According to the head of the department, the future rector of the university must follow in the footsteps of Ferenc Liszt and must be able to attract foreign students and famous lecturers.
János Csák, the minister responsible for culture and innovation, announced that the application for rectorship of the Liszt Ferenc University of Music and Arts will be re-opened this week after the university's senate and many lecturers, as well as several organizations, deemed the application discriminatory and asked the minister to withdraw it. According to the protesters, the chancellor's application excludes a significant number of the university's lecturers from applying, including those in musicology, music theory and folk music, instead only classical music performers can apply.
János Csák pointed out: the world and the economy are changing, and so are the professions, which is why adult training, dual vocational training, is important, and Hungary has one of the best systems for it.
The call for tenders was necessary because the tenure of the harpist Andrea Vigh, head of the department, who has been leading the university until now, expires on October 31, 2023, and she cannot apply for the position of rector several times.
The head of the ministry said on the ATV program that the current application, announced on July 3, will be withdrawn and a new one will be issued in its place, which will open up the possibility of applications to a wider range of people.
After that, for example, jazz and folk music artists can also submit their applications.
At the same time, musicologists still cannot aspire to the position of rector, which János Csák justified by the fact that, in his opinion, a charismatic leader is needed who has "already stood on the big stages of the world", has already released records, and is able to attract both foreign students and lecturers to the university. He added that the rector of the Academy of Music should not be a scientist or an official, but rather someone who, following in the footsteps of the academy's founder, Ferenc Liszt, "can be a role model for future students."
We cannot let go of one thing: that this institution should rise to the position where it should be internationally, said the minister.
In the call for tenders, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation stated earlier that it is looking for a rector with international practice and experience to lead the institution, who will "raise the university back to the place it deserves for Hungarian musical traditions".
The condition for this is that the new rector has at least five years of active, outstanding performing arts experience; with prizes won in classical music competitions, as well as music judging experience.
In recent years, the management of the university has been criticized for constantly losing its former prestigious positions in various higher education rankings. In the international QS ranking, for example, in 2016, the Academy of Music was ranked 30th, but in 2023, it fell 21 places back to 51st.
The tender announced by the ministry provoked a real wave of protests. The university's senate and department head teachers, the university's student government, as well as composers and jazz musicians also expressed their protest, and the Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts acted as an "external" supporter.
Perhaps the most significant step was the instructor statement published on the Index, which was signed by more than 200 instructors. The question is whether the new call for tenders by the ministry will be able to calm the mood.
