Senate meeting – Zsolt Hernádi: cultural transformation is needed to achieve strategic goals

In his short speech, Előd Takáts thanked the members of the body, the Board of Trustees of the maintainer, the University’s management, the teaching and research staff, the support staff and the students for their joint work over the past period. He stressed that building a good university is always a win-win task, in which executives and colleagues participate together and achieve results together. He spoke highly of the merits of the former General Vice-Rector, Lajos Szabó, and wished him every success in his duties as Acting Rector. As of 1 August, Előd Takáts will resume his career as Head of Strategy at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, while remaining a professor at the Institute of Finance. 

Zsolt Hernádi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation, which maintains the University, also thanked Előd Takáts for his achievements in internationalisation, international research visibility and increasing lecturer and student excellence over the past two years. He stressed that the University, under the leadership of the outgoing Rector, has taken an important step in the process of organisational renewal with the reform of the institutional structure implemented last year.  

In his welcome speech, Anthony Radev, President of the University highlighted the imperishable merits of Előd Takáts in obtaining AACSB accreditation and in the spectacular increase in the number of university publications in the most prestigious scholarly journals. 

Following the farewell to the Rector, Zsolt Hernádi informed the Senate about the next steps to be taken regarding the vacant Rector’s position.  The Board of Trustees asked the body to review and update, until the middle of September, the expectations identified for the international call for applications for the position of rector, to be launched in the autumn, and to modify or extend the expectations.  Until the successful conclusion of the competition – expected by the end of this year – the position of Acting Rector will be held by Lajos Szabó, for whom the maintainer has set clearly defined expectations to be met by the end of the year. 

Zsolt Hernádi added that in order to achieve the strategic goals, a culture transformation is needed at the University. Strengthening the culture of collaboration, promoting genuine involvement, changing leadership styles and strengthening leadership skills are all essential parts of this. He stressed that it is not possible to hold a permanent position at the University without real performance, but this requires clear and achievable goals, in which executives have a serious responsibility. He also stressed the need to become an inclusive community that is truly open to the integration of international colleagues and students.  

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees stressed the need to establish the culture of compliance at the University, where breaking the rules has consequences. Zsolt Hernádi concluded his presentation by saying that the values of Corvinus are based on a sense of community and tolerance, therefore students and employees alike are expected not to violate the integrity of others, either in public or in a smaller community. The University is a place for professional debates. Those who seek to settle their internal conflicts, whether driven by self-interest or for other reasons, by exerting pressure through the press, harm the university, harm colleagues, harm students and damage the university’s reputation.

When the executives left, the Senate meeting continued as scheduled, and as usual, a detailed report will be published soon.