Dad's University: Eduard Schmidt's legacy through the eyes of his daughter

His perspective, humor, and above all, his unwavering optimism always guaranteed a pleasant and loving time spent together. And so, in the spirit of his optimism, I try to imagine what would make him happy today at the university, at his home Faculty of Science at Masaryk University, or in society. The first thing that comes to mind is the Faculty of Pharmacy. As rector, he once strove hard to make pharmacy part of our university again. He would be pleased that this has been achieved and that new premises for pharmacy are now being built on the Bohunice campus.

When, as rector, he wrote the first investment plan for establishing a campus in Bohunice, he would surely be delighted to see how the campus has grown and become the largest modern university campus in Central Europe. The campus is unique in its architectural design and infrastructure, and above all, it is a testament to how important modern infrastructure for teaching and research is for the development of the university. My father would certainly be most pleased to see how the university is flourishing and how the construction of the campus is continuing. I think we should remember and be proud of the enormous work that has been accomplished on the campus, as well as the people who contributed to it and continue to care for it today.

The university campus is inextricably linked to a collection of modern art. My father and Professor Vorlíček once came up with the idea of organizing the artworks that were scattered around the university at the time and starting to build a collection of contemporary Czech and Slovak art on campus. Our university thus acquired a truly unique and valuable art collection. My father would be pleased that the artworks have found a home not only on campus, and he would encourage everyone who cares for the collection at the university, as well as those who can contribute to its expansion. In his eyes, every renovation and every new building was only complete when it was adorned with an exceptional work of art. He wanted students to have the opportunity not only to study in state-of-the-art modern buildings, but also to perceive the culture and aesthetics of their environment so that their personalities could develop in all respects.

He would have been delighted not only by the construction of new university buildings and renovations, but as an experimental physicist, he would have recognized the fundamental need for high-quality equipment for research and teaching. He would certainly have been pleased with the dynamic development of science at the university and at his faculty. He would have encouraged the university and faculty management to strengthen the university's competitive advantage in research, which cannot be achieved without high-quality equipment. He was a great advocate of cooperation between Brno's universities and wanted Brno to be a university city not only because of its large number of students, but mainly because of its ability to cooperate and share capacities in research and teaching, thus becoming a university city of European stature.

As a great supporter of the arts, he would also be delighted with the ongoing construction of the Janáček Cultural Center and a modern concert hall in Brno, which he helped to establish together with other prominent figures in Brno's cultural life.

He loved his field, physics. He lived and breathed it, enjoying both teaching and research. He would have been delighted by new study programs such as Radiological Physics and Microscopy, which apply physics. He would certainly have enthusiastically tested the limits of artificial intelligence on physics topics and rejoiced at how quickly and well it responded, as well as at the fact that he could occasionally catch it out when it got it wrong. He would be delighted with joint inter-university study programs, for example in the field of biomedicine or art, and he would also appreciate the project of Brno universities and the observatory to build a joint Brno satellite.

He would be pleased by the nomination for an architecture award for the art studios at the Faculty of Education, but also by the modifications to the botanical garden, which opened up the garden to all passers-by, and by the fact that regular exhibitions of student sculptures are held there.

He would encourage us not to be afraid to compare ourselves with other countries, to be inspired, to open up to internationalization among students, employees, in science and teaching. He would be delighted to see the development of doctoral studies and opportunities for doctoral students to engage in cutting-edge research at home and abroad, and he would welcome support for their internships and efforts to attract talented foreign students.

He would appreciate even what we now take for granted. He took on the role of dean of the Faculty of Science immediately after the Velvet Revolution in 1990 and became rector two years later. He remembered well the time when democracy was unthinkable, as well as the time that made it possible to bid farewell to the past with dignity. He greatly appreciated the fact that academic freedom, democracy, and university self-government are respected today without external political interference.

My father was an eternal optimist who enjoyed life, loved the people around him, supported them, and encouraged them. Above all, he was devoted to our university.