Dr. András Kupper Appointed Chancellor of Liszt Academy

The introduction of the chancellor system seeks to make the economic and financial management of the state institutions of higher education more competent and in line with the social expectations of the Hungarian tax payers. According to the new management system in higher education, the ultimate responsibility of the institutions’ direction still lies with the rectors, but organizational and operational decisions, including economic, legal, technical, IT and public procurement issues are the chancellor’s purview.

The Minister of Human Resources announced 29 tenders for the chancellor’s office of higher education institutions on 28 July 2014. The tenders were successful in 21 institutions out of the 29, so that in these institutions the new chancellors could begin their activity with effect from 15 November 2014. In the 8 higher education institutions where the tenders were not successful – including the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music – a new tender was called for on 7 November 2014. At the second deadline, more than 100 proposals were received. Similarly to the first round, the applicants were first heard by a committee, which in turn gave its opinion to the Minister of Human Resources as proposing authority. Finally, based on the proposals from the Minister, the Prime Minister as appointing authority decided on the persons to be designated as chancellors.

Dr. András Kupper, the freshly appointed chancellor of the Liszt Academy, was born in 1964 in Budapest. Originally, he studied to be a pianist, but later obtained a diploma at the Semmelweis Medical University in 1991. Until 1996 he worked as a demonstrator at the Institute of Anatomy; from 1993 he was a Fidesz representative of the Budapest City Council; between 1998 and 2014 he was an individual representative of the Budapest 11^th district local government, and vice mayor for culture. From 2003 to 2006 he was the head of the Fidesz-MKDSZ fraction in the Budapest City Council, and vice president of the Health Committee. Between 2004 and 2007 he fulfilled the office of Budapest president of the Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union, and from 2006 to 2014 he served as a Member of the National Assembly of Hungary. He is married with two children.

MTI/zeneakademia.hu