there are also those so frustrated by change that they long for the old ways.

“You need to be respectful of that tradition,” he says. “If you totally disregard the part of history that [the generation who grew up under communist rule] have lived through, that’s like saying half their lives was a loss. You can’t do that, but change is still going to happen. It’s a fine line to walk, but that’s true in any change environment.”

During his Fulbright Fellowship, Kearns provided technical assistance to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations on topics like strategic planning, accountability, and social entrepreneurship, and taught courses in nonprofit management at two universities in Prague: Charles University, which dates to 1347 or 1348, and is one of the oldest—if not the oldest—university in Europe, and the School of Economics, which was founded in 1953. Much as the dates of their founding indicate, the two Czech universities were contrasts between the eternal and the new.

“They were at opposite ends of the spectrum in many ways,” he explains. “At Charles University, the faculty had complete autonomy in governance of the university. A rector is elected from the faculty, and would serve a set term of several years. The rector reports to the faculty but has relatively little power to do anything administratively, especially in comparison with typical American universities. Also, there is no board of trustees, as we know it. The faculty senate serves as the governing board for Charles University. This created a number of challenges.”

Kearns says the various schools within Charles University have different admissions standards and different requirements for graduation. The faculty produced a lot of research, but are not able to earn enough income from teaching alone, so many of them have second jobs.

“The scholarly potential is huge, but the administrative structure is not there at all,” he says.

The School of Economics was a completely different environment. Opened under communist rule, it had a highly centralized administrative orientation, and academic freedom was virtually non-existent. “Since 1989, it has morphed into what we would call a typical business school,” Kearns says.

“The faculty is reasonably compensated, and they are producing a lot of students who are getting jobs. Compared to Charles University, however, there is not quite as much emphasis on scholarly activity. But even this is changing as more and more faculty develop research portfolios and are successful at publication.”

The Kearns Family in Prague

He said there was little collaboration across the universities, and few Czechs get to experience the difference between the two schools, which made his Fulbright Fellowship all the more unique.

“By experiencing the two ends of the spectrum, I had the opportunity to see two models of higher education in their pure form,” Kearns says. “Within four months, I saw both extremes and it has made me look at our educational system in a totally different light.”

Of course, being connected to two universities in the same town is not unusual for him. He has been at GSPIA in one role or another since 1987. He is completing his sixth year on the board of trustees at Carlow this year.

“My association with Carlow is linked to a long collegial relationship with Sister Georgine Scarpino, who for many years served as an adjunct professor of statistics at GSPIA,” he says. “Sister Georgine and I also co-authored a paper on strategic planning in nonprofit organizations. She asked if I would sit down with Sister Grace Ann Geibel to talk about engagement with the Board of Trustees.”

Sister Grace Ann was convincing, and although Kearns admits to having reservations about serving on Carlow’s board while being on the faculty at Pitt because of potential conflicts of interest, the chief counsel at the University of Pittsburgh gave his assurance that everything would be fine as long as Kearns abstained from participating in deliberations related to Pitt’s interests. He began his service on the board at a key time in Carlow’s history—just as the transition from college to university was being considered.

“I have long admired the mission of Carlow and the value-added component it brings to the higher education industry in our region,” he says. “I have always supported the mission of women-centered education. Carlow educates a large number of first time college goers, and that, too, is an important niche to fulfill. In addition, the work Carlow has done with at-risk populations—in the Hill District, for instance—has been just outstanding. Carlow plays a hugely important role in the economic future of our region. Strategically, and from a marketing perspective, we need to tell that story even more. I also have great respect and admiration for Dr. Mary Hines. She is a first-rate educator and leader who has the skills and attributes necessary to lead Carlow during its ongoing transition from a college to a university.”

“Ad Superna, Non Superba.”

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