Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU)

announces a Special Conference on

The Czech and Slovak Legacy in the Americas: Preservation of Heritage with the Accent on Youth

Lincoln, NE, August 2-3, 2001

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the 2001 Conference of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. The conference is sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Modern Languages, European Studies, and by the following community and regional groups: the Czech Language Foundation, Komensky Club, the Nebraska Czechs of Lincoln, and the Wilber Czechs. The dates of the Conference have been selected to coincide with the 45th Czech festival held each year in Wilber, Nebraska during the first weekend in August (for 2001 those dates are Friday, 3 August through Sunday, 5 August). An estimated 15,000 – 20,000 people from all over the country are expected to attend the Wilber festival. The conference will focus on three main issues of interest to Czech and Slovak Americans:

(1) Ethnicity and Preservation of Language and Culture (includes presentations on history and genealogy).

(2) Historical and contemporary settlements of people from the Czech and Slovak Republics in the Americas.

(3) Future relationships between Czechs and Slovaks living in the Americas and those in the Czech and Slovak Republics..

The open format of the conference will allow discussion of other topics of interest. The Conference participants will have the opportunity to attend various cultural and social programs scheduled during the two-day conference, as well as attend the Wilber Czech Festival on Saturday and/or Sunday. There will be live performances of the Czech and Slovak heritage music, dances and other cultural programs as performed by local groups, as well as a Czech film. The Grand Opening will take place on Wednesday, August 1 at 5:00 p.m.

This conference is taking place in Nebraska because this state has a rich heritage of political and cultural life organized by the Czechs. The University of Nebraska is a natural institution for the sponsorship because it is one of the few universities in the United States that offers the Czech language, and has been teaching it since 1907. The Czechs at UNL were always a very active group, and from its Komensky Club, conceived at the end of 1903, and officially established in 1904, rose a generation of Nebraska and US politicians, including the late Senator Roman Hruska. Nebraska Czechs influenced the history of the United States as well as the history of the Czech Lands. There are about sixty localities in Nebraska where the majority of inhabitants claim Czech ancestry, and it is estimated that between ten to twenty percent of Nebraskans claim Czech blood. The Czech ethnic life is celebrated during twelve annual Czech festivals in Nebraska. There are countless Czech museums and libraries in the state. The most important collection of Czech artifacts is the Czech Heritage Collection assembled by Joe Svoboda and housed in the Love Library at UNL. The State Historical Society has an important collection of microfilms of Czech language newspapers published on the American continent. The ethnic Czechs are very active in genealogical research and a number of them take part in the Czech Elderhostel at the Doane College in Crete.

Hotel accommodation for SVU members is available in the University dorms at a cost per person, double occupancy, of $16.00 per night. Dorm lodging requires that participants purchase a meal plan that is served in the cafeteria (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). The cost of this meal plan is $16.00 per person per day, bringing the total cost of room and board to $32.00 a day. Parking can be arranged on campus near the dorms. Other hotel accommodations can be made directly with Lincoln hotels (www.lincoln.org/cvb/lodging/lodging.htm). Hotels in the downtown area are within walking distance of the campus.

Preliminary Application Form

SVU Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, August 2-3, 2001

Send your application along with your registration fee (made payable to SVU) a.s.a.p. to: Cathy Oslzly, Department of Psychology, 238 Burnett Hall, UNL, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308.

Name: __________________________________

Institutional Affiliation: __________________________________

Mailing Address: _____________________________________________________________ Telephone and/or FAX: __________________________ e-mail: _______________________________

Speakers are required to send a short abstract (summary) of their paper, not to exceed one page, including the title of their paper, their name and institutional affiliation (if any), with abbreviated address (exclude the street and number). We would prefer either a 3 ½ inch disk or via email to Cathy Oslzly (coslzly1@unl.edu).

Additional comments and /or suggestions including recommendations for speakers (use other side if needed):

Pre-Registration Fee:

$ 25.00 (SVU Member) $ 35.00 (NonMember of SVU) $ 20.00 (Spouse) $ 15.00 (Students)

Housing accommodations in the dormitories: Nights of:

# days _______ x $32.00 = _________ Aug. 1 ___ Aug. 2 ____ Aug. 3 ____ Aug. 4 ____

Registration fee = _________ (see above for appropriate fee) Total: $ ________________ made payable to SVU

We will send out an additional application later for those who would like to attend the film or the Czech festival in Wilber this year.

To facilitate the planning of the event you are urged to preregister as soon as possible. Applications after April 15, 2000 cannot be accepted.

Czech Info Center is not responsible for content of this public message. Please contact SVU with any questions.