Teaching experience:
a. ICM now IOM (International Committee for Migration; currently – Int. Organization for Migration. (1984-1990 teaching “Cultural orientation” courses. These were offered to refugees from the communist states before their move to the USA).
b. University of Maryland European Division (in the 1980s – 1990s - irregular “weekend seminars”. These courses were organized for “US Forces Germany”.. Courses taught: “International Terrorism” and “US-Soviet Relations”).
c. University of Salzburg, Austria. (1992-1995) Research assistant working on two projects: “Environmental policies of the post communist countries of East-Central Europe”; “Economic and Political Transformation” of these countries – i.e. away from the centrally managed economies to the market and from one-party political system to multi-party democracies.. I was also teaching two courses developed along the lines of the research topics mentioned above. (Teaching – for the last two years of the three I spent in Salzburg).
d. Webster University Vienna. (Spring 1995) “Environmental Politics”.
e. International University Vienna (Summer 1995) – ongoing. (Now –MIUV).
Areas of teaching responsibility/course:
Diplomatic Studies/Political Science, particularly -- Business and Politics; Environmental Studies; Science-Technology and Politics; Geopolitics, Terrorism studies, International Relations, Introduction to Political Science, etc.
Business: Small Business; Business and Politics (Detailed course descriptions can be supplied on request).
Education background:
1. University of Maryland, College Park (Pol. Science, German Literature, History. general education courses..).
2. University of Vienna – “Doktor der Philosophie” 1986. (Dual studies: Political Science and Int. Law, i.e. so-called “Studium irregulare”).
(Special interest: IR and specifically, East-West relations).
Prior experience not in education:
I came to the USA as a refugee in 1969 -- leaving my native Czechoslovakia after the Soviet-led invasion of the Warsaw Pact countries in 1968. In the USA I had a number of jobs that had nothing to do with my later studies, I held these jobs to support myself in order to study, i.e. to stay alive and pay my tuition. For me, being able to study at all, was a gift.
One of my more interesting activities while living in the US (Maryland) was working together with my stepfather, who owned his own construction-home improvement company. During my studies in Vienna I returned to the USA (summers) and continued working with my stepfather in our company.
During my studies in Austria I worked for the embassies of Australia, Canada and the USA – as an interpreter and translator.
Concurrently I also wrote articles for an English language magazine in Tokyo, see below and I was an European contributor to a business newsletter called “Market Newsletter” published in the USA. (Rochester, NY).
Both of these activities were terminated when these publications went “out of business.”
After the communist regimes collapsed in 1989-1990, I went back to Czech Republic and established a language school in my native city of Brno. I later established a trading company with one of my students, still later we founded another company that manufacturers windsurfing masts and other composite sports equipment. (Technofiber Ltd. – see www.technofiber.cz). Later still we founded two organizations which organize seminars and attempt to facilitate co-operation among different educational-research institutions in Czech Republic, EU countries and beyond - see below.
Professional membership: Austrian Society of Political Science –currently dormant.
Professional meetings attended: Privatization and Transformation in East-Central Europe Prague and Budapest; meetings concerning the question of Sudeten Germans; Islam and the West, Terrorism in EU and the world; Production and Marketing of cars powered by electricity, etc.
Selected Publications:
1. Number of articles for a Tokyo-based monthly “Cross Section”. (E.g. “Off to the market” on new economic realities in former Communist countries; “A Refugee’s Story” on refugees from the war in former Yugoslavia; etc.)
2. “Church in Czechoslovakia” in America (published in NYC) 1988
3. “Spielberg” in Wiener Journal, Vienna, Austria (In German)
4. Regular articles on economic/business matters in „Market:newsletter“, published by „Political Risk Services“ in Syracuse, N.Y. , USA (On average about 2-3 articles per month). Throughout 1990s and early 2000s.
5. Commentaries in Austrian and Czech newspapers.
6. “Czech and Slovak Environment: Four Years After the “Velvet Revolution” in Environmental Policy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1993
7. “Privatisierungspolitik in Ost-Mitteleuropa” in Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft 1995
8. “The Czech Republic: First Steps Toward a Cleaner Future.” In Environment, Washington DC, USA 1997
Other research activity:
Ongoing interest in: terrorism; globalization, environmental studies, international demographic and migration patterns..
Professionally related community and similar such activities:
Occasional meetings with the “city management” in Brno (my native city in Czech Rep.) on different aspects of their activity; meetings with the Roma minority members – discussing their predicaments as well as possible solutions, etc.
Working (together with my partner) with two institutions – “Energoklastr” (concerned with research support in the field of renewable energy sources, facilitating exchange of information and contacts between small companies and research institutions, etc.);
CVVI (“Centrum pro vyzkum, vyvoj a inovace” – “Center for research, development and innovation”, www.cvvi.eu which is an organization concerned with connecting (mainly) manufacturing companies with research institutions and universities, and/or between research various academic institutions.
CVVI organizes and holds regular seminars where the interested parties meet and exchange information – hopefully continuing co-operation in the future. (Partially financed and supported by the government of Czech republic and the European Union).
One of the results of our recent activities is the construction of a large wind tunnel at the Czech “University of Defense” Brno. See Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTdalhIMLpw
Hobbies:
Reading, research in political-economic affairs, scuba diving, music, UL aircraft, target shooting, photography and video, music.
Familial situation:
Married, 3 children
Citizenship:
Dual citizen – USA-Czech Republic.
Residence:
Dual residence:
Oberwaltersdorf, Austria / Brno, Czech Republic