Jubilee Publication UNIVERSITAS TECHNICA IN ZVOLEN 2022

Technical University in Zvolen

UNIVERSITAS TECHNICA IN ZVOLEN 1952 – 2022

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© Technical University in Zvolen

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Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD.

Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka

PhDr. Eva Fekiačová

Ing. Miroslav Chovan, ArtD.

Ing. Miroslav Chovan, ArtD., Mgr. Ján Obročník

NIKARA Krupina

Technická univerzita vo Zvolene

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Preface

Author: Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD.

Translation: PhDr. Jana Luptáková

Forestry University Studies – from Banská Štiavnica up to Zvolen

Author: Prof. h. c. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, PhD.

Translation: PhDr. Jana Luptáková

The University of Forestry and Wood Sciences in 1952 – 1962

Author: Prof. h. c. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, PhD. – Prof. Ing. Roman Réh, CSc.

Translation: Mgr. Jaroslava Štefková, PhD.

Period of 1962 – 1972

Author: Prof. h. c. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, PhD. – Prof. Ing. Roman Réh, CSc.

Translation: Dr. phil. Mgr. Veronika Deáková

Period of 1972 – 1982

Author: Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc. – Prof. Ing. Juraj Veselovský, CSc.

Translation: Mgr. Zuzana Danihelová, PhD.

Period of 1982 – 1992

Author: Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc. – Prof. Ing. Ladislav Reinprecht, CSc.

Translation: Mgr. Jaroslava Štefková, PhD.

Period of 1992 – 2002

Author: Prof. Ing. Branislav Olah, PhD. – Prof. h. c. Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc.

Translation: Mgr. Zuzana Danihelová, PhD.

Period of 2002 – 2012

Author: Prof. Ing. Ján Tuček, CSc. – Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.

Translation: Mgr. Žaneta Balážová, PhD.

Period of 2012 – 2022

Author: Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD. – Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka

Translation: Mgr. Zuzana Danihelová, PhD.

Author: Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka

Translation: PhDr. Jana Luptáková

Epilogue Gallery of the Rectors

Author: Ing. Miroslav Chovan, ArtD.

Translation: PhDr. Jana Luptáková

Preface

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, dear students,

Allow me to greet you on the occasion of the 260th anniversary of establishing the Mining Institute at the Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica, on the occasion of the 215th anniversary of the establishment of the Forestry Institute at the Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica, and above all on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Zvolen history of forestry higher education in Slovakia.

The Technical University in Zvolen is a modern higher education institution providing education in all three degrees of study in approximately 70 study programmes for about 2,000 students, and it is after optimizing the currently ongoing accreditation according to the new accreditation standards. Despite the extremely difficult period, the TUZVO is a stabilized and, in important indicators, a successful research and educational institution. This is confirmed by international rankings, from among which I will mention the most recent one – the Shanghai one from the summer 2022, in which our university was ranked in the top 500 universities of agriculture and rural development already in the fourth year in a row.

I would especially like to greet the students who are studying at our university and also to welcome the newest students who are coming to our university for the first time. Dear students, I would like to thank you for the trust you have shown in our university by enrolling to study with us. At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that from the very beginning you should concentrate as much as possible on your studies, during which all the employees of our university will provide you with pedagogical, professional, but also human help. A huge amount of effort will be required to achieve success in your studies. However, I am convinced that the result is worth the effort, and I hope that most of you will receive the diplomas in the assembly hall of our university after successfully completing the studies.

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, dear students, the jubilee celebrations are a significant holiday for all the university. I believe that all academicians as well as other university employees will be committed to imparting their knowledge, skills and energy for the future of our university. I believe that our students will achieve such results that will mean a high probability of their application in their future jobs. I wish you, the entire academic community of our university and our partners, good health and much success in the new academic year as well as in the years to come. And to our university in Zvolen, despite the difficult conditions in which education is found, I wish stability and development. I am personally looking forward to the academic celebration of our university on the 70th anniversary of its existence in Zvolen.

Vivat Universitas Technicae Zvolensis !

Forestry University Studies –– from Banská Štiavnica up to Zvolen

Ladislav Paule

Forests and the territory of Slovakia have always represented two significant intertwined historical phenomena. The Slovak territory was characteristic of its extensive forest cover at the ancient times, in the early modern period and also at present. In addition to the forests, the territory was also rich in mineral resources, especially in non-ferrous ores. Particularly valuable was the region of central Slovakia. From the 14th – 15th centuries, a dominant position was already held by seven mining towns: Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica, Banská Belá, Nová Baňa, Kremnica, Ľubietová, and Pukanec.

Among these towns, Banská Štiavnica stood out as the most prosperous one. In the second half of the 18th century, the time of its top prosperity, it became the third biggest town of the former Hungarian Kingdom. Still faster acceleration of the technical development also affected the spheres of mining, forestry, metallurgy, and other branches of industry. Banská Štiavnica also became a place of purposefully organized schooling for young people in the sphere of mining running here already from 1605. In the first half of the 18th century when

the rapid technical development of the state and guild enterprises in mining started in the Hungarian Kingdom, Banská Štiavnica became the centre of the most advanced mining engineering applied especially in mining water pumping, but also other technical equipment. In 1735, the first Mining School came into existence in Banská Štiavnica.

It was headed by the known multi-disciplinarian Samuel Mikovíni (1700 – 1750). His title was an empire-royal geometrician for the central Slovakia’s mining towns. The establishment of the Mining School was approved by the Chamber Court in Vienna already in 1737.

In accordance with the instruction for mining students of 22nd June 1735, the students were educated and trained in four specializations:

1) construction of mining works, mining law and practices, 2) mining surveying, 3) mining preparation, 4) testing and metallurgy. The task of the school was to prepare middle specialized cadres (superintendents, wardens etc.) following one of four specializations.

The mining officials, however, were often in charge of chamber forestry of which they also

had to have some forestry knowledge. Samuel Mikovíni, who ran the Mining School until about 1748, also dealt with the technology of transporting wood, he designed and built water rafts, and transferred his experience of forestry also to students. According to the decree of the Court Chamber for Minting and Metallurgy of 10th January 1758, capable trainees after graduating from the Mining School could be engaged also in other economic sectors, including chamber forestry and agriculture (Urgela, 1985).

An attempt to establish a mining college in Prague in 1762 coming from Jan Tadeas Peithner (1727 – 1792), the registry official at the Office of the Supreme Mintage and Mining Master in Prague, was doomed to failure from the very beginning because Prague surroundings did not provide even minimal possibilities for practices in plants or mines. J. T. Peithner elaborated an extensive paper on establishing the theoretical studies of mining sciences in the Czech Kingdom and submitted it to the Sovereign Maria Theresa in Vienna in April 1762. He proposed to found the theoretical studies of mining sciences by establishing a department of montanistic science (science of mining) at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, or by a separate mining academy. The special committee discussed in detail various possibilities for the studies of mining sciences and all participants in the meeting agreed to the idea that only one mining academy should be established for all lands in the monarchy (Herčko, 2006).

The extensive report of the committee made up of the supreme court officials and mining experts was submitted to Maria Theresa on 22nd October 1762. On the basis of the collective proposal of the best experts in the country, on 13th December 1762,

the Sovereign issued the decree establishing the school for the practical teaching of mining in Banská Štiavnica. The report of the meeting held on 1st October 1762 provided the Sovereign with the information as follows, “When choosing a place, the Upper Hungarian town of Banská Štiavnica was decided as the most appropriate one taking into consideration that there is at hand complete mining, metallurgical, driving and testing equipment, and also fire, water, and air machinery, “stangenkunsts“, i. e. pumping equipment with reciprocating leverage which is lacking in other places. This equipment can be used by a professor to demonstrate his theoretical knowledge and students can acquire theoretical knowledge as quickly as possible. There is also an opportunity to master chemistry as it is connected with metallurgy and also to learn mechanics.“

The reality predetermined that the Mining and Forestry Academy was established in Banská Štiavnica. The Empress Maria Theresa respected this proposal and by the above-mentioned decree, the school (Lehrschule) was established in the place the most suitable for this purpose. Even later, it became clear that the best conditions for the existence of this school were in Banská Štiavnica.

The proposal for the establishment of a university with the concept of theoretical and practical teaching, after several considerations and discussions, was gradually implemented. Progressive views within schooling were projected also in the organizational programme of the existing Mining School with its encyclopaedic teaching. They started to create particular departments of sciences and only a lack of necessarily trained and qualified experts made the organizational developing of all departments at the same time impossible.

• Water reservoir from the book by K. T. Delius “Introduction to Mining“

• Maria Theresa – Hungarian and Czech monarch (1740 – 1780)

As the first one was created the Department of Chemistry, Mineralogy and Metallurgy in 1763. Gerhard van Swieten, chairman of the Court Study Committee, suggested Mikuláš Jozef Jacquin, his fellow countryman and student, for the position of a professor at this department. Maria Theresa indeed appointed him as professor of the Mining School in Banská Štiavnica. In his “promemoria“ preserved of 13th January 1763, he laid down his conditions under which he was willing to accept professorship in Banská Štiavnica. He set the professorship in Banská Štiavnica on the level of chemistry and botany professorship performed by Professor Laugír at the University in Vienna.

Maria Theresa took a brief but approving attitude to this report. She ordered to fulfil Jacquin’s wishes relating to payment and all the others as well as possible. As the President of Chamber Court expected from this professorship the improvement of mining studies and a higher profit on mines, he recommended satisfying Jacquin’s requirements immediately.

They were asked to announce to Vienna the names of the sent students. The decree for M. J. Jacquin was issued by the Court Chamber on 13th June 1763. She approved his position of the mining counsellor with the right to participate in meetings of the main chamber-count office in Banská Štiavnica and with suffrage. On 7th October 1763, M. J. Jacquin already participated in the meeting of the main chambercount office where he was introduced as a “mining counsellor and professor of chemistry M. Jacquin “.

Jacquin had worked at the Department by 28th February 1769. His first lectures were heard on 18th September 1764, which was influenced not only by preparations for the beginning studies and the establishment of the first department

at this school, but mainly by problems to fill their vacancies. When starting this school, the Chamber Court had the greatest worries as for recruiting students. The demand for students to have a good command of two mathematical disciplines (arithmetic and geometry) were perhaps too difficult for that period and level of erudition. Due to not satisfying this demand, several students interested in the studies had to be rejected. These claims were fulfilled best by the then interns, probationers. Therefore, most students accepted to the new school were chosen just from them. At the end of the summer 1764, there was concentrated already about 40 students interested in the studies in Banská Štiavnica. The majority of them were of local origin and only about a quarter of them were from other lands of the Habsburg Empire, especially Corutania, Styria, Tirol, Lower Austria, Timis Banat, Transylvania, and Bohemia. That is why the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica was really a school of a new type open for all lands of the Habsburg Empire.

However, the beginning school activity showed it was not capable yet to meet all the claims laid down on it and required especially by practice. Therefore, the Empress and Queen Maria Theresa ordered to set up also the second department in Banská Štiavnica already in 1765, namely the Department of Mechanics and Hydraulics. The Department was established on 13th August 1765 as the second department of the arising academy which was to ensure teaching mathematics, mining surveying, mechanics, physics, hydraulics, and mining engineering. Mikuláš Poda (1723 – 1796), who started his lectures to mathematics and physics in 1765, was appointed as professor at this Department.

Having been initiated by the Empress Maria Theresa, a special committee led by the count František Kollowrat Novohradský, on 16th March 1770, worked out a proposal for transformation of the school into an academy, including also a new curriculum. The Empress accepted the proposal on 2nd April 1770 with the memorable remark, “I approve the proposed plan. Moreover, I am highly satisfied with it. Concerning the shown eagerness of the committee, however, it is also necessary to take into consideration teaching forestry because it is inevitably needed for mining.“ The statement confirms the Sovereign’s personal interest in promoting forestry education and forest management prosperity. This attitude was related to the issuance of forest regulations which could only be implemented by better professionally trained employees.

The Chamber Court for Mintage and Mining in Vienna issued the decree on the establishment and systematization of the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica on 14th April 1778. It ordered to create the third mining department at which also forestry was to be taught.

Thus, the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica was, in fact, built up. Other following changes were only an improvement of what had already existed (Vozár, 2006). With its developed mining industry, secondary and higher mining schools, Banská Štiavnica became one of the best-known centres for education of mining experts in Europe. An interest in the studies at the renowned Mining Academy was great – especially until the half of the 19th century, students from various corners of the world were coming to Banská Štiavnica to learn the art of mining.

For more than 150 years, the Mining Academy was a source of pride for the “silver town“

below Sitno which during centuries gave off the silver metal from its bowels attracting members of the royal court, tens of walburgers and private miners in their desire for profits. They were coming to Banská Štiavnica from various corners of the world to convince themselves with their own eyes of richness and sophisticated technology helping miners to extract and mine ores from the bowels of the earth.

Their curiosity rose even more when the first technical university in the world for education of academically trained mining experts was established here and its professors with their technical discoveries and voluminous technical literature documented the high level of the Slovak mining and the development of all scientific disciplines which they lectured at this school. Within the course of its 155-year existence (1763 – 1918), the Mining Academy went gradually through further reorganization. The curricula as well as contents of lectures and laboratory exercises were changed. The schoolwork was adapted to the needs of practice, especially the global trends of technical and technological development in mining as well as chemistry and its applications in testing, ore processing and metallurgy, later in forestry and various scientific disciplines. A significant contribution to the development of chemistry, forestry, metallurgy, and mining sciences were undoubtedly also many, often unique, inventions by professors at the Mining and Forestry Academy as well as the tens of inventions by mining technicians and engineers from mining and metallurgical operations who obtained their professional qualifications just at this outstanding school. We are obliged to them for introducing the new mining and technological, preparation and metallurgical equipment in operations.

• Building of the Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica

It was also a broad array of professors of the Academy participating in improving the existing technologies and equipment for ore transport, ventilating the mining works, mine water pumping, ore treatment, and others. The range of topics and issues the professors of the Academy dealt with was very huge. It covered mathematics, physics, mechanics, electrotechnics, chemistry, forestry, and other fields. They were such experts as chemists – Mikuláš Jozef Jacquin, Anton Ruprecht,

and Alojz Wehrle, a mining expert Krištof Traugot Delius, physicists – Jozef Schittko, Ján Adriany, Gustáv Faller, Anton Péch, Ferdinand Helwig, and Eugen Broszmann, an expert in metallurgy Anton Kerpely, a mining geologist Ľudovít Cseh, the accumulator inventors – Štefan Farbaky and Štefan Schenek, and many others. At the Academy worked also many excellent mining surveyors – inventors and constructors of mining surveying apparatuses and tools, and the authors of the first textbooks on mining surveying, such as Ján Mőhling, Ján Nepomuk Lang von Hanstadt, Ján Adriany, Otto Czéti, and Július Szentistványi (Herčko, 2006).

The name of any professor at the Mining and Forestry Academy was connected with a technical novelty, new construction of a mining machine, apparatus or equipment, or technology of mining, preparation and metallurgical work. Implementing their ideas, designs or inventions was thus all round. The Mining Academy was of an international character and a European and even worldwide importance. It was a workplace of the world-known scientists and specialists in the sphere of mining, metallurgy, mineralogy, chemistry, forestry but also other natural and exact sciences. The Academy in Banská Štiavnica, which had been in the town by 1919, is inseparably connected with many significant European and worldwide primacies in science and technology.

Mikuláš Jozef Jacquin (16th February 1727 in Leyden, the Netherlands – 26th October 1817 in Vienna), the first professor of the Mining Academy, already belonged to the most significant chemists and botanists in Europe. He was a member of the Academy of Sciences in Petrohrad, Uppsala and Stockholm, a member of Paris and Basel Doctor’s Societies. Before his arrival in Banská

Štiavnica he had established Vienna University botanical garden and was its director. Jacquin was extraordinarily greatly respected also by the then most significant world chemist Antoine Laurente Lavoisier, the French scientist, and the founder of modern chemistry. He declared the Jacquin’s work as a “dissertation introducing the experimental method“.

The second professor of this school in order was Mikuláš Poda (4th October 1723 in Vienna – 29th April 1798 in Vienna). He also was a scientist of a European importance. Before arriving in Štiavnica, he had been an administrator at the observatory in Graz. His three textbooks describing mining water pumping and preparation equipment used in Banská Štiavnica ore area and published in 1770 – 1773 were the first university textbooks on mining engineering in the world.

An outstanding scientist was also Jacquin’s successor, Giovannini Antonio Scopoli (3rd June 1723 Cavalese, Italy – 8th May 1788 Padova, Italy). He was a medicine graduate from the University in Innsbruck. During his work in Banská Štiavnica (1769 – 1779), he published 14 books among which especially those in botany were of a European importance (Novák, 2006). A scientist at a European level was also Krištof Traugot Delius (1728 Wallhausen, Germany – 21st January 1779 Florence, Italy). He was the first professor of the Academy and at the same time the head of the Department of Mining in the years 1770 – 1772. He finished the law studies at the University in Wittenburg and then also Mikovíni’s Mining School in Banská Štiavnica. Before arriving in Banská Štiavnica he worked at the Mining School in Oravica, Transilvanian Banat. Except for mining, he taught also mining law, mining economy, and forestry. Many students from abroad, even graduates from many renowned

European universities, were coming to the Academy especially because of the high level of his lectures on mining economy, organization and administration. In 1773, he published in Vienna the world-known university textbook on mining “Einleitung zu der Bergbaukunst“, the unsurpassable work in the world for many years. In 1778, this textbook was published in the French language in Paris and even its second edition was published in the German language in 1806. This work was not only a classic textbook on mining. It also included the detailed principles for construction of the earth embankments of water reservoirs according to the generalization of the practice in construction of these reservoirs – tajchy – in the surroundings of Banská Štiavnica. Until 1855, technically the most courageously solved earth embankment of the water reservoir in the world was Rozgrund near Banská Štiavnica. Only in 1855, it was overcome by the French dam Meuraud in its technical courage and effectiveness. When building it, they still were following the principles described by Delius in his work.

In 1779 – 1791, Anton Ruprecht (14th November 1748 in Smolnická Huta – around 6th October 1814 in Vienna), an outstanding chemist and mineralogist of a European importance, was a professor at the Academy in Banská Štiavnica. In 1782 – 1785,

• Banská Štiavnica at the beginning of the 20th century

Ruprecht was intensively engaged in a problem of tellurium production along with its later discoverer František Muller. For his experiments, he equipped the laboratory with the latest equipment in Europe. Building a new chemical laboratory cost more than 2.5 thousand ducates.

Building up this laboratory drew an extraordinary admiration of the whole European scientific public. When smelting, Ruprecht was probably using pre-heated air and a mixture of air and oxygen. During his experiments, he even succeeded in getting barium, calcium, magnesium, aluminium, manganium, and volfram. However, he did not manage yet to find out what was left in the testing pots after the experiments. As Ruprecht’s chemical laboratory was equipped with the most modern equipment in the whole Europe of that period, the experiments in it were carried out by Ruprecht along with the most renowned European chemists and physicists – Savaresi, Lippi, Tondi, Melogrami, and others. After Ruprecht’s leaving the Academy, the chemical laboratory kept its number one European priority also at the time of his successor Michal Patzier, the author of the 4-volume “Introduction to Metallurgical Chemistry“ (Novák, 2006).

At that time, there already were unique democratic principles. Everybody had the access to school regardless of their nationality, citizenship, political or religious persuasion. Despite the orders of the Chamber Court in Vienna relating to strict holding the newest knowledge and inventions back, in practice there were no obstacles for expanding the most progressive knowledge of extraordinarily developed science from Banská Štiavnica to the European and even world mining centres due to the cosmopolitan views of professors from the Academy in Banská Štiavnica.

In 1786, Ignác Anton Born (26th December 1742 in Alba Júlia, Romania – 24th July 1791 in Vienna), the significant European cosmopolitan scientist, geologist, mineralogist, mining and metallurgy expert, built the amalgamation smelting works in co-operation with Ruprecht and Haidinger in Sklené Teplice. It was the first one in the world. In front of the most significant scientists from Europe and even from Mexico, I. A. Born introduced his so-called Born amalgamation method or the European amalgamation, a new effective method for getting gold and silver out of poorer ores. This gathering of the public is considered as the first international scientific congress in the world. Its members decided at once to publish the first international scientific journal in the world “Bergbaukunde“ (Mining). Its first issue was published in 1789.

By the year 1789, up to 147 most significant personalities not only from Europe but also from America had applied for the membership in this society. Among them was Antoine Laurente Lavoisier, but also James Watt – the world-famous English inventor of the two-stroke steam engine. Even Johan Wolfgang Goethe became an honorary member (Novák, 2006).

In 1795, a polytechnic institute was established in Paris, France. It is considered as the first one of its kind in the world. However, when establishing it, they used the Academy in Banská Štiavnica as a model. For its teaching programme, the newly established school in Paris took over mainly laboratory teaching of chemistry which was at the world level at the Mining Academy at the time.

From the viewpoint of the history of technical education, the introduction of general forestry subjects into the curriculum at the Mining Academy already in 1770 was a significant deed, however, it did not meet success.

The academy graduates worked in their main field – in mining. The executive personnel were gaining only practical experience in individual study conditions, predominantly of a hunting character.

In such a political and forest management situation, they appointed Fantišek Wisner from Morgenstern as chamber prefect of the HrádokLikava dominium. In 1796, he initiated the establishment of the Forestry School in Liptovský Hrádok. The establishment of the Forestry School was only an intermediate stage to fill in a gap in the education of qualified personnel – gamekeepers and forest guards. However, it was not sufficient for education of forest management experts capable of meeting the increasing need for wood production concerning needs of industries, mainly of mines and smelting works.

The next attempts at making forestry studies independent resulted in that vocational forestry schools started to be established and in 1807, the independent Forestry Institue (Forst-Institut) was establihed at the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica.

The need for the specialized forestry school system was not felt only by the countries of Central Europe with the developed mining, mainly of nonferrous ores, but also by the countries with the developed navy. Therefore, it was not a coincidence that on the basis of the decree by Tsar Alexander I already in 1803, they started teaching forestry at the established Practical Forestry School in Tsarskoe Selo (near St. Petersburg). It was moved to the imperial capital in 1811 and renamed as St. Petersburg Forestry Institute. In the Russian Empire, the need for quality wood raw material in shipbuilding was considered as decisive for equipment of both the merchant navy and mainly war fleet. By comparison with other countries,

it is necessary to say that they started establishing university forestry studies later (Mariabrunn 1813, Tharandt 1816, Nancy 1824, Eberswalde 1830, Ľvov 1874, etc.).

The task to manage the Forestry Institute was assigned to Dr. Henrik David Wilckens, who became the first university professor of theoretical teaching forestry in our country. The opening ceremony of the Forestry Institute was held on 12th February 1809.

H. D. Wilckens was a German expert. After having studied medicine in Helmstedt, he graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics at the University in Göttingen and he also attended lectures at the Mining Academy in Freiberg. He was interested in biological sciences, studied forestry hard and he fulfilled his task well. Before he started lecturing, he had studied thoroughly forest conditions in AustriaHungary, he made several study trips (except others also to Žarnovica and Banská Bystrica forests), and on the basis of the obtained knowledge, he developed the curriculum. He planned out forestry studies for two years at first and since 1811, for three years. First Prof. Wilckens’ curriculum included general subjects, specialist forestry and law disciplines. The general subjects included mathematics, forestry mapping, mechanics, structural engineering, forestry natural history within which were lectured mineralogy, botany and zoology, and also physics, forestry research into the environment, wood technology, and hunting. The specialist forestry subjects covered silviculture, forest harvesting, and forest management. Within forest harvesting were also taught wood and bedding utilization, fishing, beekeeping and gamekeeping. Forest management included forest mensuration, forest management itself (chamber forestry principles), and forest valuation. Forestry

law studies consisted of general law studies of forest-police principles and forestry law.

Besides theoretical education, Professor Wilckens also laid a great emphasis on practical education. He introduced, therefore, practicals in the forests surrounding Sklené Teplice and Repište. A result of the practicals and forestry experiments have been some stands which, also nowadays, remind of the high level of forest management concerning not only our wood species, but also introduced ones (Weymouth pine, limba, larch).

In the Slovak Central Mining Archive in Banská Štiavnica, there is found the mensurational description from that period elaborated for the forest districts of Sklené Teplice and Repište which were a regular school area since 1816. Here Wilckens mentions the principles which had to be followed when working out mensurational descriptions and he also describes in detail the ways how to do particular works and calculations. He does not limit himself only to the instructions, but he also analyses a situation of forest management of that period and he shows reasons for newly suggested procedures. Thus, “Všeobecná a podrobná úprava pre okres sklenoteplický a repištský“ (The General and Detailed Forest Management for the Districts of Sklené Teplice and Repište) becomes the first forest management plan and elaborated technological procedures which could be applied by school-leavers from Banská Štiavnica in practice. Owing to this forest management plan, Wilckens ranks as one of pioneers in the area-volume method. His views, working procedures and details of the forest management plan had been applied, in principle, in forest management and in operation itself by the end of the last century.

In 1835, Rudolf Feistmantel, an Austrian forest engineer, became Wilckens’ successor.

This outstanding expert continued in principles of his predecessor and in 1842, he achieved the equality of graduates from Banská Štiavnica with graduates from the Austrian Forest Institute in Mariabrunn, where a higher three-year institute was established in 1813. Moreover, he endeavoured to get the school forest district of Kysihýbeľ and established the collection of wood species which has been called Feistmantel garden till today. The development continued by the establishment of the Mining and Forestry Academy in 1846 and its reorganization into the Mining and Forestry University in 1904. A remarkable feature of this university was that not only students from the former Austria-Hungary (that is also Czechs and Slovaks) studied there, but also students from Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Turkey, Italy, Prussia, Saxony, and Japan.

At the Academy and University in Banská Štiavnica worked many excellent foresters and researchers. Apart from H. D. Wilckens and R. Feistmantel, especially K. Wagner, L. Fekete, E. Vadas, G. Muzsnay, and A. Guttenberg. They not only educated the generations of good forestry experts, but they have left a valuable resource of technical literature.

The history of forestry research deserves a special attention. In our country, its pioneers were professors of the Academy in Banská Štiavnica, but also some outstanding forest managers – Jozef Dekrét Matejovie (1774 – 1841), Ľudovít Greiner (1796 – 1882), and William Rowland (1814 – 1888). A main driving force of forestry research in Hungary was the Academy. The first proposal for the establishment of a forestry research institute in Banská Štiavnica was worked out by Ľudovít Fekete already in 1874. He submitted it at the annual meeting of the forestry association “Uhorský krajinský lesnícky spolok“.

• Lower Botanical Garden (Banská Štiavnica)

Despite a positive response, it was not carried out because of financial and personnel reasons. In 1892, after finishing the new building of the Forestry Academy, where a place for research purposes was already reserved, there were more real chances to establish a forestry research workplace.

A pioneer in the organized forestry research was Professor Eugen Vadas (1857 – 1922), by his original name Vlkolinský. At the Academy, he lectured on botany, zoology, silviculture, forest protection, and other subjects. In 1893, E. Vadas made study trips to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria for the purpose of getting to know the local forestry research organizations better. In 1897, Eugen Vadas founded the Central Research Station in Banská Štiavnica as the first forestry research institute in the Hungarian Kingdom. On 31st July 1897, L. Barányi, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, issued the decree establishing the Hungarian Royal Forestry Research Station with effect from 1st January 1898. The establishment of the central station required a link to four forestry schools (in Liptovský Hrádok, Vadászerdő, Görgényszentimre, and Királyhalom). Eugen Vadas became the first head of the central station and Rudolf Benko became the head of the outside station in Liptovský Hrádok. In 1900, they established the Forestry Arboretum Kysihýbeľ at the Central Forestry Research Station. By the decree no. 91928/A/2 905, the Central Forestry Research Station was separated from the Mining and Forestry Academy on 6th September 1906.

The policy plan of the research station was especially aimed at solving biological questions of forest management. At the beginning, it was mainly a series of research areas established by Professor Roth in 1905 – the research areas for studies of thinnings (Likavka and Kysihýbeľ)

and provenance areas of larch and pine (Likavka and Malacky) as well as research areas oriented to management of spruce, oak and fir stands established in Žarnovica, Banská Bystrica, and Marmaros. The research of that period was also aimed at the introduction of exotic wood species. To assess a possibility for the introduction of wood species, J. Tuzson established the forestry arboretum with 283 wood species in Kysihýbel in the year 1900.

• Eugen Vadas (Vlkolinský) (1857 – 1922)

– professor of silviculture and organizer of forestry research

After all, it is also necessary to mention an edition of the classic work “Verbreitung der forstlich wichtigen Bäume im Ungarischen Staate“ by the authors L. Fekete and T. Blattny. The 2-volume work was published in the Hungarian and German languages in 1914. This pioneering, even today upto-date work contains phytogeographic data on 159 woody plants. Another pioneering work focused on the use of locust in forestry „Die Monographie der Robinie und mit besonderer Rücksicht auf ihre forstwirtschaftliche Bedeutung“ was published by E. Vadas (Banská Štiavnica 1914).

After finishing the World War I and the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, temporary management of the areas belonging to the Central Research Station was assigned to the newly established State Forestry College and its first director Prof. Rudolf Haša. In 1922, the State Forestry Research Institutes were formally constituted in Banská Štiavnica. In the areas of the Experimental Forestry Station in Kysihýbeľ, the Institute for Silviculture and Forest Biology started working. The Institute had been professionally subordinated to the Institute for Silviculture and Forest Biology in Brno until 1936, administratively to the director of the Forestry School in Banská Štiavnica. The research of that period was focused on solving problems of the exotic wood species acclimatization. Prof. B. Polanský, the superintendent of the Institute for Silviculture and Forest Biology in 1936, dedicated himself to the questions of selection forests, natural forest regeneration and tending felling in oak woods. In 1924, was formed the Institute for Wood Harvesting and Technology. Due to insufficient highly qualified staffing and apparatuses equipment, its activity was fully developed only after coming Prof. R. Ille in 1929, when the

apparatus equipment was moved from Prague to Banská Štiavnica. A full attention was paid to research into beech wood. They studied its false heart, causes of its rise, its impact on penetration of impregnating agents, impregnation and fire wood treatment, questions of harvesting, mechanical processing and beech wood utilization. Activities of both the institutes continued in Banská Štiavnica until 1964, when the Institute was relocated to Zvolen and only one of six research stations remained working in Banská Štiavnica.

Professors of the Mining and Forestry Academy, especially J. von Scholtz and E. Vadas, stood at the start of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), though Prof. Vadas did not attend personally the founding congresses held in Mariabrunn on 6th September 1890 and going on in Eberswalde on 17th August 1892. Regardless of this fact, the Academy in Banská Štiavnica, substituting also a professional forestry research institute at the time of establishing the IUFRO, is rightly considered as a founder member of the IUFRO along with the research institutes in Mariabrunn, Eberswalde, and Zürich. E. Vadas was elected as president of this international organization at the 6th IUFRO congress. After 1910, they started preparations for the 7th IUFRO congress which was planned to be in Budapest on 7th – 17th September 1914. Within the preparations, they expected to arrange an excursion to Slovakia, to the region of Banská Štiavnica. A memory of this event is retained in a book form of three excursion guidebooks. Unfortunately, the planned IUFRO congress was not held in the Hungarian Kingdom for the reason of breaking out the WW I.

The transformation of forestry university studies into university studies in 1904 could not initially have been more pronounced in forestry practice;

this was mainly due to the fact that the change took place during a period of low influx of students. For a long time, the posts were filled by numerous graduates from the Academy in the 80s and 90s. Thus, it happened that in 1910 the university did not have a single graduate from forestry and the year 1906/1907 had to be omitted due to the lack of students.

The turning point came after 1910, when 125 students enrolled in the first year and 49 of them gradually passed into the fourth year. Also in the following years, the number of students enrolled in the first year was around 100.

A permanent problem – especially since the end of the 19th century – has been the solution to the question of appropriate locating the academic forestry school in Hungary. After the establishment of the university, disagreements with the existence of mining and metallurgy departments in Banská Štiavnica also began to appear. The faculty turned to the Regional Mining and Metallurgical Association in Banská Štiavnica and the Regional Forestry Association in Budapest with a Memorandum requesting relocating the university to Budapest. The Memorandum of the university professors provoked a reaction from the representatives of the town of Banská Štiavnica which they justified by the famous traditions of the town and the Mining and Forestry Academy as its integral part.

Banská Štiavnica University had well-equipped teaching and operating facilities. The main building was Fritz House which housed the Rector’s Office, a library with 15,000 copies, and two departments of mechanical engineering. In the years 1898 –1900, they completed the building in which they placed all the common departments and five mining and metallurgical departments. The building for the forestry department and other departments

was completed in 1892 and the last building – the laboratory – was completed in 1911. The university also included other buildings with auxiliary facilities or apartments for professors. A weakness of the existence of the university in Banská Štiavnica was the insufficient accommodation capacity for students, especially as their number was increasing.

After the disintegration of Austria-Hungary in 1918, relocating the University of Mining and Forestry from Banská Štiavnica, first to Budapest and later to Sopron, the forestry university studies in Slovakia ended temporarily. Establishing the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, the 150-year existence of the Academy and the University in Banská Štiavnica came to an end. 4,100 students graduated from the Forestry Institute and later the Forestry Department. After graduating from the school, many of them significantly contributed to the development of forestry and forestry science in Slovakia.

Simultaneously with the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, the question of the Mining and Forestry University in Banská Štiavnica was also being solved. A result of the negotiations was an official take-over of the school by the representatives of the Czechoslovak government on 8th January 1919 and the refusal of the Hungarian professors to take an oath of loyalty to the Czechoslovak Republic. Under these circumstances, the university closed down and in Banská Štiavnica was established the Czechoslovak College of Forestry and later on also the College of Chemistry. Slovakia remained without a forestry university for a long period.

The situation concerning the establishment of higher forestry education in the new republic had developed in such a way that they opened

the forestry department at the agricultural section of the Czech Technical University in Prague already on 10th March 1919. Another town where forestry could be studied was Brno.

The National Assembly approved the establishment of the independent state University of Agriculture in Brno under the law no. 460 Coll. of 21st July 1919. We know that the Slovaks did not agree on the cancellation of the Mining and Forestry University which did not have to be necessarily in Banská Štiavnica, but could be in another more suitable town in Slovakia. The placement of the school in Slovakia which along with Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia had a considerable forest area, would surely help the development of forest management much more than it was by means of two remote forestry faculties in Prague and Brno.

The question of university forestry studies was topical for all the duration of the first Czechoslovak Republic. The officials of the Czech Technical University in Prague, mainly professors at the Forestry Department, opposed the law on the establishment of the University of Agriculture with the Forestry Department in Brno and they did not allow to move the University of Forestry from Prague to Brno despite the explicit decision of the government. There was a steep scramble for whether there should be one university or two. This scramble was run very persistently by the forestry commission at the Czech Technical University (ČVÚT) in Prague. Resolving the disputes between the representatives of the two groups, for one or for two universities of forestry, had not been successful until 1938. The scramble was increasingly intensifying and then attempts at establishing four universities of forestry appeared. Only the German one was established in Děčín (Tetschen)-Lebverde in 1938. The Slovak University of Forestry in Košice,

planned as a faculty according to the draft law no. 170 Coll. of 25th June 1937 on the establishment of the Technical University in Košice, however, was not established.

All the period of the first republic is characteristic of efforts of the Slovak political representatives to establish a technical university in Slovakia. On the basis of the Cabinet decision, Vavro Šrobár delegated Michal Ursíny, the professor at the Czech Technical University in Brno, to create organizational conditions to establish the Slovak technical university. M. Ursíny worked out the draft law and rightful report and in January 1920, he submitted them to V. Šrobár and to the Club of the Slovak deputies. In 1928, the second draft law on the establishment of the Technical University in Košice was elaborated. Although the ministers of education during the first Czechoslovak Republic were Slovaks: V. Šrobár I. Markovič, M. Hodža, A. Štefánek, and I. Dérer, neither of the laws was approved by the Parliament.

University students also joined the political struggle for the establishment of the Slovak technical university. In particular, the Union of the Slovak Students organized several rallies already in 1930. “Matica slovenská“ (Slovakia’s public-law cultural and scientific institution) also organized numerous rallies. Finally, on 8th June 1937, the government passed the law no. 170/1937 Coll. on establishing the Technical University of M. R. Štefánik in Košice. The Technical University in Košice only started to be constituted when the Vienna Arbitration came into force and Slovakia lost Košice. The University moved to Prešov and Turčiansky Sv. Martin. A higher viewpoint and interests in the Slovak higher education requested to place the technical university in Bratislava.

• Ceremonial opening of the new building of the Forestry Department (June 26, 1892) – Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica

• Students of Banská Štiavnica

It happened after enacting the law no.188 Coll. of 25th July 1939 on the Slovak Technical University. The Slovak Parliament decided about this on the basis of the draft law by Jozef Sivák, the Minister of Education and National Culture. According to the government directive no. 236 of 20th September 1939, the Department of Forestry and Agricultural Engineering was constituted at the Slovak Technical University. The Department of Forestry started working at once. Teaching was provided by the following institutes and their heads: the Institute of Mechanical and Chemical Wood Technology –Ing. Dr. Vojtech Hollý, the Institute of Silviculture –regular Prof. Ing. Samuel Kriška, the Institute of Forest Protection – Ing. Štefan Kapsa, the Institute of Forest Establishment – Ing. Vojtech Illenčík, and the Institute of Forestry Construction and Hauling Machinery – Prof. Ing. Róbert Binder.

Economic problems were part of work of the Station for National Economy ran by JUDr. Rudolf Briška. Lecturers were regular professors: RNDr. Dmitrij Andrusov for geology and petrography; Ing. Dr. Techn. Anton Bugan for the rudiments of technical mechanics; PhDr. Juraj Hronec for the rudiments of higher mathematics; Ing. Samuel Kriška for silviculture and forest aesthetics, and for the forest habitat study.

Associate professors teaching there: JUDr. Rudolf Briška for national economy and the science of finances, economic policy and taxation, rudiments of public law; Ing. Dr. Techn. Peter Danišovič for torrent control; Ing. Dr. Techn. Vojtech Hollý for the introduction to the study of forestry, mechanical wood technology, and forestry research; Ing. Ján Mikuša for the introduction to land cadastre and bridge building; Ing. Viliam Illenčík for forest establishment and forest statics and forest plan drawing, forest valuation and rate of return;

Ing. Koloman Kosljar for forest harvesting, forestry accountancy, and the study of forestry trade. Other teachers were supply teachers and remunerated associate professors.

Studies at the Department of Forestry took four years. Accepted were secondary grammar schoolleavers, in a small number also secondary forestry school-leavers. When developing the study plan for the Department of Forestry, they used as a starting point the curricula of the Forestry Department of the former university in Banská Štiavnica and the curricula of forestry departments of the Czech universities.

For teaching and laboratory exercises were used the rooms and equipment of the recently established Faculty of Natural Sciences and Agricultural Research Institutes. Shorter practicals in forest management were organized in the SmallCarpathian forests, longer holiday practicals in the areas belonging to the directorships of the State Forests in Žarnovica and in Banská Bystrica.

From its beginning, the rector position at the Slovak Technical University was held by the following professors: Jur Hronec (1938 – 1940), Anton Bugan (1940 – 1941), František Valentín (1941 – 1943), Štefan Bella (1943 – 1945), and also Prof. Kriška for several months. The position of the dean of the Forestry-Agricultural Department was held by Professor Hollý and later on by Professor Kriška. During seven years, the studies of forestry engineering were successfully completed by 114 students (six of them were from Bulgaria). Although it was only 16 graduates a year, the fact remains that university forestry studies were renewed and forestry attracted young specialists.

In Slovakia, the year 1945 was also under the sign of joy concerning the end of WW II and the victory over fascism.

People were overwhelmed by enthusiasm to renew what the war had destroyed, to build modern industry, to improve conditions in underdeveloped agriculture. Generally, this period in our country is called the period of industrialization, agricultural collectivization, and the national and democratic revolution. In the sphere of education, it was also necessary to draw level with what was not managed in the last decades. Other research workplaces and schools were being established. There was an interest in resolving differences between individual regions. Especially the region of eastern Slovakia lagged behind in more spheres. The Slovak National Council decided on the placement of the University of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering (VŠPLI) in Košice by the decree no. 48 of 25th April 1946. The school started in the autumn 1946.

The university included the school forest property in Smolnícká Huta (6, 935 ha) and the Čermeľ forest near the town (1, 101 ha). Forestry studies took four years and had, in the main, such syllabi as they were at the Slovak Technical University (SVŠT) and at the Czech universities. After 1948, social science subjects and military training were added. Forestry and related sciences were lectured by above-mentioned Prof. Ing. Samuel Kriška, and professors: Ing. Róbert Binder (1897 – 1980), Ing. Dr. František Papánek (1912 – 1996), RNDr. Ján Martin Novacký (1899 – 1956), Ing. Ľudovít Minich (1908 – 1981), Ing. Dr. Alexander Knapo (1912 – 1981) and several supply teachers and remunerated associate professors. More teachers taught at both the departments.

A special contribution mainly to the interlinking of the university and practice was made by Prof. Papánek, who was simultaneously professor at the VŠPLI in Košice and also the Managing Director

of the State Forests in Bratislava in 1948 – 1950. In the autumn 1950, Professor Papánek was appointed by the President of the Republic as the Rector of the University of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering in Košice for two years. In the postwar years of intensive building, there was an increasing need for university experts also in the sphere of wood-processing.

During the period of forestry studies in Bratislava was already established the Institute of Mechanical Wood Technology which was further extended to the Institute of Chemical and Mechanical Wood Technology. It was a pioneering act, which meant the creation of a new quality in the university teaching of technology. Thus, forestry studies became a first step to a wood-processing and chemical or chemical and technological department. It was a situation leading to the establishment of a new type of university studies – wood-working engineering. The leading experts endeavouring most in this sphere were: Ladislav Dérer, Víťazoslav Sprock, František Papánek, Róbert Binder, Imrich Janota, Rudolf Jandel, and others.

Forestry studies in Košice lasted six years (1946 – 1952) and prepared 339 graduates, on average 56 students per year. In 1949, they created a woodworking department at the VŠPLI Forestry Department, which had its own four-year study plan. This department became the basis for the establishment of the Faculty of Wood Science and Technologies at the VŠLD in Zvolen in 1952.

In the summer 1952, the Faculty of Forestry with the Department of Wood Science and Technologies started to be moved from Košice to Zvolen, where by the governmental resolution of 8th July 1952, the University of Forestry and Wood Science and Technologies in Zvolen was established.

• Building of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava

At the same time the Faculty of Agriculture was moved from Košice to Nitra and thus, a new period started in the history of agricultural and forestry university studies in Slovakia.

Resources

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v Banskej Štiavnici. In: Alma mater Banská Štiavnica. Európsky význam Baníckej a lesníckej akadémie

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vysokoškolského štúdia, vznik a vývoj lesníckeho a drevárskeho vysokého školstva na Slovensku. In: Technická univerzita vo Zvolene 2002. (P. Zdycha, ed.). Technická univerzita, Zvolen, 220 s.

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http://gallery.hd.org

• Building of the former VŠLD rector´s office in Štúrova Street, in Zvolen

1952 – 1962

Ladislav Paule – Roman Réh

The intensive development of almost all economic sectors placed increasing demands on the supply of a young, welltrained workforce. At the same time, there was an effort by the government to overcome economic and cultural inequality in the development of individual regions of Slovakia, to which a more even distribution of universities in our territory could make a significant contribution. These and other reasons led the Czechoslovak government to adopt the decree of 8th July 1952 no. 30/52, which abolished the University of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering in Košice. Two new universities emerged from its two faculties: the University of Agriculture, which was located in Nitra, and the University of Forestry and Wood Technology, located in Zvolen. In the summer of 1952, the University of Forestry and Wood Technology‘s relocation from Košice to Zvolen began. At the same time, the Faculty of Agriculture left Košice for Nitra, so a new stage in the history of agricultural and forestry university studies began.

The decision to place the University of Forestry and Wood Technology (VŠLD) in Zvolen was motivated by the favourable communication position of the city, which lies in the middle of the forested regions of Slovakia. This place was also advantageous for the Faculty of Wood Technology because, in the town itself and its vicinity, there were wood processing plants (Bučina in Zvolen, Smrečina in Banská Bystrica, and Preglejka factory in Žarnovica). The local authorities of the people‘s government assisted in every way possible and showed a universal willingness to assist in setting up a new university. However, the actual relocation and subsequent accommodation of teachers and students were accompanied by many problems. Thus, Zvolen, with a population of around 20,000 at that time, became a university town with significant forestry, wood sciences, and woodworking community. The Faculty of Wood Technology had a nationwide scope since the beginning of its operation in Zvolen.

Moving and setting up a university in the new town was not without difficulties. The material equipment of the school was very modest. For example, when comparing the value of basic resources and equipment for teaching and research work that was available in Košice and at the beginning in Zvolen, it was approximately 3:1. During the transition to Zvolen, not only the material but also the personnel availability of the school decreased. Some teachers, specifically from basic theoretical disciplines, stayed in Košice or went to the University of Agriculture in Nitra. Their positions were taken by young graduates of forestry and woodworking studies, who started at the school as assistants and later worked their way up to top experts in many scientific disciplines.

The school year 1952 – 1953 began in emergency conditions. Students' accommodation was only temporary. In the first years after the school moved to Zvolen, students most often lived in private accommodation. In 1956, wooden barracks were built in the playground to serve as temporary accommodation for students. Nevertheless, their capacity was insufficient, and the students had to live in other places in Zvolen. The teaching was conducted in the former grammar school building on the Street of T. G. Masaryk. It should be noted that the entire school staff, teachers, and students, worked hard to build in a short time a temporary dormitory for students, an apartment building for teachers, and the Rector‘s Office building located in the building originally intended for the Municipality Government Council in the street of Ľ. Štúra. The efforts of the school

staff, the dedication of students, and school officials who were able to build, work, teach and learn in those difficult conditions must be appreciated above all. The first Rector of VŠLD was Prof. JUDr. Dr. Ing. František Papánek (1952 – 1955), the first dean of the Faculty of Forestry Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Višňovský (1952 – 1955), and the Dean of the Faculty of Wood Technology Assoc. Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock (1952 – 1955).

In the school year 1952 – 1953, the first year of VŠLD in Zvolen, the Faculty of Forestry had four departments (Department of Forest Production, Department of Forest Protection, Department of Forest Management and Forestry Economics, and Department of Logging and Forest Structures). The Faculty of Wood Technology had three departments (Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics, Physics and Geodesy, and Department of Wood Production). The Rector‘s Office had four joint departments (Department of Social Sciences, Department of Physical Education, Department of Military Education, and Department of Languages). The departments were further divided into institutes. The internal organizational development of the school is characterized by the creation of new departments and other workplaces under quantitative and qualitative changes in the personnel situation and the need for better organization of faculties and the entire University.

It is necessary to mention at least the substantial changes that have occurred in the internal organization of the University since its establishment in Zvolen.

In the study year 1953/1954, to organize and control teaching and operational internships at home and abroad, the VŠLD Institute of Practice was established.

In 1955, the VŠLD, as well as its faculties, changed academic officials. The Rector for the period 1955 – 1960 was Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock, the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry Prof. Ing. Anton Sokol, the Dean of the Faculty of Wood Technology Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovic, DrSc., who served in this position until 1966.

In the study year 1955/1956, the new departments were added to the individual faculties intended to improve organization and further differentiation of departments at faculties. Thus, in this academic year, there were seven departments at the Faculty of Forestry and eight departments at the Faculty of Wood Technology.

In the study year 1955/1956 at The Faculty of Forestry, the Department of Botany and Pedology was established from the Department of Forest Production. In the study year 1957/1958, the Department of Pedology and Geology was divided from the Department of Botany and Phytocoenology, and the Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry split from the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Geodesy at the Faculty of Wood Technology.

In the study year 1959/1960, the Department of Forest Management and Forestry Economics was divided into the Department of Forest Management and the Department of Forestry Economics. The Department of Forestry Structures and the Department of Logging and Mechanization were also established. The latter was further divided into the Department of Logging and Transportation and the Department of Forestry Mechanization in 1964/1965.

• Graduation in 1960 – Ing. Ján Juračka taking an oath

• Graduates of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology from the People´s Republic of Korea

• Building of the Faculty of Forestry at the VŠLD (1972)

The Faculty of Wood Technology underwent significant organizational changes in 1955/1956. The Department of Wood Production was divided into the Department of Mechanical Technology, the Department of Operation and Equipment of Woodworking Enterprises, the Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Wooden Products. In the academic year 1960/1961, the Department of Mathematics and Physics was divided into two separate departments, the Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry and the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering. In 1961/1962, the Department of Wood Sciences became independent from the Department of Mechanical Wood Technology. In the academic year 1962/1963, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Mechanics and the Department of Mechanization and Automation in the Woodworking Industry were established.

At that time, there were 54 pedagogical employees at the school, of which 3 were professors, six associate professors, 45 assistant professors, 67 other economic and technical staff, and 37 staff in the student dormitory and canteen. This year, the school had 486 students in both its faculties.

In the academic year 1949/1950, at the University of Agriculture and Forestry in Košice, specialized subjects were lectured by external teachers from Brno, Prague, and Bratislava. From the study year 1950/1951, there was only one external teacher at the Faculty of Wood Technology with the rank of associate professor, while the positions of assistants were filled by the first graduates from the Faculty of Wood

Technology who completed their studies in July 1952 and graduates of the Faculty of Forestry. Since then, year after year, assistant positions at the Faculty of Wood Technology have been filled by its graduates and by graduates of other faculties with mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering degrees.

Until 1st January 1958, the school did not have its forest property. The Kyslinky forest served the school‘s needs with an area of 2,958 ha in the former Vígľaš Forestry Administration District. The learning practice of the students of the Faculty of Forestry took place during the weekly stays when the forest railway used to transport students to Kyslinky, and they used the headquarters building as the accommodation facility.

Due to the complicated commuting by rail to Kyslinky and problems with accommodation, the Forestry Faculty Area, with an area of 5,416 ha, was created for practical training and research in 1958 near the town on the southeast slopes of Kremnické vrchy Mts. and around Sliač. It was transformed into a School Forest Enterprise with an area of 7,746 ha in 1959. It was established on 1st January 1958 as a new forest enterprise from delimited parts of the territory of the Zvolen Forest Enterprise and the Banská Bystrica Forest Enterprise. By the end of 1964, the School Forest Enterprise was organizationally divided into four forests. From 1st January 1965, the area of the School Forest Enterprise increased, based on delimitation, to 7,654 ha for the operational part and 254 ha for the specialised management, i.e., a total of 7,908 ha. Organizationally, it was divided into 5 forests: Sliač, Sielnica, Kováčová, Budča, and Železná Breznica.

The Faculty of Wood Technology provided operational and technological practice directly in the plants of the woodworking industry. The modest material conditions available to the school in the first years of its operation in Zvolen gradually improved. The Decree of the Commission of Education, Science and the Arts in Bratislava of 18th December 1952 established the State Study Library in Zvolen.

The biggest problem after the University of Forestry and Wood Technology moved to Zvolen was accommodation and food for the students. Students were accommodated in barracks, and a canteen provided meals in the city‘s centre. A significant change related to the improvement of students‘ life in Zvolen was the construction of the Student‘s Hall of Residence of Ľudovít Štúr. It had a capacity of 582 beds and another hall of residence, which both were built between 1958 and 1962. The fourth pavilion of the student‘s hall of residence served until 1983 as the main building of the Faculty of Wood Technology of the VŠLD. A part of the Student‘s Hall of Residence was also a spacious dining hall, which, in addition to serving food for students and employees, served for the cultural events of students. In the dining hall, students‘ dance parties and other festivities, such as matriculation were regularly organized.

After the University of Forestry and Wood Technology in Zvolen began its operation, a remarkable and qualitatively positive change was the extension of studies from eight to ten semesters from the academic year 1954/1955. The extension of studies enabled replacing the hours devoted to social sciences and military training for specialised education and deepened specialised education and improved

the preparation of diploma theses and the entire preparation for state final exams. Another benefit was the introduction of teaching foreign languages – compulsory Russian and another foreign language – into the curricula from the academic year 1952/1953.

In the education of forest engineers, the orientation towards a biotechnical and technical direction, introduced in the academic year 1953/1954, showed no positive effect. The effects of the new orientation occurred after the reorganization of forestry, in which the production activity was divided between silviculture companies (forest management administrations) and logging companies (forest industry enterprises) from 1st January 1952. The biotechnical line focused on the education of forest engineers for silviculture, and the technical line was aimed at logging and construction organizations of forestry. The production practice soon showed the disadvantages of such an organization of forestry in the conditions of our republic. After four years, the silviculture and logging companies merged again. Thus, in 1957/1958, the two-line education of forest engineers was cancelled, the education returned to its original complexity, and the problems of graduates’ placement were eliminated.

A government decree of 9th June 1953, introduced a significant amendment to the education plans of forestry and woodworking engineers. It included operational practices as a mandatory part of the learning process, as they verify and consolidate theoretical knowledge acquired at the University.

• Class of physical education, Ing. Manica teaches students to put the weight (1952 – 1953)

• The first university dormitories which later housed the Military Department

The number of enrolled students of the Faculty of Forestry during the first years of operation in Zvolen was more or less identical to the number of students in the post-war years during the operation of VŠPLI in Košice, namely 235 students enrolled per year. In 1959/1960, the number of enrolled students increased to 310. In the second half of the 1950s, the first international students studied at VŠLD. The first few international students were followed by an increase in the number of international students from 1940 to 1953 when forestry studies in Bratislava, Košice, and Zvolen were completed by 13 students from Bulgaria. In the academic year 1958/1959, the first four graduates from the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea completed their studies at the Forestry Faculty of VŠLD, and the first two graduates from the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea and two from the USSR also graduated from the Faculty of Wood Technologies. In 1959/1960, four more graduates from the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea and six from the USSR completed their studies at the Faculty of Wood Technology.

The Faculty of Wood Technology recorded a particularly dramatic increase in students. In the last years of the University of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering in Košice, only 77 students were enrolled to study wood engineering. In contrast, in 1954/1955, the number of enrolled students increased to 227 and five years later to 335. This number also includes students who worked beside their studies, 25 and 79 students, respectively.

Since 1955, study trips abroad for university students began to occur. Annual exchange study trips were held with forestry and wood technological faculties in the Democratic Republic of Germany, Poland, and Hungary, and later with forestry faculties in Sofia, Sarajevo, and Zagreb.

In the second half of the fifties, talented students already had the opportunity to gain experience in scientific work during their university studies. This role was fulfilled by student scientific clubs, in which students, under the guidance of teaching staff, familiarized themselves with the methodology of scientific research work and solved partial current practical problems. Some groups cooperated in solving the scientific research tasks of the departments. Since 1957 student scientific conferences have been organized at both faculties, and their winners have presented themselves at national rounds of student scientific and expertise activity. Already in the first years of 1958 – 1962, students from VŠLD in Zvolen won leading positions in national rounds of agricultural, forestry, and wood technological faculties. Scientific research, which formed the scientific profile of VŠLD, had a significant place in the workload of university employees, creating a unity with the educational process. A crucial milestone was the establishment of scientific research institutes at both faculties on 1st August 1957. These research programmes cooperated closely with departments and production practices. Scientific research work was an integral part of the school‘s complex activity. It fulfilled its mission in three main areas:

• Kyslinky School Forest (PLA Poľana)

solving scientific research tasks for the needs of forestry, woodworking, and social sciences; improving the quality of scientific research work; and participating in the introduction of scientific and technical progress into the practice of forestry economy and the woodworking industry. A progressive event of the University was the organization of national scientific conferences. From 1953 to 1960, the University of Forestry and Wood Technology organized five independent national scientific conferences (four at the Faculty of Forestry and one at the Faculty of Wood Technology) and co-organized two others. Among the most important, the following can be included: the Conference on Forests and Pasture (Tatranská Lomnica, 1955), the Conference on Selection Forests (Sliač, 1956), the Conference on the Use of Wood in Construction (Smolenice, 1956), and the International Scientific Conference on Beech as an Industrial Raw Material (Sliač, 1957). Scientific staff from eight countries and Czechoslovakia participated in the lastmentioned conference. The papers presented at the conference were published in the conference proceedings. This international conference organised on the 150th anniversary of forestry education in Czechoslovakia started the tradition of organizing international conferences on the anniversaries of VŠLD and later numerous international conferences and symposia organised under the auspices of the IUFRO and IAWS.

International scientific research cooperation began in the second half of the 1950s between VŠLD and affiliated faculties in the Democratic Republic of Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

Cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry in Tharandt, the Institute of Wood Technology in Dresden, the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology in Poznań, and the University of Forestry and Wood Technology in Sopron began to develop on this platform. At the turn of the fifties and sixties, cooperation with the Leningrad Forestry Academy in Leningrad began. Scientific research cooperation between VŠLD and partner faculties was organized in terms of bilateral contracts, within which study trips of teaching and research staff and study trips of students took place during the summer holidays.

The cooperation of the school with the practice through the secondary economic activity was also significant, expanding the scope of the research activity. On the other hand, it presented a source of extra-budget income for the school, improving its economic situation. Talented and diligent students were involved in scientific research activities in individual departments either as auxiliary scientific forces or in the form of student professional, scientific activity, which in many cases required the need to support their further scientific work.

The results of the research were published in the form of studies in the Proceedings of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology in the years 1957 – 1963, and from 1964 in due scientific proceedings of both facultiesProceedings of Scientific Works of the Forestry Faculty of the VŠLD in Zvolen later named Acta Facultatis Forestalis, Zvolen, and Proceedings of Scientific Works of the Faculty Wood Technology of the VŠLD in Zvolen, later named Acta Facultatis Xylologiae, Zvolen – with foreign

language summaries and papers. Furthermore, the results of the research activities were published in the professional magazines Les and drevo (trans. Forest and Wood), but also in the scientific journals of Lesnícky časopis (transl. Forestry Journal) and Lesnictví (transl. Forestry) in Czech, specialized journals and abroad. Our teachers were the authors or co-authors of university textbooks and university study texts.

• Forestry matriculation (1964)

1962 – 1972

Ladislav Paule – Roman Réh

The University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology (hereinafter referred to as VŠLD) in Zvolen started the second decade of its existence as an established, fully functional and, given the short period of time, quite a successful institution. However, it was necessary to further build, develop and adapt the university policy both to the level of forestry and woodworking education in the world and the needs of practice in the then Czechoslovakia. The existence and activities of the VŠLD in the 1960s and early 1970s were significantly influenced by the situation in the society, as it was very dynamic, dramatic, and, from various points of view, very progressive and rather tragic at the same time throughout Czechoslovakia.

After 1962, the search for the optimal organizational structure of the VŠLD and its two faculties continued. Moreover, there also was a need to create a suitable content, forms, and methods of pedagogical and science

and research work that would respond to the then still rather new forestry and woodworking university studies. Within the second decade of existence of the University, some very encouraging and positive aspects were to be seen in the areas mentioned above. However, these were sometimes replaced by negative and wrong decisions towards the end of the decade. The study content at both faculties improved by introducing necessary technical subjects and foreign nonSlavic languages into the study process. Entrance examinations at both faculties were given a better structure, the scope of the state final exams was specified in more detail, and a greater emphasis was put on the defence of diploma theses. Very frequent changes and modifications of the curricula were part of the negative process, this being a consequence of enforcing tendentious personal ambitions of some university employees, who were in senior positions at that time.

To better organize pedagogical and research activities, the number of specialized departments was correspondingly increasing at both faculties, mainly through the division of the existing departments whose focus was much broader and cumulative originally. In the mid-1960s, the Faculty of Forestry consisted of 12 departments, 10 of them being specialized; the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology consisted of 11 departments, 7 of them being specialized.

In 1972, nine professors (one at almost every leading department), 12 associate professors, 38 assistant professors and 2 assistants were employed at the Faculty of Forestry (hereinafter referred to as LF). At that time, it was quite common to employ technical-economic personnel who also focused on pedagogic or research work; there were 71 of them at the LF. There were 144 employees at the LF in total; 4 female employees worked at Dean’s Office and 8 charwomen and porters worked as auxiliary staff. Employees of the LF were also actively involved in work at other institutions, e.g. the governmental department of forestry and management of water supplies of the Slovak Republic, the forestry section of the Slovak Society for Agricultural, Forestry, Veterinary and Food Industry Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Forestry Research Institute in Zvolen, the Institute for Forest Management in Zvolen, the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Agriculture in Brno, the Research Institute of Forestry and Hunting in Zbraslav-Strnady and in other organizations. The teachers of the LF were members of editorial boards of magazines such as Les (Forest), Lesnictví (Forestry), Lesnícky časopis

(Forestry Journal), Poľovníctvo a rybárstvo (Hunting and Fishery), in the publishing house Príroda (Nature) and elsewhere.

In 1972, seven professors, 15 associate professors and 54 assistant professors or assistants were employed at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology (hereinafter referred to as DF). There were 5 female employees at Dean's Office working with the agenda related to the consultation centres for part-time students in Prague and Brno. Extracurricular activities of the faculty teachers took different forms. Two professors were involved in the international organizations FAO and UNIDO, seven teachers worked as experts in developing countries, several faculty teachers worked in the science councils or advisory bodies of the State Institute of Wood Research, the Institute of Wood Research and Development, the Ministry of Industry, the Research Institute of Furniture in Brno, in Lignoprojekt and elsewhere. Faculty teachers were members of editorial boards of professional and scientific journals such as Drevársky výskum (Wood Research), Drevo (Wood), etc. They also were involved in standard-setting activities and creation of woodworking terminology.

Associate Professor Ing. Elígius Hromada, CSc. became the new rector of the VŠLD in 1962 and this was related to several changes concerning academic functionaries. A gentleman's agreement was reached within the university management saying that representatives of both faculties would regularly alternate in the role of rector. A representative of the DF was the rector till 1962, and that is why a representative of the LF became the new rector.

• Visit of the President Ludvík Svoboda (1968)

• The first dormitory for students was completed in 1962

Since 1964, a certain group of employees at both faculties was trying to remove the acting rector Assoc. Prof. E. Hromada from his office. That effort was “successful“ in 1965, the then management of the DF made a concession and Prof. Ing. Pavel Višňovský from the LF became the new rector.

At the beginning of the academic year 1969/70, Prof. Ing. František Setnička was nominated as the rector of the VŠLD. He was not table to hold his position for three years, as it was terminated one year earlier by the coming normalization. Those were difficult and not favourable years. Some other internationally recognized experts also had to leave their academic positions.

The Vice-rector for Science and Research

Prof. Ing. Dr. Karol Eisner, member of the International Academy of Wood Science and an internationally recognized scientist, had to resign from his position in 1971, because of his son who emigrated. Prof. Ing. Adolf Priesol, CSc. was followingly appointed as new rector in 1971.

Enforced changes in ranks of academic functionaries also took place at the Faculty of Forestry in 1962, and Prof. Ing. Adolf Priesol, CSc. was appointed as dean of the Faculty. From 1964, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Šály, CSc. held the position of the dean for two years.

• Rag day (1968)

In 1966, he was replaced by Prof. Ing. Adolf Priesol, CSc. in this position again. Prof. Priesol held this post till 1971, when he became the new rector of the VŠLD. In 1971, Prof. Ing. Jozef Porubiak, CSc. was appointed as dean of the Faculty of Forestry.

At the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič held the post of the dean since 1955. In 1966, he was replaced by Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock for three years, who acted as dean also in the period of 1952 – 1955. Within the first 17 years

of the existence of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, it was only led by two deans. Assoc. Prof. Alexander Poláčik, CSc. became the dean of the DF for three years in 1969. In 1972, he was replaced by Prof. Ing. František Krutel, CSc.

In the 1960s, the educational focus of the University was specified and developed at both faculties by searching for the required graduate profile. This profile was formed through curricula, structuring the respective disciplines, their content, scope, and continuity.

• Practicals in botany

Considering the versatility of the profile of forestry and woodworking engineers (“Ing.“ corresponds to “MSc.“) when putting their knowledge into practice, the structure of the curriculum included general engineering subjects as well as those of biological, chemical, technical, economic, and socio-scientific nature. Along with the development of scientific fields, the subjects were also differentiated, and this resulted in changes in the curricula. The common feature of the curricula within forestry and woodworking studies was the effort to educate forestry and woodworking engineers with a universal profile, capable of handling all aspects of operations in the forestry as well as in woodworking plants and specialized services.

After adopting the new Act on Universities No. 19/1966 Coll., valid from 1st May 1966, following both longer internal discussions at the VŠLD and incorporation of requirements from the practice, the profile of graduates at both faculties was established in the 1960s. The main aim of this process was to stabilize a broader scientific base, which was to be followed by the teaching system within postgraduate studies. Considering the ongoing changes in the society, the graduate profile was often revalued. However, it basically corresponded with the prevailing trends of that time, i.e., long-term development of both forestry and woodworking industries and anticipated status of forest and wood engineers in the complex structure of these two sectors.

New subjects were added to the curriculum at both faculties. These included new scientific disciplines, such as forestry phytocenology and typology, amelioration, landscaping, genetics

and forest tree breeding, ergonomics, sociology, biocybernetics, mathematical methods used in the manufacturing processes of forestry and woodworking enterprises, forest protection, and the issue of dying forest stands. The complex usage of forest biomass and the appropriate necessary mechanization became important. Studies at the DF focused on the purposeful application of mathematical, physical, and technical sciences in the respective engineering fields. The aim of this focused study was to educate experts for the constantly changing demands of the labour market.

In the 1960s, the pedagogical profile of the VŠLD was established on a graduate´s profile with a more extended theoretical basis, which was to be followed by a specialized postgraduate study after 3 to 5 years of practice. The LF was offering a single-subject study of forest engineering and the DF was offering a singlesubject study of wood technology. There were some differences between the faculties considering the indicators that characterized the development of both the number of students in various study forms and changes in the study plans.

The number of full-time students at the Faculty of Forestry gradually increased from 401 in 1962 to 503 in 1972. Within the decade, 561 students graduated from the Faculty, including 13 foreign students. With the aim to support the part-time study and to help students during the study, the LF established a consultation centre in Košice in the academic year 1963/64. After three years, mainly due to the declining interest, the centre was closed, and the students completed their studies in Zvolen.

In the 1960s, the interest in the forestry study in Zvolen was great, and more applicants applied for the study at the Faculty than it was possible to accept; the ratio being approximately 1:2. In the early 1970s, the number of applicants and students decreased temporarily. On average, 58% of students graduated from the Faculty of Forestry in the full-time study, and 43% of students who originally enrolled in the first year of the part-time study. The decline in the number of students was rather substantial and it certainly was caused by stormy years of the decade.

The study of forest engineering lasted 10 semesters in 1972, it consisted of lectures and seminars in 46 compulsory subjects, mostly ending with an exam or a credit. Apart from compulsory subjects, students also had the opportunity to enrol in recommended or optional courses, considering their interests or future specializations. The weekly number of hours ranged from 30 to 40. Out of the total number of nearly 5,000 teaching hours, 53% were lectures and 47% were seminars throughout the 5-year study. A three-week professional internship during the summer holidays after the 2nd and 3rd year of study and a four-week pre-diploma internship in given forest companies during the summer holidays after the 4th year of study were compulsory, which represented 20% of the total scope of study.

At the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, increase in the number of students over the decade was higher than at the Faculty of Forestry. This was related to the countrywide competence of the DF within the then Czechoslovakia as well as to the lack of experts in the developing woodworking

and furniture industry. There were 316 full-time students in 1962 and up to 550 students in 1972 at the Faculty. Since 1969, more than a half of all the students came from the Czech part of Czechoslovakia. Within the decade, 537 students graduated from the DF, including 23 foreign students. Consultation centres were established in Prague and Brno to make it easier for part-time students and, mainly, to reduce the time loss of Czech students when commuting to Zvolen for consultations. The centres were operative in dependence on whether there were enough students to establish them. Towards the end of the decade, the interest in part-time study decreased significantly.

On average, 60% of students, who originally enrolled in the 1st year of study, graduated from the DF during this period. Accordingly, an average of 40% of students did not finish their study, and after 1967 this number increased to 66%. This situation was related to the enforced higher number of students who were to be admitted to the 1st year of study, when no stricter criteria were applied within the entrance exams. Moreover, it certainly was related to the stormy years of this decade. Students were substantially interested in combining study and work till 1967, afterwards their interest declined in line with the countrywide tendency.

From 1962 to 1964, an experiment was carried out at the DF with the aim to introduce a larger scope of practical education (seminars, practice) to students in the 1st year of the five-year study. The idea was to alternate theoretical teaching and work in the production of the company Bučina Zvolen on a weekly basis.

From the 3rd up to 7th semester, it was planned to educate the students as usual, i.e., using lectures, seminars, and other common forms. The 8th and 9th semesters were meant for the socalled engineering practice. Within this practice, students were supposed to work in production plants, and to take positions of assistants to production managers, deputy foremen or representatives in the departments of various enterprise and plant headquarters. They were to receive corresponding salaries for their work and to continue their studies at the Faculty as parttime students. In the 10th semester, students were supposed to return to the Faculty and to work on their diploma theses based on the assignments they were given in the companies. This form of study at the DF proved a failure due to inadequate wage funds for students who were interns in many companies. In that period, the final semesters of study had to be dealt with provisionally.

After 1964, a 3-day introductory course of practice was initiated for students in the 1st year of study at the DF. After finishing the 3rd year, there was a 3-week internship, the so-called energy practice, which was followed by a 1-month technological practice after the 4th year and a 1-month pre-diploma practice during the 10th semester. One or two days of practice in production plants were understood as a compulsory part of some courses. In the 8th semester, a 10-day study stay, mainly in Czech woodworking and furniture factories, was obligatory.

The study at the DF lasted 10 semesters in 1972. Along with the basic studies, the curriculum included 6 sets of optional subjects

and these all began in the 2nd year of study. The aim was to deepen the theoretical knowledge in disciplines such as wood science, chemical technology of wood, machine-construction system, preservation and control of wood quality, furniture and wooden constructions, and the system of economy and modern management.

Postgraduate studies at the VŠLD have been organized since 1962. At the LF, it was a regular and systematic study in the following branches of study: forest economics and management, forest management planning, technique and technology of the manufacturing process, forest engineering constructions, silviculture, landscape conservation and formation. Finishing the 4-semester postgraduate studies was committed to the ministerial systemization order and was organized according to requirements of the industry.

Postgraduate studies at the DF were organized sporadically, according to the needs of woodworking companies, and the studies were not compulsory. The following specializations were offered: system management of production processes in the wood-processing industry, hydrothermal treatment and kiln drying and air seasoning of wood, furniture production and qualitative characters of the raw material for primary conversion of wood.

Science and research activity played an important role in the work content of the VŠLD employees in the 1960s as it was forming their scientific profiles. This activity was in unity with the educational process. In the 1960s, internal scientific research institutes

took an active part in life of both faculties. They coordinated research programs, cooperated closely with the university departments and the production practice. Science and research at the VŠLD were coordinated to be an integral part of the university activities and to fulfil their mission within the following three main fields:

1. solving science and research tasks for the needs of forestry, woodworking industry and social sciences,

2. optimizing the standard of science and research work,

3. direct participation in introducing the scientific and technological progress into the practice of forestry and woodworking industry. In the years 1962 – 1972, tasks of the basic research were coordinated nationwide and solved within the framework of the State Plan for Basic Research, and in many cases the coordinating centre was based at the VŠLD in Zvolen. In research, tasks of the basic research prevailed over the faculty and departmental assignments. The cooperation of the University with the practice through its entrepreneurial activities was of great importance, as it represented the expanding application of its research activities and, moreover, it was a source of out-of-budget incomes for the University. Consequently, it also helped to improve the economic situation of the institution and its employees. Talented and diligent students were involved in science and research activities at the individual university departments, as they either worked as auxiliary scientific forces or they participated in the Student Scientific and Professional Activity, and this was often to be understood as a preparation for their future scientific career.

The VŠLD employees were publishing studies dealing with results of their research in the Proceedings of the VŠLD until 1963. From 1964 there were separate scientific proceedings at both faculties: Proceedings of Scientific Works at the LF VŠLD in Zvolen and Proceedings of Scientific Works at the DF VŠLD in Zvolen. Some significant as well as moderate works were published, always accompanied by summaries in a foreign language. In the 1960s, the results of research activities carried out at the VŠLD were also published in departmental specialist journals Les (Forest) or Drevo (Wood), in scientific journals Lesnícky časopis (Forestry journal), Drevársky výskum (Wood-processing research), Lesnictví (Forestry) and in other scientific and specialist journals, often abroad. The teachers were authors or coauthors of university textbooks and university study texts. The scope of works published was directly proportional to the qualification growth of employees. In the 1960s, the number of professors, associate professors, doctors of science, and candidates of technical sciences increased. Leading university employees became supervisors in the process of scientific preparation, both for inland applicants and interested parties from other workplaces and from abroad. In 1962 and 1967, polythematic international scientific conferences were held on the anniversary of forestry and woodworking education. Both conferences were significant in terms of exchanging scientific information and promoting the Slovak science and they also created a good opportunity to establish personal contacts. Within these conferences, some of the successful VŠLD employees and other

experts from practice were honoured as they mostly contributed to the development of forestry, woodworking industry and other related scientific disciplines.

In the 1960s, the VŠLD was a regular and active member of the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), the International Academy of Wood Sciences (IAWS) and other international organizations. University employees were actively involved in the activities of these institutions.

In the period of 1965 – 1970, the number of employees of the Research Institute of Forestry at the Faculty of Forestry increased by 22, and this was in line with the then tendency to create non-teaching positions at universities. The Institute was focusing on the comprehensive research into the silviculture and on research into the biological, technical, and economic foundations of forestry in the mountain forests of the Carpathian region. The professional qualification was improving in favour of employees with university education, and in 1970 – 72 the first employees at the Faculty of Forestry successfully finished the process of internal scientific preparation and were rewarded the academic science degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences (CSc.). The LF had work contacts with several forestry faculties in other countries, and this enabled the Faculty to exchange experience or to organize joint scientific events. The number of foreign stays and research fellowships increased, e.g., in 1971, the LF staff and students completed 6 long-term and 39 short-term stays in 11 countries. The LF hosted 29 foreign guests and 53 students. The scientific and research work was closely

related to the publishing activities of the faculty staff and, also to other forms of sharing the results of research. These were used for promotion of the University. At the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, science and research activities were carried out within the faculty departments, and they overlapped with the scope of the Research Institute of Wood. Crucial research areas at the DF were considered to be the following: research on basic properties of wood structure and wood raw material, research on wood technology, research on decisive qualitative indicators of wood products, research on energetics in the wood industry and technical and economic research within the processing of wood. In the 1960s, the number of research workers at the Research Institute of Wood was increasing and it reached 34 in 1972. However, the number of employees with an academic scientific degree did not correspond with the number of technical workers and craftsmen, and this fact did not allow to fully use the scientific capacity of the DF. The situation improved significantly after opening the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories (hereinafter referred to as VDL) in 1972. The DF was the leading training centre for wood sciences, and it was pursuing this aim within the whole of Czechoslovakia. The VDL played a fundamental role in terms of development of science and research activities at the VŠLD and semioperating practicals for students. In the beginning, the VDL represented a generously designed workplace that was equipped with numerous modern devices for wood processing. They were also designed for some forestry activities

within the teaching process and to conduct scientific research in wood engineering, forestry, electrotechnics and engineering industry. The first Institute of Computing Technology was also located on these premises, and, at that time, it was equipped with a modern mainframe computer.

A number of leading personalities worked at the VŠLD in the second decade of its existence, e.g.: Prof. Anton Sokol, Prof. Hubert Bezačinský, Prof. Rudolf Jandel, Prof. Pavel Višňovský, Prof. Adolf Priesol, Prof. Rudolf Šály, Prof. Elígius

Hromada, Prof. Štefan Makovník, Prof. Miroslav

Stolina, Prof. Ján Halaj, Prof. Jozef Porubiak, Prof. Jozef Sládek, Prof. Eugen Rónay, Prof. Štefan

Šmelko, Prof. Štefan Korpeľ, Prof. Klement

Hubač, Assoc. Prof. Jaromil Húsenica, Assoc.

Prof. František Kompan, Assoc. Prof. Eduard

Červenka, Assoc. Prof. Jozef Réh, Assoc. Prof. Jozef

Marko, Prof. Cyril Palaj, Prof. Víťazoslav Sprock, Prof. Imrich Janota, Prof. Karol Eisner, Prof. Jozef

Palovič, Prof. František Setnička, Prof. Jindřich

Halabala, Prof. Martin Sivák, Prof. Ľudovít

Mikolášik, Prof. František Krutel, Prof. Dionýz

Horský, Prof. Imrich Melcer, Prof. Ladislav Regináč, Prof. Pavol Trebula, Assoc. Prof. Ladislav Thern, Assoc. Prof. Elemír Šulán, Assoc. Prof. Jozef

Lisičan, Assoc. Prof. Alexander Poláčik, Assoc. Prof. Dušan Perlác, Assoc Prof. Július Klein, Assoc. Prof. František Vince, Dr. Darina Beracková and others.

Life at the VŠLD in Zvolen was influenced by significant events and processes in the society. The so-called “political thaw“, i.e., a brief period of liberalisation, led by Alexander Dubček, can be considered such a process and it started to culminate in January 1968.

• Ján Stachera and Marián Havlíček in 1968

Thereafter, the fragile shoots of the “Prague spring“ were burned by the “frost of Moscow“. The enthusiasm to build “socialism with a human face“ was replaced by fear for mere existence. The political screening and sifting were consistently carried out at universities. At the VŠLD, many highquality teachers were either completely excluded from the teaching process, or permanently redeployed in a less qualified job. Simultaneously, this hindered their career progress. Along with personal grievance, this also was a significant loss of experts who could have contributed to the development of the University.

In the pedagogical process, the emphasis was put on political education, communist education, political training, etc. This situation manifested itself also within entrance examinations to the University, as social class allegiance was one of the priorities. The most preferred social class allegiance was the working class, followed by peasants (small or cooperative farmers) and then other social classes. Especially for students, the lack of political freedom was compensated by particular social benefits, such as cheap housing in student dormitories, cheap food, discounts on travel costs, social and business scholarships, subsidized internships, etc. Insufficient housing for students had improved mainly by constructing the Ľudovít Štúr Student Dormitory, with the capacity of 600 beds. These dormitory premises were opened in 1962. At the time of its opening, the building was modern and majestic (architect Jozef Chrobák, draft 1956, project 1957, construction 1958 – 1962), and it has preserved its quality to this day. At the beginning, the dormitory consisted of three blocks, the fourth block (architect Jozef

Lacko) was used in the period of 1960 – 1983 as the basic, even though temporary building, where the specialized departments of the DF were located. As the number of full-time students was continuously increasing, another temporary, lowquality student dormitory was put into operation in 1970. It was built on the yard of the Ľudovít Štúr Student Dormitory; it was mocked and secretly called the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Student Dormitory.

Since 1962, a simpler form of accommodation called “youth hostel“ has been available for junior staff, who took up specialized positions at the VŠLD.

The small gymnasium, built in the 1920s and located in the old building of the LF, was not sufficient in terms of capacity and size of the playing fields anymore, and therefore a new gymnasium with standard dimensions was built. It has been in use since 1969.

We can consider the late 1960s and early 1970s the golden age of sports at the VŠLD in Zvolen. Canoe slalom was the most successful sport, students and employees also achieved very good results in basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, athletics, football, and tennis. Ing. Ján Stachera, CSc., a long-time expert at the LF, was an excellent slalom canoeist who became a five-time Czechoslovakian champion and a 38-time Slovakian champion. As a coach, he led several other successful slalom canoeists, including Marián Havlíček (born on 19th April 1953 in Zvolen), who reached the peak of his career with an excellent 6th place in the K1 category at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Ing. J. Stachera, CSc. became a member of the Slovak Whitewater Hall of Fame in 2012, Marián

Havlíček was inducted into the Hall in memoriam in 2014.

Basketball was the most successful team sport at the VŠLD and the excellent men's team Slávia VŠLD was formed at the end of the 1960s. The team played basketball at the highest level for several years and had very good place records in the National Basketball League for several seasons. The atmosphere at basketball matches in the new gym was excellent and this was also thanks to the auditorium full of fans regularly cheering our team on. The most outstanding basketball personality at the VŠLD was

Prof. Ing. Štefan Žíhlavník, CSc., a great player at first, an excellent coach then. In the years 1960 – 1989, he was active in Slavia VŠLD Zvolen as a player and long-term men´s coach. At the height of his fame, he was one of the top players in Slovakia, e.g., guest player in the team Baník Handlová in the First Federal Basketball League in the 1969-70 season. In several seasons of the National Basketball League, he became the best shooting guard, playing for the Slávia VŠLD team. In 2014, he was deservedly presented with the award Legend of Sport in the town of Zvolen.

• Construction of a new school campus with the assembly hall (1977 – 1983)

1972 – 1982

Milan Saniga – Juraj Veselovský

The development of the VŠLD continued also in this period. The staff composition changed; in 1974 the VŠLD employed seventeen professors, 28 associate professors and 124 assistant professors. In 1980 the number of professors increased by two, the number of both associate professors and assistant professors increased by 15. This period was characterised by a significant development and improving the conditions for studying as well as for carrying out the education process and scientific activities.

In 1972 – 1982 the VŠLD was represented by following academic officials:

The Rector:

Academic Prof. Ing. Adolf Priesol, DrSc. (1971 – 1990)

The Vice-rectors for Education:

Prof. Ing. Martin Sivák, CSc. (1972 – 1980)

Assoc. Prof. Pavel Petrík, CSc. (1980 – 1982)

The Vice-rectors for Science and Research:

Prof. Ing. Jozef Pavlovič, DrSc. (1972 – 1980)

Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. (1980 – 1982)

The Vice-rectors for Investment and Construction Development:

Prof. Ing. Štefan Makovník (1972 – 1976)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Marko, CSc. (1976 – 1980)

The Vice-rectors for Development:

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Marko, CSc. (1980 – 1982)

The student life and activities were centred mostly in the building located in the street of Ľ. Štúr. Part of the building was dedicated to the student accommodation. There was located also the canteen with a stage, which, besides providing catering, was used to accommodate large student and cultural events. One part of the building accommodated several departments of the Faculty of Wood Science and Technology.

In this period, a new prefabricated building named Student Dormitory C-120, located behind the University building, was put into operation.

The capacity of the accommodation facilities was not sufficient for all students; therefore one third of students was accommodated in private accommodation, mainly in Zvolen.

Popular free-time activities of students included performing in the folklore ensemble Poľana, either in its dance, music or vocal group. In 1976 Rector’s Advisory Board approved the Statutes of the folklore ensemble Poľana, and the legal relationship between the founder –the Rector’s Office of the VŠLD and the ensemble was solved. Thus, the University management created optimal conditions for the ensemble activities. The continuity of work in the enthusiastic team was secured by experienced ensemble members Ján Račko, Marta Almássyová and the director Emil Senko. The ensemble greatly benefited from having Milan Križo – an outstanding folk song interpret –as the leader of the male vocal group.

In 1972 the ensemble rehearsed a programme performed at various events. In addition, the ensemble took part in the regional competition in folk art creativity in Martin, where the programme was awarded by an honourable mention and several awards for singing and playing the fujara (shepherd’s pipe). In the same year, the men’s vocal group was awarded a prize for the best vocal performance at the national competition of university folklore ensembles Academic Nitra. The ensemble regularly took part also in folklore festivals in Východná, Heľpa and Detva. In 1974, the ensemble ranked second in the competition of university folklore ensembles Academic Zvolen. One year later, they took part in festivals abroad, in Poland and Bulgaria. In the upcoming years, the ensemble

appeared in the Czechoslovak Television, became the laureate of the national competition of university folklore ensembles Academic Zvolen, and took part in the national Spartakiade in Prague in 1980. At the show of folklore ensembles in Žiar nad Hronom in 1981, the ensemble was classified into B category and was allowed to represent the national folklore also abroad.

Many students were also members of the Sports Club TJ Slávia. They could choose from among the following sports: basketball, volleyball, canoeing, rock climbing, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing, orienteering, modern gymnastics, bodybuilding and karate. Students, who were members of the club, regularly took part in the university games.

Students of the Faculty of Forestry could be members of the falconry, kennel and hunting club with active membership in the hunting organisation of the University Forest Enterprise of VŠLD. One of the most popular clubs among the students of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology was the marquetry club. Students usually created their works individually in their dormitory rooms, and subsequently they were able to finalise their works in the joinery workshop during designated hours. Their works were presented mostly in the art section of the Student Scientific Conference.

The extracurricular activities of students included also running the club V-klub located on the beautiful and cosy premises of the Zvolen castle. Meetings and discussions with prominent artists from the whole Czechoslovakia were organised in the club.

Film club was another popular extracurricular activity of the university students.

The club management was particularly sensible in selecting the films of directors known worldwide. The Film club presented its activities and events by visually attractive posters created by Neklan Hájek, future Czech furniture designer. The musical background for students was provided by the dormitory radio INRO broadcasting at the Student Dormitory of Ľ. Štúr. It was founded in 1968 by the trio: K. Havlíček –

technician, P. Bulák and J. Podola – editors, who were later joined by speaker S. Homola. The radio broadcast to every dormitory room via wiring and the students could learn about the news on a daily basis, send messages and other regards to each other and listen to various shows.

The student life included also some more serious activities; one of them was also Student Scientific Conference.

• INRO radio studio – dormitory radio (1975)

Enthusiastic students working at various departments as auxiliary personnel in science participated in creating teaching aids, processing data from field measurements in various scientific areas, etc. The students were remunerated for this work and at the same time they could apply the acquired knowledge in their student scientific projects that were presented before the end of the summer semester at the Student Scientific Conference. There was a possibility to advance with the project to the national round of the conference that was organised alternately by the University of Life Sciences in Brno, University of Agriculture in Nitra and University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology in Zvolen.

During the studies, the students could get maintenance grant, merit scholarship and if a female student became a mother, she could get maternity scholarship.

One of the essential activities of the University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology was scientific and research activities. The longterm research programme of the University was focused primarily on the biological, technological and economic issues of forest management in Slovakia. The wood technology segment was focused on the complex utilisation of wood and its processing. In this period 124 teachers and 72 – 83 researchers participated in the research activities. Results of, mostly, applied research were used in practice of forest management and wood-processing industry in the form of new methodology, work procedures, technologies and standards.

Faculty of Forestry

The Research Institute of Forestry, where the director was Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. until 1980, employed 43 employees in 1982. Since 1980 the director was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Elemír Gogola, CSc.

The Faculty management: the Dean was Prof. Ing. Jozef Porubiak, CSc.; the Vice-deans for Education were: Assoc. Prof. Elemír Gogola, CSc. (1973 – 1975) and Assoc. Prof. Jozef Réh, CSc. (1975 – 1982); the Vice-dean for Pedagogical Activities was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Klement Hubač, CSc.; the Vice-deans for Science and Research were Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.

The studies at the Faculty of Forestry in this period were organised as 5-year studies. In 1980 the length of the studies was reduced to four years.

In the evaluated period, the Faculty experienced a significant development. In 1970, 63 teaching staff were employed at the university, comprising 38 professors and associate professors. During the 10-year period the number of teachers increased to 67 and the number of professors and associate professors increased to 48.

Departments of the Faculty of Forestry

In 1972 the Faculty of Forestry comprised 11 departments: Department of Pedology and Geology, Department of Botany and Phytocenology, Department of Dendrology and Landscape Design, Department of Zoology and Forest Protection, Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry,

Department of Silviculture, Department of Forest Management, Department of Economics of Forest Management, Department of Forest Harvesting and Mechanisation, Department of Forestry Structures, and Department of Physical Education. In 1981 the number of departments was reduced to eight due to merging the departments with similar focus to create larger departments: Department of Natural Environment, Department of Silviculture, Department of Landscape Design and Forest Protection, Department of Forest Harvesting and Mechanisation, Department of Forest Structures and Transportation, Department of Forest Management and Geodesy, Department of Economics and Forest Management, and Department of Physical Education.

Department of Pedology and Geology

The department was operating under this name in the period of 1972 – 1981. The Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Rudolf Šály, DrSc. The teachers at the department provided education in the following courses: Geology (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. J. Húsenica), Bioclimatology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Petrík, CSc.), and Pedology with Microbiology (Prof. Ing. R. Šály, DrSc.).

Department of Botany and Phytocenology

This department was working as an independent department after its relocation to Zvolen in 1952 – 1981. The Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Dušan Randuška. The Department and the teachers provided courses: General Botany

(Assoc. Prof. RNDr. V. Jamrich), Special Botany (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Križo, CSc.), Phytocenology and Forestry Typology (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. D. Randuška).

In 1981 several departments merged to create larger ones. The Department of Botany and Phytocenology merged with the Department of Pedology and Geology and created the Department of Natural Environment. The disciplines covered by the Department belonged to the theoretical background of forestry studies.

The Department focused a lot on publishing various coursebooks, e.g. the book by Prof. Šály “Pôda – základ lesnej produkcie“ (Soil – The Essence of Forest Production). In terms of scientific research the Department employees focused on theoretical issues of soil science, bioclimatology, quarternary geology and petrography. An important part of the research was created by the issues of soil genesis and classification, clay mineralogy, soil micromorphology, mineral content of rocks, soil water regime and frost penetration. Besides teaching and publishing, the Department was the co-organiser of the 3rd Czechoslovak Pedology Conference in 1973 and Climatic Conference in 1980. In 1982 the Department organised the 9th international conference on clay and in 1980 it organised the 3rd Congress of the Slovak Association for Botany. The Department members were members in scientific boards and committees at the Research Institute for Pedology and Plant Nutrition in Bratislava and Prague, Research Institute of Forest Management in Zvolen, at the Faculty of Forestry

of the University of Life Sciences in Brno and at the Research Institute for Forestry in Kostelec nad Černými lesy. Research into the natural conditions of forests in Slovakia done by the specialists of the Institute for Forest Management in Zvolen was carried out under the auspices of the Department. In terms of cooperation with institutions from abroad, the Department had very excellent contacts mainly with the Department of Site and Pedology in the forestry section in Tharandt, Technical University in Dresden and with Departments of Pedology and Silviculture at universities in Poznan and Krakow. Since 1974 Prof. Ing. Rudolf Šály, DrSc. chaired the group for forest soils in the International Association for Pedology.

Department of Silviculture

The Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Hubert Brezačinský until 1975, and from 1975 to 1991 the Department was led by Prof. Ing. Štefan Korpeľ, DrSc. The Department belonged to the principal departments of the Faculty of Forestry and after adding the course of Dendrology in 1975, the Department offered following courses:

Dendrology (Prof. Ing. J. Pagan, CSc.),

Establishing of Forest (Prof. Ing. Š. Korpeľ, DrSc.),

Breeding of Forest Trees (Ing. L. Paule, CSc.), Growing of Special-purpose Forests (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Réh, CSc.), elective course

Silvicultural Analysis (Prof. Ing. Š. Korpeľ, DrSc.).

During the evaluated period, the Department worked on five tasks of the basic research and two tasks at the faculty level comprising 14 partial tasks. The topics were focused on the issues

of forest tree seed production and utilisation, tending of forest stands during the phases of saplings and pole, natural regeneration of stands, structure and development of natural forests and forests with special function. The research was focused on the following tree species: beech, oak, hornbeam, spruce, fir, pine and larch. In cooperation with the Research Institute of Forest Management in Zvolen, six department employees participated in two tasks of the state development focused on tending of forest stands and cultivating the planting material. Within the international cooperation, the employees took part in IUFRO tasks and cooperated with forestry organisations from Hungary and Poland. Significant activity of the Department covered also creating practical demonstration objects for student practice and forestry practice. The Department employees participated also in creating the national, Slovak and regional directives for silvicultural activities – for stand regeneration, conversion of coppice stands, tending of forest stands, managing the forests with fir admixture, concepts for managing the forests in the Tatra National Park, approving the forest stands and procedures for protecting forest reserves. As members of scientific boards and committees, the employees took part in preparing all important documents, analyses and proposals regarding silviculture in Slovakia.

Department of Landscape Design and Forest Protection

The Department was established in 1974 by merging the Department of Zoology and Forest

Protection with a part of the Department of Dendrology and Landscape Design. The Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Miloslav Stolina, DrSc. The Department provided education in the following courses: Zoology and Entomology (Prof. Ing. J. Sládek, CSc. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Gogola, CSc.), Game Management (Ing. L. Bancík, Ing. P. Garaj, CSc.), Forest Protection and Phytopathology (Prof. Ing. M. Stolina, DrSc. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Kodrík, CSc.), Landscape Protection and Design (Prof. Ing. M. Stolina, DrSc.), Nature Protection (Prof. Ing. J. Sládek, CSc.), Landscape Deterioration and Recultivation (Prof. Ing. M. Stolina, DrSc.). In terms of scientific research, the Department coordinated two main tasks of the state plan of the basic research: “Research into the Most Harmful Agents in Relation to Forest Tree Species and Forest Environment“ and “Ecology Essentials of Landscape Protection and Design“. The outcomes of these two tasks contributed to solving the issue of forest damage caused by biotic harmful agents, and were used as starting point for predicting, planning and targeted forest protection for the needs of forest management. In this period, the department also worked on the task assigned by the Ministry of Education with the topic “Research into the Education towards Taking Care of the Environment“.

Further activities within the scientific research were carried out within individual associations of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovak Association for Zoology, Slovak Association for Entomology, Slovak Association for Agricultural, Forestry, Food-processing

and Veterinary Science and Slovak Association for Geography).

Department of Forest Harvesting and Mechanisation

The Department was established in 1970 by merging the Department of Forest Harvesting and Transportation with the Department of Forestry Mechanisation. The Head of the Department was Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc. The Department staff were teaching following courses: Technology (Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc.), Ergonomics and Occupational Health and Safety (Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc.), Mechanical Engineering Basics (Ing. M. Danko, CSc.), Forestry Mechanisation (Prof. Ing. R. Jandel), Forest Harvesting (Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc.), Machinery Operational Reliability (Ing. M. Danko, CSc.), Organising the Maintenance of Forestry Machinery (Ing. M. Danko, CSc.), Complex Utilisation of Biomass (Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc.).

In addition, the Department organised and provided post-graduate studies in the specialisation “Machinery and Technology of the Forest Harvesting and Production Process“. Regarding the scientific research, the Department focused on solving the issues related to the technical, technological, operational, organisational and economic aspects of effective production and transportation of timber. Furthermore, analysing the occupational injuries, and analysing the special purpose machine systems were within the scope of the Department research activities. Within CMEA and in cooperation with Finland, the Department

was dealing with the issue of allowable intensity of logging using the clear cut and selection management system. This research covered also the issues of ergonomics in the logging operations while using engine-powered equipment and skidding devices. The Department was also engaged in cooperation with the producer of forest machinery ZŤS, n. p. (state enterprise) in Martin and State Forest Slovenská Ľupča. The activities within this cooperation covered mainly the algorithms of work procedures of forest machines of ZŤS, n. p. in Martin,operation conditions in the process of logging and solving the indicators of reliability and diagnosing the decisive nodes of operating forest harvesting machines. The Department also organised the IX international symposium named “Scientific and Technological Development and Technologies in the Logging, Production and Transportation Process.“

Department of Forestry Structures and Transportation

Before adding the word transportation, the department was known as the Department of Forestry Structures. In autumn 1981, trying to join the workplaces, three employees joined the Department and the course Forest Transportation was added to the Department portfolio. Subsequently, also the Department was renamed to the Department of Forest Structures and Transportation. The Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Štefan Makovník. The Department staff taught following courses: Technical Mechanics (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Et. Ing. F. Kompan, CSc.), Forest Roads (Prof. Ing. L. Jurík, CSc.),

Forestry Structures (Prof. Ing. Štefan Makovník, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Et. Ing. F. Kompan, CSc.), Timber Transportation (Prof. Ing. Roško, DrSc.), Technical Meliorations (Ing. J. Marko, Csc.), Forest Local Planning (Prof. Ing. Š. Makovník).

The Department provided education in the field of Forestry Engineering focused on building the forest roads, building the structures in the forest environment, methods and logistics in timber transportation. Besides the full-time studies, the Department provided also post-graduate studies focused on forestry structures. Research activities targeted primarily economic efficiency of building forest roads, dimensions of roads, standardisation and design of prefabricated components used in building bridges on forest roads. The core activities of the department were focused on intense cooperation with forestry practice based on consultation and project activities.

Department of Forest Management and Geodesy

The Department of Forest Management belonged to the core departments since the beginning of the university forestry studies in Zvolen. Department of Forest Management and Geodesy was established in 1981 after merging with the Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (the Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Pavol Višňovský).

The newly established department was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Klement Hubač, CSc. and after 1987 by Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. The Department staff educated the forestry students by providing following courses:

Basics of Cybernetics and Programming (Assoc.

Prof. Ing. M. Šuška, CSc.), Statistical Methods

(Prof. Ing. Š. Šmelko, DrSc.), Geodesy and Photogrammetry (Prof. Ing. P. Višňovský, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Žihlavník, CSc.), Timber Metrics (Prof. Ing. K. Hubač, CSc.), Forest Management (Prof. Ing. A. Priesol, DrSc.), Production Theory (Prof. Ing. Šebík, CSc.).

In the post-graduate studies, the Department provided two courses focused on forest management. In the process of education the intention was to implement the computer technology and programming into the teaching practice as much as possible. The basics of cybernetics, automatic computer programming and biocybernetics were largely used in elaborating the Master theses of students studying also at other departments. In the scientific research the Department achieved important outcomes in the following areas:

– research into methods of geodesy and photogrammetry and forest planning,

– research into the growth and increment relations of trees and stands,

– research into new methods of forest stand inventory,

– research into and compilation of new tables of timber metrics and timber cruise,

– research into the methods for regulating the production of forest management,

– utilisation of automatic computers in the forest management activities. Within the research into new methods of forest inventory a new theory and application of statistical methods for determining the stock, increment and site index was elaborated. In the

sphere of timber metrics, results of extensive empirical research were used to create first Czechoslovak volume tables for coniferous tree species – spruce, fir and pine and for nonconiferous tree species – beech. In the field of application of automatic computers in forest management, an automatic system was created that enabled the foresters to automate the geodetic and cartographic evaluations, calculate the stock and timber cruise variables, process the numerical and text description of forest stands, etc. The Department coordinated the national task “Research into Biometrics of Forest Tree Species and Forest Management“. For achieving excellent results the Department employees were awarded a state distinction in 1972. The Department also cooperated with the Faculty of Forestry in Tharandt, Technical University Dresden while working on the task “Methods of Control, Regulation and Prediction of Production“, and with the Academy in Poznan while working on the task “Modelling and Regulation of Production of Forest Stands“ and “Managing and Automation of Systems in Forest Management“. The Department teachers were also cooperating with the researchers from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences as well as with researchers from abroad.

Department of Economics and Forest Management

In 1981 the Department of Forest Management Economics changed its name to the Department of Economics and Forest Management,

and the Workplace of World Forestry and Wood Processing Industry, previously part of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, became part of the Department. The Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, CSc. The Department provided education in the following courses: Legal Standards (Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Macko, CSc.), Sociology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Macko, CSc.), Forest Management Economics (Prof. Ing. E. Hromada, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. B. Špirka, CSc.), Socio-economic Information (Assoc. Prof. Ing A. Lukáč, CSc.), Forest Management (Prof. Ing. J. Porubiak, CSc.), Automated Management Systems (Assoc. Prof. Ing. I. Kolenka, CSc.), Forestry Economic Geography (Prof. Ing. J. Borota, DrSc.), World Forestry and Wood Processing Industry (Prof. Ing. J. Borota, DrSc.), Environment (Prof. Ing. J. Borota, DrSc.), Environmental Protection (Prof. Ing. J. Borota, DrSc.), Business and Business Policy (Ing. M. Šupín, CSc.), Sociology and Psychology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Macko, CSc.).

The scientific research was focused on theoretical issues of economics and forest management, issue of workforce and work conditions in the forest management. Valuable contribution for the forest management practice was achieved by dealing with optimisation of the structure of basic funds in forest management and application of mathematical methods in forest management. In 1972 the Department participated in organising a conference focused on economic and technical issues of forest management. In 1973 the Department participated in an international symposium focused on rationalisation of forest

management. The Workplace of World Forestry and Wood Processing Industry contributed to organising the FAO seminar “Designing and Managing Integrated Wood Processing Enterprises“ in attendance of experts from Africa and the Near East. For the sake of forestry practice, the Department elaborated documents for the forest management in Slovakia to 1980 and studies for standardising the amount of technical staff and restructuring the state forests.

Department of Physical Education

In this period, the Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. PhDr. Ján Michalec, CSc. The Department was established in 1952. The main task of the Department was to improve the physical fitness and sport skills of students of the University. According to the new methodology issued in 1973 by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Socialist Republic, students of the first and second year had to have two compulsory classes of physical education a week, and in the third and fourth year the amount decreased to one class a week. In addition, there was an obligation for the second year students to participate in an eightday winter sport training camp and a ten-day summer training camp, while the latter one was for female students and male students who could not pass the mandatory military service. This kind of camps was supposed to improve the physical as well as mental fitness. In addition to these compulsory activities, the Department offered also elective sport classes and organised activities of higher sport level within the Sports Club TJ Slávia.

In terms of research, the Department staff participated in researching the issue of physical performance of youth in Slovakia, where the performance parameters were usually acquired during the compulsory classes of physical education.

The Development Workshops and Laboratories

The Development Workshops and Laboratories experienced a great progress in this period, largely thanks to Ing. Ján Lacko. The tasks provided by the Development Workshops and Laboratories included:

– providing for the practical education for students according to the corresponding curricula of individual faculties, including creative activities and Master theses,

– carrying out laboratory projects associated with completing the research tasks of the University,

– designing and producing teaching aids,

– designing and producing non-standard equipment for forest management mechanisation and wood processing industry,

– experimental verification of research and development results,

– carrying out tests of materials, machines, prototypes, etc.

In 1972, another workplace – computer centre, gained premises in the building of the Workshops. The premises included a large hall for the computer TESLA 200 with adjacent rooms for operators. Later, the computer centre was reorganised and the Institute of Computer Technology was established. The mission of the Institute was to meet the needs of research and education at the University and help with

introducing methods of statistics and modern computer technology at the University, as well as at other schools related to forest management and wood processing industry. In terms of structure and organisation, the Institute was divided into institute management, operation and workplace of programming. The Director of the Institute was Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Šuška, CSc. Later, the Institute was restructured to the Institute of Applied Cybernetics and Computer Technology and was one of three retraining workplaces of the Ministry of Education in Slovakia.

The School Forest Enterprise – special purpose establishment of the University (established in 1958 as Faculty Forest Management – special purpose establishment of the University) was divided into the main office, located in Zvolen and four forest districts: Sliač, Kováčová, Sielnica and Budča. On 1st January 1975 the forest districts Železná Breznica an Budča merged, so did the forest districts Sliač and Sielnica.

Another workplace that experienced a significant expansion was research and development workplace Borová Hora Arboretum. The area of the Arboretum was enlarged to 45.5 ha and later (in 1983) to 47.84 ha. In 1970 – 1975 a pond in the northern part of the Arboretum and a snow pit were created, rock garden, peatbog under the greenhouse, irrigation system in forest nurseries and rose garden were finished, and building the garages and workshops was initiated. During this period, the network of roads and pavements was developed, which divided the Arboretum area into individual sections and stands. However, the most important

• Institute of Computing Technology at the VŠLD (1977)

task was creating the collection of tree species. The director in 1970 – 1990 was Prof. Ing. Jozef Pagan, CSc. 1977 saw the beginning of building the new premises of the University – main building, lecture halls and assembly hall, which were finished in 1983. It created much more favourable conditions for the development of forestry and wood technology studies. In 1972, the University employed 159 teachers, 72 researchers and 678 other staff.

The Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library was established in this period. It employed 45 employees and was the central library

for forest management and wood processing industry in the whole Slovakia. Since 1977, the Library has been a part of the University; it incorporated all partial libraries and this created the information workplace of the University.

Years 1972 – 1982 were quite rich also in extra-curricular activities typical for student life at university. Each year had several milestones. The beginning of each new academic year (the semester used to start in early October) was typical by potato harvesting in surrounding collective farms, which usually lasted for 1 – 2 weeks. In the morning, the students were

transported to farms by buses followed by the harvest itself. The students experienced many amusing stories, some of which were portrayed later on drawings exhibited during the matriculation week of the forestry students. The semester, which started after the potato harvest, was quite demanding due to both, the study, as well as activities associated with matriculation of the first year students prepared by the fourth year students. The first year students selected their godparents, who should be

their tutors during the first year of studies and help them in familiarisation with the university studies. The matriculation was preceded by a lengthy preparation process including visual aspects and traditions. One of the most timeconsuming activities of the fourth year students were the visual works of art – preparation of pictures and drawings depicting various events of their student lives during four years. These were mostly funny stories from exams, potato harvests, dormitory life.

• Folklore ensemble Poľana. Academic Zvolen 1978

• Matriculation Invitation

These works of art were usually created at night and in the morning the students had to wake up early and attend compulsory lectures. It often happen that students who spent the night creating these works of art, were sitting in the back rows and tried to get over the sleep deprivation at the alpha stage. The most timeconsuming activity was writing the forestry bulla listing the duties of the first year students, and matriculation invitations. Both documents were written in Schwabacher on tracing paper with ink and fountain pen.

This activity was carried out by students who had neat handwriting. The documents

were published in the lobby of the student dormitory the evening before matriculation. The invitation ceremony was accompanied by singing folklore songs and playing music by the folklore ensemble Poľana.

The next day in the afternoon (Friday) a matriculation parade was marching across the town. In the lead of the parade there was a carriage with a committee of examiners and notary followed by a hay wagon carrying also the music group of the folklore ensemble Poľana.

They were followed by students of the first and fourth year of study carrying banners, and other students and staff of the Faculty.

• Matriculation procession through the town

• Declaration of forestry matriculation below Zvolen Castle

After announcing the matriculation outside the Zvolen castle the parade was finished in the student dormitory, where also the matriculation theatre performance took place. The matriculation certificates were handed over to the first year students by the committee of examiners and notary. It was accompanied by a funny exam question. Besides students, also some teachers could have been asked to answer these questions, what was very funny, though it was never offensive. The matriculation theatre performance was followed by the matriculation ball at the hotel Palace in Sliač lasting until early

morning. This event was significant also for ordinary inhabitants of the town of Zvolen and was observed by a large crowd of spectators. Another event significant for the forestry students was building the maypoles taking place on the last day of April. The maypoles were erected in front of the Faculty of Forestry and student dormitory and outside the Zvolen castle, whereas the activity was greatly supported by music played by the folklore ensemble Poľana and a student parade. The tradition said that the maypoles had to be guarded during the whole night in order to protect them from the students for Faculty of Wood

• Graduates of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in 1976 after their graduation ceremony with their teachers, among whom you can see Prof. Dr. Ing. Karol Eisner, Prof. Ing. František Setnička, Prof.

Ing. Ľubomír Nemec, CSc., Prof. Imrich Janota, Prof. Dionýz Horský, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Július Klein, CSc., and others

Sciences and Technology, whose task was to cut them down. It was a customary law of students valid only during this single night and was respected and followed.

Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

In the evaluated period, the Faculty experienced a great progress within education as well as in scientific research. In 1972 the Faculty employed 76 teachers, thereof seven professors, fifteen associate professors and 54 assistant professors. By 1980 the number of teachers increased to 92. The Faculty management comprised the Dean and three Vice-deans.

Assoc. Prof. Ing. František Krúteľ, CSc. became the Dean on 1st October 1972 and remained in the function until 31st January 1990. The officials in functions of the Vice-deans were as follows: Assoc. Prof. Ondrej Hrčka (1972 – 1975), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Lendvay, CSc. (1975 – 1980), Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, CSc. (1980 – 1984) as Vice-deans for political education; Assoc. Prof. Pavel Petrík, CSc. (1972 –1980) and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, CSc. (1980 – 1988) as Vice-deans for education; Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, CSc. (1972 – 1980) and Assoc. Prof. Ján Bučko, CSc. (1980 – 1990) as Vicedeans for scientific education. The Science and Research Institute of Wood Technology, whose director was at that time Assoc. Prof. Ing. Július Klein, CSc. (1972 – 1987), employed 39 employees in 1980. In the academic year 1974/1975, 656 students were enrolled for the study in the field of study Wood Technology in the full-time form of study, 113 students were in the part-time form

of study and 20 students in the post-graduate studies. However, the number of students was increasing gradually. The studies lasted for ten semesters (5-year studies). In the academic year 1971/1972, 81 graduates completed successfully their full-time studies and 10 graduates completed the studies in the part-time form. At the end of the evaluated period, in the academic year 1981/1982, the number of graduates of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology increased to 140, thereof 15 were from abroad (Bulgaria, Vietnam). During the period 1972 – 1982, the number of graduates of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology increased by 1,309, thereof 79 students were from abroad (Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria). Taking into consideration the concept of the study programme Wood Technology, it can be concluded that it was balanced, and it prepared the students for the wood-processing industry. Undeniable benefits of the study programme were the teachers’ personalities, academic environment as well as the wood-processing companies that were willing to help and cooperate within student practical training and other activities related to the curricula of the studies. During the handson-training from the major courses, the students got to know the whole range of companies from the primary and secondary conversion of wood in Czechoslovakia. The trainings lasted several days, when students visited companies related to wood-processing industry across the whole Czechoslovakia.

In 1978 a new field of study Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry was created at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology.

In addition a new specialisation Wood-processing Machines and Equipment was created within the field of study Wood Technology. Resulting from the reforms in 1980 – 1985 in the field of study Wood Technology, the length of study was reduced to four years. However, in the study specialisations introduced in this period – Furniture Production and Construction, Timber Structures and Carpentry production and System Engineering – the enriched choice of selective courses extended the 4-year study to 5 years.

The University life in years 1972 – 1982 was very rich. The academic year started in a more relaxed ways. Students of the whole University helped the farmers with harvest, usually potato harvest. The commencement of the lectures was followed by another event connected with a lot of preparations – matriculation. It was not just the introductory ceremony for the first year students; it was also celebration of the relationship and affiliation with the particular field of study. Informal and free event was an academic celebration, when students demonstrated their respect to teachers, but it also reflected how they are perceived. The dramaturgy of this event was carefully prepared by the fourth year students. The final version in the form of witty sketches was presented in the theatre, where the matriculation ceremony took place. The first year students selected their godparents from among the fourth year students, who helped them to navigate through the academic environment. According to the student laws pronounced in the bulla, the first year students had to show genuine respect.

In the academic year 1973/1974 the students of the third year launched a new tradition

• A wooden totem from 1989 designed and installed in the TUZVO campus by the group of 4th-year students of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology managed by Vladimír Kváš

in the student life at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology – Breaking the Wood. This act consisted in breaking a wooden scantling, which could have been done by each third year student, who successfully passed all exams of the winter semester. This ceremony usually took place in the Modra Wine Bar in the attendance of invited teachers. Students most often remember activities which were created naturally, free without any supervision of authorities. A specific of the Faculty was the student composition. This Faculty was unique in the whole Czechoslovakia, and the ratio of students from the Czech Republic to the Slovak students was 60/40. The student life, however, was enriched also by students coming from Vietnam, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria. Nevertheless, the largest group was created by the Czech students, who did not travel back home so often and spent more time in Zvolen. Therefore, it can be said that the Czech students left their cultural mark in Zvolen and contributed to developing the student life. An example worth mentioning could be creating the totem pole park in the town part Stráže, where the students were meeting in the open air with bonfire and guitar. Its origin dates back to the early 1960s and continued until early 1970s. On the occasion of matriculation, the students built the totem poles depicting the academic life and the profession being studied. It resembled the tramp movement, which was very popular mostly in the Czech Republic in the 1960s and 1970s. 1989 saw a return of this tradition, when the fourth year students led by Vladimír Kváš made and installed a new university totem in the new university campus on 13th October

1989. Its shape depicts the symbols of woodprocessing industry and academic environment. Unfortunately, the totem was later heavily damaged and did not meet the aesthetic function any more, therefore it has been removed.

Departments of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

In 1972, there were eleven departments at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology: Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry, Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Department of Wood-working Machines and Automation, Department of Furniture Architecture and Wood Products, Department of Chemical Technology of Wood, Department of Chemistry, Department of Economics and Management of Woodprocessing Industry, Department of Mechanical Wood Technology, Department of Wood Science, Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering (later Department of Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Technology), and Department of Languages. For a short period of three years, a new Department of System Engineering was established in 1978. In 1981 the number of departments decreased to eight by merging departments with similar focus: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Wood-working Machines and Automation, Department of Furniture and Wood Products, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood, Department of Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry,

Department of Wood Science and Mechanical Wood Technology, Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering (later Department of Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Technology) and Department of Languages.

Most of the department premises, class rooms and lecture rooms were located on provisional premises of the Faculty, currently part of the Student Dormitory of the University, Študentská ulica street 17 (previously Gottwaldova ulica street). The building started to be constructed in 1957 as an object that was intended to become later a part of the university dormitory. In 1960 it started to be used by the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and all departments expect the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry and the Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering that were located in the main building of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology (1953 – 1984) in the Street of Ľ. Štúr 4.

Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry

The first Head of the Department Prof. Dr. Cyril Palaj, leading the Department from 1952 – 1971, contributed greatly to establishing the Department and it subsequent progress. In the next decade, the Department was led by Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc. In 1973, Prof. RNDr. A. Dekrét contributed to creating the Workplace of Applied Mathematics, which achieved great results in scientific research.

Following employees contributed to developing the education and scientific research in individual fields:

– mathematical analysis: Prof. RNDr. A. Dekrét, Assoc. Prof. RNDs. František Husárik, CSc., RNDr. Anna Bezáková, RNDr. Ivan Krsek, RNDr. Anton Štekláč,

– probability and mathematical statistics: Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Tomáš Klein, CSc.,

– descriptive geometry: RNDr. Elena Palajová. The Department was also a member of the Association of Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists. It was in close contact with various workplaces in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and the USA, where the Department employees presented their research results.

In 1972 – 1981 the teachers provided education in the fields adapted to the requirements of the two faculties of University: Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

– Mathematics – Prof. RNDr. Cyril Palaj, RNDr. Anton Štekláč,

– Descriptive Geometry – RNDr. Františk Husárik, CSc., RNDr. Helena Palajová,

– Numerical Approximation Methods – Prof. Cyril Palaj, Faculty of Forestry

– Mathematics – RNDr. Františk Husárik, CSc., RNDr. Anton Štekláč,

– Descriptive Geometry – RNDr. E. Senko, CSc.

Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering

The Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Lendvay, CSc. (1972 – 1981).

From 1981 to 1990, the Department was led by Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc.

• Building of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in Študentská 17 (formerly Gottwaldova Street) in 1971

• Laboratory of the Department of Wood Science

In the field of education and scientific research, the Department focused on applied physics, acoustics, where it obtained great achievements. One of the Department research project and its findings concluded by RNDr. Emil Rajčan in the early 1970s was awarded by a prestigious diploma of the Ministry of Education.

During 1972 – 1981 following courses were taught by the Department teachers: Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology:

– Physics – Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Ladislav Thern, RNDr. Emil Rajčan,

– Electrical Engineering – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján

Lendvay, CSc., Ing. Makovini, CSc. , Faculty of Forestry:

– Physics – Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Ladislav Thern.

Department of Wood-working Machines and Automation

The Head of the Department in years 1962 – 1977 was Prof. Ing. Ľudovít Mikolášik, CSc. In 1977 – 1992 the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Lisičan, CSc.

In the education and scientific research, the Department was focused on construction of wood-working machines and auxiliary equipment, in the process of working the wood and wood-based materials and operation of wood cutting machines.

In 1972 – 1982 following courses were taught by the Department teachers:

– Wood-working Machines and Working the wood I – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Lisičan, CSc.,

– Wood-working Machines and Equipment II –Prof. Ing. Ľudovít Mikolášik, CSc., Ing. Rudolf Slaný, CSc.,

– Transportation Mechanisation in Woodprocessing Industry – Prof. Ing. Ľudovít

Mikolášik, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Oswald, CSc.,

– Automation Elements and Systems – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Emil Zajac, CSc.

Department of Furniture Architecture and Wood Products

The independent department was established in 1955 bearing the name Department of Wood Products. In 1969/1970 the name changed to the Department of Furniture Architecture and Wood Products. A prominent personality contributing to establishing, creating and leading the Department was Prof. Jindřich Halabala, M.A. (1955 – 1971).

In 1971 – 1987 the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Elemír Šulán, CSc.

Personalities, who contributed to achieving great results of the Department, included Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Dúbravský, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing.

J. Lipták, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Kamenický, Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Vince, CSc., Prof. Ing. Ľ. Nemec, DrSc., Ing. A Bašista, CSc. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Zemiar, CSc.

In terms of science and research the Department dealt with typology and construction of wood products guided by Prof. Jindřich Halabala, M.A. and Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Elemír Šulán, CSc. Within the applied research, the Department dealt with creating production programmes for furniture companies. In the field of furniture production it closely cooperated with the Research and Development Institute for Furniture in Bratislava, which had

an external facility located at the Department –Studio 4. Another research field of the Department was construction of timber structures. Significant output of this activity is the Sports hall in Žilina, whose co-author was Ing. Andrej Bašista, CSc., who was also co-author of other buildings, e.g. icehockey stadiums in Banská Bystrica and Zvolen. Following publications can be considered the most important ones within the evaluated period:

Furniture Production – Design and Construction (J. Halabala) and Technology of Furniture Production (Ľ. Nemec, E. Šulán and J. Zemiar).

In the field of education, Prof. Jindřich Halabala, M.A. created a concept of so called group study entitled “Interior Architecture“. Students interested in furniture and interior design could develop their skills by passing elective courses provided by the Department in the second and third year of study.

In 1972 – 1982, the Department teachers taught following courses:

– Basics of Construction of Wood Products –Assoc. Prof. Ing. Elemír Šulán, CSc.,

– Construction and Typology of Products – Assoc. Prof. Elemír Šulán, CSc.,

– Technology of Furniture Production and Wood Products – Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Nemec, CSc.,

– Timber Structures and Carpentry Products –Ing. Andrej Bašista, CSc.,

– Interior Architecture (elective course) –Ing. Arch. Ľudmila Chovancová,

– Furniture History (elective course) – Assoc. Prof. Ing. František Vince, CSc.

Department of Chemical Technology of Wood

The Department was established in 1965. The first head of the Department was a renowned specialist Prof. Dr. Ing. Karol Eisner. From 1974 – 1981 the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Alexander Poláčik, CSc. After changes in 1981, it merged with the Department of Chemistry to form the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood led by Prof. Ing. Imrich Melcer, DrSc. until 1991. Assoc. Prof. Ing. Alexander Poláčik, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ján Perlác, CSc., Prof. Ing. Ján Bučko, DrSc., Prof. Ing. Milan Sedliačik, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Eva Liptáková, CSc., all contributed significantly to the development of the Department. The Department members were renowned experts in developing countries (A. Poláčik, J. Perlác, J. Mhút, M. Sedliačik). They had great contacts with oversees scientific and research institutes in Europe and the USA and with non-governmental organisations, such as FAO and UNIDO. However, they also developed an intensive cooperation with domestic partners, mostly with Chemko Strážske, Duslo Šaľa and Preglejka Žarnovica.

Within the scientific research activities, the Department members dealt with producing new types of wood composite materials, manufacturing technologies considering the required properties of the wood composite materials, development of new adhesives and adhesive mixtures for wood working industry, processing of secondary wood raw material through chemical processing and with chemical processes in wood working

in general. From among significant publications, the following ones were the most important: Wood Gluing (K. Eisner), Chemical Wood Processing (J. Bučko), Chemistry and Application of Auxiliary Substances in Wood Working Industry – Part Adhesives (M. Sedliačik).

In 1972 – 1981 the teachers provided education in following courses:

– Chemistry of Auxiliary Substances in Woodprocessing Industry – Prof. Dr. Ing. Eisner, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Sedliačok, CSc.,

– Chemical Processing of Wood –

Prof. Dr. Ing. Eisner, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Bučko, CSc.,

– Technology of Veneer and Plywood Production

– Assoc. Prof. Ing. Poláčik, CSc.,

– Technology of Agglomerated Materials –

Prof. Dr. Ing. Eisner,

– Surface Finish of Products – Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Eva Liptáková, CSc.

Department of Chemistry

The founder and the Head of the Department from its beginning in 1951 to 1981 was Prof. Ing. Imrich Melcer, DrSc. He remained in the Department management until 1991, also after organisational changes, when in 1981 the Department merged with the Department of Chemical Technology of Wood to form the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood.

In the education process and scientific research the Department dealt with the basic research in the field of wood chemistry and in the period of 1972 – 1981 it taught following courses:

Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology:

– General and Physical Chemistry –Prof. Ing. Imrich Melcer, DrSc., Ing. Rastislav Solár, CSc., Ing. Jozef Blaho, CSc., Ing. Anton Bella, CSc.,

– Analytical Chemistry – Ing. Anna Melecrová, CSc., Ing. Rastislav Solár, CSc., Ing. Tomínová,

– Organic Chemistry – Ing. Miloslav Vozár, CSc.

Faculty of Forestry

– General Chemistry –Prof. Ing. Imrich Melcer, DrSc.,

– Analytical Chemistry –Ing. Anna Melcerová, CSc.,

– Organic Chemistry –

RNDr. D. Beracková, CSc.

Department of Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry

The founder and the Head of the Department from its establishment in 1950 until 1979 was Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock. From 1979 to 1984 the Department was led by Prof. Ing. Petrík, CSc.

The Department was focused on the field of economics and management of woodprocessing industry, mostly in the field of business economics. Within the scientific research, the Department was focused on the research into economics and organisation of wood-processing industry and was managed by Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock.

In the period 1972 – 1981 the Department staff taught following courses:

– Organisation and Management of Woodprocessing Industry – Prof. Ing. Víťazoslav Sprock,

– Economics of Wood-processing Industry

– Assoc. Prof. Ing. Július Klein, CSc., Prof. Ing. Pavel Petrík, CSc., Ing. Viera Galádová, CSc. ,

– Designing the Wood-processing Plants – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Matejka, CSc.

Department of System Engineering

The founder and Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Július Klein, CSc. The history of the Department was very short (1978 – 1981) and in 1981 the Department was incorporated into the Department of Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry.

Department of Mechanical Technology of Wood

In the academic year 1955 – 1956, the first Head of the Department and the guarantor of the field of study with the same name was Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič, DrSc. He led the Department until 1981, when the Department merged with the Department of Wood Science, and together they formed the Department of Wood Science and Mechanical Technology of Wood. The Head of the newly established department was also Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič, DrSc. The pedagogical and research activities of the Department were focused on sawing technology, technology of wood seasoning and hydro-thermal wood treatment and on

technology of wood preservation. In the years 1972 – 1981 the Department teachers provided education in the following courses:

– Hydro-thermal Treatment and Preservation of Wood – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavol Trebula, CSc.,

– Technology of Wood Sawing – Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Krúteľ, CSc., Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Anna Šúriková, CSc., Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Detvaj, CSc.

Department of Wood Science

The Department of Wood Science was established as an independent department in 1961. The first head of the Department was Prof. Imrich Janota (1961 – 1974), who contributed significantly to its overall development along with other former department members: Prof. Ing. Dušan Chovanec, DrSc. and Prof. Ing. Ladislav Regináč, DrSc.

In 1975 – 1981 the Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. František Krúteľ. After merging with the Department of Mechanical Technology of Wood a new Department of Wood Science and Mechanical Technology of Wood was established, and Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič, DrSc. was appointed the Head of the Department and remained in the position until 1987.

In the period of 1972 – 1981 the Department teachers provided education of the essential course – Wood Science – Prof. Ing. Imrich Janota, Prof. Ing. Ladislav Regináč DrSc., Prof. Ing. Dušan Chovanec, DrSc., Prof. Ing. Stanislav Kurjatok, DrSc., Prof. Ing. Alexander Požgaj, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Dubovský, CSc.

In terms of research, the Department was focused primarily on the basic research into the structure and properties of wood and their impact on the final utilisation of wood. Significant results were achieved by Prof. Imrich Janota and his team while working on the research task focused on establishing the average weight values of beech wood harvested in Slovakia and its relation to the decomposition process of the beech wood attacked by white rot. The results were significant for processing of cellulose and paper based on broad-leaved tree species.

Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Technology)

The Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. František Setnička (1955 – 1975).

In 1975 – 1982 the Department was led by Prof. Ing. Martin Sivák.

In 1971 and 1982 the Department organised international conferences of the departments with similar orientation. The conferences were guaranteed by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Koska, CSc. In 1972 – 1981 following courses were taught by the Department staff:

– Technical Drawing – Prof. Ing. Martin Sivák,

– Technical Mechanics – Ing. Milan Lang, CSc.,

– Elasticity and Strength – Ing. Milan Lang, CSc.,

– Machine Components – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Sivák, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Koska, CSc.

Department of Languages

The Department had this name since 1961, when teaching the Russian language was

augmented by other world non-Slavic languages. The Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ondrej Hrčka (1961 – 1980). In 1980 –1988 the Department was led by PhDr. Miriam Šepetková.

The scientific and research activities were focused on systematic work with professional texts, translating and interpreting.

In the period of 1972 – 1981 following courses were taught by the Department teachers in all study forms:

– French Language – Assoc. Prof. Ondrej Hrčka,

– Russian Language – Assoc. Prof. Rudolf Blazsek, CSc., PhDr. Mária Dolincová, PhDr. M Jasenská,

– English Language – PhDr. Mária Šepetková, PhDr. Denisa Pauleová,

– German Language – PhDr. Anna Horská, PhDr. Danica Dvořáková, PhDr. Denisa Pauleová, PhDr. Marta Katrincová,

Workplace of World Forestry and Woodprocessing Industry

The workplace was established in the academic year 1969/1970 after becoming a part of the Department of Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry (previously it had been an independent department). In the period of 1974 – 1981, the Workplace was organised as a part of the Dean’s Office at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology.

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Borota, CSc. was a prominent personality having a huge impact on establishing and developing the Workplace. Besides Assoc. Prof. Borota, also Ing. Juraj Mahút, CSc. was taking part in education and research and Mária Felixová and Mária Porubiaková worked in technical positions.

The Workplace dealt with the research into tropical forests, and in the evaluated period it took part in the following research projects:

– Tropical Forests Inventory in Virgin Forests in Ghana, Congo and Gabon,

– Thinning of Pinus Patula in Tanzania. In the period of 1972 – 1981 it provided course World Forestry and Wood-processing Industry at both faculties; the course was taught by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Borota, CSc.

1982 – 1992

Milan Saniga – Ladislav Reinprecht

In 1983, the construction of the new VŠLD buildings of the main building, lecture halls, and auditorium was finished which created a good basis for the technical support of the pedagogical process, science and research. Act 26/1992 on changing the name of the University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology in Zvolen to the Technical University of Zvolen was adopted by the SNR decision on December 17, 1991. This change of name was based on the need of the school, whose focus began to be broader, and already in this period, the prerequisites for the diversification of the university into other related fields were created. In 1991, by decision of the Academic Senate of the university, a third independent faculty was established - the Faculty of Ecology, which was supposed to cover the issue of nature and landscape protection professionally and scientifically. The first chairman of the academic senate of the Technical University was Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. In terms of future orientation, the development of the Arboretum

Borová hora also continued. Prof. Ing. Jozef Pagan, CSc., who served as director of the arboretum until 1990 participated in the practical implementation of this idea. In 1981, the Borová hora Arboretum was declared by the Ministry of Culture of the SR to be a protected study area aimed at preserving examples of the genetic richness of the wood species representation of Slovakia's forests, and the wide individual variability of individual tree species. In addition to solving the tasks arising from the concept of building collections, its activity during this period was focused on the use of the concentrated gene pool of woody plants in the pedagogical process, as well as in solving the scientific research tasks of Slovak universities and research institutes and on educating the professionals and the interested public. In the years 1990-1995, the director was Ing. Juraj Labanc. In 1992, Borová hora Arboretum had a total of 17 employees, of which 4 had university degrees. The state of the School Forest Enterprise of the university did not change significantly during this period.

As of January 1, 1975, due to the concentration of activity, the forests of Železná Breznica and Budča were merged into one unit, renaming it to the Forests of Budča, and the forest of Sliač and the forest of Sielnica were merged into the Forests of Sielnica. At the end of this period, thanks to the Department of Forestry, new demonstration plots began to be created in the Budča forest at the Kremenný potok (stream) location, which was aimed at the management of oak trees and oak and hornbeam stands based on the principles of the Pro Silva movement.

In the years 1982 – 1992, the academic officers of the college were:

Rectors

Prof. Ing. Adolf Priesol, DrSc. (1971 – 1990)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vilém Štefka, CSc. (1990 – 1992)

Vice-rectors for Pedagogical Work

Prof. Ing. Ladislav Šebík, CSc. (1972 – 1990)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Osvald., CSc.(1990 – 1992)

Vice-rector for Science and Research

Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. (1982 – 1990)

Prof. Ing. Alexander Požgaj, DrSc. (1990 – 1991)

Prof. Ing. Stanislav Kurjatko, DrSc. (1991 – 1992)

Vice-rector for Development

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Marko, CSc. (1982)

Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Jurík, CSc. (1982 – 1985)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, CSc. (1985 – 1990)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, CSc. (1990 – 1992)

VŠLD in Zvolen employed 1044 workers in 1982, of which 183 were teachers, 83 were researchers, and 778 were in other positions. That year, the university had 19 professors, 43 associated professor,s and 121 assistant professors. 11 employees worked in the Borová

hora Arboretum, 326 in ŠLP, 46 in the Institute of Applied Cybernetics and Computing, 80 in Development Workshops and Laboratories (VDL) and 73 in School Dormitories and Canteen (ŠDaJ). The university also employed 197 administrative and technical workers. The Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library (SLDK) with 45 employees become the central library for forestry and the woodworking industry within Czechoslovakia’s scope.

In 1987, i.e., on the 35th anniversary of the existence of VŠLD in Zvolen, 1108 employees worked at the university, of which 187 were teachers, 87 were research workers, and 834 other employees of both faculties, the rector's office, and special facilities. The share of teachers with scientific degrees DrSc. and CSc. rose to 62%. The student-to-teacher ratio was 8.4:1.

During this period, students had accommodation in dormitory rooms available, and study halls and sports fields were available. They fulfilled the complex requirement for their self-study and active relaxation. However, due to the smaller number of beds in the dormitories, some students also found accommodation in private rentals in Zvolen and its outskirts. A definitive solution to the issue of students´ accommodation was ensured only with the construction of a modern student dormitory in Bariny in 1990-1993.

Scientific and research activities continued to be one of the basic functions of the VŠLD in Zvolen and the workload of its employees. It was mainly focused on the biological, technical, and economic problems of forestry and the timber industry in Slovakia.

• The President of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic Václav Havel in an interview with the rector of the TU in Zvolen Assoc. Prof. Vilém Štefko (1990)

In the field of forestry, the research was focused on the biological, technical and economic foundations of forestry in the mountain forests of the Carpathians. During the evaluated period, 155 research tasks of state departmental and faculty research were solved at the Faculty of Forestry. In the wood industry, the research focused on the complex and efficient processing of wood raw materials, based on the science of wood and wood composite materials, with a direct connection to the development of new sawmill, drying, construction-carpentry, impregnation, pressing, surface-decoration, chemical, biological and other technologies and methodologies. During this period, 141 tasks were solved. In this period, 183 to 192 teaching staff and 83 to 87 research staff were involved in basic and applied research at the Faculty of Forestry (LF) and Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology (DF). Research activities were coordinated by the Forestry Scientific Research Institute and the Wood Scientific Research Institute. In addition to being published in foreign and Czechoslovak journals, anthologies and books, the results of the research activity were also used in practice in cooperation with enterprises in forestry and the woodworking industry, primarily in the form of the development of new methodologies, work procedures and technologies, as well as the preparation of new and updating of older standards.

Faculty of Forestry

Development at the faculty during this period was marked by significant social, but also professional and pedagogical changes. After 1990, according to the university legislation of the time, academic senates were established at the faculties.

The first chairman of the Academic Senate of the LF until 1992 was Prof. Ing. Milan Križo, DrSc. In 1992, 10 professors, 25 associate professors, 35 assistant professors and assistants, 39 research workers, 29 technical and administrative workers, and 11 workers in manual occupations worked at the faculty. The following teachers on the Faculty were academic officers between 1982 and 1992:

Deans of the Faculty

Prof. Ing. Jozef Porubiak, CSc. (1982 – 1986)

Prof. Ing. Jozef Pagan, CSc. (1986 – 1990)

Prof. Ing. Štefan Žíhlavník, CSc. (1990 – 1992)

Vice-deans for Education

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Klement Hubač, CSc.(1982 – 1987)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, CSc. (1987 – 1990)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Réh, CSc. (1982 – 1985)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Danko, CSc. (1985 – 1990)

Vice-deans for Pedogagical Work

Ing. Peter Randuška, CSc. (1990 – 1991)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tibor Lukáč, CSc. (1991 – 1992 )

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Eva Križová, CSc. (1990 – 1992)

Vice-deans for Science and Research

Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.(1982 – 1990)

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Hladík, CSc. (1990 – 1992)

From the point of view of graduation during the ten-year period, the number of graduates of the Faculty in the field of study of forest engineering increased by 1321. Among others, the graduates were students from Hungary, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Panama, GDR, Colombia, Benin, Congo, Madagascar, Senegal, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. During this period, the Faculty of Forestry underwent changes in the technical and professional content of the study program and the length of study.

These changes resulted from the approach of political and governmental bodies to higher education. In 1977, the 10-semester (5-year) study in the field of forestry engineering ended, the last graduates of which graduated in 1982. From 1978, the 9-semester (4.5-year study) began, with the changes in the range of subjects and their practical exercises. The last graduates of this length of study completed their studies in 1984. Since 1980, the content of the study has changed again. Its length has changed to 8 semesters (4-year study), as well as the connection between the content and subjects and the length of teaching practices. This study module was valid until 1990. The last shortening of studies to 4 years left serious consequences in the continuity of subjects and the deepening of knowledge within the set length of study, such as teaching at the Faculty of Forestry, where theoretical teaching alternated with practical exercises, the majority of which were held in the forest. With this shortening of the study, it was not possible to ensure an adequate depth of knowledge from individual subjects and their organic connection, which would respect the course of the vegetation period of forest ecosystems. After the change in societal and political conditions in 1990, the study was changed to the original scope of 10 semesters (5 years). The study of forest engineering has always represented a polythematic set of knowledge from biological, forestry, technical, and economic subjects. This fact meant the return of the study field to the original length of 5 years with the aim of bringing the study to a qualitatively higher level that corresponds to

the requirements of forestry practice. The basis of the curriculum was a group of compulsory subjects, which provided students with the basic basis of the forest engineering profile. The group of optional subjects had the goal of deepening the student’s knowledge in the direction in which he would like to be employed and, in this direction, to work out a diploma thesis. In the academic year 1991–92, a dual major study began at the Faculty of Forestry. This year, the field of study of Applied Ecology was created. The first two years of both study fields had a common theoretical basis of subjects, the last three years were specialized. In addition to the mentioned fields of study, the interdisciplinary study “Construction of Forestry and Woodworking Machines and Equipment“ was created at the Faculty of Forestry together with the Faculty of Woodworking and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Košice. Pursuant to Act No. 172/90 Coll. on Higher Education in 1990, the scientific training was reorganized (in the past it was a scientific post-graduate course associated with obtaining the scientific degree of CSc. and a postgraduate study with the obtained scientific degree of PhD was established. In this form of scientific training, the Faculty of Forestry received accreditation to conduct postgraduate studies in the following fields:

Forestry Phytology

guarantor Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, CSc.

Forest Cultivation

guarantor Prof. Ing. Štefan Korpeľ, DrSc.

Forest Ecology

guarantor Prof. Ing. Rudolf Šály, DrSc.

Economic Management of Forests

guarantor Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc.

Landscape Engineering

guarantor Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc.

Plant Protection

guarantor Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc. Forestry Zoology

guarantor Prof. Ing. Jozef Sládek, CSc.

Agricultural Technology and Mechanization and Forestry Production

guarantor Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tibor Lukáč, CSc.

Business Theory and Management Agricultural and Food Complex, Forestry and Woodworking Industry

guarantor Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, DrSc.

To train students as part of postgraduate studies, the Faculty of Forestry created a joint training facility with scientific organizations based in Zvolen, namely the Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Forestry Research Institute, while the Faculty of Forestry remained the main training facility. In the academic year 1991–92, 9 students started studying in the postgraduate semester study in full-time and 3 students in part-time form.

During this period, scientific research activities were oriented toward the long-term research program “Biological, technical and economic foundations of forestry in the mountain forests of the Carpathians“.

• Excursion during the IUFRO scientific conference (1990)

For the years 1982 – 1992, 131 research tasks were solved within the category of state research, 13 departmental research tasks and 12 faculty tasks. Within the evaluated period, 25 candidates of sciences dissertations and doctoral theses were defended, and four habilitation theses. At the end of this period, the Faculty was involved in 3 scientific programs, within which they solved 10 scientific projects in the field of forestry.

Departments at the Faculty of Forestry

Department of Natural Environment

In 1991, the original Department of Forest Environment was divided into the Department of Phytology (headed by Prof. Ing. M. Križo, DrSc.) and the Department of Natural Environment (headed by Prof. Ing. R. Šály, DrSc.). The basis of the subjects taught by the department is oriented on knowledge of rocks and geological structure of the land and Slovakia, forest bioclimate and soil science. From 1982 to 1986, the head of the original department was Prof. Ing. R. Šály, DrSc., from 1987 to 1990 Prof. Ing. M. Križo, DrSc. The teachers of the department ensured the teaching of subjects not only for the Faculty of Forestry but also for the newly establishedFaculty of Ecology. These were the following compulsory subjects:

– Forestry Geology

(Assoc. Prof. RNDr. M. Ciesarik, CSc.),

– Geology and Geomorphology

(Assoc. Prof. RNDr. M. Ciesarik, CSc.),

– Forest Bioclimatology

(Ing. L. Tužinský, CSc.),

– Meteorology and Climatology

(Ing. L. Tužinský, CSc.),

– Pedology (Prof. Ing. R. Šály, DrSc.),

– Hydrology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Valtíny, DrSc.). The scientific research activity of the department was relatively broad. In the evaluated period, the staff of the department solved serious theoretical problems focused on the genesis and classification of soils, soil mineralogy and micromorphology, precipitation and temperature regime. Research activity in the field of soil conditions of forest soils in connection with spruce monocultures and transformations of these stands was significant. The significant activity of the workers was also focused on research and selection of soil for forest nurseries and established nursery centers (Hladomer, Podčičva and Šajdíkove Humence). In the last period, there were research activities on the impact of acid precipitation on soils, the formation and ecological effects of horizontal precipitation. The members of the department cooperated with forestry and other research institutions that use knowledge from pedology, engineering geology and bioclimatology. The department continued its longterm cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry in Tharandt (Germany), where the cooperation was focused on research into the nutrition of forest trees. The collaboration with AR in Poznan is similarly long-term, which was focused on research into the impact of spruce monocultures and their impact on the physical and chemical properties of their soils.

Department of Silviculture

The department contributed significantly to the graduate’s professional profile with its research and pedagogical focus.

The head of the department until 1991 was Prof. Ing. Štefan Korpeľ, DrSc. From 1992 Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, CSc. became the head of the department. During this period, the teachers of the department taught the following subjects:

Compulsory subjects

– Dendrology (Prof. Ing. J. Pagan, CSc.),

– Genetics and Breeding of Forest Trees (Prof. Ing. L. Paule, CSc.),

– Genetics and Genetic Resources (Prof. Ing. L. Paule, CSc.),

– Establishing a Forest (Assoc. Prof. Ing. L. Šmelková, CSc.),

– Forest Cultivation (Prof. Ing. Š. Korpeľ, DrSc.),

– Cultivation of Purpose-built forests (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Réh, CSc.), Optional subjects

– Breeding of Forest Trees (Prof. Ing. L. Paule, CSc.),

– Biotechnology (Prof. Ing. L. Paule, CSc.),

– Decorative Dendrology

(Prof. Ing. J. Pagan, CSc.).

During this period, the department organized 2 postgraduate study courses for forestry practitioners, which were attended by 75 participants. During this period, the department was a training centre for scientific education in the fields of forestry phytology and forest cultivation. The members of the department (Prof. Korpeľ, Assoc. Prof. Réh, Prof. Paule, Assoc. Prof. Saniga) participated in the creation of the textbooks on Genetics and Breeding of Forest Trees, Forest Cultivation and Biotechnology of Purpose-Built Forests. Prof. Pagan was the co-author of the Atlas of Forest Trees. During this period, the

department organized the 3rd IUFRO symposium on beech and the 5th IUFRO symposium on fir. Another symposium in 1989 was organized together with AR Kraków and AR Poznaň on the topic of spruce forest research (NPR Pilsko, NPR Babia hora). An international symposium on the management of spruce stands was organized in 1990 in collaboration with the Faculty of Forestry in Mitišti, MLTI Moscow. During this period, the department had significant cooperation with the universities of Bordeaux, Montpelier, Lvov and Tharandt. The members of the department significantly participated in the activities of international organizations, mainly IUFRO (Prof. Paule, Assoc. Prof. Réh) and in the European committee Pro Silva (Prof. Korpeľ).

Department of Forest Protection and Hunting

The newly structured department in the new structure was established on September 1, 1991, when the part of landscape design was separated and transferred to the Faculty of Ecology. Until 1987, the head of the department was Prof. Ing. Miloslav Stolina, DrSc., who later went to the newly established Forestry Faculty in Prague, where he participated in the creation of the Department of Forest Protection. The head of the Department from September 1, 1987 to 1992 was Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc. In the new pedagogical structure, the departmental teachers taught the following subjects within the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Ecology:

Compulsory subjects

– Forestry Zoology (Prof. Ing. J. Sládek, CSc.),

– Zoology (Prof. Ing. J. Sládek, CSc.),

– Forestry Entomology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Gogol, CSc.),

– Hunting (Assoc. Prof. Ing. P. Garaj, CSc.),

– Forest Protection and Phytopathology (Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.), Optional subjects

– Special Hunting Economy and Breeding of Fur Animals (Assoc. Prof. Ing. P. Garaj, CSc.),

– New Methods in Forest Protection (Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.),

– Causes of Forest Death (Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.),

– Beekeeping (Prof. Ing. Jozef Kodrík, CSc.),

– Applied Mycology (Ing. K. Vaník, CSc.),

– Fishing (Prof. Ing. J. Sládek, CSc.).

Scientific research activity during this period was focused on the issue of activation of biotic and abiotic agents, population dynamics of insect pests in changing ecological conditions, and research on morphom,etry and ecology of carnivorous bird species for effective protection.

During this period, the department produced

3 book publications (Prof. Sládek), 2 scientific monographs focused on the research of bark beetles and butterflies on fir and oak trees (Assoc. Prof. Gogol), book publications on food research and topical ecology of ants (Ing. Randuška) and 3 monographs focused on research into the regional trophy quality of deer in Slovakia (Assoc. Prof. Garaj). Systematic research was carried out on the issue of the use of oyster mushrooms, which resulted in a monograph (Prof. Kodrík, Ing. Vaník). An international collective of authors

led by Prof. Stolina published the national university textbook Forest Protection.

Department of Forestry and Mechanization

The head of the Department was Prof. Dr. Ing. Eugen Rónay, DrSc. until 1989. In 1990, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tibor Lukáč, CSc. became the head of the department. In this period, the subject of wood transport was added to this department. After changing the length of the forestry study program to 10 semesters, the department provided the following subjects for theFaculty of Forestry in the pedagogical process: Compulsory subjects

– Ergonomics (Prof. Dr. Ing. E. Rónay, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Forestry Mechanization Equipment (Prof. Ing. R. Jandel, Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Mikleš, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Danko, CSc.),

– Logging (Prof. Dr. Ing. E. Rónay, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Forest Transport (Prof. Dr. Ing. E. Rónay, DrSc, Assoc. Prof. Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc), Optional subjects

– Complex Use of Biomass (Ing. J. Demko),

– Forest Concentration in the Mountains (Assoc. Prof. Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc.),

– Modelling of Technological Processes (Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Automated Parts of Forest Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Mikleš, CSc.),

– Mechanization Means for Forestry Works (Ing. J. Marko),

– Applied Protection and Safety at Work (Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Ecology in Logging and Forest Protection (Assoc. Prof. Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc.),

– Sorting and Valorisation of Wood

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Cableways in Forestry

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc.).

After 1990, an interdisciplinary study was established between the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of TU Košice and the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology at VŠLD. In this form of the study, the staff of the department provided the following subjects:

– Mining and Transport Technologies

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. T. Lukáč, CSc.),

– Drives and Transmissions

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Danko, CSc.),

– Theory of Means of Transport

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Mikleš, CSc.),

– Theory and Construction of Forest Machines

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Mikleš, CSc.).

The employees of the department contributed to the preparation of the national textbooks in Forest Logging and Forest Transportation. The research activity of the department during this period was focused on the solution of the research program “Mining and Transport Technologies, their Technical Solution and Evaluation of Biomass Differentiated according to Forest Category and Economic Methods“. The significant results achieved by the department in this period were the design of a rope thinning device designed to transport a volume up to 0.5 m3, the design and production of a functional model of a thickness sensor and a gauge for an assortments length, the development of methodological procedures and the design of measuring procedures for determining the decisive technical-technological parameters

of forest for wheeled tractors and the development of an optimization program for cutting beech logs as part of the control system of handling lines RS 3.3.

Department of Forestry Constructions and Meliorations

The head of the department until 1983 was Prof. Ing. Štefan Makovník. From 1983 to 1990, he was the head of the department Assoc. Prof. Ing. et Ing. František Kompan, CSc. From 1990 to 1992, the head of the department was Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc. As a result of the change in the length and partial content of the Forest Engineering study programme, the department provided teaching of the following subjects:

Compulsory subjects

– Technical Mechanics (Assoc. Prof. Ing. et. Ing. F. Kompan, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. A. Fabiánová, CSc.),

– Forestry Constructions and Landscaping of Streams (Assoc. Prof. Ing. A. Fabiánová, CSc.),

– Forest Roads (Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc.).

Optional subjects:

– Forestry Constructions and Forestry Melioration in Relation to the Protection and Creation of the Landscape (Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc.),

– Automation of Project Work (Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc.),

– Objects of Forest Roads and Forestry Improvements (Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc.),

– Repair and Maintenance of Forestry Structures and Forestry Melioration Works (Ing. P. Dvorščák, CSc.),

– Protection and Use of Small Watercourses in Forestry (Ing. M. Jakubis, CSc.),

– Construction of Specialised Forestry Buildings (Assoc. Prof. Ing. A. Fabiánová, CSc.). The scientific research activity of the department during this period was mainly focused on research into the design of the construction of forest roads and the issue of the technical solution of how to dam torrential streams in the forest. Substantial research of the department was focused on the ecological aspects of construction activities in forests. In the last period, the research direction of the Department began to focus on the issue of landscape-ecological aspects of forestry structures and solutions how to address tourist activities’ effects on the use of the landscape environment of mountain areas. The staff of the department (Prof. Makovník, Prof. Jurík and Assoc. Prof. Kompan) took part in the publication of the national textbooks Ground Structures in Forests, Forest roads, and Technological Mechanics.

Department of Forest Management and Geodesy

The head of the department was Prof. Ing. Klement Hubač, CSc. until 1988. Assoc. Prof. Ing. Štefan Žíhlavník, CSc., in the years of1988 – 1990, and Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. since 1990 held the position of the heads of the Department.The department provided the following structure of subjects for the Faculty of Forestry:

Compulsory subjects

– Statistical Methods in Forestry (Prof. Ing. Š. Šmelko, DrSc.),

– Geodesy and Photogrammetry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Žíhlavník, CSc.)

– Dendrometry (until 1987 Prof. Ing. K. Hubač, CSc., from 1988 Prof. Ing. Š. Šmelko, DrSc.),

– Science of Production (until 1990 Prof. Ing. L. Šebík, CSc., from 1990 Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Hladík, CSc.),

– Management of Forests (Prof. Ing. A. Priesol, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Hladík, CSc.), Optional subjects

– Remote Sensing of the Earth in Forestry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Žíhlavník, CSc.),

– Monitoring of Forest Condition and Production (Prof. Ing. Š. Šmelko, DrSc.),

– Automated Information Systems in Forest Management (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Šuška, CSc.),

– Economic Management of Forests Damaged by Emissions (Prof. Ing. A. Priesol, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Hladík, CSc.),

– Functionally Integrated Forestry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Hladík, CSc.),

– Regulation of Logging and Forecasting of Wood Production (Prof. Ing. A. Priesol, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Hladík, CSc.),

– Land Management in Forestry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Žíhlavník, CSc.),

– Methodology of Scientific Research Work (Prof. Ing. Š. Šmelko, DrSc.). The department served as a training and responsible workplace for scientific education in the field of economic management of forests. Significant results were achieved by the department in the research of new geodetic and photogrammetric methods for forest mapping, new representative methods of forest inventory, in methods of regulation of production in economic management of forests and in the

creation of information systems in the field for the Slovak Republic. The department achieved significant results in solving research tasks with foreign partners (Ljubljana, Kaunas, Poznań, Kraków and Pinar del Rio). Academicians actively worked in the IUFRO organization (Prof. Šmelko, Prof. Priesol). They significantly participated in the creation of national university textbooks for statistical methods in forestry, dendrometry, the science of production and economic management of forests (Prof. Šmelko, Prof. Hubač, Prof. Priesol, Prof. Šebík). As an award for scientific activity, Prof. Šmelko was elected a full member of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of the Czechoslovak Republic and was awarded the Prize for Forest Biometrics at the University of Munich. Prof. Priesol became an academician of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Agricultural Academy in Poznań awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Department of Economics and Forestry Management

In the pedagogical process, the number of subjects of the department increased in connection with the new model of the study of forest engineering. The head of the department in 1982 – 1986 was Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, DrSc., from 1986 to 1990 Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ferdinand Macko, CSc., after 1990 the head of the department was again Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, PhD. The Department professionally provided the following subjects in the pedagogical process:

Compulsory subjects

– Economics of Forestry

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. Bohumil Špirka, CSc.),

– Forestry Management

(Prof. Ing. I. Kolenka, DrSc.),

– Socio-Economic Information

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. A. Lukáč, CSc.),

– Psychology and Sociology

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Macko, CSc., Mgr. Čuřík),

– The Basics of the National Economy

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Smrtník, CSc.),

– Information Management Systems of a Forestry Enterprise (Ing. Ľ. Nemčoková, CSc.), Optional subjects

– Psychology of Business Technology (Mgr. Čuřík),

– Personnel Management

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. F. Macko, CSc.),

– Financial Management and Financing of an Enterprise (Prof. Ing. I. Kolenka, DrSc.),

– Basics of Private Business

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Smrtník, CSc.),

– Mathematical Modelling of Economic Processes (Prof. Ing. I. Kolenka, DrSc.),

– Macroeconomics and Microeconomics (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Smrtník, CSc.),

– Selected Countries from the National and Business Economy

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Smrtník, CSc.).

The scientific research activity of the department was focused on solving the effects of the economic system on the dynamics and reproduction of the forest fund and the impact of the changed production capabilities of the forest on the economy of a company and the forestry sector.

• Students‘ Hall of Residence (1977)

Mathematical models were used to solve the supply of wood to ensure the needs of wood products. Models of changed ecological conditions were used for the analysis and forecast of the impact on the economic indicators of forestry and its position in the conditions of the market economy. Among the most significant results achieved by the department within the framework of scientific research activities, it is necessary to emphasize:

– solving the problem of mathematical models for the needs of forecasting, strategic and operational planning in forestry,

– solving theoretical and practical problems of automated management systems in forestry. The staff of the department (Assoc. Prof. Lukáč and Prof. Porubiak) were authors involved in the publication of national university textbooks “Socio-Economic Information, Forestry Economics“.

Department of Phytology

The Department of Phytology was established on 1st September 1991 by dividing the Department of Forest Environment into the Department of Natural Environment and the Department of Phytology. The head of the department from this period on was Prof. Ing. Milan Križo, DrSc. In the field of education, the department provided subjects that form the theoretical basis of forestry studies. The teachers of the department provided teaching of the following subjects within the Faculty of Forestry:

Compulsory subjects

– Plant Physiology (Ing. J. Kmeť, CSc.),

– Specialised Forest Botany

(Prof. Ing. M. Križo, DrSc.),

– General Ecology

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Križová, CSc.),

– Phytocenology and Forestry Typology

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Križová, CSc.), Optional subject

– Medicinal Plants (Prof. Ing. M. Križo, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Križová, CSc.).

Since the beginning of its new focus and operation, the department focused mainly on research areas:

– pathophysiology of forest trees, embryology of forest trees,

– morphogenesis, taxonomy, and autecology of taxa of protected and threatened forest herbs,

– floristics of selected phytogeographic units,

– primary production of forest ecosystems,

– synecology of forest ecosystems.

Department of Physical Education

Until 1984, the head of the department was Assoc. Prof. PhDr. Ján Michalec, CSc., from 1984 to 1992 PhDr. Ján Golian, CSc held the position of the head. The teachers of the department provided teaching of physical education for students of the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology.

In the field of scientific research, they solved the following tasks:

– research on the physical fitness of students in the first years of VŠLD,

– the relationship between physical performance and students’ academic performance,

– evaluation of the selection of talented youth for water slalom in Slovakia in terms of their physical development and movement performance,

– physical performance of university youth in Slovakia,

– the physical fitness of the sporting youth of the Zvolen district,

– the relationship between general and sports performance of older adolescents in soccer,

– the effectiveness of the content and workload of the youth training process in water slalom,

– research on physical development and physical performance of university students in Slovakia. The results of the scientific research activities of the teachers of the department were beneficial for the theory of physical education and for physical education practice in the field of physical education at universities.

The Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

since autumn of 1984 permanently provided the majority of teaching in the newly built VŠLD building on Masaryková street, which provided a representative auditorium as well as modern classrooms, auditoriums, and laboratories. This way, DF students from Czechoslovakia and abroad could obtain better education in the fields of mechanical and chemical processing of wood, furniture, wooden structures, woodworking machines, woodworking economics, and management, and others. In an older building on Ľudovíta Štúra Street, i.e. in the fourth pavilion of the students´ dormitory - block D, only some special departments remained in operation.

In the period from 1982 to 1991, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology consisted

of several departments, including the Department of Wood Science and Wood Mechanical Technology, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, the Department of Furniture and Wooden Products, the Department of Woodworking Machines and Automation, the Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Economics and Management of Timber Industry, the Department of Mathematics and Physics, the Department of Languages, and the Department of World Forestry and Timber of which, ten departments were created in 1990:

– Department of Wood Science,

– Department of Mechanical Wood Technology,

– Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood,

– Department of Furniture and Wood Products,

– Department of Production Machinery and Equipment,

– Department of Business Administration,

– Department of Physics and Applied Mechanics,

– Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry,

– Department of Computing and Automation,

– Department of Languages. Gradual changes in the structure of DF departments were influenced by both external and internal influences. Woodworking, like other industries, was in constant dynamic development in analogy with other living and thriving organisms and societies. In the academic year 1987/1988, the interdisciplinary study of Industrial Furniture Design (PDN) was created in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture SVŠT in Bratislava. The main

mission of the constituting departments of DF with a direct focus on woodworking, as well as departments helping the development of woodworking and at the same time deepening the general understanding of students, was to ensure the complex educational process at the modern level, to develop cooperation with practice and to engage in scientific-research activities based on a highly professional and the available equipment potential of all VŠLD workplaces in Zvolen, but also other workplaces actively cooperating with our the Faculty.

DF traditionally had active cooperation with foreign universities, faculties and scientific institutions - University of Šoproň, Akademia

Rolnicza Poznaň, SGGW Warsaw, FHS Rosenheim, TU Dresden, University of Hamburg and many others.

During the mentioned period, Prof. Ing. František Krútel, CSc. in the years 1981 –1990 and Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Marián Babiak, CSc. in 1990-1991 held the position of the Dean of DF. Functions of Vice-deans at DF since 1982 to 1991 were held by: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, CSc., Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Milan Marchok, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Bučko, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Longauer, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jiří Kníže, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Stanislav Kurjatko, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Mahút, CSc., Ing. Anna Šúriková, CSc., and Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc., respectively.

Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc., and Ing. Milan Banský, CSc. were the chairmen of the Academic Senate of DF, established in 1990, until 1991.

Scientific research activities at the faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology continued to be

coordinated by the Scientific Research Institute at the DF, whose directors in the given period were Assoc. Prof. Ing. Július Klein until 1987, then Prof. Ing. Ján Bučko, DrSc. until 1991 and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anna Šúriková, CSc. from 1991 on.

In the period 1982-1991, students in the master and doctoral degrees could choose education in several fields at DF. These were continuously updated as part of the new accreditations of the Faculty, but the basic fields of study at DF permanently included:

– master studies (Ing.) with study fields of wood engineering, wood processing, and enterprise management,

– doctoral studies (CSc.) with scientific fields of wood processing technology, structure and properties of wood, structures, and processes of production of timber products, and industry economy and crosssectional economy.

Departments at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in 1990

Department of Wood Science (KND)

The scientific and educational content of KND was primarily focused on the anatomical and morphological structure of the wood of trees growing in Europe, the tropics, and other parts of the world, including growth anomalies and wood defects. Structural analyses of individual types of wood were examined in close connection with learning about their physical and mechanical properties, as well as the current trade policy with tropical wood species.

The department’s scientific and educational activity effectively interconnected new knowledge from biological, physical, mathematical, chemical, and technical sciences. Scientific works devoted to the issue of “thermodynamics and mechanics of the wood-water system“ and the issue of “interaction of mechanical and sorption stresses in wood under its static and permanent load“ received a high response abroad. Since 1980, the department organized dozens of seminars entitled “Interaction of wood with various forms of energy“, within which DF gradually established multilateral international contacts. The department continuously cooperated with domestic and foreign institutions of a similar focus - in Czechoslovakia with ŠDVÚ in Bratislava, VVÚD in Prague, VÚPC in Bratislava and the Chemical Institute of the SAS in Bratislava, and abroad, especially with the University of Sopron and the Agricultural Academy in Poznań. It also participated in the solution of international projects, which was supported by the membership of its employees in the international nongovernmental organizations IAWS, SWST, and IUFRO. In addition to basic research, KND members were involved in cooperation with practice and performed consulting activities for wood and pulp and paper companies, such as Bučina Zvolen, Bukóza Vranov, TON Bystřice pod Hostýnem and Celpap Banská Bystrica, Slovak pulp and paper mills in Ružomberok.

Between 1981 and 1990, KND employees temporarily realized their expertise within the Department of Wood Science and Wood Mechanical Technology. Its leader until 1987 was Prof. Ing. Jozef Palovič, DrSc., and subsequently,

Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, DrSc. until 1990. In 1990, an independent KND was created again and its leaders were Ing. Igor Čunderlík, CSc., until 1991 and subsequently Prof. Ing. Alexander Požgaj, DrSc. from 1991.

KND employees provided teaching of several subjects for DF and LF students. These were compulsory subjects:

– Texture and Structure of Wood (Prof. Ing. Dušan Chovanec, DrSc.)

– Physical Properties of Wood (Prof. Ing. Stanislav Kurjatko, DrSc.),

– Mechanical Properties of Wood (Prof. Ing. Alexander Požgaj, DrSc.),

– Utility Properties of Wood (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Marian Babiak, CSc., and Ing. Ján Dubovský, CSc.), as well as optional subjects:

– Microscopic Analysis of Wood (Ing. Igor Čunderlík, CSc.),

– Basics of Wood Production (Prof. Ing. Dušan Chovanec, DrSc.),

– Woody Plants of the Tropics and Subtropics (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.),

– World Sources of Wood Raw Material (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.),

– Foreign Wood Trade (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.).

Department of Mechanical Wood Technology (KMTD)

The department focused its scientific, expert, and educational activities on several areas of basic wood processing in terms of their principles and technologies:

• Research into the internal structure of wood

sawmill processing of coniferous and deciduous wood raw materials with an emphasis on the quantitative-qualitative relationships between the raw material and the product; on the optimal selection of cutting lines, yield and subsequent sorting and storage of sawmill assortments; natural and artificial low-temperature and high-temperature drying of wood including hydrothermal treatment of wood by steaming and boiling for purposes of its bending, pressing and veneer production; physical, structural modification and chemical protection of new and historic wood using non-pressure and vacuum-pressure impregnation technologies based on general and experimental knowledge about their natural resistance to wood decay fungi, fire, and other biological and abiotic factors. The department regularly organized international scientific conferences, e.g. “Vacuum drying of wood“ under the guarantee of Assoc. Prof. Trebula and “Reconstruction and conservation of historical wood“ under the auspices of Assoc. Prof. Reinprecht. The traditional teaching of technologies and process management in a descriptive form was gradually replaced by their analysis and modelling in close cooperation with VDL and ÚAKaVT.

Prof. Ing. Dr. h. c. Jozef Palovič, DrSc., was the head of KMTD until 1985. He retired in 1985 and was replaced in this function by Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, DrSc.

In 1991, KMTD guaranteed the teaching of three compulsory subjects at DF:

– Technological Processes of Sawmill Production (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Detvaj, CSc.),

– Wood Drying and Hydrothermal Treatment Technologies

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Trebula, CSc., and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Martin Trnka, CSc.),

– Wood Protection (Prof. Ing. Dionýz Horský, DrSc.) and seven optional subjects:

– Modelling of Technological Processes of Basic Wood Processing (Ing. Ivan Klement),

– Design of Technological Equipment for Basic Wood Processing (Ing. Anna Šúriková, CSc.),

– Structural and Ecological Protection of Wood (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anton Osvald, CSc.),

– Protection of Wood against Fire (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anton Osvald, CSc.),

– Wood Degradation Processes (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Reinprecht, CSc.),

– Reconstruction of Wooden Buildings (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Reinprecht, CSc.),

– Physiology of Wood-rotting Fungi and Woodrotting Insects (Ing. Eva Jeloková).

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood (KCHaCHTD)

The activity of KCHaCHTD, operating at DF in the mentioned period of 1982-1991 before it was temporarily attached to the Faculty of Ecology, was focused on teaching several theoretical chemistry subjects for DF and LF and the subjects dealing with wood chemistry and chemical wood processing for DF. In the scientific research activities, the Department focused on basic research on the issues of the chemical structure of wood and wood hydrolysis, and on practical research in the areas of processing biowaste into animal feed, cleaning and disposal of wastewater using carbohydrates, as well as the production of 2-furaldehyde.

The heads of KCHaCHTD, which was created in 1981 by the merger of the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical Wood Technology, was Prof. Ing. Imrich Melcer, DrSc. until 1991 and then Mgr. Ján Šindler, CSc. In 1991, the Department taught the following subjects at VŠLD:

– Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (Ing. J. Blaho, CSc., RNDr. F. Kačík, CSc.),

– General and Analytical Chemistry (Mgr. J. Šindler, CSc., Ing. J. Blaho, CSc.),

– Wood Chemistry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. R. Solár, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Vozár, CSc.),

– Biochemistry (RNDr. F. Kačík, CSc.),

– Chemical Processing of Wood (Prof. Ing. J. Bučko, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Pajtík, CSc.).

Department of Furniture and Wood Products (KNaDV)

KNaDV was also the basic unit of the Faculty of Wood Sciences during this period, both in the field of teaching and in the field of research. It consisted of 4 sections. The Section of LargeScale Materials developed technologies in the field of the use of wood and other lignocellulosic raw materials, as well as adhesives, coatings, and other auxiliary substances in the production of veneers, plywood, chipboard, and other agglomerated materials – and subsequently passed on the latest knowledge to students in practical exercises in VDL. The Section of Wooden Building Structures in the research dealt mainly with the creation of effective load-bearing systems and wood-based structural elements, as well as the identification of mechanical properties

of non-traditional structural connections, using the new and traditional knowledge mainly for the subject of Wooden Buildings and also in design activities. The Furniture Design and Constructions Section was devoted both to studio creation for furniture and to typology within the construction of tables, seating, cabinets, upholstered and other types of furniture, musical instruments, and sports and other utensils based on wood and plastics in connection with design activities. The Section of Technology for Furniture and Wooden Products solved the design and process issues of furniture production as a whole, that is, its parts consisting of mass timber, wood composites, coatings and other types of finishes, adhesives, and various types of fasteners, fillers, upholstery, glass, plastics, as well as other materials. Such a structure of the Department and the professional focus of the Sections made it possible to pass on to students a broadspectrum knowledge about the creation, characteristics and design of various wooden products. It properly prepared them for practice in order to be able to effectively meet the requirements of different groups of people in society for the complex improvement of their housing, cultural and sports needs.

The head of KNaDV was Assoc. Prof.Emanuel Šulán until 1987 and since 1987 it was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Zemiar, CSc.

KNaDV provided DF with teaching in a significant number of woodworkingspecialized subjects. In 1991, there were 20 subjects:

– Technology of Production of Furniture and Wood Products (Prof. Ľ. Nemec, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Zemiar, CSc.),

– Plastics, Adhesives, Coatings (Assoc. Prof. M. Sedliačik, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Liptáková, CSc.),

– Technology of Production of Large-Scale Materials (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Perlác CSc.),

– Construction and Typology of Wood Products (Ing. M. Šarkaň, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Schneider, CSc.),

– Wooden Buildings (Ing. I. Hrčka, CSc.),

– Applied Constructions (Ing. J. Veselovský, CSc.),

– Furniture Sizing (Assoc. Prof. P. Joščák, CSc.),

– Decorative Finishings of Furniture (Prof. Ľ. Nemec, DrSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Liptáková, CSc.),

– Forecasting of Furniture Production and Sales (Prof. Ľ. Nemec, DrSc.),

– Historical Development of Furniture (Ing. J. Veselovský, CSc.)

– Construction of Interior Elements (Ing. J. Veselovský, CSc.),

– Creation and Technology of Production of Upholstered Furniture (Ing. V. Navrátil, CSc.),

– Residential and Public Interior (Ľ. Poštulková, CSc.),

– Architectural Creation, Composition and Design (Ľ. Poštulková, CSc.),

– Computer Graphics in the Creation and Preparation of Furniture (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Schneider, CSc.),

– Design of Structural Detail (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Š. Schneider, CSc.),

– Aesthetics of Architecture and Design (Arch. J. Chrobák),

– Spatial Creation (Arch. J. Chrobák),

– Materials and their Use in Furniture Creation (Arch. J. Chrobák, Ing. arch. Ľ. Poštulková, CSc.),

– Furniture of Public Interiors (Ing. arch. J. Chrobák).

Department of Production Machinery and Equipment (KVSaZ)

In the period 1982 – 1991, the research and teaching process of KVSaZ was mainly focused on the following areas: woodworking and woodbased materials, construction and technologies of production and operation of wood-cutting tools, theory and construction of woodworking machines, control and operational reliability of machines. In addition, it researched and passed on to students the latest knowledge in other areas of mechanical engineering, transport, automation, and electrical engineering conducted in laboratories, and operational conditions.

The head of KVSaZ was Prof. Martin Sivák until 1983 and after that time it was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Lang, CSc.

The Department of VSaZ provided teaching of subjects focused mainly on machines, tools, production systems, transport equipment and measuring systems. In 1991, it guaranteed 15 subjects:

– Technical Drawing (Ing. J. Sekereš, CSc.),

– Basics of Mechanical Engineering (Ing. J. Sekereš, CSc.),

– Electrical Engineering and Electronics (Assoc. Prof. Ing. I. Makovíny, CSc., Ing. P. Danko),

– Machine Parts and Mechanisms (P. Koska, CSc.),

– Theory and Technique of Wood Processing (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Lisičan, CSc., Ing. B. Zemiarová, CSc., Ing. M. Siklienka, CSc.),

– Handling of Transport and Transport Equipment (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Oswald, CSc.),

– Tools, Devices and Equipment (Ľ. Javorek),

– Hydraulic and Pneumatic Elements and Circuits (M. Banský, CSc.),

– Bending Processes

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Hecl, CSc.),

– Reliability of Machines (Ing. J. Sekereš, CSc.),

– Creation of Production Systems (Ing. J. Green, CSc.),

– Theory and Construction of Handling Equipment (Ing. J. Green, CSc.),

– Construction of Mechanisms of Production Machines and Equipment (Ing. M. Banský, CSc.),

– Woodworking Machinery and Equipment (M. Siklienka, CSc., Ing.

– Measurement Technology and Inspection of Equipment

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. I. Makovíny, CSc.).

Department of Enterprise Management (KPH)

In the period 1982 – 1991, KPH carried out research and teaching in the field of economics and management of the wood processing industry at DF with an emphasis on the business economy. In its research, it solved issues related to adaptable systems of intra-corporate management of woodworking enterprises, in connection with issues of modelling, optimization, and development of informatization. It also cooperated with foreign universities LTA St. Petersburg, AR Poznan, and ŠF Zagreb. The department guaranteed two fields of study “Entrepreneurial Management“ and “Economics and Management of the Woodworking Industry“ with an emphasis on providing students with knowledge about the enterprise, its function, goals, and structure, as well as about management and decision-making processes in the enterprise. In the extension part, it taught students about the

production, financial, marketing, and personnel management of enterprises with a focus on woodworking enterprises.

The heads of the department at that time were Prof. Pavel Petrík until 1984, Assoc. Prof. Emília Drugdová, CSc. until 1990 and subsequently Ivan Sklenka, CSc.

Within the framework of DF, the Department of Enterprise Economics provided the teaching of the following subjects:

– Organization and Management of Production (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Rašner, CSc.),

– Internal Management of an Enterprise I. (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Rašner, CSc.),

– Internal Management of an Enterprise II (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Kníže, CSc.),

– Marketing (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Matejka, CSc.),

– Enterprise Planning Strategy (Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Matejka, CSc.),

– Preparation of Production (Assoc. Prof.J. Rašner, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Kníže, CSc.),

– Enterprise Economy (I. Volčko, J. Drábek, CSc., A. Šatanová, CSc.),

– Quality Management (A. Šatanová, CSc.),

– Application of Database Systems in Enterprises (Ing. Š. Repko).

Department of Physics and Applied Mechanics (KFaAM)

KFaAM was created in 1990 by merging the Department of Physics (divided from the Department of Mathematics and Physics) and the Department of Applied Mechanics (divided from the Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering).

In its research, it addressed several issues, especially in the following areas: physical and acoustic properties of wood and other materials in terms of practical applications; sound and thermal insulation properties of agglomerated materials; various phenomena from the process of cutting wood affecting the cutting ability of tools; non-destructive diagnostics of materials; new efficient energy sources and their use in industry. It equipped the students of the VŠLD mainly with traditional and the latest knowledge in physics, mechanics, hydraulics, thermomechanics, and acoustics.

The head of the original Department of Mathematics and Physics in the period 1982 –1990 was Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc. and the head of the newly created KFaAM was Prof. Milan Marčok, DrSc since 1990 and then Emil Rajčan, DrSc.The department guaranteed the teaching of subjects:

– Physics I. (Prof. E. Rajčan, DrSc.),

– Physics II (Prof. RNDr. M. Marčok, DrSc.),

– Technical Mechanics

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Lang, CSc.),

– Elasticity and Strength

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Lang, CSc.),

– Hydraulics and Air Conditioning

(J. Schwarz, CSc.),

– Thermal Mechanics and Energy Equipment

(Ing. O. Lupták, CSc.),

– Finite Element Method (F. Bodnár, CSc.),

– Anisotropic Elasticity

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Lang, CSc.),

– Applied Mechanics

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Lang, CSc.),

– Acoustics (Prof. E. Rajčan, DrSc., Prof. RNDr. M. Marčok, DrSc.),

– Experimental Methods in Material Physics

(Prof. E. Rajčan, DrSc., Prof. RNDr. M. Marčok, DrSc.),

– Selected Parts of Modern Physics

(Prof. E. Rajčan, DrSc., Prof. RNDr. M. Marčok, DrSc.).

Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry (KMaDG)

KMaDG provided DF and LF students with basic knowledge of mathematical sciences and descriptive and artistic geometry, which they subsequently used in several technical and science subjects taught by the university departments. Its basic research focused on the areas of mathematical analysis, differential geometry, higher-order traditional mechanics on differentiable varieties, as well as multifunctions and path-derivatives.

It worked closely with several departments at the University, e.g. at the LF in the areas of dynamic programming and application of Mark´s chains, or at DF, for example, in the areas of linear programming with analysis of flatness and division of wood composites, mathematical description of water diffusion in wood, modelling of vacuum wood drying processes and voltage formation during wood drying, as well as prediction of mechanical properties of furniture.

In the period 1982 – 1990, that is, before the establishment of the KMaDG, Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc., was the head of the joint Department of Mathematics and Physics, and subsequently from 1990, after the separation of the Department of Physics, Assoc. Prof. RNDr.

Anton Dekrét, CSc. became the head of the newly formed KMaDG.

The department provided teaching of subjects:

– Mathematics I.

(Assoc. Prof. RNDr. A. Decree, CSc.),

– Mathematics II (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. T. Klein, CSc.),

– Applied Mathematics (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. F. Husárik, CSc.),

– Descriptive Geometry (RNDr. H. Palajová),

– Artistic Geometry (RNDr. H. Palajová),

– Technical Drawing and Descriptive Geometry (RNDr. E. Senko),

– Basics of Mathematics (RNDr. E. Senko),

– Revision of Mathematics Course

Department of Computer Technology and Automation (KVTaA)

From the history point of view, it was a young department at the DF, created in 1990, which consisted of the Department of Computer Technology and Informatics and the Department of Automation Technology and Cybernetics. Its teaching and research activities focused on the areas of informatics, computer and microcomputer technology, computer graphics, theoretical and technical cybernetics, automation of management of wood technological processes and forestry, and creation of robotic workplaces with flexible production nodes and robots.

During that period. the head of KVTaS was Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Zajac, CSc.

The department provided teaching of subjects:

– Robotization in the Wood iIdustry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. E. Zajac. CSc.),

– Programmatic Means of Drawing and Construction (A. Krakowský, CSc., Ing.

– Database Systems (Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Števulová, CSc., Ing. T. Csongrády, CSc.),

– Use of Personal Computers (Ing. A. Krakowsky),

– Programming Languages (T. Csongrády, CSc., Ľ. Šipoš, CSc.),

– Programming Techniques in PASCAL (Ľ. Šipoš, CSc.),

– Extension for AutoCAD (Ľ. Šipoš, CSc.),

– Programmatic Means of Spatial Modelling (T. Csongrády, CSc., Ing.

– Statistical Processing and Methods of Operational Analysis (J. Hoschek, CSc.),

– Expert Systems and Computer Networks (Ing. T. Csongrády, CSc.).

Department of Languages (KJ)

During this period, the Department of Languages was organizationally attached to the DF but operated at the whole University. The head of the department was PhDr. Miriam Šepetková in the period 1982 – 1988 and subsequently, PhDr. M. Jasenská since 1988. In 1991, there were 7 teachers who provided teaching of foreign languages – English (PhDr. D. Pauleová, PhDr. O. Lejsalová, CSc., PhDr. M. Šepetková), German (PhDr. D. Dvořáková, PhDr. A. Klaudová), French (PhDr. M. Jasenská), Spanish (PhDr. E. Dzurendová) and Russian (PhDr. M. Jasenská), or Slovak language teaching for foreign students (PhDr. E. Dzurendová). The department also provided language courses for teachers, scientists, and students at the school in their preparation for stays abroad, they

taught specialised languages in doctoral fields of study, and its members translated scientific papers for VŠLD academics, mainly into English and German, and carried out interpreting activities at conferences and seminars organized by the VŠLD. The teachers from the Department prepared a lexicographical 7-language translation dictionary with woodworking terminology (Slovak – Czech –English – German – French – Spanish – Russian), which was recognised at home and abroad.

Faculty of Ecology

The Faculty of Ecology was established by decision of the Academic Senate of that-time University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology on 14 June 1991 with effect from 1 October of the same year. At the beginning, it acquired premises in the building of the laboratories in VDL. Its establishment was the logical result of the efforts of ecologically, landscape, and environmentally focused experts to create a new, third faculty.During this period, the faculty was focused on the education of specialists in the field of general ecology, landscape ecology, and the natural environment, which resulted in the protection of nature and landscape in the widest spectrum. At the beginning, the study, as well as the research, had a polythematic character with a balanced proportion of natural sciences, and technical and social disciplines.

This need arose from the global trend of raising environmental awareness of the population and the related need to build and develop specialized ecological education. The Faculty of Ecology became the first and only integrated

higher education institution in Slovakia, which began to provide complete higher education for students dealing with the composition, structure, arrangement, and interrelationships in different types of ecosystems and related protection of the environment, the care of ecosystems, landscape creation, as well as technical, political, legislative, social, and philosophical aspects of the environmental protection.

At the beginning of the establishment of the faculty, considering the professional and scientific structure of potential workers, the focus of its research was mainly on the increasing green economy in the country.

The basic tasks of the faculty in the field of education were:

– education of professionals with wide crosssectional knowledge in the field of ecology and the environment for secondary and higher positions in state administration,

– training of specialists – engineers for various sectors of the economy aimed at identifying ecological problems and proposing their appropriate solutions,

– education of researchers in postgraduate studies (specialists) for teamwork in solving systemic tasks,

– deepening qualifications and retraining courses for university graduates in the form of lifelong learning.

The scientific research profile of the Faculty was based on the necessity of linking pedagogical and scientific research activities. In its beginnings, the faculty focused on issues of physiology and ecophysiology, population, and production ecology of selected ecosystems, bioindication, use of natural resources, pedoecology, hydroecology,

agroecology, forest ecology, human ecology, ecology of urbanized and industrial environment, special nature protection and ecological education.

In the field of the human environment, it was mainly research on the quality and methods of monitoring the environment, air purity, water, and waste management. In addition to the above, research focused on the ecological quality of materials, ecotoxicology, and radioecology. These intentions at the beginning of the establishment of the faculty were determined by the gradual creation of scientific research and professional capacities. An essential component was cooperation with existing programs at the existing University, the Institute of Forest Ecology SAS in Zvolen, the Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS, and the Forestry Research Institute in Zvolen. An important research project in the early days of the Faculty’s existence was the research of the Poľana Biosphere Reserve.

To maintain the appropriate organizational structure of the Faculty at VŠLD, basic pedagogical-scientific workplaces – departments – were built within the faculty. The faculty had 6 departments:

– Department of General Ecology,

–

faculty from the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and Forestry.

At the beginning, when the Faculty was founded, the Department of General Ecology was created, the length of the study of which was 8 or 10 semesters, respectively. After the 5th semester, the study was divided into two forms:

a. 4-year (operational) master´s studies aimed at employing graduates in companies and state administration,

b. 5-year master’s study aimed at employing graduates in the field of science, research, and education.

Professional orientation of students was ensured by controlled selection from the system of optional subjects. In the beginning, the proposal for the share of natural science, technical and technological, and social subjects was in the ratio of 40:40:20.

The academic officials of the Faculty during this period were:

– Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vladimir Konrád, CSc., – Dean,

– RNDr. František Kačík, CSc., – Vice-dean for pedagogical activities.

–

Department of Applied Ecology,

Department of Environmental Quality,

–

Department of Landscape Ecology,

–

Department of Social Sciences,

–

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies.

The first three departments were created as new, the other three were incorporated into the

The secretary of the Faculty was Ing. Helena Gibasová. During this period, the Faculty employed 2 professors, 5 associate professors (while 2 other associate professors worked at the Faculty as external employees), and 14 assistant professors. In the field of scientific research, in the beginning, the faculty was the coordinator of 1 scientific research program, which included 4 scientific projects aimed at solving landscapeecological relations with special attention to the function of forest ecosystems.

It was a scientific program related to the rational management and use of the territory of the Poľana biosphere reserve from landscape-

ecological and forestry-ecological aspects. The program entitled Landscape-ecological relations with special attention to the functions of ecosystems was hosted by Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, PhD.

The program was divided into 4 projects:

– Optimization of uses of landscape with regard to its stability, protection of representative ecosystems and their gene pool in conditions of anthropic intervention (led by Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc),

– Landscape-ecological aspects of forestry constructions (led by Ing. Pavol Dvorščák, CSc.),

– Potential, geological carrying capacity and optimization of the use of the landscape environment of mountain areas (led by Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc),

– Philosophical aspects of researching the relationship between man and the natural environment (leader, PhDr. Peter Krchnák, CSc.).

Departments of the Faculty of Ecology Department of Landscape Ecology

The head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, PhD. At the beginning, the department profiled itself as broad-spectrum and polythematic. The information provided to students in the structure of individual subjects was mainly oriented towards the natural landscape. The teachers of the department provided subjects not only at the Faculty of Ecology, but also at the Faculty of Forestry. Compulsory subjects were:

– Landscape Protection and Creation

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Bortel, CSc.),

– Forestry Melioration

(Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc.),

– Special Nature Protection

(Prof. Ing. Jozef Sládek, CSc.),

– Deterioration and Recultivation of the Landscape (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Bortel CSc.),

– Protection, Creation and Melioration of the Landscape (Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc.),

– Landscape Ecology and Landscape Planning (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milan Ružička, CSc.),

– Melioration and Recultivation

(Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc.),

– Basics of Phytogeography and Zoogeography (Ing. Aladár Randík, DrSc.).

The teaching content of the Department included theoretical issues of the landscape, ecology of the landscape, protection, and creation of the landscape. The department was responsible already this time for post-graduate studies in the field of study “land engineering“. In the field of scientific research, the department became the coordinator of the scientific research program

“Landscape Ecological Relations with Special Regard to The Function of Forest Ecosystems“, which was aimed at solving landscape and ecological relations with special attention to the function of forest ecosystems. A significant achievement in this period was a possibility to solve to another scientific project “Rational Management and Use of the Territory of the Poľana Biosphere Reserve from Landscape, Ecological and Forestry Aspects“. During this period, the department also started to organize the postgraduate course “Protection and Creation of the Landscape“, which enabled forestry, nature conservation and state administration workers to supplement and deepen their knowledge of this issue.

Department of General Ecology

The head of the Department was RNDr. Alexander Dudich. The department was established at the faculty as a new one. Its structure and content focus were concentrated on the teaching of the subjects of the theoretical basis of ecological studies. Some of the subjects were oriented towards a narrower specialization of the students’ studies. When the faculty was established, the teachers provided the following compulsory subjects:

– General Ecology (RNDr. Alexander Dudich),

– Physiology of Plants and Animals (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Vladimír Jamrich and Assoc. Prof. RNDr. J. Veselovský, DrSc.).

The scientific activity of the Department was focused on the development of ecological disciplines, mainly general, population and production ecology of freshwater and soil organisms, and issues of physiology and ecophysiology of plants. The research activity was mainly focused on questions of the pathophysiology of immission-affected forest trees, which was a very trendy topic at that time. The staff of the Department were also interested in the study of chorology and the distribution of small mammals as a reservoir of diseases transmissible to humans, the study of the possibility of using aquatic organisms for bioindication of water quality, and the taxonomy and ecology of selected species of macrozoobenthos.

Department of Applied Ecology

The head of the department was Ing. Vladimír Čaboun, CSc. The Department was one of the

newly created departments of the Faculty. During this period, the teachers of the Department provided the following compulsory subjects:

– Forest Ecology (Ing. Vladimír Čaboun, CSc.),

– Agroecology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Petřvalský, DrSc.),

– Human Ecology (Prof. MUDr. L. Rozsíval, DrSc.),

– Ecology of the Urbanized and Industrial Environment (Ing. arch. Milan Marenčák),

– Radioecology (Ing. P. Salzer).

The pedagogical activity was oriented towards the issues of applied ecology of forest and agricultural ecosystems, urbanized and industrial landscape, and human ecology. The subjects used the knowledge that students acquired in the basic compulsory subjects in the first two years of study. In the beginning, scientific research activity was mainly oriented towards research in applied ecology with a focus on optimizing the solution of selected areas.

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies

The head of the department was Mgr. Ján Šindler, CSc. This department was previously a part of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. In 1991, it was attached to the Faculty of Ecology. During this period, the staff of the department provided the following compulsory subjects:

– Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (Ing. J. Blaho, CSc., RNDr. F. Kačík, CSc.),

– General and Analytical Chemistry (Mgr. J. Šindler, CSc., Ing. J. Blaho, CSc.),

– Wood Chemistry (Assoc. Prof. Ing. R. Solár, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. M. Vozár, CSc.),

– Biochemistry (RNDr. F. Kačík, CSc.),

– Chemical Processing of Wood

(Prof. Ing. J. Bučko, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing.

J. Pajtík, CSc.).

The main mission of the Department was to create a theoretical basis for the teaching of technical subjects that were focused on the influence of chemical and physical factors on living organisms forming ecosystems. The scientific research activity of the Department in its beginnings was focused on the issue of pollution of the working and living environment by gaseous exhalations, solid emissions, and wastewater.

Department of Environmental Quality

The head of the department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Pajtík, CSc. The department was focused on teaching the creation and protection of the human environment. The detailed focus of the subjects, which were taught by the department’s staff, were issues of environmental monitoring and analysis with a focus on chemical aspects, environmental and analytical chemistry and environmental bioindication. The contents of the subjects also included questions about the impact and evaluation of production technologies on the environment. The department provided the following subjects:

– Environmental Monitoring (Assoc. Prof. Ing.

E. Bublinec, CSc.),

– Production Technologies and the Environment

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Pajtík, CSc.),

– Occupational Environments and Design

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. V. Konrád, CSc.),

– Air, Water and Waste Treatment

(Assoc. Prof. Ing. J. Piatrik, CSc.),

– Hygiene and Ecotoxicology,

– Ecological Quality of Materials,

– Materials Science.

As part of the teaching, students had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the technique of taking samples, examining emissions and immissions, the basics of water, air, sludge and waste analysis. They were also familiarized with hygiene inspection standards, basic principles of water, air and waste treatment processes and technologies. At its beginning, the scientific research activity of the department was mainly focused on the ecologization of production processes and ecological disposal of waste.

Department of Social Sciences

The head of the department was PhDr. Peter Krchnák, CSc. The focus of the Department at the beginning was determined by the nature and content of subjects that were not taught in the past. They were created as new compulsory and optional subjects. These were the following compulsory subjects:

– Philosophy (PhDr. Peter Krchnák, CSc.),

– Political Science and Recent History (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pavol Zdycha, CSc.),

– History of Forestry (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pavol Zdycha, CSc.) – the subject was also taught at the Faculty of Forestry. The department also provided optional subjects:

– Selected Topics from Philosophy (PhDr. Peter Krchnák, CSc.),

– Selected Topics from Political Science (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pavol Zdycha, CSc.). In the field of scientific research, the department’s employees were relatively flexible in participating in new projects dealing with:

– The development of ownership relations in forestry in Slovakia, their impact on the market and planning,

– Motivating the dynamics of study skills of TUZVO students by the personality of the teacher.

– The state and possibilities of greening people’s consciousness in changing ecological conditions.

A significant result of the activities of the Department, which was established in 1990, should be considered the relatively quick incorporation of the subjects into the Faculty’s curricula, as well as the development of the History of Forestry textbooks.

1992 – 2002

Branislav Olah – Milan Marčok

The shift in the political and social situation after the year 1989, mostly the new law on higher education no. 172/1990 of Coll., allowed the universities to act more autonomously and to have wider decision making rights in managing their activities. The new decade of the Technical University in Zvolen starting in 1992 and continuing until 2001 was built on these new democratic principles. The period was full of changes in terms of internal organisation of the University and its operations, new study programmes and orientation of the research activities.

The TUZVO was led by four Rectors in this period: Assoc. Prof. Vilém Štefka, CSc. (1992 – 1994), Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc. (1994 – 1995), Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc. (1995 – 2001) and Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc. (2001 – 2002).

This period was marked by two significant changes; the first one being the change in the name, when the traditional name University of Forestry and Wood Technology (VŠLD) was replaced by the name Technical University in Zvolen. This happened in the academic year 1992/1993 by the Law of the Slovak National Council no. 26/1992 of Coll. The second change was the creation of two new faculties – Faculty of Ecology (1 October 1991), after

1995 renamed to the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology (1 September 1996). In the sphere of education, the most significant change was the return to the five-year master study and the introduction of the credit system in the academic year 1993/1994 at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, later also at other faculties. This year saw also the beginning of the cooperation with the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica in terms of the University of the Third Age.

In 1993, Bariny – a facility providing catering and accommodation – with the capacity of 608 beds was put into operation, and the provisional accommodation facility P-120 stopped its operation. In this year, the boiler room, heating system and heat exchangers stations were reconstructed; windows in the main TUZVO building and building of the Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library were exchanged. After establishing the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology, the TUZVO received a building of the Agris company from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. When the seat of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences moved from Zvolen to Banská Štiavnica, the TUZVO received a building

from the Secondary Vocational School of Forestry in Banská Štiavnica and Belházy House from the Town Hall in Banská Štiavnica.

During this decade, the TUZVO representatives welcomed personalities of political and public life. On 9th December 1994, the President of the Slovak Republic Michal Kováč with his wife visited the University. Other significant personalities visiting the University included: Prime Ministers of the Slovak Republic Ján Čarnogurský, and Vladimír Mečiar, Deputy Prime Ministers of the Slovak Republic Mária Kadlečíková, Brigita Schmögnerová, Sergej Kozlík, and Ivan Mikloš, Ministers of Education Eva Slavkovská and Milan Ftáčnik, Minister of Agriculture Pavel Koncoš, Ministers of Environment Jozef Zlocha, and László Miklós, and Ministers of Culture Ivan Hudec and Milan Kňažko, as well as ambassadors and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia.

After 1990, the extent of foreign relations and international cooperation of the University have become wider. The long-term goal of the University was to enrich the cooperation with workplaces from abroad, be active in international non-governmental organisations and take part in international programmes. The cooperation started to broaden and include further institutions from the Central and Western European countries, as well as from North America. The TUZVO participated in international programmes TEMPUS, SOCRATES/ ERASMUS, Leonardo, COST, Inco Copernicus and Phare. In addition, the University established active cooperation with the British Council, Fulbright Commission and SAIA. The TUZVO became a collective member of international organization IUFRO, PRO SILVA, IAWS, SWST, IAWA and University Alliance for Democracy. Prof. Ing. L. Paule, PhD. was a member of the executive board of the IUFRO and Ing. R. Kropil, PhD. was awarded the IUFRO

Outstanding Doctoral Research Award along with the gold medal. It was awarded to only seven researchers world-wide and Ing. R. Kropil, PhD. was the only representative of the Central Europe. Eight international agreements on cooperation were valid in 2001 specifying the pedagogical activities, science and research activities and joint research projects in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Latvia, Ukraine, Spain, the USA and Finland.

The number of employees and students going abroad for the purpose of mobilities was increasing, and the employees were working on scientific and research topics within the active agreements. Fruitful cooperation resulted in publishing in joint publications, participation in international conferences and symposia. The awards received by our employees abroad and cooperation of prominent specialists from abroad with our University are highly appreciated. In this period, the TUZVO was visited by representatives of universities and scientific institutions from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Russia and the USA.

In the years 1992 – 2001 the TUZVO awarded the honorary degree doctor honoris causa to several personalities from abroad:

1992 – Prof. Dr. Branimir Prpič from the University of Zagreb, Croatia and Prof. Dr. Branislav Sloboda from the University in Göttingen, Germany, 1994 – Prof. Ing. Stepan Michajlovoič Stojko, DrSc. from the Insitute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine, 1996 – Mag. Art. Dipl. Wolfgang Haipl from the Association for Interior Design in Vienna, Austria, 1997 – Prof. Dr. Dr. hab. Gerd Wegener from the Department of Wood Research, University of Munich, Germany and Dr. Bernard Comps from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Bordeaux, France,

• Visit of the President of the SR Michal Kováč and his wife (December 9, 1994)

1998 – Dr. David A. Harcharik, Deputy Directorgeneral, FAO, Rome, Italy, 1999 – Prof. Dr. Jean-Phillippe Schütz, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, 2000 – Prof. DrSc. Malden Figurič from the University of Zagreb, Croatia and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Habil. Dr. h. c. Gerhard Kühne from Technische Univerität Dresden, Germany.

In 1992 – 2001 the number of students in the full-time form of study increased from 125 to 354, which meant a 2.6 times increase in ten years while the number of employees remained the same. The number of teachers increased by 80 and the number of other employees decreased by 53. If there were four other employees per one teacher in 1992, in 2001 it was only 2.8 other employees per one teacher. The number of employees in science and research decreased only slightly. The proportion of the TUZVO students in the overall number of students in Slovakia was 2.2 % and 3.4 % in 1992 and 2001 respectively.

Unfavourable economic situation of that period in Slovakia could be seen also in the social sphere. The prices of accommodation for students increased by 400 Sk on average per month. The price of the luncheon voucher increased from 2.60 to 29 Sk. A more favourable situation was in the field of doctoral students’ remuneration. The amount of the monthly scholarship increased to 6,400 Sk on average. On the other hand, the remuneration of teachers, other employees and employees in science and research was very low. In spite of the high qualification of employees, the average salary did not reach the amount of average salary of the national economy.

Faculty of Forestry

In this decade, the Faculty was led by Prof. Ing. Štefan Žihlavník, CSc. (1990 – 1997 and

2000 – 2007) and Prof. Ing. Milan Hladík, CSc. (1997 – 2000).

The studies at the Faculty of Forestry was provided in the following study programmes and forms:

• full-time form of study in the field of Forestry according to the five-year study plan (from the academic year 1990/1991),

• full-time form of study in the field of Management and Financing of Forest Enterprises according to the five-year study plan (from the academic year 1993/1994),

• full-time form of study in the field of Forest Ecology according to the five-year study plan (from the academic year 1995/1996),

• full-time form of study in the field of Applied Zoology and Wildlife Management according to the five-year study plan (from the academic year 1996/1997),

• part-time (distance) study in the field of Forestry according to the six-year study plan,

• PhD. study in the full-time and part-time form of study in the following scientific fields: Ecology, Silviculture, Forest Management, Ameliorations, Forestry Phytology, Technologies and Mechanisation of Agricultural and Forestry Production, and Plant Protection,

• further education activities required for carrying out specialised jobs or activities and updating the education in various courses, trainings and seminars organised by the Faculty for the graduates as required by the forestry practice or other institutions.

The scientific research of the Faculty was being organised and developed as an integral part of the Faculty activities in order to provide solving of the current theoretical issues of forestry, as well as the necessary innovation of the education process and effective cooperation with practice.

In the long term, the research was focused on the biological, technical and economic fundamentals of the forest management in the forest ecosystems of Slovakia and on managing Slovak forests in the changing ecological conditions.

In this period, the Faculty comprised eight departments. The overview lists only the changes which occurred in the period of 1992 – 2001.

The Department of Phytology was established on 1st September 1991, when the Department of Forest Environment split into the Department of Natural Environment and the Department of Phytology. In 1996, the group focused on forestry genetics joined the Department. The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dušan Randuška, later the Department was led by Prof. Rudolf Šály, DrSc., and Prof. Ing. Milan Križo, DrSc. From 1st September 1996, the Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, PhD.

The Department of Natural Environment (established on 1st September 1991 by division of the Department of Forest Environment) continued in the tradition of the former Department of Pedology and Geology, which was a part of the VŠLD until 1982. In this period, the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Gregor, PhD.

From 1991 until the end of this period, the Department of Silviculture was led by Prof. Milan Saniga, DrSc.

Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, or rather its predecessor the Department of Landscaping and Forest Protection, was established by merging the Department of Zoology and Forest Protection (from 1953) with one section of the Department of Dendrology and Landscaping in 1974. The Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management was established in the academic year 1991/1992, when its section focused on landscaping was moved to the newly

established Faculty of Ecology and the Department of Landscape Ecology was created. At that time, the Head of the Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management was Prof. Ing. Peter Garaj, CSc. The Department of Forest Structures and Ameliorations was created in 1994 from the former Department of Forest Structures. The Heads of the Department were Assoc. Prof. Pavol Dvorščák, PhD. and from 1994 Prof. Ing. Július Valtýni, DrSc.

Department of Forest Harvesting and Mechanisation was during the period of 1992 – 2001 led by Prof. Ing. Tibor Lukáč, PhD.

Department of Forest Management and Geodesy was created by merging the Department of Forest Management and the Department of Geodesy in 1991. Gradually, the Department was led by Prof. Ing. Štefan Šmelko, DrSc., Prof. Ing. Štefan Žihlavník, Csc., Prof. Ing. Milan Hladík, CSc. and from 2000 it was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anton Žihlavník, CSc.

The Department of Economics and Forest Management was led by Prof. Ing. Ivan Kolenka, DrSc.

Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

The Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology was in the period of 1992 – 2001 led by four Deans: Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Marian Babiak, CSc. (1990 – 1992), Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc. (1992 – 1998), Prof. Ing. Anton Osvald, CSc. (1998 – 2001) and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Štefan Barcík, PhD. (2001 – 2005). In 1992, the study programme Economics and Management of Wood-processing Industry transformed to the newly-established programme Enterprise Management. The novelty of this study programme was the incorporation of two combined semesters into the five-year study, i.e. the education of students was carried out in practice. In the academic year 1992/1993 a new study programme

Wood Processing was launched. This period saw also inter-disciplinary studies focused on building the wood processing machines and forestry machines and equipment. The studies were created in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of theTechnical University of Košice and the Faculty of Forestry of the TUZVO. These studies were later transformed into a new study programme, and after establishing the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology at the TUZVO in 1996, it was provided by this Faculty.

In the academic year 1987/1988 an interdisciplinary study programme Industrial Furniture Design was created in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture of the Slovak University

of Technology in Bratislava. From the academic year 1994/1995, the Faculty started to provide a threeyear bachelor study programme Interior Creation and Consultancy in cooperation with Austria. In 1998 the name of the programme changed to Interior Design and Consultancy.

In the academic year 1998/1999 the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, being the first faculty in Slovakia, launched a five-year master study programme Fire Protection. Along with the full-time form of study, the Faculty provided the possibility of studying Interior Design, Fire Protection and Enterprise Management in the parttime study, as well.

From the academic year 1993/1994 the Faculty introduced credit system of study and participated

• Reunion of the VŠLD graduates from 1958 held on April 24, 1998

also in life-long learning by providing studies at the University of the Third Age. In addition the Faculty provided also various training courses as per practice requirements.

The PhD. study was provided in the following fields of study: Technology of Wood Processing, Wood Structure and Properties, Construction and Technology of Wooden Products, Branch and Section Economics, Business and Industry Economics.

In 1991 the organisation and structure of scientific and research activities of the Faculty

changed. The strictly hierarchically structured state research plans were replaced by a more autonomous grant system. The research and scientific activities were divided into five programmes: Wood Structure and Properties, Technology, Wood Preservation, Seasoning, Building Structures and Means of Visual Art Representation, Methods and Models of Managing the Wood-processing Industry, and Mathematics.

In 1997 a new direction for the research and scientific activity of the Faculty was approved,

• Students of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the practicals in phytology with Prof. Križo in Poľana Mt.

and it was entitled Valuation of Wood via Its Transformation to Products of New Generation

Creating the Complex Interior. The central idea of the new orientation was homocentrism. A human in all their activities shall move from the protection to the targeted creation of the environment, where wood plays an irreplaceable role.

In 1990 the structure of the Faculty changed significantly and ten departments were established. During the subsequent decade some departments merged, others were relocated to newly-established faculties and other new departments were formed. By the end of 2001 there were following departments:

The Department of Wood Science became independent again in 1990 and was led by Ing. Igor Čunderlík, CSc. (1990 – 1991), later by Prof. Ing. Alexander Požgaj, DrSc. (1990 – 1996). In the years 1996 – 1997 the appointed deputy Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Dubovský, CSc. and from 1997 the Head of the Department was Prof. Ing. Stanislav Kurjatko, DrSc.

The Department of Woodworking has been an integral part of the Faculty since 1997, and since its beginning it was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ladislav Dzurenda, PhD.

The Department of Mechanical Wood Technology was led by Prof. Anton Osvald, CSc. (1992 – 1997), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anna Šúriková, CSc. (1997 – 2000) and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Klement, CSc. since 2000.

The Department of Furniture and Wooden Products was in this period led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Zemiar, PhD.

In 1998 a section of Furniture Design was formed at this Department and it later became an independent department.

The Department of Furniture Design and Wood Products with its own study programme and research subjects was established in 1995.

The Department guaranteed two fields of study –a five-year study programme Industrial Furniture Design and a three-year bachelor study programme Furniture Design and Consultancy. Since its establishment, the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Štefan Schneider, PhD.

The Department of Physics and Applied Mechanics has been an independent Department bearing this name since 1992. In this decade it was led by Prof. RNDr. Emil Rajčan, DrSc.

The Department of Enterprise Management had in this period following heads: 1992 – 1996 Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jiří Kníže, CSc., 1997 – 2001 Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Rašner, CSc., and after 2001 the Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc.

Department of Marketing, Trade and World Forestry had gone through a complex development. It regained its status of an independent department in 1997 and Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc. was appointed the Head of the Department. In 1991 –1995, the Section of World Forestry was part of the Department of Wood Science and in 1995 – 1996 it was an independent section of the Department of Enterprise Management.

The Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry was led by Prof. RNDr. Anton Dekrét, DrSc. (1990 –1995) and by Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Milan Matejdes, CSc. from 1995.

The Department of Fire Protection was established in 1998, following a 25-year long work of the employees of the Department of Mechanical Wood Technology in the sphere of protecting the wood against fire. The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Anton Osvald, CSc. and from 1st December 1998 the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. Alexander Krakovský, CSc.

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology developed from its predecessor the

Department of Chemistry established in 1952.

In 1991 the Department was moved to the newly created Faculty of Ecology. In 2000, the Department returned to the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ján Šindler, CSc. (1991 – 1997) and from 1997 the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. RNDr. František Kačík, CSc.

Faculty of Ecology

and

Environmental Sciences

The Faculty of Ecology was established on 1st October 1991 following a decision of the Academic Senate of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology in Zvolen made on 14th June 1991. The goal of the Faculty in terms of the education process was to prepare specialists with a wide range of knowledge within ecology and environmental science for the needs of specialised public service and professional organisations in the newly established government environmental section. The studies were designed in order to educate the students in the field of earth science and subsequently also in technical, application and social and scientific disciplines in a logical sequence. During the first few years after establishing the Faculty, the education process was largely provided also by teachers from the Faculty of Forestry, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and the Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The Faculty was from its establishment led by Assoc. Prof. Vladimír Konrád, CSc. (Vice-rector appointed with managing the Faculty and later in 1993 – 1996 designated a Dean), RNDr. Peter Bitušík, CSc. (in charge of the Dean’s function in 1996), Prof. Ing. Imrich Beseda, DrSc. (1996 – 1999), Prof. RNDr. Ján Chrapan, DrSc.

(1999 – 2000), and Prof. Ing. Ivan Vološčuk, DrSc. (from 2000).

First university students enrolled for the threeyear bachelor study programme that was later in 1992 transformed to a five-year study programme focused on general ecology in three specialisations: Landscape Ecology, Nature Protection, and Environmental Protection. Subsequently, another specialisation was added: Landscape Architecture and Vegetation Alterations.On 25th May 1994, the Academic Senate of the Technical University in Zvolen adopted a resolution on changing the name of the Faculty. The resolution came to force on 1st January 1995 and the Faculty started to use the new name Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

In the academic year 1995/1996, the studies were provided in two fields of study. Within the field of study Applied Ecology, three study specialisations were offered: Landscape Ecology, Nature Protection, and Landscape Architecture and Vegetation Alterations. Moreover, two further specialisations Environmental Studies and Environmental Management were offered within the field of study Environmental Studies.

In the academic year 1997/1998, third field of study was added to the studies portfolio: Landscape Architecture and Recreology.

From the academic year 1998/1999 the studies comprised again two specialisations. Applied Ecology was divided into two specialisations: Landscape Ecology and Nature Protection, and Landscape Engineering and Landscape Architecture, and Environmental Studies offered two specialisations as well: Environmental Studies, and Environmental Management.

The Faculty was experiencing a great expansion in this period attracting a lot of smart and enthusiastic students interested in ecology and environmental science.

Students started organising a public Earth’s Day (22nd April), Environment’s Day (5th June), various activities related to environmental education for children, and they also founded Ekodivadlo (Eco theatre) introducing the most severe environmental issues in the form of short sketches. In 1998 the Ekodivadlo took part in various festivals and exhibitions dealing with environmental issues: exhibition Enviro in Nitra, festival Envirofilm in Banská Bystrica, Ranger Day in Slovenská Ľupča and Earth’s Day in Piešťany.

By the Rector’s decision from 16th September 1998 and with the agreement of the TUZVO Academic Senate from 26th February 1997, the seat

of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences was relocated from Zvolen to Banská Štiavnica. This process was completed in 2000. The Faculty thus followed up with the traditions of the former Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica. This relocation meant a great change in the life of Faculty and was associated with many positive, as well as negative aspects that are inevitably associated to new beginnings.

The Scientific and Research activities of the Faculty were focused on four main pillars: 1) basic research into biota (relationships between the biota and the environment, biodiversity, monitoring the conditions of the environment via bioindicators);

• The first performance by Ekodivadlo (Eco-theatre) in Zvolen on June 5, 1997 taking place with the participation of the Minister of the Environment Jozef Zlocha

• Building of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences in Kolpašská Street, in Banská Štiavnica

2) basic research into the landscape and its components (research into the landscape structure, landscape capacity, ecology principles of landscape designing and sustainable utilisation of natural resources, nature and landscape protection, agroecosystems, ecological stability of forest ecosystems, urban ecosystems); 3) analysing and studying the changes of the environment quality (monitoring the environmental factors, ecologisation of technological procedures and production, taking care of renewable natural resources, waste management); 4) philosophical and social aspects of the relationships among human, nature and society.

Faculty comprised seven departments in this period. Two of them (Department of General Ecology and Department of Landscape Planning and Architecture) were located in the building of so called “old Rector’s office“ of the former VŠLD in Štúrova street 2; two other departments (Department of Applied Ecology and Department of Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry) were located in the main University building; Department of Social Sciences was located in the building of the Ľ. Štúr Dormitory; Department of Environmental Engineering had its seat on the premises of the Development Workshops and Laboratories and the UNESCO Department was located in Basnká Štiavnica in the laboratory building of the Secondary Chemistry Vocational School.

Department of Biology and General Ecology was established in 1991 bearing the name Department of General Ecology, and in the academic year 1991/1992 it was the first established department of the Faculty of Ecology. It was later renamed to the Department of Biology (1997) and to the Department of Biology and General Ecology (2000). The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Alexander Dudich, CSc., who was

replaced by Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Peter Bitušík, CSC. in 1997.

The Department of Applied Ecology was established in 1991 as the Department of Landscape Ecology at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Forestry and Wood Technology. It became a part of the Faculty of Ecology in 1992. In 1997 it was renamed to the Department of Applied Ecology and since its beginning it was led by Prof. Ing. Rudolf Midriak, DrSc.

The Department of Landscape Planning and Design was established as the Department of Applied Ecology in 1991. In 1996 it was renamed to the Department of Landscape Design and in 2000 to the Department of Landscape Planning and Design. The focus and conceptual development of the Department was supervised by outside Heads of the Department Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vladimír Čaboun, CSc., Prof. RNDr. Milan Ružička, DrSc. and in-house Heads of the Department Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tibor Benčať, CSc., Prof. Ing. Ján Supuka, DrSc. and from 2001 Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Dagmar Sláviková, CSc.

The Department of Environmental Engineering was established in 1991 as the Department of Environmental Quality and was created partly from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood, Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, University of Forestry and Wood Technology. The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Pajtík, CSc., who was later replaced by Prof. Mgr. Juraj Ladomerský, CSc.

The Department of Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry was established in 1991 as the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, which was relocated from the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, University of Forestry and Wood Technology. The first Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Ján Šindler, CSc., then Assoc. Prof. RNDr. František Kačík,

CSc. (from 1997). After relocating the Faculty to Banská Štiavnica in 2000, the Department became again a part of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, TUZVO. A smaller section created a new Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Department was renamed to Department of Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry in 2000, with Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Blaho, CSc. being the Head of the Department.

The Department of Social Sciences was established in 1990 as a part of the Faculty of Forestry. In 1991 it became a department of the newly established Faculty of Ecology. Since its establishment, the Department was led by Assoc. Prof. PhDr. Peter Krchnák, CSc.

UNESCO Department for Ecological Awareness and Sustainable Development was established in 1994 within the UNESCO Chair/UNITWIN Programme. The establishers of the Department were UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the Technical University in Zvolen. The Department became part of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences on 1st January 1995 following a contract signed by UNESCO and the Technical University in Zvolen in Paris. Since its establishment, the Head of the Department was Prof. RNDr. Dr. h. c. László Miklós, DrSc.

Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology

The Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology was established as the fourth and the youngest faculty of the Technical University in Zvolen. Since its establishment it was designed as a specific and unique workplace due to its mission, and the connection to the structure and profile of the

University. The idea behind establishing the Faculty was to create an institution that would complement the focus of other, already existing faculties and thus complete the profile of the TUZVO in the sphere of FOREST – WOOD – ENVIRONMENT. The Faculty was created after the decision made by the Academic Senate of the Technical University in Zvolen on 27th March 1996 and by resolution of the Government of the Slovak Republic no. 315 from 3rd May 1996 and no. 498 from 16th July 1996. The Faculty started officially its activities on 1st September 1996. The Rector of the University Prof. RNDr. Milan Marčok, DrSc. put the Vice-rector Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc. in charge to be Dean and in January he was elected officially the Dean by the first independent Academic Senate of the Faculty. He remained in the function until the end of the decade.

The advantage of the newly established Faculty was that since the beginning the Faculty had its own premises on Študentská street 26, which were rebuilt in 1997 and 1998 to meet the needs of education and scientific and research activities. The Faculty staff comprised mainly teachers and scientific and research workers of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and Faculty of Forestry, TUZVO.

In October 1996 the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic awarded to the Faculty the right to carry out final state examination in the field of study Construction of Woodworking and Forestry Machines and Devices. This meant that the students of this field of study, who were previously students of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, officially became students of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology. At the end of the academic year 1996/1997, the Faculty had first fourteen graduates.

In 1998 the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic awarded to the Faculty the right to carry

out final state examination in the five-year master field of study: Engineering of Machines and Devices in the specialisation Woodworking and Forestry Technology, and the right to carry out Habilitation procedures and procedures for appointing Professors in this field of study.

Since November 1997, the Faculty could offer PhD. study in the scientific fields of study Machines and Devices for Industry, Wood Processing and Technology and Mechanisation of Agricultural and Forestry Production.

The most important fields of science and research of the Faculty in this period covered: theoretical fundamentals of machines and technology of minimisation, storage, processing, disposal and recycling of waste and secondary raw materials;

secondary and renewable energy sources; research into technology of separation processes of solid particles aimed to minimise the solid particle emission; research into technology of water conservation, modelling and simulations of accidents and designing technological methods for identification, prevention and removal of the accident consequences; manipulation and transportation technologies in woodworking industry and forestry; development of testing in the field of forestry and woodworking machines and environmental devices aimed to improve the quality of products; development of controlling systems for above-mentioned devices and processes. In this period, the Faculty consisted of seven departments:

• Building of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology

The Department of Environmental Devices and Production Systems was since its beginning led by Prof. Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc.

The Department of Woodworking Machines and Devices was established in 1996; the Department of Woodworking Machines and Automation at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology being its predecessor. The Head of the Department at the time of its establishment was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jan Oswald, CSc. and after 2002 it was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Banský, CSc.

The Department of Forestry and Mobile Technology was led by Prof. Ing. Milan Mikleš, DrSc. since its establishment in 1996. Its predecessor was the section of Forestry Mechanisation at the Department of Forest Harvesting and Mechanisation at the Faculty of Forestry.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering Technologies and Machine Reliability was established in 1996 and was led by Prof. Ing. Milan Danko, CSc.

The Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering was relocated from the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology right after the establishment of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology and was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Milan Lang, CSc.

The Department of Applied Electrotechnics employed employees of the former section of the Department of Manufacturing Machines and Devices of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in 1996. The Head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Makovíny, CSc.

The Department of Controlling and Automation Technology was established in 1990 at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology bearing the name Department of Computer Technology and Automation. The Department was led by Ing. Tibor Csongrády, CSc. and from 2000 Prof. Ing. Jozef Šuriansky, CSc.

Institute of Foreign Languages

The university workplace Institute of Foreign Languages was established on 1st January 1999; its predecessor was the Department of Foreign Languages, which was part of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. Its history dates back to 1952 when the Department was established at the University of Forestry and Wood Science in Zvolen. In this decade the Institute broadened the offer of languages that could have been studied and the languages covered English, German, French, Russian and Swedish at all three levels of studies at all four TUZVO faculties.

In addition to the education activities, the employees of the institute participated in creating specialised professional dictionaries as encouraged by the situation of absent specialised dictionaries. In cooperation with other departments, the Institute employees collected professional expressions and subsequently found the foreign language equivalents. As a result of this joint effort, the Publishing House of the TUZVO published several dictionaries in the period of 1990 – 2000: SlovakCzech-English-German-French-Spanish Dictionary of Wood Science with definitions (1990), SlovakEnglish-German-French-Russian Dictionary of Silviculture – Forestry with definitions (1994), Slovak-English-German-French-Russian Dictionary of Nature and Environment Conservation – with definitions (1997) and Slovak-Czech-EnglishGerman-French-Russian Dictionary of Fire Protection with definitions (2000).

Institute of Physical Education

The Institute was established on 1st January 1999 as a university workplace providing for the classes of physical education and other extra-curricular sport activities for students and employees of the

TUZVO. The Institute continued in the activities of its predecessor – the Department of Physical Education, which had been a part of the Faculty of Forestry. Students and employees could select from following sport activities: basketball, volleyball, football, badminton, tennis, table tennis, canoeing, aerobic, bouldering, self-defence (karate, judo), swimming, weight lifting, skiing, cycling, and hiking (summer and winter courses). In addition to the educational activities, the Institute employees were also active as coaches and officials in various sport associations at the national, regional or club level in biathlon, football, volleyball, karate, in the Slovak Association of University Sport, in clubs of the sport organisation Slávia TUZVO, which had at that time 12 sport clubs and around 380 members. Organising various sport events for the university employees, e.g. football tournaments among the Technical University in Zvolen, University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice and Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, winter duathlon of these universities in Račkova dolina valley or tennis tournament of university employees had a long-time tradition.

Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library

The Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library, currently being the University part, was established in 1952 as the State Academic Library in Zvolen; later the name changed to State Scientific Library, and in 1978 it became a part of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology bearing the name Central Forestry and Wood Sciences Library of the Slovak Socialist Republic. After 1990 it was renamed to Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library.

The Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library is the only institution in Slovakia that creates

professional databases of scientific and technical information for forestry, wood science, ecology and economics from domestic and foreign literature sources. In addition, it creates databases of publication activities and citations of the TUZVO employees.

In this decade the Library had to respond flexibly to the challenges related to the position of libraries in general. The changes were caused by a rapid development in information technologies, information boom, worse economic situation of libraries, losing their information monopoly and new requirements for increasing the level of higher education, new forms of higher education and the need for life-long learning. Introducing the new automated library and information system Rapid Library in 1998 enabled the Library to offer a wider range of services, complemented by multimedia connection and accessing the internal organisation network and SANET/INTERNET. Twelve academic libraries in Slovakia worked in this system, and this enabled them to be connected and cooperate.

Student Dormitories and Canteen

In this decade, the student accommodation was provided by three dormitories with the overall capacity of 1,487 beds. A new dormitory – Bariny, with overall capacity of 604 beds and a canteen with the daily capacity of 1,200 meals, complemented two older dormitories that had been used (Dormitory of Ľ. Štúr and Dormitory Záhonok). The canteen operated also three snack bars (one in the main University building, one in the Development Workshops and one at the Dormitory Bariny). Since 1999, students of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies were accommodated in rented premises of the dormitory of the Secondary Vocational School of Forestry in Banská Štiavnica, providing approx. 400 beds.

• Building of the Students´ Hall of Residence and Canteen in Bariny (1993)

Student Life and Traditions

An inseparable part of the student cultural and social life was created by university clubs. The original WORLD klub was located in the attractive premises of the Zvolen castle and Finkova kúria mansion. After November 1989 a group of students decided to rebuild premises in the D-block of the Dormitory of Ľ. Štúr. During the first few years, only irregular events were organised here. Later, in years 1992 – 1993 significant changes happened in the club organisation. After accepting new members and with the aid of the TUZVO management, the premises were reconstructed and students of the study programme Industrial Furniture Design contributed to changing the visual representation of the club interior.

In addition to the above-mentioned changes, also the name was changed from V-Klub to WORLD klub. A significant part of the club programme included production of underground and non-commercial music, mostly jazz. Assoc. Prof. R. Réh and Mgr. M. Babic were in charge of the jazz evenings. In the period of 1993 – 1996, they were in charge of a series of thematic evenings devoted to individual interprets and musical styles. In 1994 – 1995, the production was enriched by live jazz concerts, and thanks to various sponsors and cooperation with a famous Slovak jazzman Jozef “Dodo“ Šošoka and others, they were able to organise fifteen jazz concerts in years 1995 – 1996. In addition, rock concerts of the Slovak and Czech bands – Gladiátor, I.M.T. Smile, Hex, No Name, Už jsme doma and others contributed to the musical production of the World klub, as well as local bands (ZVA 12-28 Band, BB Band, Pančuchy Eleny Hríbovej and others). The concerts of Jaromír Nohavica were very popular, too.

Everyday life of students at the Dormitory of Ľ. Štúr was connected also with broadcasting

of the dormitory radio INRO established in 1968. Since that time almost 200 members participated in the broadcasting activities. They regularly meet during one weekend in May at INRO celebrations and remember their student year spent in the radio.

The INRO broadcasting studio is located on the third floor of the C block at the dormitory and the radio broadcast via wiring directly to the rooms. The radio broadcast from Monday to Thursday (19:00 – 24:00) except the time of exams and holidays and offered shows like INRO Chartshow, Hardchart, KONAŽE, spoken word, shows from archive and shows of contemporary musical styles with advertisement jingles and theme songs produced by the INRO radio. In addition, INRO organised discos, balls and provided sound systems for various student events, and often cooperated with the WORLD klub. INRO was in close touch with other dormitory radio stations from all over Slovakia, and they regularly took part in competitions like AZZ and Radiorally, where INRO was also awarded several prizes.

The students of the Technical University in Zvolen lived an intense student life. The ball season was three times a year. In autumn, every Faculty organised matriculation ball for the first graders; after the winter semester there was a ball typical for the half of the studies and at the end of the fifth grade there was a graduate ball. Other traditional activities included building the maypoles (students of forestry) and totem poles (students of wood sciences), and establishment of two new faculties brought also new initiatives. One of the most significant changes was the increased number of female students, since almost three quarters of the students of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies were girls. During the first few years the newly established faculties did not have the fourth graders that would act as “God parents“ to the first

graders; therefore the students of forestry were the God parents to the students of ecology and students of wood science to the students of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology. Few years later also the students of ecology and mechanical engineering were able to continue in this tradition and introduce the first graders

into the student life. In 1996 the ecology students organised for the first time matriculation theatre performance as a response to the performance organised by students of forestry. Matriculation performances consisted variety of sketches humorously depicting the university life and mocking the students of other faculties.

2002 – 2012

Ján Tuček – Mikuláš Šupín

Awide range of adjectives can be attributed to the period from 2002 to 2012 in the life of the TUZVO – we can look for its exceptional features and events or strive for a concise overall description, focus on detailed facts, emphasize its most significant advantages and successes, or, on the contrary, analyse failures and shortcomings.

The circumstances of the financial and economic crisis from the more general ones and the process of complex accreditation of higher education institutions with an emphasis on the academic community certainly belong to those characteristic, important, and generally acting phenomena. The internationalization of the Slovak academic space and the opening of the fundings, grants and subsidies from the operational programs of the European Union was certainly an extremely intense external determinant. These circumstances were so significant that their impact exceeded the evaluated period and significantly affected the period of the next few years as well.

Meeting the strategic goal of the Technical University Long-term Plan for the years 2003 to 2010 and defending its inclusion among universities within the demanding process

of comprehensive accreditation in 2009 rightfully belongs to the most significant results of this, but also longer development period. It was the logical outcome of a multi-year complex and demanding development stage of the implementation of the three-level study model and the university integration into the European Research and Education Area. However, we have achieved much more extraordinary results, as we provide in the following sections of this chapter.

External Factors and Circumstances

The Technical University in Zvolen (hereinafter referred to as TUZVO) has always been an integral part of the higher education system in Slovakia. The demanding conditions also in the evaluated period were affected by the economic performance of the society, the political decisions of the government and relevant ministries, as well as the activities of individual entities, including universities. The research activities and education at the TUZVO were significantly affected by these conditions.

In the year 2002, the history of the TU in Zvolen was full of significant changes. From 1st April 2002, new laws regarding higher education in Slovakia came into force, primarily the Law on Higher Education No. 131/2002 Coll. While the previous Law on Higher Education No. 172/1990 Coll. mainly restored academic freedoms, the new Law on Higher Education continued with reforms, among other things, by introducing mandatory 3-level higher education and the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), but also by increasing the economic independence of higher education institutions. Under these conditions, on 31st March 2002 the TU in Zvolen was no longer a state budgetary organization and from 1st April 2002, it became a public university.

The most important trends in the period in the field of higher education institutions in Slovakia must certainly include an increase in their number and the diversification of activities. There were already 20 public, 3 state, and 7 private universities operating on the education market. Despite the demanding accreditation process, the necessary significant reduction in the number of study programmes did not occur. A further increase in the number of programs in humanities, and social fields, universities reflected society interest in these attractive fields. Technical, natural science, but also agricultural fields were not so wanted due to their difficulty. The number of university students grew continuously, while funding sources increased only slightly. The result was a decrease in the amount of subsidy per student. In the long term, the situation was complicated by the unfavourable demographic development of the Slovak population. All these facts in the given period were further aggravated by the impact of the economic crisis.

From an economic point of view, two further circumstances were of similar fundamental importance. On 1st May 2004, Slovakia joined the European Union and acquired all the benefits, but also the risks and obligations resulting from it. Tough competition in the field of research, pedagogy and in the development and functioning of the university became an everyday reality. In a way, the adoption of the euro as a currency in Slovakia on 1st January 2009 can be considered the symbolic completion of these processes. The reform of higher education taking place in Slovakia at the beginning of the new millennium therefore also had its economic dimension, which affected several economic aspects of the activities of universities. Subsidies to universities were reduced. The requirement for multi-source financing, mobilization of internal reserves and energy conservation affected significantly running the university. The entire life of the University was thus marked by meeting the measures taken to eliminate the University’s internal debt, the University was burdened with.

Background and Structural, Organizational, and Other Changes

At the beginning of the decade 2002-2012, the Technical University in Zvolen could already be considered a stabilized and, according to the most important indicators, successful research and educational institution with a balanced organizational structure and the background of supporting workplaces, a solid scientific research base with qualified academic teaching staff. In terms of the number of students, the TUZVO was one of the smallest universities in this period.

Almost 5,000 students at all levels and in both forms made up only a little more than two percent of the total number of students in Slovakia. The offered study programmes also focused on quite narrow and specific fields of forestry, wood processing, ecology, and environmental studies. However, society’s need for specialists in these areas was relatively low and limited. Staying on the provision of a limited number of study programmes was already considered risky in the past, therefore, in addition to the traditional Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology new faculties were created – the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies was established in 1991 and the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology in 1996. This tendency continued with the further gradual expansion of the activities of the faculties to specifically focused fields –economic (management and financing), artistic (furniture and interior design), and technical areas (protection of persons and property).

Despite the successful changes leading to a certain stabilization, the management of the University and the Faculties had to continue to respond flexibly to changes in conditions and seek a balance between the advantages of uniqueness with narrow specialization or the need for diversification, operating in the region or the need for international cooperation. The complex situation in the field of higher education financing, especially the emphasis on merit and quality in the allocation of subsidies to higher education institutions by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic (MŠVVŠ SR), the growth in competition, literally the fight for students, placed high demands on increasing the

performance and competitiveness of the TUZVO in maintaining the high-quality education so that legitimate high demands on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of graduates are taken into account.

University

There were not many real structural changes and organizational measures or projects at the University over the decade. On the other hand, the filling of individual positions in academic selfgoverning bodies was in permanent development. The described ten-year-long period was interrupted by four election periods of rectors, which predetermined the dynamics of changes in other positions as well.

In the election period 2000 – 2004, the Rector was Dr. H. c. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc. Prof. Ing. Milan Mikleš, Dr. Sc. was the Vice-rector for Education. After being elected the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology in 2003, he was replaced by Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc. The position of the Vice-rector for Science and Research and International Relationships was held until 2003 by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Eva Križová, PhD. Subsequently, the vice-rector office was divided into two parts, and the Vice-rector for International Relationships continued to be Assoc. Prof. Ing. Eva Križová, PhD. Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Tuček, CSc. became the Vice-rector for Science and Research. Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Šimko, CSc. was in the position of the Vice-rector for Development during the entire election period.

In the election period 2004 – 2008, the Rector was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Tuček, CSc. The Vicerector for Education was Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc. Until 2006, the Vice-rector for Science

and Research was Prof. RNDr. Marián Babiak, PhD., who was replaced by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anna Danihelová, PhD. The Vice-rector for International Relationships Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Víglaský, CSc., and the Vice-rector for Development Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc., performed their functions throughout the election period.

In the years 2008 – 2012, the position of Rector was held by Prof. Ing. Ján Tuček, CSc. for the second time. Until 2011, the Vice-rector for Education was Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc., who was changed in his position by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Javorek, CSc. The Vice-rector for Science and Research Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anna Danihelová, PhD., and the Vice-rector for International Relationships Assoc. Prof. Ing. Rastislav Šulek, PhD., performed their functions until the end of the election period. The Vice-rector for development Assoc Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc., was replaced by Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Danica Kačíková, PhD. in 2009.

In the 2012 – 2017 election period, Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD was the Rector. The Vice-Rector for Education RNDr. Andrej Jankech, PhD., and the Vice-rector for Science and Research Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka performed their functions until the end of the election period. Assoc. Prof. Ing., Rastislav Šulek, PhD.,Vice-rector for international relationship was replaced by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branislav Oláh, PhD. in 2016. Vice-rector for development Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Danica Kačíková, PhD., was replaced by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc. in 2017.

In the years 2001 – 2003, the Chairman of the Academic Senate was Assoc. Prof. Ing Ján Tuček, CSc., in the period 2003 – 2005, the position was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Igor Čunderlík, CSc. In the period 2005 – 2011, the Academic Senate was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Suchomel, CSc., and since 2011 by Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc.

In the period 1997 – 2002, Ing. Mária Bíziková was in the position of Bursar. Later, in the decade 2002 – 2012, Ing. Štefan Klacko was the Bursar of the TUZVO. The position of the Head of the Rector´s Office was performed by Ing. Viera Tallová.

The changes in the legislation determining the TUZVO as a public university (along with subsequent changes to the Law on Forests), made it impossible for the University to continue managing forest land owned by the state (and bishop's forests, which were not interested in leasing these forests to the TU in Zvolen). Until this time, it was provided by the School Forest Enterprise. In order to maintain direct links to the university, in 2002, the School Forest Enterprise was transformed into an organizational part of the TUZVO as the University Forest Enterprise of the Technical University in Zvolen and long-term lease agreements were concluded with the administrator of the state property, which was the enterprise Forest of the Slovak Republic Banská Bystrica.

Other organizational changes at the University include the establishment of the Institute of Physical Education and Sports in 2003, the Centre of Continuing Education, the Centre for Information Technology and the Publishing House in 2004, and the creation of the Centre for Copying Services in 2005. However, in most cases, it was only a matter of reorganization or a new arrangement of the originally existing parts of the university.

The Institute of Physical Education and Sports was an organizational part of the Faculty of Forestry as the Department of Physical Education until 2003, and later the Institute of Physical Education with university-wide scope focused on the teaching process as well as recreational activities.

In addition, in cooperation with the sports club Slávia TUZVO, the conditions for performance sports, which traditionally included canoeing, karate, volleyball, and basketball were provided.

The Centre of Continuing Education at the TUZVO (CĎV) was created as a university-wide workplace in accordance with the Law on Higher Education. It followed the successful activity of the Local Centre of Distance Learning, which operated at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. The mission of the Centre of Continuing Education was to organize further education through courses, trainings, seminars, and conferences, to organize studies at the University of the Third Age, and to contribute to ensuring the system of lifelong education at the University.

The Centre for Information Technology was created by the transformation of the previously long-standing Institute of Computing Technology, which was mainly focused on providing the software and the operation of computers under the TUZVO conditions. The activities to ensure the operation of the University Information System, service to computer users, and technical support to employees, as well as operation of the network infrastructure were added to the fields of interest of the Centre.

In the case of the TUZVO Publishing House, it was a change of the position in the structure of the university, expansion of competences in the creation of publications, and addition of the range of services by the creation of the Centre for Copying Services.

Further developments show the correctness of the decisions on the establishment of these organizational components and the existing counter-opinions about the need for other solutions regarding the provision of activities within their scope, including outsourcing were refuted.

However, there were also intentions that were not so viable. For example, the establishment of the University Centre a non-profit organization focused on organizing events of faculties and departments, covering economic contracts or expertise, which disappeared after a few years. In the same way, the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories focused on mechanical engineering as a part of the company Inžiniering drevoobrábacích strojov, p. r. could not operate in the long term. Even though at the Lignumexpo –Les 2006 exhibition in Nitra we exhibited the first machines developed and manufactured within this, even at the time, innovative form of cooperation with the company Kusing Huncovce. The revitalising activities of the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories could not withstand the economic crisis in the second half of the evaluated period.

On the contrary, the establishment of a detached workplace of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology at the Higher Professional School in Volyně in the Czech Republic in 2007 proved to be an interesting solution for providing a bachelor's degree and at the same time an effective tool for increasing the number of foreign students at the University. It can even be said that it was a vivid reminder of the former Czech-Slovak ambitions of the University and the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology from the past when 60% of students were from the Czech Republic.

By achieving a positive financial result in 2005, the basic goal in the field of financing the University was met. The previous negative development was reversed, and we coped with a substantial part of the loss in the creation of the reproduction fund.

In order to achieve this result, extensive analyses of the use of the university's capacities, energy consumption and operating costs were carried out. In addition to several smaller organizational and technical measures, the most significant one was the re-location of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies from Banská Štiavnica to Zvolen in 2006. Despite the complexity and difficulty of preparations, negotiations and implementation, this process was successful. Although this intention was not immediately understood, later developments clearly showed that it was correct and became a contribution to the development of both the Faculty and the University. Several organizational problems in the provision of teaching and operation were eliminated, the integration of the university's parts was restored and mutual links between workplaces were revived, and, finally, there were also savings in operating costs.

In the economic field, several fundamental changes were made during this period in the methodology of creating and fulfilling the university budget. Moreover, following the already mentioned analyses, we conceived it no longer as a breakdown of subsidies, but as a budget in the truest sense of the word. Such an approach resulted in the need to deal with the more intensive application of qualitative criteria in the evaluation of workplaces in accordance with the approach applied by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, but also with the mutual accounting of performances between workplaces, the systematization of workplaces of all parts of the University, etc. At the same time, it was concluded that further development will no longer be possible based on the search for savings at workplaces, but by increasing the performance

of workplaces in obtaining non-subsidy resources, cooperation of the university parts in order to obtain large cross-sectional and international projects, the results of which were also reflected in the pedagogical and scientific research activities of the University as a whole.

The preparation, creation of projects, their management, and the implementation of the results have always been administratively difficult. Therefore, a new specialized organizational unit of the Rectorate – the Project Management Department was established at the TUZVO in 2010. Its task was to ensure and provide support for all activities related to the preparation of grant applications, including project management, material implementation, and agenda management.

In the field of pedagogy, the most important task and positive result of the period since 2003 was mastering the process of accreditation of study programmes, accreditation of rights to carry out habilitation proceedings, and proceedings for the appointment of a professor, including the full implementation of the three-level study model and ECTS principles in accordance with the gradually introduced legislation. The preparations also culminated and the process of accreditation of study programmes and comprehensive accreditation of the University in accordance with Law No. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education began.

The international dimension of higher education in the Bologna process, which was already intensively used throughout the European Union during this period, represented a qualitatively completely new phenomenon for Slovak universities and the TUZVO in particular. It gave students the opportunity to obtain not only a high-quality and flexible education, but also

expanded their chances on the international labour market. A key role in the integration into these processes was played by the information related to the universities provided publicly. The University cooperated closely in publishing the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) information package. In 2005, comprehensive information and promotional material were published in English about the TU in Zvolen providing basic information about the University together with detailed information about study opportunities for foreign students as well.

Faculties

Individual faculties and other organizational parts of the University were also stabilized during this period. In order to simplify the commentary, in the following text, we will use data relating to the middle of the evaluated decade (the year 2007) and its end (the year 2012) as reference.

In the year 2007, the Faculty of Forestry was divided into eight departments (heads of the departments are mentioned in brackets):

Department of Economics and Management of Forestry (Prof. Ing. Iveta Hajdúchová, PhD.), Department of Phytology (Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, PhD.), Department of Forest Management and Geodesy (Prof. Ing. Anton Žíhlavník, CSc.),

Department of Forest Exploitation and Mechanization (Prof. Ing. Valéria Messingerová, CSc.),

Department of Forest Constructions and Ameliorations (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavol Dvorščák, PhD.), Department of Forest Protection and Game Management (Prof. Ing. Peter Garaj, CSc.),

Department of Silviculture (Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc.), and Department of Natural Environment (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Gregor, CSc.).

Until the year 2012, no changes in the structure of the Faculty of Forestry occurred, however, several heads of the departments changed. Assoc. Prof. Ing Marek Fabrika, PhD became the head of the Department of Forest Management and Geodesy. The head of the Department of Forest Exploitation and Mechanization was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Suchomel, CSc., the head of the Department of Forest Constructions and Ameliorations Prof. Ing. Matúš Jakubis, PhD., and the head of the Department of Natural Environment Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Škvarenina, CSc. In the year 2007, 18 professors, 19 associate professors, 32 assistant professors, 28 researchers, and 29 other staff were employed at the departments of the Faculty of Forestry. The qualification structure and number of employees were stable as in the year 2012, 14 professors, 25 associate professors, 35 assistant professors, 36 researchers, and 31 other staff were at the departments. The number of researchers and other staff fluctuated depending on the number of project grants from the EU structural funds, where such positions were planned for the purpose of each project.

In the years 2000 – 2008, Prof. Ing. Štefan Žíhlavník, CSc. was the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry. In the year 2007, the Vice-dean for Scientific and Research Work was Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc., the Vice-dean for Education Prof. Ing. Matúš Jakubis, PhD., and the Vice-dean for Development and Foreign Relations was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Viliam Pichler. In the years 1997 – 2012, the position of the Chairman of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Forestry was held by Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc.

In the years 2008 – 2012, Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc was the Dean of the Faculty and Prof. Ing. Matúš Jakubis, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Viliam Pichler, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka and since the year 2009 Prof. Ing. Valéria Messingerová, CSc held the positions of Vice-deans.

In the year 2012, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ing. Viliam Pichler was elected the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and the Vice-dean for Education Prof. Ing. Valéria Messingerová, CSc., the Vicedean for Scientific and Research Work was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Kmeť, PhD., and the Vice-dean for Development and Foreign Relations was Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc.

Ing. Helena Gibasová held the position as a Head of Dean's Office. Since the year 2012, the Chairman of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Forestry was Assoc. Prof. Ing. Katarína Střelcová, PhD.

In the year 2007, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology consisted of eleven departments (heads of the departments are mentioned in brackets): Department of Wood Science (Prof. Ing. Ján Dubovský, CSc.), Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Milan Matejdes,

CSc.), Department of Physics, and Applied Mechanics (Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Milada Gajtanska, CSc.), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies (Prof. RNDr. František Kačík, PhD.), Department of Mechanical Wood Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Klement, CSc.), Department of Furniture and Wood Products (Prof. Ing. Ján Zemiar, PhD.), Department of Furniture Design and Wood Products (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavol Joščák, CSc.), Department of Woodworking (Prof. Ing. Ladislav Dzurenda, PhD.), Department of Enterprise Management (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Rastislav Rajnoha, PhD.), Department of Marketing, Trade and World Forestry (Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.), and Department of Fire Protection (Prof. Ing. Anton Osvald, CSc.).

Until the year 2012, no changes in the structure of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology occurred, however, several heads of the departments changed. Dr. h. c. Prof. RNDr. Marián Babiak, PhD., became a head of the Department of Wood Science, Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Marta Laurová, PhD the head of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavol

Joščák, CSc. the head of the Department of Furniture and Wood Products, Prof. Ing. Anna Šatanová, CSc. the head of the Department of Enterprise Management, René Baďura M.F.A. the head of the Department of Furniture Design and Wood Products, and PaedDr. Peter Polakovič, PhD. the head of the Department of Fire Protection. 19 professors, 28 associate professors, 58 assistant professors, 23 researchers, and 37 white collar workers were employed at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in 2007. In the year 2012, 14 professors, 27 associate professors, 62 assistant professors, 19 researchers and 33 white collar workers were at the Faculty.

• Participants in the 7RP INTEGRAL Project meeting at the TUZVO

In the years 2001 – 2005, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Štefan Barcík, PhD. held the position of the Dean of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. In the years 2005 – 2009, Prof. Ing. Igor Čunderlík, CSc., became the Dean of the Faculty, Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Danica Kačíková, PhD. was the Vice-dean for Education, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Anton Geffert the Vice-dean for Research, PhD., and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Štefko, CSc. the Vice-dean for Development. Ing. Alena Macoszková was the Head of the Faculty Dean's Office.

Since 2009, the management of the Faculty of Woodwork has worked in the composition of:

Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Siklienka, PhD. – Dean, RNDr. Andrej Jankech, PhD. – Vice-dean for Education (since 2012 Ing. Adrián Banski, PhD.), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Sedliačik, PhD. – Vice-dean for Research and Further Education, Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Hubert Paluš, PhD. – Vice-dean for Foreign Relations and Development of the Faculty.

The position of the Chairman of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Štefan Barcík, PhD., (2000 – 2002), Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Siklienka, CSc., (2003 – 2007), and Assoc.

Prof. RNDr. Iveta Marková, PhD., (2007 – 2011).

Since the year 2011 Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc became the Chairman of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology.

The Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences was divided into following six Departments in 2007 (heads of the departments are mentioned in brackets): Department of Applied Ecology (Ing. Vladimír Kunca, PhD.), Department of Biology and General Ecology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Slavomír Stašiov, PhD.), Department of Environmental Engineering (Prof. Mgr. Juraj Ladomerský, CSc.), Department of Landscape

Planning and Creation (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Peter Jančura, PhD.), Department of Social Sciences, and UNESCO Chair for Ecological Awareness and Sustainable Development (JUDr. Emil Čerkala, PhD.) (since 1st September 2018 both departments were merged).

Until the year 2012, no changes in the structure of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Ecology occurred, however, the heads of the Department of Environmental Engineering changed (until 1st July 2012 – Prof. Mgr. Juraj Ladomerský, CSc., since 1st July 2012

– Prof. Ing. Dagmar Samešová, PhD.).

7 professors, 10 associate professors, 26 assistant professors, 7 researchers, 10 technicians and 4 white collar workers were employed at the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. After some fluctuations caused by changing the seat of the Faculty, the qualification structure of professors and associate professors can be considered stable.

In 2000 – 2003, the position of the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Ecology was held by Prof. Ing. Ivan Vološčuk, DrSc. In the years 2003 – 2004, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vladimír Konrád, CSc. was put in charge to be the Dean and subsequently, he was officially elected the Dean for the years 2004 – 2005.

At that time, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Karol Kočík, PhD. (2001 – 2003), Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Dagmar Sláviková, CSc. (1995 – 2002), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vladimír Konrád, CSc. (2000 – 2003), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tibor Benčať, CSc. (2003 – 2007), Prof. RNDr. Oľga Kontrišová, CSc. (2004 – 2007), Ing. Branislav Olah, PhD. (2004 – 2007) held the position of Vice-deans.

In the year 2005, Ing. Karol Kočík, PhD. was put in charge to be the Dean and subsequently,

he was officially elected the Dean for the years 2005 – 2009. Other academics were the Vicedeans for education Prof. Ing. Tibor Benčať, CSc. (until the year 2007) and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Dagmar Samešová, PhD. (until the year 2011), the Vicedeans for Science and Research Prof. RNDr. Oľga Kontrišová, CSc. (until the year 2008) and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branko Slobodník, PhD. (until the year 2009), as well as the previous Vice-dean for Development and International Relations (until the year 2009) Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branislav Olah, PhD.

From 2009 to 2013, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branko Slobodník, PhD. was elected the Dean of the Faculty, and the Vice-deans were Ing. Magdaléna Pichlerová, PhD. (development and international relations), Ing. Juraj Modranský, PhD. (education), and Ing. Michal Wiezik, PhD. (research, science and PhD. studies).

In the year 2007, the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology consisted of seven departments (heads of the departments are mentioned in brackets): Department of Woodworking Machines and Equipment (Prof. Ing. Ivan Makovíny, CSc.), Department of Environmental Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Černecký, CSc.), Department of Informatics, and Automation Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ľudovít Šípoš, CSc.), Department of Forest and Mobile Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Holík, CSc.), Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ferdinand Bodnár, CSc.), Department of Technical Management (Prof. Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc.), and Department of Manufacturing Technology and Substances (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Peter Šugár, CSc.).

Until the year 2012, no changes in the structure of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology occurred, however, several heads of the departments changed. Assoc Prof. Ing. Ján

Svoreň, CSc. became the head of the Department of Woodworking Machines and Equipment, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Naščák, CSc the head of the Department of Informatics and Automation Technology, Prof. Ing. Milan Mikleš, DrSc. The head of the Department of Forest and Mobile Technology, Prof. Ing. Jozef Víglaský, CSc. The head of the Department of Technical Management, and Ing. Daniela Kalincová, PhD. the head of the Department of Manufacturing Technology and Substances.

3 professors, 10 associate professors, 22 assistant professors, 2 researchers and 13 white collar workers were responsible for education, scientific and research activities and other activities at the Faculty.

The position of the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology was performed by Prof. Ing. Ján Zelený, CSc. (1996 – 2003), Prof. Ing. Milan Mikleš, DrSc. (2003 – 2011), and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Marián Kučera, PhD. (2011 – 2015).

The positions of the Vice-deans were performed by Prof. Ing. Milan Danko, CSc. (1996 – 2003), Prof. Ing. Jozef Šuriansky, CSc. (2000 – 2003), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Tuhársky, CSc. (2001 – 2003), Assoc Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Naščák, CSc. (2003 – 2007), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Marko, CSc. (2003 – 2007), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Javorek, CSc. (2003 – 2007), Ing. Pavol Beňo, PhD. (2007).

In the year 2012, the position of the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Marián Kučera, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branislav Danko, PhD. was the Vice-dean for Education and Promoting the Faculty, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Beňo, PhD. the Vicedean for Development, International Relations, and Economic Activities, Ing. Ján Kováč, PhD. the Vicedean for Science, Research and PhD. Studies.

• Building of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences after another change of its headquarters, adapting and reconstructing the original administrative building of the Development Workshops and Laboratories in the TUZVO campus in Zvolen

• Furniture for art and craft manufacture (Bachelor thesis), design: Annamária Dovalová

The position of the Chairman of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology was performed by: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Marko, CSc., (1996 – 2003), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Tuhársky, CSc., (2003 – 2006), Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Černecký, CSc., (2006 – 2007), 2012 – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Černecký, CSc.

The position of the Head of the Faculty Dean's Office was held by PhDr. Peter Gašperan (1996 –2003) and Ing. Magdaléna Klacková (2003 – 2012).

Other Organisational Parts of the TUZVO

Apart from the changes regarding the University Forest Enterprise, the Centre for Information Technology, the Centre for Continuing Education and the TUZVO Publishing House, there were no other major changes in the composition of the other organisational parts or in the focus of their activities. The Institute of Foreign Languages, the Borová Hora Arboretum, The Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences, the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories and the Ľudovít Štúr Student Dormitory and Canteen have retained their status from the previous period.

Until 2010, the head of the Institute of Foreign Languages was Danica Dvořáková and after her retirement she was replaced by Marek Lupták. The head of the Institute of Physical Education and Sports was Ján Prachár until 2004. He was also replaced by Peter Polakovič after his retirement. Until 2004, the director of the University Forest Enterprise was Ing. Ján Malko and in 2004 and 2005 Ing. Tibor Lebocky. From 2005 to 2012, Ing. Igor Olajec became the director. The director of the Borová Hora Arboretum was held by Assoc. Prof. Ing Ivan Lukáčik, CSc. for a long time from 1996 and

also from 2002 – 2012. At the same time, he was a member of a teaching staff of the Department of Silviculture at the Faculty of Forestry. In 1998 –2004, Ing. Elena Žíhlavníková was the director of the Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences, since 2004 the position of director was performed by Ing. Alena Poláčiková. Until 2004, the director of the Centre of Information Technology was Ing. Ján Válka, in the years 2004 – 2007 Ing. Miroslav Gecovič and since 2007 Ing. Tibor Weiss. In 2001 – 2006, the director of the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories was Ing. Peter Pavelka. Since 2006, the position of director was performed by Ing. Jaroslav Ohanka, CSc. He was the director of the Ľudovít Štúr Student Dormitory and Canteen until 2011 Ing. Martin Šiagi, who was replaced by Ing. Zuzana Zelemová. She has been the head of the Publishing House since 1995 PhDr. Eva Fekiačová and has been the head of the Further Education Center since its inception in 2004 Ing. Erik Selecký, PhD.

Education at the TUZVO

With regard to the external factors described above, the period 2002 – 2012 can be divided into two parts. The fundamental dividing line is the introduction of the three-level model of study, including the corresponding accreditation of the system of study programmes, as well as the process of comprehensive accreditation in 2007. One of the goals of the accreditation was to divide higher education institutions in Slovakia into universities and other institutions providing higher education, including subsequent impact on the method of their financing.

However, in contemporary documents, even the first part of the period was considered to be the result of significant changes and transformational

processes with the beginning diversification of higher education, an increase in the number of students and changes in the legislative and economic environment. Under these conditions, the TUZVO searched for adequate spheres of its activity and responded to social and socioeconomic changes by offering suitable fields of study, branches, and specializations.

In the academic year 2001 – 2002, the students at the Faculty of Forestry studied in four fields – forestry, management and financing of forest enterprises, forest ecology, and applied zoology and hunting. At the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, there were six study branches – wood engineering, furniture design, business management, wood processing, fire protection, and interior design. The Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies offered two branches of study – applied ecology, and environmental studies, and the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology offered one field of study – machine and equipment engineering.

Some departments offered another possible specialization of the students – there were six at the Faculty of Forestry, fourteen at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, four at the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and four at the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology. Except for forestry, woodworking, and fire protection, provided also in the part-time form of study, the other branches of study were available only in the full-time form of study. All study was provided in master’s study programmes, only interior design was provided only in Bachelor’s degree. Even though certain elements of the credit system were already applied at the faculties and in some study programmes in the previous period, this system became generally mandatory in the academic year 2002 – 2003.

During this period, the activities of the Local Distance Education Centre at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology were approaching an end. The main programme of the Centre was the 9-semester distance study program Enterprise Management. Lifelong education in the form of the University of the Third Age was part of the educational process. Several six-semester study fields (Land Ecology and Nature Conservation, Ornamental and Medicinal plants, Healthcare, Information Technology and Its Use, Philosophy and Ethics, Psychology, Foreign Language Course, Human Nutrition) were offered. In the academic year 2001 – 2002, 62 students in total attended the courses. In cooperation with the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, the TUZVO regularly organized an additional teacher training course for full-time students and graduates, as well as employees. Due to the great interest, the capacity of around 70 students every two years must be exceeded. These activities were provided by the Centre for Continuing Education.

Since the academic year 2005 – 2006, the University offered students a comprehensive set of new study programmes meeting all the requirements of the three-level education model and the credit transfer system accredited gradually since 2003. Primarily, the University focused on the traditional fields of forestry and hunting, woodworking, furniture and interior design, ecology and environmental sciences, and environmental and production technology. Other programmes were aimed at sectoral economics and management, enterprise economics and management, fire protection of people and property, and fire and rescue services. The study programme Economics and Management of Natural Resources designed by the university can be considered a novelty.

• Defence of the semester projects in the study field of Furniture Design, or Interior Design (2011)

• Transfoarmchair – the winning project in the International Design Award 2009 (Hettich), design: Lukáš Priečko

Several faculties, especially economically oriented workplaces covered the courses in the study programme – the Department of Economics and Management of Forestry at the Faculty of Forestry, the Department of Business Economics and the Department of Marketing, Trade and World Forestry at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. In total, there were 60 programmes, in the full-time and part-time forms of study, of which 24 were in the bachelor’s degree, 21 in the master’s degree and 15 in the PhD. degree.

The range of offered programmes expanded again (the impression of a significant increase was attributed primarily to the consistent differentiation of study programmes according to the form of their provision – full-time, part-time) based on the results of the comprehensive (first periodical) accreditation. In accordance with the valid legislation, the University applied for it in 2007, and the process was completed in 2009 with an evaluation of the period 2001 –2006. During the accreditation, the University was granted the right to provide 107 study programmes, of which 40 in bachelor’s, 39 in master’s, and 28 in PhD. degrees.

In the long-term perspective, positive trends in the number of students continued in the evaluated period. The number of PhD. students also gradually increased and stayed at the level of 9-10% of the total number of students. However, in the last years of the evaluated period, it decreased to the level of approx. 6.0%, which mainly reflects the reduction in the number of part-time students and the number of places allocated by the Ministry. Most of the study programmes also had an accredited part-time form of study, with a ratio of 30-35% of the total number of students.

Even though, the historical maximum number of students was reached in this period, the TUZVO did not follow the general trends of an increase in the number of students, which was manifested especially in some of the newly created universities. In addition to capacity reasons, narrow and specialized focus, and the emphasis on quality and not quantity in educational activities declared by the decisions of the individual bodies of the University can be considered the reason. On the other hand, such reserved behaviour of the University compared to most other universities in Slovakia caused a decrease in the performance share of all institutions.

In the academic year 2011 – 2012, the University already had a rebuilt and verified study system in accordance with the relevant legal regulations and the university’s ambitions in the Slovak and European educational space. The structure of the education was exclusively three-level with a consistent application of the credit evaluation and transfer system (ECTS). A total of 4,880 students enrolled, of which 1,893 were in the first years of bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The number of enrolled foreign students was 136. The development of interest in studying at the university was documented by a total of 3,792 registered applications for studies in the first and second degrees. Compared to the previous year, it was 831 less. For the first time after six academic years, there was a continuous decrease in the number of registered students. The decline in the number of applicants at that time reflected the population decline, with which secondary schools had already begun to struggle. However, as it was later confirmed, the first signals from secondary and primary schools confirmed the beginning of a long-term and intensive trend, which gradually escalated.

The implementation of the project “Creation of Study Programmes in a World Language and Support for the Teaching of Foreign Languages at the Technical University in Zvolen“ was one of the tools for achieving the openness of the University in accordance with the strategic goal –internationalization of studies, and thus gaining a more significant position within the international educational and scientific research space. In 2010, the University received a non-refundable financial contribution of 1 million euros from the European Social Fund, operational program Education. Three study programmes in the master’s degree (Furniture and Interior Design, Production and Utilization of Wood Products, Forestry and Wildlife Management) and one in the PhD. degree (Adaptive Forestry and Wildlife Management) were prepared. Not only their curricula were created, but also the basic study literature of the courses in the English language. After overcoming the difficulties of accreditation and the start of the new system of study programmes, attention in the university environment was focused on solving their qualitative aspects. They talked about the need for improvement, mutual harmonization, duplications, or, on the contrary, the search for breakthroughs in courses that could be provided on a university basis. The goal was the possibility of the use of the principles of self-profiling and the transfer of credits for students, while at the same time reducing the high teacher workload along with saving costs. Attention was also focused on the organisational problems of teaching, the use of spaces, the minimum required number of students in groups, etc.

Science and Research

The results in scientific research and artistic activity in the evaluated period 2002 – 2012 also influenced all other activities of the university, including educational activities, international cooperation, material development, as well as cooperation with practice. Above all, they had a dominant position in the results of the university evaluation. Scientific, research, and artistic activity therefore belonged to the most important elements of the university development strategy. Following the results of the comprehensive accreditation, the status of a university higher education institution was confirmed in 2009 and at the same time the University was awarded a certificate of ability to carry out research and development.

In this period, the funds for the implementation of research activities were obtained, primarily from domestic sources. In a long-term perspective, it was possible to state positive trends. The volume of funds for scientific and research activity in the subsidy gradually increased since 2003, and in 2010 it reached more than double the original volume. In absolute terms, the amount of this subsidy was almost 4 million crowns. The TUZVO had a good position among universities in Slovakia, in resource acquisition, it was among the first ten universities for a long time. This fact was even more pronounced when recalculating the volume of resources obtained per one creative worker. However, from a short-term perspective, towards the end of the evaluated period, there is a temporary decrease in the performance of the university in terms of the volume of funds obtained, even though the total number of projects did not change significantly. The number and amount of funding received

for bilateral international projects increased dynamically when the number of such projects tripled, and the volume of funds received doubled. In accordance with internal intentions, already at that time the focus of resources was on projects financed by the Slovak Research and Development Agency, while in 2011 we dealt with 14 projects supported by this agency with a total amount of funding of almost EUR 700,000. It represented more than 50% of the total amount for this field.

Unfortunately, the reduction in the number and amount of funding for international research grants continued. Because the University did not enter new projects, the amount of funding obtained stagnated and was very low both absolutely and relatively. At least some compensation was provided by the already mentioned increase in the number of bilateral projects. Even though it was a qualitatively completely different category, these projects played an important role in the search for partnerships and prospective involvement in new projects, together with the activities of COST.

Employees of the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology obtained foreign grants from the Framework Programmes (6th and 7th FP) financed by the European Commission. Specifically, it was the EVOLTREE projects – EVOLution of TREEs as drivers of terrestrial biodiversity, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, CSc.; TREEBREEDEX –A Working Model Network of Tree Improvement for Competitive, Multifunctional, and Sustainable European Forestry, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule, CSc.; EFORWOOD – Tools for Sustainability Impact Assessment of Forestry –Wood Chain, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc.; INT-ER-LINK – Promoting INTernational Cooperation for Environment Research Through

Dissemination and Networking Activities, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc.; and INNOVAWOOD – An Innovation Strategy to Integrate Industry Needs and Research Capability in the European Forestry Wood Chain, principal investigator: Dr. h. c. Prof. h. c. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.

In addition to resources from research agencies - the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV), the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic (VEGA), the Cultural and Educational Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic (KEGA), the University gradually obtained resources from the Agency of the Ministry of Education for Structural EU funds (ASFEU) for projects so-called centres of excellence. These were built mainly at the Faculty of Forestry with the involvement of selected workplaces at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. The TUZVO was the applicant in three of these projects: Centre of Excellence: Adaptive Forest Ecosystems, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc.; completion of the Centre of Excellence: Adaptive Forest Ecosystems, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc.; and the Centre of Excellence for Decision Support in Forests and Landscapes, principal investigator: Prof. Ing. Ján Tuček, CSc. In the other three projects, the University held the position of co-investigator: Centre of Excellence for Integrated Research on the Earth's Geosphere, principal investigator: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Bebej, CSc.; Centre of excellence: Use of Wood Ash in Forestry, principal investigator: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Juraj Gregor, CSc.; and the Centre of Excellence for Integrated Watershed Management under Changing Environmental Conditions, principal investigator: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Katarína Střelcová, CSc.

The publication of the acquired knowledge is the basic form of presentation of the results of scientific research activity. In the evaluated period, the TUZVO workers still produced primarily publications classified as group ''C'' (contributions published at scientific conferences and scientific works published in non-indexed journals). The number of publications in ISIindexed journals gradually increased after a slight decrease (in 2008) but was still far from reaching the necessary and expected level.

The organization of scientific research activities aimed at increasing the number of projects solving cross-sectional and broadly conceived tasks using the cooperation of experts, workplaces, facilities, and resources of the TUZVO, research workplaces in Zvolen, and the region, within Slovakia, as also in the European area. Several high-quality, highly specialized workplaces were built or significantly expanded at the TUZVO during the evaluated period, e.g., Laboratory for DNA Analysis, Laboratory of Geoinformatics, United National Centre for Research on Temperate Forests, Research Centre for Ecology, Protection, and Wildlife Management, Laboratory of Wood Anatomy and Morphology, Laboratory of Image Analysis, Laboratory of Colorimetry, Microbiology Laboratory, and Laboratory of Mechatronics. Their creating means the university moved into the position of an interesting and potential partner of domestic, but especially foreign projects.

An important element of research activities at the TUZVO has always been the involvement of students of all forms of study in solving research tasks. Annually organized scientific student conferences were a showcase of the best works. At the end of the evaluated period, student scientific and professional activity at the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Wood Sciences and

Technology had a long tradition (46 and 47 years, respectively). Newer faculties continued with this tradition immediately after their establishment, the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology had 6 years and the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 3 years of competitive tours. In the evaluated years, a further increase in the interest of domestic students as well as students from abroad was recorded. Conferences became international, competition increased, and thus also the quality of the works presented. In addition to the opportunity to participate in the research activities of the university, the Student Scientific Conference also represented an opportunity for students to use and shape their professional interests and develop talent and creative thinking. They could further use the acquired knowledge and experience in solving bachelor's and master’s topics. For some students, it was also a good start to scientific work in the form of PhD. studies.

International Cooperation

After mastering the fields mentioned so far, the real internationalisation of education, science, research, and the use of knowledge, highlighting the position of the University within the European educational and research space, as well as involvement in building a European knowledge society, became vitally important.

Especially at the beginning of the described decade, these processes did not develop smoothly. Even though in the partial fields of international cooperation (such as cooperation agreements, membership in international organisations and institutions, or participation in international events and their organisation) the results of the University were adequate, but still rather isolated and occasional.

The qualitative parameters of the implemented activities did not correspond to the development of this field in general. The real language skills of students and employees, the scope and method of teaching foreign languages and especially teaching in foreign languages resulted in the number of grants obtained for the given purposes and their parameters (mainly the number of students and employees sent abroad and accepted to the University), which were low.

The comprehensive approach to this issue, commented also in the description of changes at the University, as well as educational and research activities went over. The benefit of the extended Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, which the university received for the period between 2008 – 2013, was also fully utilized. The number of mobilities for students and employees of the University gradually increased, and their focus expanded from study stays to internships in companies and training of other university employees. Subsequently, the total amount of funding that the university obtained for these purposes increased as well. By reaching the number of grants at the level of 100 thousand Euros for 2011, the amount of funding doubled again over the past three years. From a qualitative point of view, there was a great shift in the mobility paradigm, from a means to acquire or improve language skills to students’ ideas about the content of their professional studies abroad.

The Scientific Board of the University recommended focusing on intensive programmes in this field – summer schools, courses, and student exchanges. At the end of the evaluated period, it can be stated that this intention was fulfilled, even in terms of quality, when the TUZVO organized several such programmes. In the academic year 2010 – 2011, almost 100 students

participated in four such programmes. The university workplaces prepared two programmes. The intensive Green Emotions programme was highly rated by the participants from the five participating universities, the teachers who worked there, as well as the SAIA staff. As a development potential, it was possible to evaluate the fact that it was prepared by the youngest members of the Department of Furniture Design and Wood Products of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology.

In the field of development of international relations and especially relations with the public in the purposeful building of the so-called goodwill (good name, reputation) and the implementation of activities forming a positive image, it was necessary to pay long-term attention to the implementation and development of the so-called Public Relations. The positive effects, manifested by increased media interest and positive media outputs, had an impact on the perception of the TUZVO as a top educational and scientific research institution among the public as well as the professional public. At the same time, they contributed to the formation of loyalty and a sense of pride for their alma mater among students and employees of the TUZVO, and at the same time to the development of relations with state and local government authorities and other professional institutions. However, the essential basis was to solve both the content and substantive aspects of this issue, as well as their technological and IT support.

At the beginning of 2005, the reconstruction of the University website began as one of the most important tools for communication with the professionals and the public, especially with those interested in studying at the TUZVO. When choosing the supplier of the editorial system for

the creation of pages, attention was paid to the most progressive approach and application of technology that would withstand the strictest criteria from the point of view of modernity. All important information about the University, including information from the field of international activities, international cooperation in science, research, and education, was gradually available on the pages of the TUZVO website. The website was systematically updated and provided information in both Slovak and English language about the University activities, the possibilities, and conditions of studying at the TUZVO, and at the same time, it was a virtual portal of important institutions of the European Union whose activities are related to the mission and goals of the University.

The introduction of a uniform visual presentation of the Technical University’s in Zvolen and the design of the manual in 2005 contributed to strengthening the University thinking and improving the relationship with its own institution. Since then, the University and its parts had their own logos and a uniform style of the most relevant materials emphasizing its identity and integrity. From the point of view of relations with the public, it was a new important tool for a uniform graphic presentation of the University, which anchored graphic standards and a style in all forms of its external manifestations. It clearly identified and strengthened the image of the TUZVO.

Next to the website, the second most important communication channel of the University was the University Newspaper as a printed medium. Since its establishment in 1993, they have undergone intensive development, they have been gradually expanded, new sections have been added and the emphasis has been placed on current topics. Even

in this decade, they played a positive role, and the graphic design was updated several times. With the direct support of Slovenská sporiteľna, since 2008 they have been published regularly in an enlarged newspaper format and in full colour in increasing circulation. The function of their editor-in-chief was carried out by Ing. Peter Gasperan since 2003.

Development of the TUZVO

During the summer of 2007, the TUZVO started to participate in a project with a really great impact and long-term effect. The project was focused on the implementation of the University Information System. Changes resulting from the introduction of the three-level study model, the credit transfer system, the individualisation of studies, an increase in the number of students, the pressure on the efficient use of TUZVO capacities, but also the working time of each employee were only the main reasons for this change. Due to its complexity, and difficulty, but especially the fact that it really concerned every student and employee, every activity in education, research or organisational activity, every capacity and part of the TUZVO, it was one of the biggest changes in the life of the TUZVO. Perhaps even greater than the introduction of the three-level study model, because only this fundamental change was fully implemented through a well-functioning University Information System.

Despite significant investments and the development of partial information systems, the state of TUZVO ICT technology could still be characterized as unbalanced. On the one hand, it was possible to achieve considerable progress in the modernisation of the data and communication infrastructure of the TUZVO, mainly thanks to investments from the EU structural funds.

As part of these projects, most objects, including the Borová Hora Arboretum, were connected to high-speed Internet with a transmission speed of 10 Gbps, and a new server room with an autonomous energy source was established, with thirty servers allowing data storage in the volume of 20 TB. In the facilities and all premises of the TUZVO, the zones of wireless, mobile, Wi-Fi connection within the international EDUROAM Internet network were established.

The implementation of these projects also enabled the gradual modernization of practically all classrooms, laboratories, and lecture halls. The technologies installed in these spaces and the lecture halls made it possible to record and broadcast lectures and similar activities outside their premises and within the framework of a high-speed Internet connection to the whole world. To obtain information from the University Information Systems students and visitors could use the facilities of the university information and communication system, which consisted of information kiosks, internet web kiosks and monitors of the digital data system, and projections, which can also be used to transmit information from the university lecture halls and other academic, research or other institutions in Slovakia and the world.

On the other hand, the TUZVO still had significant reserves in the field of integration of individual information systems, as well as in the field of security, authorization, authentication, support of user mobility, the level of use of new multimedia technologies, and support for the improvement of ICT skills.

The Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences built and made available its own databases – the Document Database (books,

articles, periodicals), the Publication Activity Evidence Database, and the Authorities Database, made available external electronic information sources and provided temporary free access to electronic information sources. The Library and information system Advanced Rapid Library had the possibility to supplement its functionality so that the Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences provided the TUZVO with services that significantly contributed to the improvement of its scientific and teaching activities.

In the evaluated period from 2008 to 2011, the TUZVO activity was significantly influenced by the results of the annual critical review of the fulfilment of the Long-Term Plan for the years 2003 – 2010 and its updating with the application of the results of the University evaluation according to the EUA methodology in 2007, which only highlighted the critical view of shortcomings known also from domestic procedures. The analyses carried out as part of the comprehensive accreditation completed in 2009 brought a lot of suggestions, but also pointed out problems and shortcomings. Another source of lessons learned during this period was the results of the evaluation of processes and quality management according to the CAF model as part of a project organised by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic in 2009. On our own initiative, we also evaluated the results of the first closed cycle of bachelor’s and master’s studies at the University, or the analysis and design of a new foreign language teaching system at the University.

Human resource management was aimed at stabilising employees, preferably teachers and researchers, along with increasing the qualification level of employees. Consistency was created between the number of jobs and the number and

structure of workers so that each systemized job position was occupied by a professionally competent, qualified employee in compliance with the relevant legal regulations in the field of employment of people and human rights.

The total number of TUZVO employees fell from 819 in 2001 to 736 in 2011 over a period of ten years, i.e., by 83 employees. The reduction in the number of employees, especially in the last five years, was mainly a consequence of the restrictive measures resulting from the economic conditions of the TUZVO. At the end of the evaluated period, the number of teachers was 280, in ten years their number decreased by 16. The number of researchers was approximately at the same level for many years – 72 employees, i.e., did not decrease, due to the ever-increasing expansion of the practice of hiring researchers to solve specific projects.

In the field of qualification growth, there were significant differences in the number of people who obtained the academic title of professor and associate professor. While 19 teachers were awarded the title of professor in the years 2004 – 2007, in the period between 2008 – 2011 there were only four teachers. The same number, nineteen teachers, were awarded the academic title of associate professor in both periods.

On the other hand, a clearly positive development could be observed in the field of teachers – assistant professors with the scientific rank of PhD. compared to teachers without academic rank. While in 2005, there were 70 assistant professors with a scientific rank, compared to 102 assistant professors without a scientific rank, in 2010 there were already 119 assistant professors with a scientific rank, compared to 45 assistant professors without

a scientific rank. Such a trend corresponded to the personnel policy in the employment of graduates of the 3rd degree of university studies. This was an assumption for their scientific, teaching and publishing activities and further qualification growth at TUZVO workplaces. The average age of professors and associate professors, as well as their number, was the most critical for The Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology and the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies.

Plans were being prepared at the faculties to ensure the continuity of study programme guarantees, as the number of study programmes with restrictions on granted rights to their implementation due to the guarantor’s age was growing. Some guarantees were difficult due to the cooperation of professors and associate professors with other universities. There was a similar problem in the granted rights to carry out habilitation and appointment proceedings.

Economy

The first part of the evaluated period, i.e., the years 2002 – 2006, was a period of significant legislative changes in the higher education environment, also in terms of economy, which significantly influenced the teaching, scientific, research as well as economic activities of universities.

According to the new law, universities were transformed from budgetary organisations to public institutions. Their financing was suddenly more resource-based, even though the main source was still usually the subsidy provided by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic. However, the subsidy was provided following

the performance parameters, which included the number of students, the finances from domestic and foreign grants, the quality of publication activity, etc. Other sources of finances, mainly through domestic and foreign grants, projects, programmes, and funds, amounted to 10-15% of the subsidy at the TUZVO during this period. Due to its personnel and technological equipment, TUZVO had a reasonable position among other universities in Slovakia in obtaining these resources.

The property settlement in favour of the TUZVO with the subsequent financing of its reconstruction was another significant change resulting from the Law on Higher Education. Enthusiasm for the transfer of the property that the TUZVO had under its management to its ownership quickly gave way to problems arising from the legal obligation to depreciate it and create a reproduction fund for its reconstruction. This new fact significantly affected the previous management results when the management of the TUZVO resulted in a loss in 2002 – 2004.

The change in the approach to the financing of the TUZVO and the adoption of several austerity measures in the next two years of management resulted in the liquidation of the loss and profit in 2005 and 2006. Despite the uneven economic results in the five years under review, several tens of millions of crowns were reinvested in the reconstruction and modernization of the property. Of the larger investment actions that took place between 2002 and 2006, it is necessary to mention the reconstruction of the heating of the TUZVO objects worth 12.1 million SKK, reconstruction of the TUZVO buildings – student dormitory and lecture halls in the value of 6.1 million SKK or reconstruction of the greenhouse, construction of social facilities and fencing in the Arboretum Borová Hora in the value of 2.7 million SKK,

construction of laboratories in Developmental Workshops and Laboratories worth 14.5 million SKK, reconstruction of the roof of the student dormitory after the fire in the value of 1.2 million SKK, reconstruction of the gymnasium and water supply in the value of 1.1 million SKK.

Therefore, the permanent reversal of the tendency of negative economic results, which the TUZVO struggled with until 2004 can be considered the most important positive change. The assessment of long-term management results and the analysis of subsidised and non-subsidised sources of financing showed the need to increase the non-subsidised sources. The material and technical conditions for ensuring the main activity were significantly improved by extensive reconstructions of the main objects of the TUZVO and the modernization of information and communication technology.

As we have already stated, the end of the first decade of the 21st century was significantly affected by the global economic crisis. The participation of the TUZVO in drawing funds from EU structural funds can also be considered one of the most important characteristics of this period. In addition to the direct economic impact, the strategic impact on increasing the quality of the TUZVO infrastructure must be emphasised, thereby creating the prerequisites for further development. It is positive that we got involved in several operational programmes – especially Research and Development, Education, but also the Rural Development Programme and the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, both in the position of applicant and partner. Several faculties, as well as other parts of the University, especially the University Forest Enterprise and the Centre for Continuing Education, were involved in the drawing.

In 2008, the renovated premises of the Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences were opened. The TUZVO invested more than 1 million EUR to improve the equipment and functionality. The investment resulted in the improvement and acceleration of services for students and employees of the TUZVO, but also for the public, especially small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the field of forestry, wood-processing industry, and environment and environmental protection. Access to the world information databases has been improved, accelerated, and facilitated.

At the end of 2010, we completed the first stage of the TUZVO building reconstruction project with a focus on building ICT and technical evaluation of the buildings. At the beginning of 2011, we successfully concluded the substantive implementation of II stages of the project, while the total funds used for these stages represent approximately 6.5 mil. EUR. Construction works culminated in the III stage of the project with a budget of more than 4 mil. EUR. As part of it, in addition to the reconstruction of the buildings of the Developmental Workshops and Laboratories, the construction of a hall of scientific and experimental workplaces with several modern laboratories was also planned. It was, among other things, a virtual reality workplace, at that time the only one in Slovakia focused on modelling and advanced visualization of various processes in the natural environment.

A great project implemented at the TUZVO was the demand-oriented project Reconstruction of TUZVO objects with a focus on building information and communication technologies and technical evaluation of objects with a budget of 11,296,602.87 EUR. Modern high-performance structured cabling was built in all main TUZVO objects and a high-speed network connection between TUZVO objects was implemented. 55

classrooms and 36 TUZVO laboratories and 11 large-capacity lecture halls were modernised; a total of 85 analog video signal projection and control systems were installed supplemented by 11 interactive whiteboards in the lecture halls. This way, the most modern technical conditions for a teaching process were created. The Student Congress Centre and two video conference rooms were also built.

Despite the terrible external and internal economic conditions, we were also successful in financing and investments. During the entire evaluated period, the University achieved a positive economic result every year. The individual bodies of the executive and the academic self-government passed with their approval the innovative methodology of dividing the subsidy and creating the budget, thus we successfully completed several years of relatively complicated development. The adopted solution consistently applied the approaches of the Ministry of education and Sport of the Slovak Republic to the evaluation of universities and the allocation of resources, took into account the internal specific features of the TUZVO, including more objective determination and mutual accounting of performances in the education, and balance of merit and solidarity between workplaces.

For the future development of the TUZVO, investments in the reconstruction of buildings were of particular importance. Even in 2011, despite the general tendency to reduce investments, we completed the renovation of the gymnasium for 100,000 EUR, the renovation of the Arboretum buildings – 80,000 EUR, and during the holidays the renovation of the Student Canteen in the amount for another 55,000 EUR. The work on the main building, with the investment of almost half a million EUR in roof reconstruction and insulation, was also started.

• Meeting of the Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and Prof. Ján Tuček, the TU rector in Zvolen

Cultural, Social and Sports Life

In this field of the TUZVO life, even in the evaluated decade, the work of the University folk ensemble Poľana, special interest clubs, dormitory radio, and sports club Slávia dominated.

The Folk Ensemble Poľana can be considered a permanent representative of cultural activity at the TUZVO throughout its history. The documents underline its irreplaceable place in most official and ceremonial events of a professional and social nature on the one hand, as well as spontaneous action at cultural and entertainment events, such as matriculation ceremonies and theatres, annual entertainments, maypoles, balls, etc.

Over the years of its existence, the WORLD club has become a favourite place to unwind from study duties, a place to make new friends and spend pleasant evenings among friends enriched with valuable cultural experiences. After periods of specific programming in the past, the WORLD club became known to students mainly through discos, where all genres of music were played. Friday evenings were usually dedicated to concerts and performances by live bands. An event called “Hronozvod“ was regularly held, where several groups performed simultaneously. A new tradition of the WORLD club fest was created as a symbolic farewell for students at the end of the academic year.

The daily student life in the student dormitories included the broadcasting of the Dorms Radio (INRO), extremely popular among students. Not only did it celebrate important milestones since its foundation in that decade, but it also did extremely well. In addition, in the years 2005 –2007, its premises and equipment were completely renovated. The technical equipment was also modernised, which enabled high-quality studio

work, as well as the production of programmes. The programme structure was really varied (Oldies and Inro hit parade, KONAŽE – concert on request, interactive session Hot Seat, etc.).

INRO was a regular participant in the Rádiorallye event, a nationwide competition of dorms and amateur radios. From this competition held in 2004, INRO Zvolen advanced to the CIMES 2004 European competition, and Pavel Fecík’s recording “Elephants“ won first place. The French judges even included it in regular radio broadcasts in France. INRO Zvolen also became the most successful dorms radio studio at Rádiorallye 2005 and Rádiorallye 2006.

Sports club Slávia operated under the conditions of the TUZVO for a long time. It offered students and employees the opportunity to relax and renew their strength in the form of active movement. At the same time, it organized several sports events in various sports. In 2007 or 2012, the sports club had 350 / 309 members organised in 12 / 13 sports sections, including those that are traditional and successful for the TUZVO (volleyball, badminton, canoeing).

As Time Passed – Important Events, Anniversaries, Events, Visits

In addition to the traditional events annually repeated in academic life – such as matriculation, examination periods, or graduations –several exceptional events were completed. The years 2002, 2007, and 2012 were significant jubilees for the TUZVO. The 50th, 55th and 60th anniversaries of the founding of the University of Forestry and Wood Technology and its move to Zvolen was commemorated. At the same time, 195, 200, and 205 years passed since the beginning of the history of university forestry studies in Slovakia, the 240th,

245th, and 250th anniversary of the first technical university studies at the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica was also commemorated.

In 2002, the celebrations kept the traditional approach from previous periods characterised by combining the most important events of the year from May to November until the so-called accompanying events. In 2002, we counted 33 of them in the Calendar of Events published in the University Newspaper, and they included most of the more important celebrations and events in the given year.

During the celebrations in 2007, the original concept was already changed. The focus of the university celebrations was mainly at the social and information level and was only associated with celebrations of significant anniversaries. In September, two exhibitions were opened: ''Technical University in Zvolen - present and future (on the premises of the Ľ. Štúr Student Dormitory in Zvolen) and ''Universitas Technica Veterosolii 1807 – 1952 – 2007 (in the Museum in St. Anton). Ceremonial assembly and presentation of commemorative medals and the awards were held in the J. G. Tajovský Theatre in Zvolen in connection with a theatre performance of the Radošina Naive Theatre with the characteristic title Creation of the World.

Several events were also held as part of the celebrations in 2012, such as an exhibition entitled Six Stops in the Life of František Papánek, the unveiling of a memorial plaque to Professor František Papánek or the unveiling of a monument to Professor Miroslav Stolin.

In all cases, the essential part of the celebrations was the academic celebration with an exceptional programme and atmosphere in the TUZVO hall in September. The academic ceremony was enriched by the awarding of the Prize of the

Technical University in Zvolen, the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa TUZVO, and the awarding of awards to TUZVO employees and its partners and was also connected with a cultural programme and the visit of important guests. In 2002, the essential part of the ceremony was the awarding of honorary doctorates to Professor Grantner and Professor Petr, in 2007, the performance of violin virtuoso Petar Michalica, and in 2012, the participation of the President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gašparovič.

The anniversaries of individual parts of the university were also celebrated. Among the more significant, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the University Forest Enterprise in 2008, the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Borová Hora Arboretum in 2005, the 40th anniversary of the founding of the University Publishing House in 2009, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Slovak Library of Forestry and Wood Sciences in 2012, 55th anniversary of the founding of the Folk Ensemble Poľana in 2011 and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the student dormitory radio station INRO in 2009 can be concluded. The Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology first celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2001, its 10th anniversary in 2006, and its 15th anniversary in 2011. Similarly, the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Studies celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2006 and its 20th anniversary in 2011. As usual, in all cases, it was again celebrated with a series of professional and social events.

The academic dimension of university life was highlighted by events every year, such as the Week of Slovak Libraries in March, the ceremonial opening of academic years in September, enriched with special events (e.g., the announcement of the result of comprehensive accreditation in 2009

or several “doctor honoris causa“ graduations of the Technical University in Zvolen), presenting the Rector’s Award to outstanding students on the occasion of the Student Day and the Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy in November, or also in the years 2006 – 2012, the observed tradition of meetings of university employees at the beginning of the calendar year, combined with a theatre performance in the J. G. Tajovský Theatre in Zvolen.

Every year, the University prepared a schedule of scientific and professional events with rich content, including dozens of events. Among the most important professional events, large international events sometimes organised at the level of symposia, often in cooperation with IUFRO working groups or COST committees, must certainly be included. As their examples, we can mention the IUFRO symposium “Population and Evolutionary Genetics“ organised in 2002 in Stará Lesná, the IUFRO conference “Wood Science – Education and Research Programmes in 2004 again in Stará Lesná, the international IUFRO symposium “Wood Structure and Properties“ in 2006 at Kaskády in Sielnica, the IUFRO conference “Legal Aspects of European Forest Sustainable Development“ in 2009 in Zvolen or COST “Implementation of DSS tools into the Forestry Practice 2012“ in Zvolen or the annual meeting of IAWS and “Interaction of Wood with Various Forms of Energy“ in Zvolen in 2012. Three editions of the international conference “Fire Engineering“ organized in Lučenec and Zvolen in 2002, 2006, and 2010 can also be included in the highest category.

The Enviro–I–Forum conferences were held every year between 2005 and 2013 in June or October, the Financing of Forests – Wood conference every year in June or November, exhibition, and competition of works of design

students Awarded by Professor Halabala also in November in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011. Several important professional conferences organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Environment and/or the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic were also held at the university. After the disaster in the High Tatras in 2004, there were three events in 2005 (Forests in the Tatras after the Wind Disaster –As Follows in January, High Tatras – Consequences of the Wind Disaster in Protected Areas and their Solutions in May, and the High Tatras a Year After in November). In 2009, there were two more events focused on rural development. In March, a conference was held on the breeding of The Norik of Muran, and in April, a conference on mitigating the consequences of the global crisis Wood as a Strategic Raw Material. All events were held in the presence of many representatives of the involved ministries, the government, and the parliament, as well as other professionals and public.

Cultural, sports, and social events also illustrated the high diversity of university life in that period. For all of them, we should mention at least the international environmental film festival Envirofilm, held annually in Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, and Banská Štiavnica in the month of May, the festival of university folk ensembles Akademický Zvolen, held in July in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011, Football tournament of three universities held every year in September, maypole building every year in May, Železný Hasič – competition for firefighters organised by the Department of Fire Protection, held every year in December, Hron river rafting every year in June or the Student and Valentine's blood drive event, held annually in November, or in February.

Significant enrichment and expansion of public awareness were represented by the activities connected with the construction of the monument to the Park of Noble Souls in Zvolen. The ceremonial unveiling of its foundation stone took place in 2008 with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico. The unveiling of the glass dominant of the monument in 2009 was extraordinary and attended by the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico, accompanied by the Ambassador of the State of Israel, nine Ministers of the Government of the Slovak Republic, and twelve ambassadors and representatives of foreign embassies in the Slovak Republic. The end of the whole process was the unveiling of the installation called the Path of Humility as part of the monument in 2010, again with the personal participation of the ambassador

of the State of Israel in Slovakia. Since 2009, the Park of Noble Souls monument has been included in the Slovak Route of Jewish Cultural Heritage project within the European Route of Jewish Cultural Heritage, while the entire project bears the designation Great Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.

In the course of the evaluated years, we welcomed several important guests at the university, including the President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič (2004, 2008, 2012), Prime Minister Robert Fico (2008, 2009), Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (2008), Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Ruska ( 2004), the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Zsolt Simon (2005, 2006), the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Stanislav Becík (2009), the Minister of the Environment Lázló Miklós

On 13th November 2005, Ing. Ulrika Cimplová graduated from the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and was awarded the prize of “Grand Prix (Ľudová banka) for Education 2005“. The prize was awarded every year in cooperation with the Slovak Rector's Conference to the best graduates of Slovak universities. For the academic year 2004 – 2005, there were 22 excellent graduates, including our representative.

In the academic year 2007 – 2008, Assoc. Prof. Marek Fabrika, PhD. from the Department of Forest Management and Geodesy of the Faculty of Forestry, TUZVO was awarded the prestigious Werner Siemens Excellence Award for the scientific project SIBYLA – a virtual simulator of forest biodynamics – a mathematical simulation of the behaviour of forest biotopes.

On 26th May 2008, the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic received the certificate on the inclusion of the Carpathian beech forests in the World Heritage List confirmed by the Director General of UNESCO. The record was the result of the work of a Slovak team of experts –foresters and natural scientists, including TUZVO workers.

(2005 – 2006), the Minister of Education Ján Mikolaj (2008), the deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Ivan Mikloš and Mikuláš Dzurinda (2007 ), member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Dušan Čaplovič (2012), as well as other representatives of the state administration and local government, important institutions, enterprises and companies or ambassadors of several countries.

The Minister of the Environment of the Slovak Republic praised this act of the team of national experts around Prof. Ivan Vološčuk, Assoc Prof. Viliam Pichler and RNDr. Jozef Klinda. They were awarded the Prize of the Minister of the Environment 2008 for extraordinary results and long-term contribution to the care of the environment.

• Assoc. Prof. Marek Fabrika – Werner Siemens Excellence Award for SIBYLA project (2007/2008)

The absolute victory of our student of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology Lukáš Prieček in the prestigious international competition International Design Award 2009 announced by the firm Hettich was an extraordinary success. His voice-controlled interactive Transformer chair designed under the guidance of Mgr. Art. Marian Ihring, ArtD. won in the competition of 1,600 works from participants from all over the world.

As an expression of appreciation for the achieved results and cooperation with the city of Zvolen, the Technical University received the Mayor of Zvolen Award for 2009.

The nomination of a Bc. student Jozef Maják to the international Erasmus conference in Sweden, which took place in October 2009 at the University of Lund was a major success for the University in the Erasmus programme. Bc. Jozef Maják was nominated following his essay “Self-discovery in an Oslo Kaleidoscope“ among more than two dozen applicants from Slovakia, whereby he represented the Slovak Republic at the conference and received the award “2millionth Erasmus student“ from the European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.

The TUZVO entered the academic year 2009 – 2010 with the confirmed status of an elite university. Based on a comprehensive evaluation and proposal of the Accreditation Commission of the Slovak Republic, it was included among the university-type universities along with five other Slovak universities.

In October 2010, the TUZVO received the Ján Bahýľ Award for an extremely valuable technical solution protected by industrial law, the result of which was a set of patents in the field of recuperative rope devices. The originators

of the solution were the staff of the Department of Forestry and Mechanization of the Faculty of Forestry TUZVO Assoc. Prof. Ing. Vladimír Štollman, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jozef Suchomel, CSc., and Ing Štefan Ilčík, PhD. The results of the creative activity of Prof. Ing. Štefan Schneider, PhD., who received four design registration certificates registered by the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic in 2011 can be considered a significant contribution.

Conclusion

In the conclusion of certainly not comprehensive overview, it can be mentioned that the decade of 2002 – 2012 was a successful period for the TUZVO. The period resulting from the complex and demanding stage of the comprehensive transformation of higher education in Slovakia, the period of implementation of the three-level model of study, the transition to multi-source and project financing, the period of unprecedented growth in competition between universities, as well as the integration of the university into the European Research and Education Space, completed by a successful comprehensive accreditation. The management of the University and the Faculties started the development of the University even in difficult social and economic conditions. The importance of continuity of development and capitalization of the efforts and results of several generations of teachers, researchers, but also other workers of the University throughout its history in achieving these results must be pointed out.

It can be stated that the TUZVO entered the next period of its development with a clearly defined

direction in the form of the Long-Term Plan for the period 2011 – 2016. It was accompanied by success in drawing resources from Operational programmes and had several economically stable years. Success in the field of international cooperation was added to the traditionally good results in the field of science and research. In a broader context, the shortcomings and problems included mainly the persistent, even deepening imbalance in the performance of the individual faculties of the University, the resistance of some workplaces to stimuli from the external environment, especially in financing, slow and inconsistent adaptation to project finance and management of an increasingly great range of activities, as well as the promotion of particular interests often at the expense of others or the whole. However, the institution’s high potential for positive change was quite clear, the main guarantee of which was the initiative, interest, and determination of the TUZVO academic community.

2012 – 2022

Rudolf Kropil – Jaroslav Šálka

The years 2012 – 2022 can be characterised by two long-term schemes of the Technical University in Zvolen (hereafter TUZVO). According to the Long-term Scheme of the Technical University in Zvolen for years 2011 – 2016, the strategic intention of the TUZVO for this period were internationalisation of the education process, research activities and knowledge application, as well as further development of the TUZVO status. Another aim was to emphasise the position of the TUZVO within the European education and research space, participating in building the European knowledge society in terms of the University profile and reinforcing its unique nature in the system of universities in the Slovak Republic. The Long-term Scheme of the TUZVO for the years 2017 – 2023 set a vision to become an internationally recognized, research-oriented university by 2030, which will be among the Slovak leaders in its research focus. In 2030, the Technical University in Zvolen wants to provide modern education, systematic transmission of knowledge and common cultural

and democratic values in the intergenerational process, but also spread the ideas of humanism, tolerance, cooperation and responsibility for life. In its vision, the TUZVO claims to fulfil the concept of a “green university“ providing the most modern scientific knowledge regarding the consistent observance of the principles of sustainable living.

The Rector of TUZVO during this period was Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD., Vicerector for Education was RNDr. Andrej Jankech, PhD., Vice-rector for Scientific Research was Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka, Vice-rectors for Development were Prof. RNDr. Danica Kačíková, PhD., and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc., the Vice-rectors for Foreign Relations were Assoc. Prof. Ing. Mgr. Rastislav Šulek, PhD., and Prof. Ing. Branislav Olah, PhD. The Bursars of the university were Assoc. Prof. Ing. Josef Drábek, CSc., and Ing. Stanislav Jalakša.

The period of 2013 – 2017 in the university environment was characterised mainly by the process of complex accreditation of public universities.

A number of legislative changes significantly affected pedagogical, scientific, research and economic activities, especially the charging and subsequently the extension of the standard length of study in the part-time form. Central registers of study programmes and university employees were introduced, electronic method was used to submit applications for accreditation or submit documents within the framework of complex accreditation, which relieved the administrative burden and made standard activities at universities more efficient. Studying at universities was governed by the Act on Higher Education No. 131/2002 Coll. and its other amendments adopted in the following years. In terms of financing, the operation of higher education institutions adapted to the changes from budget financing to subsidized financing, which significantly reflected performance parameters, covering the recalculated numbers of students, the evaluation of the university research areas within the complex accreditation, the volumes of funds obtained from domestic and foreign grants, qualitatively structured outputs in publishing and art activity, etc. In the area of higher education, the Slovak Republic intended to build an effective system enabling access to quality higher education for all citizens, who show interest in it, and demonstrate the necessary abilities or skills. Education is a process not only of constant monitoring and verification of procedures and activities established over the years, but also of finding new innovative activities or adapting to current modern trends reflecting the needs of practice and society. The intention is to bring higher efficiency of education, higher success of graduates in applying to the labour market at a time when competition is constantly

increasing. This resulted in a situation when several universities focused on obtaining the highest possible number of students by creating new study programmes, which were the most popular in Slovakia. It mainly concerned study programmes in the field of economy, law, social field, and mass media communication. This started the battle among universities to attract students, and students’ interest in technologyoriented study programmes had a downward trend.

In 2018, the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education was established as a public institution with the task to carry out external quality assurance activities for higher education in the Slovak Republic. It was established by Act No. 269/2018 Coll. as a legal entity based in Bratislava. The mission of the agency is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of higher education in the Slovak Republic with external quality assurance tools according to the principles of ESG 2015, and in accordance with the expectations of the parties involved in education. The agency provides higher education institutions with a professional and independent view on the quality of education, and strengthens the culture of quality. The agency decides mainly on matters related to the granting of authorizations to higher education institutions based on their requests, and also performs other related tasks. In connection with the new accreditation system, 2021 meant a beginning of the approval of new documents and guidelines regarding the internal system of quality assurance of higher education at the TUZVO. The entire process of creation and subsequent approval of materials was long and difficult.

• Ceremonial baptism of the book Universitas Technica in Zvolen 2017 with the participation of two former presidents of the Slovak Republic, Rudolf Schuster and Ivan Gašparovič, and the TU rector Prof. Rudolf Kropil

• Maypole erecting

In 2022, the TUZVO will be accredited according to new standards. The new complex system of accreditation of study programmes and the requirements for the quality of education, which we are currently working on at the University, are based on European quality standards. They are expected not only by study applicants, but also by young educators and scientists, who decide to stay or go abroad. The year 2022 is crucial for the development of the TUZVO due to the approval of certain parts of the groundbreaking amendment to the Act on Higher Education Institutions. Act amending Act No. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions and on the amendment of certain laws as amended and amending certain laws 137/2022 is effective from 25th April 2022. The aim of the amendment is a systemic change in the management of public universities with the aim of modernization in order to make the decision-making processes more flexible at the level of universities and faculties. In particular, the method of appointing the Rector, the composition of the board of directors of the higher education institution, the establishment of faculty bodies, the scope of the academic senate of the higher education institution and the board of directors of the public higher education institution will be changed by strengthening the position of the board of directors. In 2022, the TUZVO is also waiting for the process of harmonizing legislative documents and administrative, financial and management processes.

The year 2022 is significant for TUZVO due to the approval of Directive no. 36/2022 on periodic evaluation of research, development, art and other creative activities. The Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic according to Art. 12 par. 2 letters f) the

second point of the Organizational Rules of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic in accordance with § 26a and Act no. 172/2005 Coll. on the organization of state support for research and development and on the amendment of Act no. 575/2001 Coll. on the organization of government activities and the organization of the central state administration, as amended, issued a directive that will have a major impact on financing of scientific research activities and the entire university in the future.

Between 2020 and 2022, our alma mater was also affected by the epidemic caused by the Covid-19 disease, which affected all universities equally. Although it brought limitations in teaching, research and other creative activities, it showed that alternative or hybrid forms of education are also possible in our environment. In the coming period, we will have to pay more attention to these forms of education in order to ensure the quality of study programmes and to ensure that students are satisfied with the education provided.

The war in Ukraine in 2022 shocked the world public. The Technical University has joined the peace challenge and rejects the violence and brute force as means of conflict resolution. At the same time, the University emphasized the need to support critical thinking in Slovak society and the role of universities, their employees and students to oppose the spread of political propaganda, misinformation and alternative facts, as well as extremism. The war in Ukraine will very likely have a major impact on the social, economic and environmental aspects of the life of the entire European Union, Slovakia, and universities.

Education

On 2nd June 2014, the TUZVO submitted an application for complex accreditation of the university’s activities in connection with its long-term scheme. During more than 12 months from the submission of the application, the accreditation committee was assessing and evaluating the educational, research, development, art and other creative activities of the university, as well as the personnel, technical, information and other conditions in which these activities take place. Activities were evaluated for the period from 2008 to 2013. During the academic year 2015/2016, on 12th November 2015, the results of the complex accreditation were delivered to the Technical University in Zvolen, and due to several changes in the study organisation, it was necessary to make the transition to newly accredited study programmes in full-time form of study.

At the same time, the Accreditation Committee commented on the requests for accreditation of study programmes and for the accreditation of all habilitation procedures and procedures for appointing the professors in which the University wants to be granted rights. The Technical University in Zvolen applied for accreditation in 100 study programmes in all three degrees, and in 99 cases the applications were successful. Additional requests for accreditation of

new study programmes, or reaccreditations of existing ones were continuously implemented in the following academic years. The current number of accredited study programs at the TUZVO was 129.

During the evaluated period, the number of students at the TU in Zvolen decreased from 4,483 students in the academic year 2012/2013 to 3,481 students in the academic year 2015/2016. In the current academic year 2020/2021, a total of 2,037 students studied at the TU in Zvolen. On average, more than 100 foreign students chose the Technical University as an educational institution each year, which was approximately 3% of the total number of students. Most of them studied at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, where the study programme was conducted in the first degree at the external education facility in Volyně, Czech Republic. Part of the educational process is also study at the third degree of study. In the academic year 2012/2013, a total of 213 students studied in doctoral studies in both forms of study. In the academic year 2015/2016, 113 students studied at the third level of study, and in the academic year 2021/2022, 99 doctoral students studied at TU in Zvolen.

The TUZVO also provides university study programmes in the field of economics and management of natural resources, which are guaranteed and provided by the specialist workplaces of several faculties of the University.

Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD. was appointed the Rector of the Technical University in Zvolen, effective 18th February 2012 for the first four-year term; effective 18th February 2016 for the second four-year term and effective 18th February 2020 for the third fouryear term.

These are modern study programmes that integrate several scientific fields in order to enable the preparation of university-educated experts for the current conditions of todays and future development of the economy and society as a whole. A total of 382 students in 20 fields of study studied at the University of the Third Age in the academic year 2015/2016. 140 graduates successfully completed their studies in the given academic year. In order to increase the employment of its own graduates, the Technical University in Zvolen in cooperation with the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica organised additional teacher training course. The period from 2012 to 2022 was characterised by a reduction in the number of teaching staff, from 273 in 2012 to 231 in 2022 (234 in 2019, 263 in 2016, 260 in 2014). Nevertheless, the qualification structure was improving in favour of academic staff with a higher scientific-pedagogical or scientific degree. The reduction in the number of students at the University, as well as the trend towards the efficiency of work performance, have certainly a great impact on the decrease in the number of teaching staff. The development of the coefficient of the qualification structure at TUZVO since 2012 has reflected mainly the increase in the qualification of assistant professors without a scientific rank to assistant professors with a scientific rank, and in the last period the increase has been affected most significantly by the increase in the number of associate professors and professors. In the field of personnel, the last decade was also characterised by an increased level of financing of scientific and research employees from projects.

Science and Research

The main directions of research at the Technical University in Zvolen, which wants to profile itself as a green university, were focused on forests, wood, ecology and the environment and were implemented through the scientific research activities of the faculties.

However, the condition of research and development in Slovakia is also characterised by several persistent problems. Undoubtedly, the biggest problem of Slovak research remains its long-term underfunding. In practice, this is also reflected in the insufficient budget of the Slovak Research and Development Agency, which, as the main grant agency, has only limited options when it comes to announcing new calls. Moreover, contrary to the European trend, support for basic research and funding of research from public sources still prevails in Slovakia, which should, however, be changed in accordance with RIS3 SK. In the past, the TUZVO was evaluated by various ranking and rating agencies, achieving very good positions.

The creative workers of the TUZVO were involved in cooperation with foreign partners. A clear fact of this is the success of the Faculty of Forestry, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology and the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, which managed to obtain foreign grants from the Framework Programs and Horizon 2020 funded by the European Commission. In addition, TUZVO staff worked in international scientific networks also through COST actions, bilateral projects supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency, the European Forestry Institute (EFI).

National scientific research projects at the Technical University in Zvolen were financed by domestic agencies: the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV), the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic (VEGA), the Cultural and Educational Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic (KEGA) and the Agency of the Ministry of Education for Structural Funds EU (ASFEU), later by the Research Agency (VA).

The measurable result of the projects within scientific and research activity is a high-quality publication. Publication activity at the TUZVO was divided into five groups: A1, A2, B, C and D, in

accordance with the data recorded in the central register of publication activity. Group A1 represents book publications having the nature of a scientific monograph, group A2 represents the authorship of other book publications, such as university textbooks, professional book works, course books, etc. Group B includes publications in indexed scientific journals, copyright certificates, patents and discoveries. Group C includes publications in the journals Web of Science and SCOPUS. Group D is represented by other peerreviewed publications, as well as chapters in professional books and textbooks, scientific papers in magazines, peer-reviewed proceedings.

• Innovative storage system (Bachelor thesis), design: Ivan Jedinák

The Technical University in Zvolen meets the temporary criteria for the authorization to use the label “research university“. The numerically expressed profile of the quality of research activity and the number of research areas in which the creative activity of the higher education institution was evaluated within the framework of its complex accreditation of activities are the decisive criteria for granting the authorisation to use the label “research university“.

The structure of publishing activity changed in the period from 2012 to 2022 towards more significant publishing, primarily in category B, and thus the overall structure of publishing activity changed to the disadvantage of other, less significant categories. In addition, in category B, the structure changed to a more significant publication of works, especially in quartile Q1 or Q2.

The goals of the Technical University in Zvolen in the last decade were to actively support and motivate employees to transfer acquired scientific knowledge into practice. The creative employees of the university were most often oriented towards informal contacts and research cooperation. The overall trend in this area at all faculties captures the university’s strong position in less demanding forms of transfer of knowledge into practice (information activities, educational activities), and in the case of more demanding forms, the engagement of employees is not that strong (commercialisation of industrial property rights, expert and consulting analysis or founding of new businesses). To strengthen the transfer of knowledge into practice, a system of internal guidelines was created between 2012 and 2022 and a technology transfer department was established.

International Relations

The international aspect of the activity of every university within the European educational and research area is becoming more and more important. Focusing not only on domestic students, but also on students paying the tuition from countries in Asia, America or Africa, and the obvious exchange of students and creative workers within the EU requires careful attention to teaching in foreign languages and international publicity. In the same way, the integration of research capacities into international scientific research networks is connected with active international scientific contacts and publication of the results of scientific and research projects in internationally recognised journals. In the period 2012 – 2022, the TUZVO fulfilled its mission in the field of international relations by developing international cooperation based on joint projects with foreign academic and professional institutions, as well as academic mobility. The accessibility of the university to foreigners can also be considered an important aspect of the internationalisation of the university, which is, however, conditional on adequate language competences of both students and academic staff.

During this period, the Department for Foreign Relations continued to expand contractual cooperation outside the European area, with the renewal and development of activities within the framework of academic mobility and with the intensification of cooperation with domestic and foreign strategic partners.

The long-term goal in the field of bilateral cooperation was not only a quantitative increase in concluded contracts, but also the quality of their fulfilment. In the last decade, we have noticed a growing trend in the number of sent and accepted participants of the Erasmus+ programme at the TUZVO, which is also supported by a significant increase in the amount of funds allocated from the sources of the European Commission through the Slovak Academic Association for International Cooperation.

In addition to rights, obligations also arise for the university from membership in international organisations. This is mainly about participation in

annual conferences and scientific events, meetings of commissions and governing bodies of these institutions. It can be concluded that by developing international cooperation with the mentioned organizations, the TUZVO clearly fulfils its mission in the field of internationalization of its activities. The long-term attention paid to carrying out and developing the relations with the public and private spheres, as well as with the public in the purposeful building of goodwill, and the successful management of the main activities resulting from the mission of TUZVO significantly influence the perception of TUZVO as a top educational and scientific research institution among a wide public, as well as by professionals. At the same time, they also contribute to the formation of loyalty and a sense of pride for their alma mater among students and employees, as well as to the development of relations with state and local government authorities and other professional institutions.

From 23rd to 27th June 2014, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology with the auspices of Prof. RNDr. Marián Babiak, PhD., organized the 57th annual conference of the world professional woodworking organization Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) with the topic “Sustainable Resources and Technology for Forest Products“. A total of 168 guests from countries of five continents took part in the conference. The conclusions of the conference showed the challenges that await wood science in the coming years: the need for studies in the newly developing areas of nanoscience and nanotechnologies in the creation and processing of lignocellulosic materials, the development of methodologies for optimized wood sorting according to the needs of the end customer, the development of technologies for the processing of lignocellulosic materials for energy purposes, the creation of new processes for prospective use of local sources of wood raw material, technology for recycling and reuse of wood.

• Sideboard and cupboard (Master thesis), design: Martina Pančíková

• Atrium Café at the Technical University in Zvolen

Development and Economic Activities

The development of the university in the period 2012 – 2022 can be evaluated positively based on the implemented projects. This statement results from the fact that all planned projects were implemented, which clearly contributed to the growth of performance and competitiveness of the University. This confirmed that the successful functioning of any institution is possible only with a purposeful and economical investment development.

In a more detailed analysis of the implemented investments, which positively affect the economy of the University operation and ensuring its main tasks, the priority was to increase the savings of all types of energy. The reduction in the energy demand of existing buildings was significantly reflected in the bottom line. Examples include insulation and replacement of construction opening fillings in Bariny Student House and in block D of Student House Študentská 17, construction of a central exchange station and reconstruction of elevators. From the public point of view of the university as an environmentally responsible actor, for example, the implementation of the project Reconstruction of driveways and parking roads, which eliminated the parking of irresponsible drivers on green areas, and also significantly reduced the possibility of soil contamination with oil substances, was significant. The mentioned project was followed by the reconstruction of access and parking roads. The project Biotechnical Innovations in the Use of Rainwater in the Town of Zvolen will also have a positive impact on the ecology and environment around individual TUZVO buildings.

Further investment development and renovations will also be necessary in the following period to ensure the quality and permanent development of the TUZVO in accordance with strategic goals.

The bottom line of the TUZVO for the years 2012 – 2022 can be evaluated very positively. The system measures implemented since 2012 were significantly reflected in economic growth. It can be stated that for all the years 2012 – 2022, the set objectives in terms of the bottom line were met. Factors such as a significant decrease in the number of students, increase in costs, especially in the area of energy, transport, repairs, as well as a higher wage demand for work and services in the SR economy as a whole, had a negative impact on the management of the TUZVO.

Faculty of Forestry

The Faculty of Forestry occupies a unique position in the Slovak higher education system due to its focus. As the only faculty, it provides study programmes of higher education in the study fields of Forestry and Hunting, develops scientific research with the application of its results in forestry practice.

Up until now, several employees have been appointed the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry. From 2012 until now, the position of Dean has been held by: Dr. h.c Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, PhD., Prof. Dr. Ing. Viliam Pichler and Prof. Ing. Marek Fabrika, PhD. Other officials of the Faculty of Forestry are currently: Vice-dean for Science and Research – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mgr. Jaroslav Ďurkovič, PhD., (Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Kmeť, PhD., in 2012 – 2016), Vice-dean for Education –

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Bc. Miroslav Kardoš, PhD., (Prof. Ing. Valéria Messingerová, CSc., in 2012 – 2016), Vice-dean for Development and International Relations – Ing. Daniel Halaj, PhD., (Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc., in 2012 – 2016) and the Secretary of the Faculty – Ing. Miroslava Babiaková (Ing. Helena Gibasová, in 2012 – 2013).

At present, the Faculty of Forestry is divided into 8 departments (the current heads of the departments are in brackets): the Department of Forest Economics and Management (Prof. Ing. Hajdúchová, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Ing. Rastislav Šulek, PhD., Prof. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Šálka), Department of Phytology (Prof. Ing. Ladislav Paule. CSc., Prof. Ing. Karol Ujházy, PhD.), Department of Forest Management and Geodesy (Prof. Ing. Marek Fabrika, PhD., Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Scheer, CSc.), Department of Forest Harvesting, Logistics and Soil Amelioration (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Merganič, PhD.), Department of Applied Zoology and Game Management (Prof. Ing. Peter Garaj, CSc, Prof. Ing. Rudolf Kropil, CSc.), Department of Silviculture (Prof. Ing. Milan Saniga, DrSc., Prof. Ing. Peter Jaloviar, PhD.), Department of Natural Environment (Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Škvarenina, CSc.), Department of Integrated Forest and Landscape Protection (Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Kmeť, PhD.).

Study programmes at the Faculty of Forestry at the bachelor degree level are: Forestry, Applied

Zoology and Game Management, Arboriculture and Communal Forestry; at the master degree level: Adaptive Forestry, Applied Zoology and Game Management, Geoinformation and Mapping Techniques in Forestry, Forest Ecology, Forestry Technologies, Forestry and Game Management (in English); at the doctoral degree level: Silviculture and Forest Protection, Forest Management, Forestry Phytology, Forest Ecosystem Services, Forestry Technologies, Applied Zoology and Game Management, Adaptive Forestry and Game Management (in English).

Following the successful implementation of the INTEGRAL project, the Faculty team managed to obtain another project within the framework of the calls of the EU HORIZON 2020 programme called ALTERFOR for the period 2016 – 2020. The purpose of the project was to identify and facilitate the introduction of forest management models (FMM) in Europe that will be suitable for the permanent provision of the required ES in the next century. In the past five years, the implementation of several of the EU structural funds for the establishment and research within centres of excellence was finalized at the Faculty: Completion of the Centre of Excellence: Adaptive Forest Ecosystems (2010 – 2013), Centre of Excellence for Decision Support in Forests and Landscape (2011 – 2014) and the Centre of Excellence for Integrated Research on the Earth’s Geosphere (2010 – 2013).

The town of Zvolen adopted the official title “town of forestry“ and important signatories of the Memorandum were the Technical University of Zvolen as well as the Faculty of Forestry. This was declared by the signing of the Memorandum of twelve institutions on 18th April 2016 at the Old Town Hall.

Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology

The educational process at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology is based on the latest world knowledge of science, technology, and economics from our own basic and applied research, from cooperation with other universities, scientific research institutes, and the wood processing industry and from using wood and wood products.

In the years 2013 – 2017, the management

of the Faculty was as follows: Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Siklienka, PhD., – Dean; Ing. Adrián Banski, PhD., – Vice-dean for Education, Prof. Ing. Ján Sedliačik, PhD., – Vice-dean for Scientific Research, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Hubert Paluš, PhD., – Vice-Dean for Development and International Relations, and Ing. Anna Hazlingerová – Secretary of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology. Since May 2017, the Dean of the Faculty has been Prof. Ing. Ján Sedliačik, PhD. and Vice-dean for Scientific Research Ing. Rastislav Igaz, PhD.

• Teaching process in the chemical laboratory

• Research project “Increasing the capacity of human resources for the transfer of research knowledge and development of biomass production and processing into practice“, Kakamega forest – Kenya, 2014

During its 65-year existence, the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology has developed gradually. Currently, it is divided into 12 departments (head of departments are listed in the brackets): Department of Wood Science (Prof. RNDr. Mariána Babiak, PhD., Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Rastislav Lagaňa, PhD. et PhD.), Department of Woodworking (Prof. Ing. Ladislav Dzurenda, PhD.), Department of Mechanical Wood Technology (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Klement, CSc.), Department of Furniture and Interior Design (Assoc. Prof. Mgr. art. Marián Ihring, ArtD., Assoc. Prof. René Baďura, M.A.), Department of Furniture and Wood Products (Prof. Ing. Ján Sedliačik, PhD.), Department of Wooden Constructions (Prof. Ing. Jozef Štefko, CSc.), Department of Economics, Management and Business (Prof. Ing. Anna Šatanová, CSc., Prof. Ing. Rastislav Rajnoha, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Andrea Sujová, PhD., Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Marek Potkány, PhD.), Department of Marketing, Trade and World Forestry (Dr. h. c. Prof. Ing. Mikuláš Šupín, CSc.), Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry (Assoc.

Prof. RNDr. Milan Matejdes, CSc., RNDr. Andrej Jankech, PhD.), Department of Physics, Electrical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (Assoc.

Prof. RNDr. Milada Gajtanska, CSc., Assoc.

Prof. PaedDr. Ľuboš Krisťák, PhD.), Department of Fire Protection (Assoc Prof. PaedDr. Peter Polakovič, CSc., Prof. RNDr. Danica Kačíková, PhD.), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies (Prof. Ing. Anton Geffert, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Iveta Čabalová, PhD.).

The main mission of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology of the Technical University in Zvolen is to provide higher education at all three levels of study in five areas of research and in study programmes focused on wood processing, design and construction of furniture and timber structures, economics and management of woodworking enterprises, furniture and interior design, and fire protection and safety.

The study programmes at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology in the bachelor degree are: Wood Processing, Furniture Design and Construction, Furniture Design and Construction (Volyně), Management of Wood and Furniture Production, Construction and Production Processes of Wood Products, Timber Structures (Volyně), Economics and Management of Woodprocessing Enterprises, Fire Protection and Safety, Furniture and Interior Design; in the master degree of study:

The annual student competition “Professor Jindřich Halabala Award“ is an international exhibition of student semester and final projects in the field of furniture design and interior design.

In addition to Slovak students, competitors from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden, Poland and other countries took part in the competition. The awarding of the main prizes was decided by an international jury.

Wood Engineering, Design and Construction of Furniture, Management of Wood and Furniture Production, Production and Utilization of Wood Products (in English), Timber Constructions, Economy and Management of Enterprises of the Wood-processing Industry, Fire Protection and Safety, Furniture and Interior Design; at the doctoral level of study: Wood Processing Technology, Structure and Properties of Wood, Constructions and Production Processes of Wood Products, Fire Protection and Safety, Design of Furniture and Housing.

Faculty staff led by Prof. Ing. Ján Sedliačik, PhD., participated also in the international project within the 7th Framework Programme of the EU entitled “Ecological Application of Nanosorbents on the Base of Natural and Synthetic Ionites and Carbons“. The project addressed the issue of the use of nanosorbents added to polycondensation adhesives used to join wood composite materials to reduce formaldehyde emissions. Several employees of the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology are members of the working groups of the COST programme, the most important of which are “European Network of Bioadhesion Expertise: Fundamental Knowledge to Inspire Advanced Bonding Technologies“ and “Active and Intelligent Fibre-Based Packing – Innovation and Market Introduction“. Other staff of the Faculty are partners and members of the project teams of the EU programmes Leonardo da Vinci, International Visegrad Fund and ERASMUS.

Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences

In 2021, the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences commemorated the

30th anniversary of its establishment. It provides a complete university education to students with a professional interest in the composition, structure, arrangement and interrelationships in different types of ecosystems and the related protection of the natural environment, care of ecosystems, landscape formation, as well as technical, political, legislative, social and philosophical aspects of the protection of the components of the environment.

The Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the TUZVO was managed in the past period by the following academic officials: Deans – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branko Slobodník, PhD., and Prof. Ing. Marian Schwarz, CSc.; the position of Vice-dean for Education was carried out by Prof. Ing. Marián Schwarz, CSc., Ing. Juraj Modranský, PhD., and Ing. Andrea Zacharová, PhD.; Vice-dean for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies – Assoc. Prof. Ing. Michal Wiezik, PhD., Ing. Marek Svitok, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ingrid Belčáková, CSc., and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Martina Slámová, PhD., Vice-dean for Development and Foreign Relations Ing. Magdaléna Pichlerová, PhD., and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tomáš Lepeška, PhD.

The Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences consisted of six departments: (head of departments are listed in brackets) Department of Applied Ecology (Prof. Ing. Vladimír Kunca, PhD.), Department of Biology and General Ecology (Prof. Ing. Slavomír Stašiov, PhD.), Department of Environmental Engineering (Prof. Ing. Dagmar Samešová, PhD.), Department of Landscape Planning and Design (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Peter Jančura, PhD. and Ing. Juraj Modranský, PhD.), Department of Social Sciences (Mgr. Attila Rácz, PhD.) and the UNESCO Department for Ecological Awareness and Sustainable Development (Dr. h. c. Prof. RNDr. László Miklós, DrSc. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ingrid Belčáková, CSc.).

Currently, the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences provides education at both bachelor and master degree in the following study programmes: Landscape Protection and Use, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management and Ecology and Biodiversity Protection. The newest study programme – Forensic and Criminalistic Environmental Studies, is so far only accredited in the bachelor degree of university studies. The third, doctoral level of higher education is provided in the study programmes Ecology and Biodiversity Protection and Environmental Engineering, in both cases in full-time attendance and in part-time combined form of study.

Thanks to the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, the Technical University in Zvolen is a member of the consortium of partners in the Horizon 2020 scheme project (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions call in the Research and Innovation Staff Exchange section) called CHARMED (Characterisation of a Green Microenvironment and to Study its Impact upon Health and Well-being in the Elderly as a Way Forward for Health Tourism). The aim of this project is to provide solutions to improve the

quality of life with an effort to eliminate health and social problems resulting from demographic changes in Europe, primarily from the increase in average age. The Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, represented by the project coordinator for the Slovak side, Ing. Magdaléna Pichlerová, PhD., from the Department of Landscape Planning and Design, is involved in the creation of the concept of innovative socio-economic infrastructure, which will be based on health tourism and the use of health-promoting properties of ecosystems.

Faculty of Technology

The Faculty of Technology (until 2019 the Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing Technology) was strategically conceived from the beginning as specific and unique, both in terms of its own mission and in relation to the structure and profile of the parent Technical University in Zvolen. In 2021, the Faculty commemorated the 25th anniversary of its founding. The Faculty management was composed as follows:

The most cited publication in which a staff member of the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences participated is the original scientific paper

“Seto, K. C., Reenberg, A., Boone, Ch. G., Fragkias, M., Haase, D., Langanke, T., Marcotullio, P., Munroe, D.K., Olah, B. & Simon, D., 2012: Urban land teleconnections and sustainability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109: 7687–7692“.

By 2022, the mentioned work recorded a total of 490 citations according to the Web of Sciences database and up to 710 citations according to the Google Scholar database.

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Marián Kučera, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Beňo, PhD., as the Deans, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Branislav Danko, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Kováč, PhD., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Beňo, PhD. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Miroslav Dado, PhD., as the Vice-deans for Education and Promotion of the Faculty, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ján Kováč, PhD. and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Erika Sujová, CSc., as the Vice-deans for Foreign Relations, Development and Economic Activity, Prof. Ing. Štefan Barcík, CSc., and Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Peter Koleda, PhD., as the Vice-deans for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies and Ing. Magdaléna Klacková as the secretary of the Faculty.

During its 20-year existence, the Faculty of Technology underwent gradual development. It is currently divided into 4 departments:

Department of Environmental and Forestry Machinery (Prof. Ing. Jozef Černecký, CSc., Prof. Ing. Jozef Krilek, PhD.), Department of Manufacturing Technologies and Quality Management (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Daniela Kalincová, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Miroslav Dado, PhD.), Department of Manufacturing and Automation Technology (Prof. Ing. Jozef Šuriansky, CSc., Assoc.

Prof. Ing. Ľubomír Naščák, CSc., Prof. Ing. Štefan Barcík, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Peter Koleda, PhD., Ing. Mária Hrčková, PhD.), Department of Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering and Design (Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ferdinand Bodnár, CSc., Assoc. Prof. Ing. Marián Kučera, PhD.).

Education in the full-time and part-time form of study at the Faculty is provided by experts in the field of special technical sciences (mathematics, physics, mechanics and informatics) and profile areas of study programmes Production Technology, Ecotechnology, Integrated Management of Industrial Processes, Manufacturing Technology and Management of Production Processes.

Other Organisational Parts

The Institute of Foreign Languages was established as a university workplace in 1999. However, its history dates back to 1952, when the Department of Languages was established as one of the original departments at the University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology in Zvolen. Since 2010, the Institute of Foreign Languages has been led by Dr. phil. Mgr. Marek

The Faculty of Technology has the largest number of functional networks within the entire University and participated in the following CEEPUS programme projects: CII-SK-0310-06-1314 / 07-1445 Non Traditional Processes in Production Technologies and Integration of the Study and Research in the Eastern and Central Europe Universities, CIIIPL-0701-03-1415 Engineering as Communication Language in Europe, CIII-RS-0507-04-1415 Research, Development and Education in Precision Machining, CIII-RS-1012- 02-1617 Building Knowledge and Experience Exchange in CFD.

Ľupták. The Institute of Foreign Languages provides the teaching of foreign languages in bachelor, master and doctoral study programmes at all faculties of the University. Students are required to have entry foreign language competence of an independent user at level B1 to B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In the study programme of Economics and Management of Enterprises in the Woodworking Industry at the Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, students in the master degree (mostly) take after English the second foreign language of German, French, Chinese and Russian. Such plurilingual approach in teaching foreign languages results from the specificity

of the management study programme. Doctoral students complete a course in scientific-academic communication in a foreign language, which ends with an oral exam in front of a committee. Compulsory foreign language courses are aimed at mastery of individual language skills in profile areas of students with a focus on professional discourse. We understand foreign language competence as an added value of our graduates’ professional education.

The Institute of Foreign Languages is a philological workplace with its research and pedagogical activities focused on applied languages. For university students, the Institute is a bridge of understanding in an intercultural academic space.

• Faculty of Technology

• Awarding prizes to the winners in the sports discipline – men‘s giant slalom (downhill skiing) – Winter Universiade SR 2018

The activity of the Institute of Physical Education and Sports as a university workplace with a rich and successful history is focused on sport activities for TU students in Zvolen. At the bachelor or master level of education, students can enrol in separate courses “Physical Education and Sports“ or “Elective Sports and Health“. Since 2012, the Institute was led by PaedDr. Martin Kružliak, PhD., PaedDr. Stanislav Azor, PhD., and Mgr. Karin Baisová, PhD. In addition to the main courses, students have the opportunity to choose different forms of exercise activities during their studies in the form of physical education - winter skiing courses, a course in hiking and staying in nature, a boating course, or in a club form of physical education - university leagues and occasional sports events.

Performance and recreational sports belong to TJ Slávia TU in Zvolen, whose activity is not only oriented towards students, but also TU employees, for whom it continuously prepares various sports activities and events.

Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library

The Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library at the Technical University in Zvolen is the academic library of the Technical University in Zvolen. The director of the Library in the period from 2012 to 2022 was Ing. Alena Poláčiková.

Pursuant to Act no. 126/2015 Coll. on Libraries it is the university scientific information, bibliographic, coordination and advisory office and also fulfils the tasks of a specialized scientific library in the field of forestry and wood science. An extension of the range of services is the possibility of using the Global Education Information Centre established in the Slovak Forestry and Wood Sciences Library as part of the university project activities and equipped with educational book and multimedia materials related to the issues of global education, multiculturalism, facilitation and management of educational programmes. Informational seminars and meetings with various personalities are regularly held there. For group and individual study, students and university staff can also use the Self Access Language Centre aimed at supporting the teaching of foreign languages at the Technical University in Zvolen, which was made available in the library as part of a university project from the European Structural and Investment Funds.

In cooperation with the faculties, the library staff provides information education aimed at improving the competences of students and doctoral students of the Technical University in Zvolen in the field of searching and using information.

In 2018, the TUZVO organised the Winter Universiade of the Slovak Republic. In addition to educational, scientific and research activities, the university also emphasises the support of regular physical and sports activities of students and employees, which is the basis of healthy physical, psychological and social development of every individual. The President of the Slovak Association of University Sports Július Dubovský reminded that the University of Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology and after it the TUZVO is an important institution in organizing sports events and is a bastion for the training of important representatives, among them also medal holders, e.g. in water slalom.

Popular activities are SAIA information meetings about the possibilities of participation in foreign study stays and various scientific and professional events.

Borova Hora Arboretum

Borova hora Arboretum is a scientific and pedagogical workplace of the Technical University in Zvolen. Between 2012 and 2022, the Arboretum was led by Assoc. Prof. Ing. Ivan Lukáčik, CSc. It was established in 1965 and has an area of almost 50 ha. On a national and European scale, it is exceptional due to the fact that its area is home to mainly original species of trees in their intra-species and geographical variability.

The Arboretum has a great potential for scientific involvement in the European research area. Ways are being sought for closer cooperation in the field of scientific research with workplaces of a similar focus not only in Slovakia, but also in the countries of the European Union.

Centre for Continuing Education

The Centre for Continuing Education as a university workplace of the Technical University in Zvolen is focused on the development and

provision of further education to citizens of the Slovak Republic in accordance with the Lifelong Education Act no. 568/2009. In the last decade, the head of the Centre was PhDr. Ing. Erik Selecký, PhD. et PhD. The mission of the Centre is to organise further education through courses, trainings, seminars and conferences. Its other activities include national and international projects in the field of further education. The main educational activities are focused on forestry – woodworking – ecology. The main target groups are students of TU in Zvolen, employees of TU in Zvolen and the general professional public.

The future of the workplace is primarily focused on the development of further and lifelong education at the University for employees and students, on involvement in lifelong education projects, both of Slovak and international importance, and on guaranteeing further professional education in the field of forestry – woodworking – environmental studies. The continuous education of teachers is also not forgotten.

A professional event that took place on 6th – 7th May 2022. It was intended for a wide professional and lay public with a main focus on groups of people with disabilities, seniors and wheelchair users. During these days, the Arboretum staff presented the arboretum collections and in cooperation with renowned experts, presented the possibilities of using wheelchair-accessible aids and equipment for people with specific needs, providing consultancy on these issues.

DAYS WITHOUT BARRIERS 2022

The event was organised with the support of the Cultural and Educational Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Slovak Republic as part of project no. 004TU Z-4/2022 “From Instructional Programmes to Cognitive - Online Trends for the Innovation of Educational Resources Using the Natural Collections of the Borova Hora Arboretum of the Technical University in Zvolen“.

• Reconstruction of the university assembly hall in 2017

Developmental Workshops and Laboratories

Developmental workshops and laboratories are an organizational part of the Technical University in Zvolen. Since 1971, they have performed the function of a university workplace with spatial and personal professional capacities for science, research and education. In the period from 2012 to 2022, the head of the workplace was Ing. Jaroslav Ohanka, CSc.

The workplace has a great potential for the implementation of a scientific incubator because it connects scientific research activity with the pedagogical process and enables the connection of applied research with practice.

Centre of Information Technologies

Centre of Information Technologies, whose director in the last decade was Ing. Tibor Weiss, ensures the operation of university information systems, the most important of which are: UIS – university information system for managing the study agenda and agenda for science and research, IS KREDIT – canteen information system, attendance system and access system, FIS SOFIA – financial and economic system electronic registration book. In addition, it ensures the issuance of multifunctional cards for university employees and students and IS security management. CIT provides technical support to our employees through IS HelpDesk CIT. It also takes care of the continuous operation of the TUZVOnet computer network, to which more than 1,400 personal computers are connected. Furthermore, CIT ensures the operation of all servers and disk arrays, as well as the administration of the ZOMES network, to which all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in Zvolen, as well as other organizations are connected.

In the following period, the Centre will continue to ensure the operation and maintenance of information and communication technologies at the University. In addition to normal routine activities, it will perform other tasks, which include expanding the services provided, increasing security and quality, and integrating existing information systems. In addition, it will support University workplaces in the preparation and implementation of educational and scientific research projects in the field of ICT.

University Forestry Enterprise

The University Forestry Enterprise is an important economic organizational part of the Technical University in Zvolen. In the last decade, the directors were Ing. Alojz Riško and Ing. Ľubomír Ivan, CSc. With a total number of 26 technical and economic employees, it is organizationally divided into the headquarters, the Budča Forestry Administration and the Lieskovec service centre. The Budča Forestry Administration has 7 forestry districts. The service centre mainly provides transport and handling of timber. The Enterprise manages forests on an area of 9,724 ha, of which 9,106 ha are state owned, 71 ha are owned by TUZVO and the rest are leased from forestry companies. The use of the natural features of the forest beyond the scope of normal management enabled the inclusion of forests owned by the state in forests of special purpose, which represents 80% of the total area, 14% are protected forests and the remaining 6% are production forests. The variable natural conditions in the altitude range of 250-1026 m a.s.l. and the technical facilities allow to monitor different communities of flora and fauna and to carry out a wide range of forestry research and operational activities in a relatively small area.

Therefore, students of all TUZVO faculties find suitable conditions for practical education in more than 100 subjects of biological and technical disciplines.

Student Dormitories and Canteen

The Student Dormitories and Canteen is a workplace of the Technical University in Zvolen, which provides accommodation and meals for students, employees and guests of the University. In the period from 2012 to 2022, the director of Student Dormitories and Canteen was Ing. Zuzana Zelemová and Ing. Stanislav Jalakša. Two separate buildings of the Student Dormitory currently have a capacity of 1,278 beds. Since September 1993, meals for students, employees, as well as foreign visitors have been provided in the new premises of student canteen in Bariny. The average daily capacity during the academic year is approximately 1,000 meals. After a complex reconstruction of the student canteen building, the Bariny 2 Student Canteen, which also includes a buffet, was put into operation in 2014. It was created by the renovation and expansion of the buffet. The facility with a capacity of 80 places meets the requirements of barrier-free access, and thus enables the delivery of meals to students with specific needs.

Publishing House of the Technical University

In the period from 2012 to 2022, the head of Publishing House was PhDr. Eva Fekiačová. When analysing the activity and position of this organizational unit of the University in more detail, the basic starting point for the annual fulfilment of tasks is the Editorial Plan of TU in Zvolen for the given calendar year. The prepress - presspostpress process ends with a publication that fulfils the role of a basic teaching aid to support

the university scientific-pedagogical process and also of a source of professional information for the non-university public. 100 publications are published annually by Publishing House. In this area, the Publishing House cooperates with university workplaces, but an integral part is also cooperation with external institutions with similar activities: the Slovak National Library, the ISSN National Agency in the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Among the most successful titles published in recent years are the textbooks: Historical Furniture - Morphology and Construction by J. Veselovský et al., Environmental Chemistry by M. Schwarz, Forestry by M. Saniga, Dendometria (Timber Metrics) by S. Šmelka, Hunting by P. Garaj and R. Kropil, Business Management by J. Rašner, handbook Contemporary Society - Challenges and Visions by Z. Gallayová, Dangerous Substances by I. Čabalová and F. Kačík, E. Križová’s Atlas of Plants handbook and many others that have attracted the interest of the professional public even outside the university.

Publishing House’s activities include the distribution and sale of published literature through the Professional Literature Shop of the TU and via the Internet, publishing informational and advertising brochures, guidelines, documents, forms, presentation materials. The activities also include the Copy Services Centre with the scope of the offer that belongs to this activity.

Student Life

Folklore Ensemble Poľana at the Technical University in Zvolen celebrated its 65th anniversary in May 2021. The ensemble director is Ing. Pavol Gejdoš, PhD., and the artistic director and

choreographer is Assoc. Prof. Ing. František Chudý, CSc. Since its birth, the mission of the ensemble has been to develop folk traditions and adopted the name “Poľana“ after the majestic volcano that dominates this region. During its more than 65-year long history, the ensemble had more than 700 active members and performed more than 1,000 performances at home and in more than 20 countries around the world. A special place in the ensemble’s activities is the annual participation in the festival of the university folklore ensembles Academic Zvolen and Academic Nitra. Today, the ensemble has around 50 members who work in the male vocal group, female vocal group, music and dance group of the ensemble.

Sports Club TJ Slávia of the Technical University Zvolen was founded on 6th August 1990. It is a voluntary association of citizens and at the same time a sports organization whose mission is to create suitable conditions not only for the students of the Technical University in Zvolen to play sports, but also for the general public. TJ Slávia organises, manages and develops university, performance and recreational sports and supports sports and recreational activities of all age categories.

The goal of the student organization WoodenWorld (WW) is to create a strong community of students, regardless of field or Faculty, who study at TUZVO, and to improve the studies, life in the dormitories, solve projects, leisure activities, and the student’s environment. In cooperation with the town of Zvolen, the University and sponsors, WW organized unforgettable student events such as UNIDNI or the run “Šrégom nočným Zvolenom“.

IFSA Slovakia is an extra-curricular club of an international cultural and social nature. Its goal is to enrich and expand the educational opportunities of students of Forestry and related fields from the Technical University in Zvolen by organising scientific and cultural seminars, international exchange programmes and competitions. Through the mutual exchange of information between members of the IFSA (International Forestry Students’ Association), universities and other public institutions, it contributes to the development of international relations in the field of forestry and related industries. IFSA Slovakia supports the development of forestry customs and traditions, as well as local student activities.

The student organization IFSA

(http://www.lesnickekruzky.sk/portal/) is an association in the field of forestry, whose platform offers the acquisition of contacts for cooperation in the form of networking, partnership and university mobility. On the contrary, hunting and game management is strongly associated with rich traditions, which are inevitably connected to activities of various club, e.g. hunting club providing the opportunity to hunt, a cynological club for dog enthusiasts, and not only hunting dogs, a trumpeter’s club with playing the traditional hunting musical instruments, a decoy club with the opportunity to learn how to lure game and to communicate with it, a falconry club with theoretical and practical teaching of falconry and, last but not least, a sport archery club with its own bows. Our students achieve significant success in club activities not only at home, but also at the international level.

Živica is a civic association that inspires change in the cooperation of teachers and students of the

Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences

of the TU in Zvolen. Its mission is to help create a world in which society is respectful and sensitive to people and nature and the world around. Their goal is a society that is built on commitment, democratic principles and principles of humanism. Superficial solutions will not be enough, so it inspires people to active hope through practical solutions that show that change is possible. The Socrates Institute programme was established in 2012 and since then has offered young leaders under the age of 30 high-quality education and supported them in civic engagement. Thanks to the project “Nevyšliapanou cestou“, in 2013 they also launched the Urban Bees initiative, supporting biodiversity and pollinators in the city. The Comenius Institute was established in 2016 as a complex programme for proactive educators and, together with it, the Teacher of Slovakia award, which is part of the international Global Teacher Prize and since 2018 seeks out and recognizes the work of exceptional teachers.

Conclusion

The Faculty of Technology of the Technical University in Zvolen has been organizing an event for primary and secondary school children for many years called ROBOHRANIE: fun and competitions with robots for a good certificate. The event was organised by the Department of Machine Control and Automation Technology as part of the KEGA 003TU Z-4/2016 project: Robotics Research and Teaching Laboratory with financial support from the Volkswagen Slovakia Foundation: Develop technology and via technology.

The end of the period from 2012 to 2022 is marked by difficult changes. On one hand, there are changes in the system of ensuring the quality of higher education, as well as amendments to the Higher Education Act, and on the other hand, further restrictions on the financing of higher education institutions, all in the conditions of a pandemic crisis. With the continued reduction of the state subsidy to public universities, a new way of evaluating science, research and artistic activity and the upcoming changes in the financing of universities, as well as the proposed amendment to the law on universities, which interferes with the recognized principles of academic freedom and autonomy, these steps appear together as mutually inconsistent. With such a number and scope of reform elements, the reform becomes too much of a burden for Slovak universities and colleges. We see the essence of the reform of higher education in the improvement of the quality of education through accreditation standards and the more massive introduction of European and world scientific knowledge into teaching, as well as the introduction of own scientific outputs and innovations of the teachers, who represent the staffing of the profile of study programmes. However, this is not possible without increasing financial resources for higher education because this is the only way to stop the departure of young people from Slovakia.

If university, from the Latin collocation of „universitas magistrorum et scolarium“, means a community of teachers and students, then the idea is also symbolized by our book about the Technical University in Zvolen. Joint learning, research and preserving ethical values are expressed by the solemn gathering of the academic community members in the assembly hall of our university, that is, the interaction of students and teachers in a way representing the top of the manifestation of academic values and freedoms.

Since the time of the Platonic Academy, academic freedom or scientific freedom includes a set of freedoms and related obligations for universities, their faculties, academic officials and students. This is also documented by the academic freedom of teaching, enshrined in the Statute of the Philosophical Faculty of our partner university in Göttingen from 1737, which also emphasizes the connection to responsible teaching and research. According to the aforementioned document, all university professors may enjoy responsible freedom of teaching, research and belief, if they keep their distance from teachings that disparage religion, public institutions of the state and good morals.

In the year of the 70th anniversary of the modern history of the Technical University in Zvolen, we too proudly adhere to the principles of modern Humboldtian traditions focused on free and ethical teaching and research, and at the same time we promise to protect and defend these values. We, the academic staff of the Technical University in Zvolen, are convinced that the preservation of university principles and academic freedoms is a fundamental prerequisite for the democratic development of our society.

Jaroslav Šálka

GALLERY OF THE RECTORS

1952–2022

Graphic motifs and photo collages

© Miroslav Chovan – pp. 1, 2, 8, 10–11, 38–39, 54–55, 74–75, 110–111, 148–149, 172–173, 216–217, 252, 256–257, 262, 263, 264; Miroslav Chovan – Zuzana Tončíková – p. 199; © Viliam Ladziansky (author of TUZVO logo design 1992) – p. 151; © Marián Ihring –Miroslav Chovan – Peter Kožuško (authors of the TUZVO 2005 logo redesign) – pp. 175, 219;

Photographs

© Ladislav Paule – pp. 6–7, 12, 44, 50–51, 56, 61, 63, 64, 67, 79, 82, 89, 100, 103, 104, 107, 112, 115, 119, 120, 128, 139, 166, 180; © Emil Rakyta – pp. 50–51; Vladimír Veverka – p. 8; Tibor Pataky – p. 125; Miroslava Mamoňová – p. 133; Miroslav Chovan – pp. 1341 , 147, 150, 154, 183, 193, 202, 215, 258; Branislav Olah – pp. 158, 161; Jaroslav Badinka – p. 174; Jaroslav Ďurkovič – p. 185; Peter Kuzmin – p. 218; Macharia Mburu – p. 236; © Peter Filip – p. 245; Monika Urbańczyk – pp. 260–261; © Archives of the Forestry and Timber Museum in Zvolen – pp. 15, 19, 22, 26, 27, 31, 32, 36, 40, 43, 47, 48, 59, 60, 62, 76, 90, 99,116; © Archives of the Technical University in Zvolen – pp. 41, 57, 71, 77, 113, 151, 162, 165, 169, 175, 177, 189, 207, 210, 213, 219, 221, 222, 226, 227,235, 241, 242, 246, 254–255; © Archive Milan Saniga – pp. 91, 92, 93; © Archive Juraj Veselovský –pp. 94, 96; © Archive Milan Marčok – pp. 153, 157; © Archive Ján Tuček – p. 186; © Archives of the Department of Interior and Furniture Design – pp. 1902,1943, 2284, 2315;

Internet photo sources

© https://pixabay.com/no/photos/blad-tre-skog-natur-gr%C3%B8nn-eik-5468339/ – p. 9; https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/ search/portrait/mw66931/Maria-Theresa?set=149%3BFrances+Burney+Diary%2C+1768-78+%28vol+1%2C+part+2%29&displayStyle=thumb&displayNo=40&search=ap&rNo=11– p. 16; https://fcit.usf.edu/ – p. 20; zdroj: https://fcit.usf.edu/ – p. 21; https:// ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrel_mestra – p. 35; https://www.gjar-po.sk/~sterbakova6c/veternica.jpg – p. 53; https://cs.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Kozinec_d%C3%A1nsk%C3%BD#/media/Soubor:Astragalus_danicus_Herbar.jpg – p. 73; http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/ I0000aRlB95ZwRpQ/s/650/650/Red-Oak-acorn-853.jpg – p. 109; http://gallery.hd.org/ – p. 171; https://www.vysokeskoly.sk/katalog-vs/technicka-univerzita-vo-zvolene/lesnicka-fakulta#gallery-8 – p. 232; https://uniba.sk/detail-aktuality/back_to_page/aktuality-1/ article/studenti-uk-uspesne-reprezentovali-na-zimnej-univerziade-sr/ – p. 242; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Alchemilla_glaucescens_Herbar.jpg – p. 251;

Notes:

1 (author of the design: Marián Sotník, supervisor: Prof. Ing. Štefan Schneider, PhD., project: Wooden chair - „Identity“)

2 (author of the design: Annamária Dovalová, supervisor: doc. Mgr. art. Marián Ihring, ArtD., year: 2017)

3 (author of the design: Lukáš Priečko, supervisor: doc. Mgr. art. Marián Ihring, ArtD., year: 2009)

4 (author of the design: Ivan Jedinák, supervisor: doc. akad. arch. René Baďura, year: 2017)

5 (author of the design: Martina Pančíková, supervisor: doc. Mgr. art. Marián Ihring, ArtD., year: 2019)