Dear staff, students, graduates and friends,
we are now entering the next phase of the government loosening measures. This will change the atmosphere of the last few months, during which time we have had to respect strict rules to protect against the new type of coronavirus. I am sure this news will bring a feeling of relief, greater freedom, and the opportunity to leave behind the worries and anxiety that many felt during March and April. We have heard opinions that some things were unnecessary and exaggerated and that nothing serious happened. This is one of the reasons that I think it is time for a review of this recent period — so that we do not relive the unfortunate moments nor forget what gave us the strength to overcome this stressful time and the opportunities it provided for personal growth and the development of the Faculty.
The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia is exceptional in terms of the combination of study programmes it offers — which help us to prepare our students for the helping professions. This recent period has clearly shown that these professions are irreplaceable and useful for society. Without them we would not be able to handle such a crisis. Globally, this pandemic is a new experience. It has provided a reason to review our values and to acknowledge those who really deserve acknowledgement. Such “celebrities” include our graduates, employees, students and colleagues. I am very proud to be the head of a faculty that is a magnet for so many qualified and helpful people.
For this reason, I honourably address you, my dear colleagues. I have been aware of the difficulties this period has brought, and how you managed new tasks, adjusted your lessons and kept the Faculty going under conditions none of us had previously experienced. You have managed to complete practical lessons to your very best and many of you have been involved in voluntary activities. I have read about them on the Faculty website and on Facebook; many of you wrote and called me — and now we are enjoying compliments from various institutions. I have been touched by our students’ interest in their teachers’ well-being and the reports of our teachers’ volunteering. I have been thanking them individually, but now I feel the need to thank them all again collectively. Our Faculty has shown its strength in this new situation. It is a balanced and a functioning entity that connects people who have chosen helping professions – students and teachers as well as those who reliably take care of the running of the Faculty so it can offer all of its services to the public.
The last weeks have proven that the holistic principle of balanced care (“the body and soul”), which is a part of our Faculty’s philosophy, is valid and strengthens us. We have students who immediately became involved in voluntary activities. They showed an ability to quickly orientate and find places where they could be the most useful. We have academics who are not satisfied with just theory but they are also involved in practice – they are involved in the medical, social and safety sphere. I know that our students value these aspects the most. Whether our people were on the front-line or at other departments and workplaces, they had to prove they take their work as a mission. A healthy organism must work as a carefully synchronized mechanism, where the tiniest part is important and must not fail.
The fact that we will be able to go outside without face masks (if we respect the given rules) will change our viewpoint on life. I wish we could speak about the danger of the new infection in the past tense. However, our profession constantly inspires the public towards the prevention, respect and empathy, protection of people with weaker immunity, etc. For this reason, I implore you to maintain responsibility and consideration.
This day has allowed me to look back and thank you all once more. In days to come, we may face social changes, and many will forget the unfortunate memories of this recent period. This could make the gratefulness disappear – the same gratefulness that made people applaud our professions, play songs, and admire and respect these professions daily. Be sure, my dear colleagues, students, employees and graduates, that this will be an important chapter in the history of our school, and nobody will ever be able to erase it from our memory.
With regards,
Ivana Chloubová, Dean
