Mojmir Povolny, Emeritus Professor of Government and Henry M. Wriston Professor of Social Sciences, Professor Povolny taught at Lawrence for almost 30 years from 1958 to 1987. He began his academic career with a J.D. degree from Masaryk University school of Law in Czechoslovakia.
He came to the US and earned a Ph.D degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago. At Lawrence, Professor Povolny taught human rights, international politics, European democracies, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia and Communist rule. He was an active figure on the Lawrence campus. In 1969, he became the chair of The Select Committee on Planning which was charged with the duty of investigating the elements of a liberal arts education at Lawrence and formulating a coherent institutional plan that would lead to the implementation of a liberal arts curriculum at Lawrence. The committee also known as the Povolny Committee, was instrumental in redefining what is known as: “THE LAWRENCE DIFFERENCE”.
An active member of the Lawrence faculty, Professor Povolny also took an active role in international politics. After the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, during which he was executive secretary of the Benes Party, he left the country. He worked with the anti-communist movement in exile. From 1974 to 1993, he served as chair of the council. He has also served on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and with the American Friends Service Committee. On October 28, 1995 the independence day of the Czech Republic, Czech President Havel Vaclav presented him with the Masaryk Order, the Czech Republic’s highest civilian honor, “for his service to democracy and human rights”.
Prof. Povolny continues to publish his writings. In recognition of his commitment to the education of students, the Government department has named its lecture series after him.