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Dear students,

have you made a habit of opening your calendar along with the newsletter? It's handy, because in each of them – this one not excluded – there are several events or deadlines that would be a shame to miss. One-off or long-term activities prepared for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine are also gradually being added. A selection of the UP's offer is on the website upol.cz/ukrajina/aktivity (also in Ukrainian), and an overview of other activities in Olomouc and the wider region is offered by the website yarmarokmyru.cz. We will be glad if you will spread these links further to reach as many people as possible.

Right at the opening we bring you two more hot news. On Wednesday afternoon, Vít Hušek was elected as the new dean (in Czech) of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology and is expected to take office on 14 September 2022. In the evening, the HC UP players fought in the third semifinal match (in Czech) for the promotion to the final of the University Ice Hockey League with the team of Charles University, to whom they eventually lost 3:2 in overtime. But nobody can take away the fact that they are one of the four best teams of this year's league.

Material collection for the University of Chernivtsi

Palacký University has several partner universities in Ukraine. One of them is the University of Chernivtsi, where a detention centre for refugees from war zones has been established. It currently houses several thousand people and provides the necessities of life in this makeshift camp. So bring power banks, chargers, sleeping bags or medicine to the Student Club until Friday, April 8 (8am–2pm). For more information and an exact list of items being collected, visit this page.

Represent UP in the University Council

Don't keep your opinions and ideas about the shape of Czech higher education to yourself. This does not mean discussing them in the evening somewhere, but where it really makes sense. Such a place is the Student Chamber of the Council of Universities, to which a new representative of our university is now being sought. Come and represent the interests of UP and other Czech universities in communication with state and other institutions; you will gain interesting experience during the negotiations at the national and international level. All the essentials can be found in this article (in Czech); you can apply until 8 April.

Experience America with a Fulbright Scholarship

Our ancestors sailed to the USA with long days and uncertain prospects; you have the chance to get there in a few hours with a prestigious scholarship in your pocket. In fact, Fulbright scholarships funded by the Czech and US governments provide approximately 40 Czech citizens each year with the opportunity to study, conduct research or teach in the US. Try to be one of them in 2023/2024 - check the requirements, choose one of the study programmes and apply early. Typically, one in three to one in five applicants will be successful. Read more here.

Managing attention, focus and relaxation in today's world

Do you find that your thoughts are going off in all directions when you are working or reading a newsletter? Do you feel the urge to constantly pick up your phone and check the news or social media? Fortunately, the ability to focus can be strengthened and trained, and with it, our sense of purpose, ability to rest deeply and life satisfaction grows. Lukáš Havránek from GrowJOB Institute will tell you how to improve concentration, reduce stress and work more effectively on Tuesday, April 12 at 11 am. The lecture will take place during the Okno do praxe job fair, register on the UP Career Centre website (in Czech)!

New issue of the UP Strategy and Quality Office newsletter

Do you have any idea how many UP students per one academic staff member? And what is the number of PhD students per one supervisor? The answers to such questions are known to the Strategy and Quality Office and they will be revealed to us in their first newsletter (in Czech) this year. The topic of the issue is external relations, specifically strategic cooperation with the region within the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) of the Olomouc agglomeration. You will also read a summary of the development and subsidy programmes of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Czech Republic, including CRP projects that will be implemented at UP in 2022.

Relax your body and mind with traditional Chinese Tai Chi exercises

The Confucius Institute of UP has prepared a weekend retreat where you will be able to try Tai Chi under the guidance of experienced masters or improve your skills. At the same time you will recharge your energy in the spring nature of the Jeseníky Mountains in Ostružná. The price is 2 590 CZK including half board and accommodation, employees and students of UP have a 5% discount. More information on the website of the Confucius Institute.

UP basketball players in the final of the university league

The first ever University Basketball League (in Czech) will culminate this Friday and Saturday, right in Olomouc. Since November last year, a total of 10 teams among women and 15 among men have competed to see who will make it through the preliminary groups and play-offs to the final tournament. The UP men's and women's teams made it, so come and support them in the UP Sports Hall, you can find the match schedule here (in Czech). Both finals can also be seen on HbbTV CT Sport, the match for 3rd place is also broadcast by TVCom.

Get free entry to Spring Flora exhibition

As a traditional partner of the Flora Olomouc exhibitions, we have prepared 20 free tickets for this year's spring stage (in Czech), which will take place from 21–24 April at the Olomouc Exhibition Centre. Just email us by Tuesday 12 April at soutez@upol.cz with the name of the main exhibition and you have a chance to get free tickets. In addition to the horticultural markets, there will also be a unique collection of bonsai made of yew trees ranging in age from 100 to 600 years.