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The first WIETE activity related to the EADE-2023 Conference was an ordinary meeting of the WIETE International Academic Advisory Committee (WIETE-IAAC) that took place on Sunday, 11 June 2023 in Wrocław, Poland. It involved several senior members of the WIETE, as well as senior representatives of the WIETE Partner Institutions.

Participants of the meeting were: Professor Robert  Špaček of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia and President of the WIETE-IAAC; Professor Lucyna Nyka, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland and Vice-President of the WIETE-IAAC; Professor Ľubica Vitková, Vice-Rector and Former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia; Professor Barbara Gronostajska, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland; Professor Magdalena Kozień-Woźniak, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Cracow University of Technology, Kraków, Poland; Professor Jakub Szczepański, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland; Dr Klara Macháčová, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia; Professor Joanna Jabłońska, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland; Professor Maria Jolanta Żychowska, Head of Department of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture in the Faculty of Architecture at Cracow University of Technology, Kraków, Poland and Fellow of the WIETE, as well as the WIETE directors.

In the first item, the WIETE-IAAC President offered his resignation which was accepted with great disappointment. Prof. Špaček’s successful presidency commenced in March 2018, and lasted over the most difficult period of the WIETE, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting expressed their appreciation for the work of the outgoing President and wished him success in his future engagements. A broad discussion followed - initiated by Prof. Špaček - focussing on the challenge of scholarly publications, the proliferation of publishers in response to the increased number of research outcomes, the value of publishing in Scopus-indexed journals, the widely-held, incentive-based requirements to publish, and the ensuing pressure on the individual and the institution.

Then, the WIETE Director took over the meeting’s proceedings in order to realise the planned and earlier-distributed agenda that included a range of issues, such reporting on the present status and achievements of the WIETE, its strategic directions, plans for future international conferences and events, forthcoming publications, membership drives, etc. The discussions also included the potential changes to the WIETE organisational structure, including the WIETE-IAAC, in order to reflect the significant changes in the WIETE membership, and the WIETE partnerships, in particular.

In the after-meeting discussions Professor Maria Jolanta Żychowska, was invited to become the fifth President of the WIETE-IAAC, which she verbally accepted, and later confirmed in writing.