The question that students and the younger generation have to grapple with today is: what comes next in a Europe without American certainty? This is a global question that involves international politics and impacts far beyond the next election.

This is a moment when Europe could develop a stronger global pull. This will require a change in how security and policy is thought of on the continent and beyond.

Read the full commentary in Czech here.

Klvaňa is the Executive Director of and a senior international consultant specializing in public affairs and strategic communications. Throughout his distinguished career, he has worked at the highest levels of government, diplomacy, and public communication.

He previously served as Spokesman and Senior Adviser to the President of the Czech Republic and as Czech Government Communications Coordinator for the Missile Defense Program, collaborating directly with the White House, U.S. National Security Council, Congress, and the Pentagon. He was also a founding member of Aspen Institute Central Europe, helping establish the organization more than a decade ago.

Klvaňa holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and an M.A. from Charles University in Prague. He was a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and received the University of Minnesota’s Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals in 2012. Having lived and worked across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium, he brings extensive international experience and a global perspective to this year’s graduating class.

In addition to his work in public affairs and diplomacy, Klvaňa is the author of several books, including Cuba: A Brief History of the End (2024) and The World According to Trump (2024).

As AAU celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2026, we look forward to welcoming Tomáš Klvaňa to Commencement and hearing his reflections on leadership, international affairs, communication, and public service.

The 2026 Graduation Ceremony is only a few weeks away, and we look forward to celebrating this important milestone with our students, families, faculty, alumni, and the wider AAU community!

Revisit last year’s Commencement here, and view the celebration and graduation addresses below:

Colloredo-Mansfeld, CEO and co-founder of Kollektor and a graduate of AAU’s Visual Arts Studies program, moved to Prague to pursue his interest in art, collections, and cultural heritage.

Today, he is building a platform that connects private collectors with museums and galleries around the world, helping cultural institutions discover, exhibit, and study significant works and artifacts. Reflecting on his family history and the responsibility of preserving cultural heritage, Colloredo-Mansfeld said:

Read the full interview in Czech on .

Kodl, co-founder and owner of KodlContemporary and a graduate of AAU’s International Relations and Diplomacy program, comes from a family with a 150-year tradition in art collecting and the art trade. He later studied gallery management at the University of Westminster and business at UCL School of Management. In September 2025, he opened KodlContemporary, an independent gallery located in the distinctive glass building connected to the Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel.

In the interview, Kodl reflected on his efforts to increase the international visibility of Czech contemporary art, and to position Prague more prominently within the global art world.

Read the full interview in Czech on or in the print edition of the magazine Ekonom.

The panel included: foreign policy advisor to the President of Czechia and former Ambassador to the United States Michael Žantovský; political scientist, author, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Dalibor Roháč; Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Blue Star Strategies LLC Sally Painter; Dean of School of International Relations and Diplomacy George Hays, II; and Slovak foreign policy expert, former Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs, and moderator Pavol Demeš.

Two years ago, relations between the US and the EU were very different, very friendly, Demeš comments. Žantovský speaks more optimistically saying that while there is a lot of “unpleasant talk” from the US President, we are not in the “abyss”. Europe and the US share many similarities in culture and history, the relationship is deep. However, there is disbelief, distrust, and concern forming recently.

Roháč is more skeptical that the talk and decisions made by Trump are a fleeting phenomenon and that we will be able to go back to “business as usual” after his term. He sees the administration and its foreign policy decisions as “unfettered from reality and objective evidence.”

It must be recognized that Europe and the United States are structurally tied together in the most deeply integrated trade investment area in the world. Žantovský spoke of an analogy used during the communist era about Czechoslovakia’s relationship with the Soviet Union that applies in some ways: “are we friends or brothers. Brothers because you can choose your friends.”

Hays commented on the unpredictability of what is going to happen now and many students’ worries about their freedom of speech and safety in the US. There will be a long-term effect that the Trump administration has on the world which will outlive him.

All the panelists agreed that the allyship between Europe and the US will persist. The US has historically asked Europe to stand up and do more to create an equal partnership, and, while the US might not always like how Europe does this, they are catching up. Europe has the chance now to show that it is an independent actor, said Hays, and they do not have to always appease the US.

This year’s GLOBSEC FORUM brings together world leaders, innovators, and changemakers, under the auspices of Czech President Czechia Petr Pavel. AAU was honoured to host some of the speakers and open the discussion on the future safety of the world.

Photos from the event can be viewed . 

Margins operates a collaborative, student-run editorial and production process, collecting submissions from members across the AAU community. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to submit their work, regardless of experience. They meet weekly to plan and create the zine, experiment, get to know each other, and share ideas.

The team launched their zine club and their first print edition this Spring 2026 semester. Each member brought their own experience and knowledge to the table from high school publication and club leadership expertise, writing and artistic prowess, to administration —not to mention all the amazing submissions from the AAU community.

Genevieve, co-founder and co-president in Spring 2026 with Ander, emphasized how much support they received from peers, staff, and other clubs, like Lennon Wall and the Art Club. AAU provides a track for students to create their own clubs, but it is not easy: students must find five interested members, complete an with information about the club and its administration, and attend a Student Council vote to approve the club.

How can you get involved? Check out Margins’ updates on AAU’s Weekly Bulletin as well as on where you can also join the WhatsApp group. Look around campus for posters to stay in the loop. Two executive team members are graduating, so reach out by email if you think you have what it takes to help lead and grow this magazine! 

Lastly and most importantly: submit your work for the rewarding chance to see it in print and watch out for the new theme drop at the start of the new semester. Content accepted: Prose, Short Stories, Personal Essays, Poetry, Nonfiction, Commentaries, Recipes; Sketches, Paintings, Ceramics, Photography, Graphic design, Multi-media, Comics.

“Celebrating what’s created in the margins.”

Martina is a graduate of AAU’s 2005/06 Humanities, Society, and Culture program. She is an entrepreneur, NGO founder, author, and mother whose work focuses on leadership, philanthropy, and social impact. Over the years, she has received several recognitions for her charitable initiatives, including being awarded European Citizen of the Year.

As Alumni Council President, Martina will help strengthen engagement within AAU’s international alumni network and contribute to the continued development of the alumni community. The university looks forward to the new vision and direction she will bring to the role.

The Alumni Office also extends its appreciation to Simone Bertolone for his service as Alumni Council President and for his contributions to the AAU community. We wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

The Final Interactive Art Show, organized by the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (SAHSS), showcased student projects exploring themes of nostalgia, healing, identity, and emotional resilience. Led by Senior Lecturer Alena Foustková, the exhibition challenged students to create projects that were interactive and socially oriented while giving them significant creative freedom throughout the semester.

The exhibition also reflected AAU’s emphasis on hands-on learning and practical experience beyond the classroom, giving students the opportunity to develop and present original creative work in a public setting. Students first developed multiple concepts before refining and selecting final ideas through collaborative class discussions and critiques. 

Several projects focused on emotional storytelling and mental health through interactive formats. 

In “Mandible,” Andrew Swartz created a surreal game world inspired by anxiety, paranoia, and resilience, using hand-drawn visuals and pixel-art-inspired environments to externalize feelings of fear and uncertainty.

Other works explored comfort and emotional attachment. Sofia Situkho’s “Make Yellow Buddy Feel Comforted” invited visitors to interact with a small yellow character by selecting comforting objects and companions, turning participation itself into an act of care.

Memory and nostalgia became another major focus of the exhibition. In “Sounds of Childhood Nostalgia,” Michaelah Shellito combined mirrors, childhood photographs, music, and audience participation into an evolving installation centered on memory and emotional connection. 

Visitors were also invited to contribute songs and memories of their own, adding to a collaborative playlist that became part of the exhibition experience itself.

Themes of healing and recovery also appeared throughout the exhibition. Sofia Miroshnychenko’s “Non linear” reimagined the childhood game Snakes and Ladders as a metaphor for healing from trauma. “Positive new experiences” within the game allowed participants to move upward while setbacks represented emotional difficulties and instability during the healing process.

For Foustková, the exhibition reflected the broader value of creative experimentation and artistic expression within the university environment.

The exhibition ultimately transformed the studio into a collaborative and reflective space where visitors could engage directly with the students’ ideas, memories, and personal experiences through art. Photos from the exhibition can be viewed .

Learn more about the Visual Art Studies program at AAU here. For questions about the program, please contact admissions@aauni.edu.

This horror fiction centers around a couple in a failing marriage who discover their son missing one night after moving from Prague to a mysterious village in the hopes of resurrecting their marriage. This dark tale poetically explores human destiny and the animal in each of us.

She presented Playing Wolf in New York, Chicago, and Boston in the fall of 2025 as well as in London, Oxford, and Leipzig in March 2026. During the reading, Říhová discussed her writing process and contemporary literature.

Říhová is an experienced international lecturer, acclaimed scholar of avant-garde and modernism in a wider European context, as well as a published writer. She found a passion in teaching and combined it with her love for the UK and the US—where she worked as a lecturer—at AAU.

As dean, Říhová initiated the launch of three new programs to refresh the SAHSS, including Creative Writing and Storytelling, Art Therapy, and Graphic Design. AAU continues to strive for excellence through its faculty and students, highlighting and congratulating their many achievements.

Montessori education centers—named for Maria Montessori—have more respect for children and their learning needs in order to support and build the foundation of intrinsic motivation. For example, the kindergartens in mixed-age classes are encouraged to plan excursions, and teachers act only as shadows, making sure they are safe.

In her interview on , Vlčková talks about her own experiences in elementary and high school that led her to seek out a different path for herself in university—going to study in the US and also graduating from AAU—and then for her own children.

Gaining an international experience on exchange and then at AAU was important to understanding more of the world, she emphasized. Students who have Montessori education are in many cases more successful than children in regular classrooms because they learn to work independently and approach problems creatively.

Read the full interview in Czech on .