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.

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.

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.

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.

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.