MOME to select next rector through international competition
The Foundation for the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, which maintains the university, has decided to introduce a process for the selection of the university’s next rector that has not been applied in Hungarian higher education before. The most important new feature is that the competition announced now is international, with the aim of selecting the most suitable new leader for the university without regard to nationality.
"We are an international institution, while the language of the arts and design is international. We are able to provide the most benefit for Hungary by building a university which provides as many of our students as possible with the best chance to achieve global successes. To do so, we require the best rector out there: whether the individual is from Hungary, the region or elsewhere in the world," said Gergely Böszörményi-Nagy, chair of the MOME Foundation, discussing the call for applications.
Another new feature is that, in addition to professional experience, the call for applications places significant emphasis on expected leadership abilities. These include dynamic and future-oriented thinking, the ability to provide day-to-day support for co-workers, excellent language skills and a network of high-level international contacts to benefit the university.
Finally, the call for applications for the position of rector is also unique in that the MOME Foundation, instead of the few months customary in Hungarian higher education, is devoting more than eighteen months to select and prepare the new rector.
“The most outstanding professionals plan their advancement several years ahead. It would be pointless to issue an international call without providing adequate time for the applicants. It is only like this that we can guarantee the candidates the kind of meaningful dialogue that is worthy both of them and our university. And, in fact, this application process also makes it possible for the candidates to further develop their own visions along the way,” Gergely Böszörményi-Nagy added.
The current rector, József Fülöp, together with the MOME Senate and the international advisory board of the Foundation for the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, also participated in the preparation of the open international competition. MOME’s aim with the process is to serve as a role model for other Hungarian institutes of higher education.