The University of Pardubice actively seeks to develop a friendly and inspiring environment for its employees and students that will make all members of the academic community feel supported and safe, and thus enable them fully develop their potential.
These efforts are reflected in the SAFE UPCE initiative, which is an umbrella terms for social safety. The SAFE UPCE initiative incorporates issues related to ethical standards, student and employee care as well as non-discrimination, inclusion and equal opportunities.
It is a follow-up to several activities implemented by the University of Pardubice in the previous years in the area of HR development or gender equality. The initiative is inspired by the idea of university social safety[1] which has only recently been transplanted into the Czech academic community based on experience from foreign universities. Since 2023, the University of Pardubice has been involved in a project bringing together all universities in the Czech Republic, which defines social safety as “an integral part of efforts to create safe, fair and ethical academic environment in order to minimize (existing and new) inequalities of opportunities, but at the same time to maximize academic freedoms and development of student talent”.
The objective of the SAFE UPCE initiative is not only raising awareness of the social safety in the university environment, but also integrating social safety into the day-to-day activates of the University of Pardubice as one the key preconditions for its further development. It is a clear message by the University of Pardubice refusing any unethical conduct, including discrimination, mobbing, bullying, aggression or any other forms of oppression, and promoting values such as mutual respect, support, openness, collegiality and tolerance.
[1] Social safety may be defined as “an ideal environment where conduct of all persons present is naturally motivated by the principles of collegiality, integrity, equality, respect, openness and attention to one another and where any form of adverse conduct, intimidation, aggression, bullying and discrimination is considered unacceptable irrespective of whether it applies to students or employees of any gender.” Source: Universiteiten van Nederland (2019). Statement sociale veiligheid binnen onze universiteiten: voor een veilige, open en respectvolle sector. Quoted from: https://www.vsb.cz/magazin/cs/detail-novinky/?reportId=45571&linkBack=%2Fmagazin%2Fcs%2Findex.html
