State of the SVU in the Year 2000

Report of SVU President Dr. Miloslav Rechcigl to SVU General Assembly Convened 10 August, 2000 in Washington, DC

It is hard to believe that two years have passed. It seems like yesterday when we held our SVU World Congress in Bratislava, soon followed by the SVU Conference in Minnesota.

I am delighted to see so many of our members attending this year's annual meeting whose number may very well be a record in SVU history. Because of our extensive agenda, I will keep my report as brief as possible. Our Executive Board has been reporting on its activities on a regular basis in Zpravy SVU which makes my task considerably easier.

Two years ago, the Society commemorated the fortieth anniversary of its remarkable history at which occasion we also received a congratulatory message from President Havel. I am pleased to say that the last two years of the SVU activities have been just as commendable.

The first thing our Executive Board did, upon assuming its duties, was to reexamine its priorities and to formulate its new Mission statement. The agreed upon priorities are: to enhance and promote Czech and Slovak culture abroad, to assist and coordinate the work of SVU members, to foster cooperation between scientists, artists, and other professionals , as well as between cultural institutions in Czech and Slovak Republics and those abroad, to make a concerted effort toward preservation of Czech and Slovak cultural identity and heritage abroad, and finally to assist with the development of civil society.

Early on, it was decided to hold the Society's annual meeting in Minnesota, which offered a number of advantages - above all its central location in the Midwest - the heart of USA - where a large number of Czech and Slovak immigrants settled. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision as it enabled us to coordinate it with the planned visit of President Havel. It also gave us an opportunity to convene a special SVU Conference on the key issues confronting Czech and Slovak Americans today, under the title "Czech and Slovak America: Quo Vadis?"We set for ourselves three main objectives, i.e. to discuss issues relating to their historical settlements and today's communities, the preservation of their cultural identity and heritage, the future relations between Czechs and Slovaks living in North America, and in the Czechlands and Slovakia.

One of the special features of the conference was a Presidential Symposium entitled "Czech and Slovak Organizations in America, Past and Present", with the participation of the major Czech organizations in America, including CSA Fraternal Life, American Sokol Organization, Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas (SPJST), Czechoslovak National Council of America, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), Council of Free Czechoslovakia, American Fund for Czechoslovak Relief, Czech and Slovak Heritage Association of Maryland, National Alliance of Czech Catholics, Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, and American Friends of the Czech Republic. Never before in recent history were so many prominent Czech American ethnic leaders assembled on the same platform. In addition to the named organizations, there were some twenty other ethnic organizations represented at the Conference. At the state level, there was representation from most areas in the US where Czechs and Slovaks live, close to 30 states, as well as Canada. Among the prominent guest speakers was Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Martin Palous, Vice President of the Czech Senate Petr Pithar, Senator Frantisek Mezihorak and Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague Petr Zuna.

The SVU MN Conference was part of a three-day program organized on the occasion of President Vaclav Havel's visit, culminating with his address on civil society and his meeting with the Czech and Slovak American community. When the President proudly acknowledged his membership in SVU during his address, it increased the pulse of many a member of our Society and when he subsequently presented SVU President the Presidential Commemorative Medal, our members were ecstatic.

One of the highest priorities of the current Executive Board was given to SVU publications. A special evaluation committee was established under the chairmanship of Vice President Josef Machac for the purpose of undertaking an in-depth evaluation of SVU periodicals. As a result of their recommendations the Kosmas' editorial procedures have been streamlined and substantially restructured and the publication and the printing operations have been moved to Texas. It is hoped that this will bring about a speedier operation in order that the periodical can be published on regular schedule. There have also been considerable improvements in the contents and the quality of Zpravy SVU which now bring regularly several new columns, i.e., SVU Calendar, From New SVU Rolls, and Focus on Younger Generation.

The Executive Board has also initiated an ambitious monograph publication program. The first monograph, Czech-Americans in Transition, based on papers presented in the 1997 SVU conference in Texas, was published under the editorship of Clinton Machann, about half a year ago. Plans are now under way to also publish the Proceeding of the SVU MN Conference, under the editorship of Josef Mestenhauser. Jack and Dagmar White have completed preparation of the third volume of On All Fronts which has just been published. Like the previous two volumes, the current volume is published with the financial assistance from the SVU, Washington DC Chapter. Furthermore, Vera Borkovec is readying for publication a special volume of Czech and Slovak Poetry in Exile which will be published in memory of SVU member Frank Marlow. Another commemorative volume will be published in honor of the late Zdenka Fischmann. The latter will be based on Zdenka Fischmann's writings on Czech musicology.

As part of the effort to preserve Czech and Slovak cultural heritage abroad, the SVU has initiated a new project to survey historic sites and monuments, as well as archival material, that have some bearing on the Czech. presence in America. The project is supported in part by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been coordinated by Mila Rechcigl. Toward this end, a new National Heritage Commission, comprised of the major Czech-American organizations in the US, has been established, whose role is largely advisory. As a result of this effort, a tentative listing of the major Czech-related sites in the US was completed under the title "Czech-American Historic Sites, Monuments and Memorials."

The present Executive Board has also put deliberate effort in being more responsive and proactive to the needs of students and scholars, and young people, in general. In this connection, new collaborative linkages were established with several major funding organizations, such as Fulbright Commission and Civil Education Project (CEP). Names of young Fulbright scholars have been published in Zpravy SVU and this practice will continue. At the SVU MN Conference one of the distinct features was a panel of young people who discussed issues relating to the new millennium from their perspective.

In terms of new membership, it is noteworthy that practically all new members have come to us via or through Internet. The SVU Home Page, which was recently brought up to date, undoubtedly, has played a major role in this. Equally important have been the frequent announcements on the Internet regarding various specific SVU activities, such as publications and conferences. With suitable outside help, I am hoping that in the foreseeable future we will publish our newsletter on the internet and make our Web site more interactive.

With reference to SVU Local Chapters, you will recall that we established a new SVU Chapter in Minnesota, which was the direct result of our successful SVU conference in Minneapolis last year. This reaffirms my own conviction of the importance of convening conferences in new places rather than concentrating on the same locations. I am also pleased to report on the reactivation of the SVU Edmonton Chapter in Canada. Among the US-based Chapters, the Washington DC chapter remains in the forefront. Through its efforts, a new funding drive was commenced that enabled the purchase of the new concert piano donated to the Czech Embassy in Washington, DC. This should serve as an example to other SVU Chapters, particularly those in western Europe, whose members are not even willing to pay their membership dues.

Most of this year's Executive Board's efforts have been devoted to the preparation of the forthcoming SVU World Congress. After preliminary investigations, it was decided to convene the meetings in Washington, DC at American University on August 9-13, 2000. For the central theme we selected, "Civil Society and Democracy into the New Millennium." I shall not dwell into all the work that led to the preparation of the program and the local and logistical arrangements. Suffice to say, it took a tremendous effort and the results speak for themselves. I have only praise for the organizers, particularly Anton Novacky, Vera Borkovec and Dagmar White. I should also like to acknowledge the tremendous work of our younger generation, Bruce Berglund and Anna Vysoka, in particular, who contributed significantly to our program.

In conclusion, I am pleased to say that the Society is financially sound. As always, we are open to new ideas and welcome new initiatives. In parting, let me thank the outgoing Executive Board for their support and their effort on behalf of the Society.

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