Masaryk University Press welcomes a new director
This summer, Masaryk University Press underwent a change in leadership. After founding the press in 2007 and guiding its development for nearly two decades, Alena Mizerová has been succeeded by Marek Konečný, formerly the press's Marketing Manager.
When Alena Mizerová joined Masaryk University at the invitation of then Rector Petr Fiala, she brought with her extensive experience in developing academic publishing programmes at the Moravian Museum and Brno University of Technology. From the outset, she championed the vision of a university press as a vital bridge between academia and the wider public. As she put it during her earlier tenure at Brno University of Technology, "University presses build communication bridges between the academic community and society, contributing to the reputation and public standing of their institutions."
Over the past nineteen years, Munipress has evolved under her leadership from a primarily service-oriented unit into a respected university press with a strong international profile. The press has consistently upheld international standards of scholarly publishing while maintaining a strong commitment to editorial and design excellence and to the broad dissemination of Masaryk University's research outputs both nationally and internationally. Munipress was the first university press in the Czech Republic to assign DOI identifiers to its publications through Crossref and remains the only Czech publisher indexed in both Scopus and Web of Science.
Mizerová also played a key role in the development of numerous initiatives that today form an integral part of the university's publishing infrastructure. Alongside the publication of scholarly books and journals, these include the open-access publishing platform Munispace, the journals.muni.cz portal for university journals, the Munishop online bookstore, an audiovisual production studio, and distribution channels that ensure global accessibility of Masaryk University's publications.
She was equally instrumental in shaping the editorial profile of the press. During her tenure, Munipress launched several successful series, including Munice, Between Genres, MU Monographs, First time in Czech nebo Homage to Personalities. As an editor, she personally contributed to the preparation of numerous significant publications, helping bring to life notable titles such as Forgotten times and spaces, Míla Doleželová, the collected works of Karel Engliš, and many others.
An important part of her legacy is also the Books in Brno literary festival, which she initiated as an open platform bringing together academics, authors, students, and the wider public. Over the years, the festival has become an important vehicle for the popularisation of research and scholarship while strengthening the university's engagement with society.
Alongside her professional achievements, Mizerová is widely appreciated for her ability to foster collaboration and build lasting relationships. Colleagues value her strategic vision, commitment to quality, and talent for creating an environment where professional excellence naturally goes hand in hand with empathy, respect, and a strong sense of collegiality. In recognition of her contributions to Masaryk University, she was awarded the Silver Medal of Masaryk University in 2024.
Building on her work is Marek Konečný, who has long been associated with the activities of the press. Among other projects, he helped establish the literary festival that later evolved into today's Books in Brno festival. In his new role, he aims to build on Munipress's achievements and further strengthen its position as a modern university press that disseminates research, supports high-quality scholarly communication, and opens the university to wider audiences.
