Metropolitan University Prague Celebrates Birthday. We Are 20 Years Old!

In 2001, the Metropolitan University of Prague was founded as a public benefit company (non-profit organisation) with the then name of the College of Public Administration and International Relations in Prague. On 23 May 2001, it received the state approval from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic to operate as a private college of non-university type. In 2007, following the accreditation of the first Doctoral study programme, it acquired the university status and changed the name to Metropolitan University Prague. On 1 October 2001, the first 37 students of the Bachelor’s study programme of your first specialisation of Public Administration commenced their studies.

Exactly 20 years have passed since then. And above all, there has been a lot of work, effort and enthusiasm of all who started building the school from scratch: the founder, academics and other employees. In the beginning, there were only a few of them. They were enthusiasts who often risked their until then “comfortable” careers as they entered a new and completely uncertain, unknown world of private higher education in the Czech Republic. And thanks to them, but also thanks to all the students and later alumni who formed and form today's Metropolitan University Prague and helped to build its reputation, we can commemorate the main milestones of our history.

Nowadays, Metropolitan University Prague is one of the oldest private universities in the Czech Republic, but also the largest individual private university, and this year also officially the highest quality private university. MUP provides instruction to approx. 3,000 students in 25 study programmes of Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Czech and in English in two buildings in Prague, it has 9 departments and 5 scientific centres, in the evaluation of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is ranks as the best private university in the Czech Republic, part of MUP is formed by the MUP Press publishing house, two scientific journals (CEJISS and Politics in Central Europe), MUP Sports Club and the School Without Barriers social programme; MUP produced over 15,500 alumni.

However, year 2021 marked by the pandemic. Any official celebrations and mass events seem impossible for now. That is the reason why we do not plan any celebrations of social nature. We cannot even dream of a ball or steamboat on the Vltava, nevertheless, we would like to share some joys that belong to the 20th anniversary of Metropolitan University Prague. We have prepared several options for you how to be with MUP:

• Colleagues from the Department of Media Studies prepared a short video documentary Alma Mater: Authentic Fragments for the 20. Anniversary of the Founding of MUP:
  
• We have also prepared a special website with a timeline of MUP history.

This year, Metropolitan University of Prague became the best-ranked private university in the Czech Republic. In the historically first list created by the government institutions on the basis of the quality of science, our university received the highest evaluation among social science schools, together with the Prague University of Economics and Business. A big thank you to our academics for this. On the iMUP portal, we cover this topic in an interview with the Head of the Centre for Support of Science Mgr. Tereza Vogeltanzová.

Walk or run with MUP! Join the 3rd MUP Challenge on the occasion of the 20 years of MUP in the period from 20 May to 20 June 2021.

We are happy that our students, employees and students of partner secondary schools joined the previous rounds of the „MUP Challenge 1 and 2“. Even in times of pandemic, we try to keep in touch with each other and believe that at least through such events we will “run” and “walk” back together to normality as it was before February 2020. We also cover this event on the iMUP portal.

Dear students, alumni, colleagues, partners of Metropolitan University Prague,

Thanks for the past successful 20 years of Metropolitan University Prague, or as students say “MUP”, “MUPka” or “Metropolitka”, goes to you. You all have been a big MUP family for 20 years. You all have built our common reputation, atmosphere, good relationships and a sense of belonging to “our colours”. We wish you all good, and to “MUP” we wish further development, more very good, enthusiastic and successful students and proud alumni and satisfied employees. Let us all wish together our Metropolitan University Prague to remain and continue to be a respected full-fledged part of the Czech and European university world.

Quod bonum, felix, faustum, fortunatumque sit!

Mgr. Anna Benešová
Founder

JUDr. Marek Beneš, Ph.D.
Director

prof. PhDr. Michal Klíma, M.A., CSc.
Rector

doc. PhDr. Ladislav Cabada, Ph.D.
Vice-Rector for Research and Creative Activities, Vice-Rector for Quality and Development

PhDr. Jan Bureš, Ph.D.
Vice-Rector for Pedagogic Activities and Vice-Rector for Student Affairs

Ing. Jan Rett
Quaestor

doc. Mgr. Michal Kolmaš, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of Asian Studies

doc. Ing. Josef Abrhám, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of Tourism

Mgr. Jan Haňka
Head of the Department of Foreign Languages

doc. Mats Rickard Braun, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of International Relations and European Studies

prof. PhDr. Jan Jirák, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of Media Studies

Ing. Jaroslav Halík, MBA, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of International Business

doc. PaedDr. Milan Vošta, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of International Relations and European Studies

PhDr. Petr Just, Ph.D.
Head of the Department of Political Science and Anglophone Studies

prof. doc. JUDr. Karel Klíma, CSc., Dr. hab.
Head of the Department of Legal Disciplines and Public Administration