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 The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is one of the oldest and largest academic
establishments in Ukraine. Founded in 1834, the Univesity has conquer a
long and difficult way, making an immense contribution to the intellectual
and spiritual development of Ukraine. For the 175 years of its existence
it has become a cell where front-rank ideas are cherished and national intelligentsia
are prepears? Where a freedom loving spirit and fight of the Ukranian people
dominates on achievments of the predecessors, along with a free academic
spirit and remarkable aspiration for high achievements in science. During
its 175-year work, the University has trained more than 300 thousand professionals
and overthan 25 thousand of candidates and doctors of sciences.
The opening of Kyiv University was preceded by the 200-year history of
the Kyiv Mohyla Academy, founded in 1632. The Academy was the first ever
higher educational institution in Ukraine, where the prominent figurs of
Ukranian education where worked and studied Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Theofan
Prokopovych, Meletiy Smotrytskiy and others. In 1833, the Russian Tzar Nicholas
I has signed a decree on establishing the “Imperial St. Vladimir University”
in Kiev. On the 15th of July, 1834, the University accepted the 62 of its
first students. At that time, there was only one faculty – the Faculty of
Philosophy, comprised of the department of History and Philology and the
department of Physics and Mathematics. In 1835, the Faculty of Law was established,
and 1841 saw the foundation of the Medical Faculty. The Faculty of Philosophy
was later divided into two separate entities. This structure of the University
persisted up until 1917.
Mykhailo Maksymovych, a professor of Moscow University and a prominent
scholar of history, linguistics and folklore and a close friend of N. Gogol
and T. Shevchenko, was the first Rector of Kyiv University. In 1837-1842,
the principal building of the University was built by a renowned Russian
architect, V. Beretti, in the style of Russian Classicism.
Taras Shevchenko, the famous Ukrainian poet and artist, has worked at
the University as a teacher of painting in the 40s of the 19th century.
However, he was arrested for participating in a secret anti-monarchist society.
In the autumn of 1918 the University has become the the center for the
activity of Bolshevik students, who stood for the ideals of October proletarian
revolution. Because of this, the University was temporary closed down.
The beginning of a new period in the University’s history was laid on
the 23rd of April, 1919, when the Soviet authorities re-opened the St. Vladimir
University, changing its official name to "Kyiv University".
In March 1939, when the country was celebrating the 125th anniversary
of Taras Shevchenko’s birth, the Presidium of the the Supreme Council of
the USSR has named Kyiv University after him. In 1941, Kyiv State Taras
Shechenko Univestiy, as it was now called, has become third-largest university
in the USSR.
With the involvement of the Soviet Union into World War II, the government
of the Soviet Union has issued a decree to evacuate the University. First,
it was moved to Kharkiv where it temporarily united with Kharkiv State University.
Then, both universities were evacuated to Kzyl-Orda.
Despite the harsh post-war situation, the staff of Kyiv University has
persisted in developing scientific and educational activity. For only 25
years (1959-1984), the number of the University graduates exceeded 70 thousand
people.
Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University was given the status of a National University
of Ukraine by a decree of the President of Ukraine. This status highlights
the special role that Kyiv University plays in Ukrainian Education and provides
it with administrative autonomy. Another decree crucial to the University’s
development was the Presidential decree “About Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National
University” of November the 25th, 1999, which widened the University’s rights
and independence.
Since 1985, the post of Rector of Kyiv University is occupied by Prof.
Victor V. Skopenko, academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and
Education, Ph.D. in Chemistry, laureate of National Prizes for achievements
in science and technology (1990, 1995), Honored Science and Technology Worker
of Ukraine (1991). In 1999, Prof. Skopenko has been awarded the “Hero of
Ukraine”, one of the highest awards of the Ukrainian state. In 2000, the
Rector has become the Laureate of the National V. Vernadsky Intellectual
Cooperation Award.
Today, the Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University is a diversified
educational and scientific complex, comprising 14 faculties (Faculties of
Biology, Geography, Geology, Economics, History, Cybernetics, Mechanics
and Mathematics, Radiophysics, Social Sciences, Physics, Philosophy, Chemistry,
Law, and the Preparatory Faculty), 5 institutes (Military, International
Relations, Postgraduate Studies, Philology). The University is currently
training about 20 thousand undergraduate students and 1600 graduate students
in 73 professions and 157 specializations. The whole academic staff of the
University makes up about 2000 persons.
Great attention in the Taras Shevchenko National university spared to
the introduction and support of information technologies for staff and students
to use. Today, all of the University is connected into a single network
that helps solve scientific, eduactional and administrative tasks faster
and more efficiently. The corporate network of Kyiv University is one of
the largest in Ukraine, numbering approximately 3000 workstations. The University
also possesses external channels which provide fast high-quality access
to educational and scientific resources.
One of the most important objectives of the University is to provide
the necessary conditions for study in the student dormitories. One of the
major steps of achieving was the development of the University Billing system
(http://bill.univ.kiev.ua), which allows students to access the informational
resources of the World Wide Web right form their place of residence.
Another technological achievement is creating a server dedicated to distance
learning and a web video broadcasting server (http://www.electure.kiev.ua).
The distance learnig server facilitates the remote access of academic resources,
while video server provides both live broadcasts and the possibility to
view past lectures from the archive.
This year, the Academy of Introducing Information Technology into Education
was founded, while the Reional CISCO Network academy is continuing to work,
currently training more than 100 students. The CISCO Academy has passed
the international CCNP (Cisco certified network professional) certification
and now it is one of the prominent networking academies in the countries
of the CIS.
Last year, two automated administration systems were introduced: the
“Student” and the “University Entrant” systems, allowing high-quality automatized
control over the entry and educational processes in the University and making
the work of the metodological staff more efficient.
The University makes a significant effort to promote international contacts
and relations. Last year, Kyiv National Univesity had international agreements
on academic and cultural cooperation with 77 higher education establishments
from 39 countries of the world. In 2004, the following bilateral agreements
on scientific and cultural cooperation were concluded: Nairobi University
(Kenya), St.Petersburg State University (Russian Federation), Ghazi Ankara
University (Turkey), Samarkand State University (Republic of Uzbekistan),
Lyon National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) (France), Elves Lorand
University (Hungary).
The award of the “Honorary Doctor of Kyiv University” was appropriated
to more than 53 prominent scientists and politicians. Dmytro Mendeleev,
Mykhailo Grushevsky, Mykhailo Dargomanov, Indira Ghandi, Tur Hayerdahl,
William Clinton, Borys Paton, Victor Sadovnychiy, Helmut Koll, Yuriy Mytropolskiy
and others.
Last year, the academic departments and institutes were working using
updated syllabi, according to which the student classroom hours do not exceed
30 per week and large attention is paid to out-of-class work under the supervision
of academic advisors. The amount of the out-of-class hours has increased
to 24 hours for undergraduate students and 30 hours for masters program
students.
It is known that the the trend to decrease classroom hours and increase
extracurricular load is a prerequisite of our joining the Bologna Process,
and therefore it will be continued. Another requirement for entering the
European educational system is the obligation for colleges and universities
to start preparing professionals according to state standards, wich colleges
and universities themselves develop. This is a brand new level in training
professionals.
In Institute of journalism in 2003-2004 has started an all-new studies
for persons which over 10 years worked in mass media, but does not have
the spacial degree in media and journalistics.
Today, the total holdings of the University’s library numbers 3.5 million
copies. It has, however, a very diversified consistency: 1.7M copies scientific,
1.09M copies educational publications, 437K copies fiction and 349K copies
foreign fiction. There is also an effort to transfer books into electronic
storage. During this academic year, the library managed to process 513 books
(with only 24 last year). Among the other innovative technologies used at
the library, it is our pride to remark the introduction of the new plastic
card reader ID’s which help the both students and librarians to conserve
time and efforts, as well as the all-new barcode-based book identification
system.
The efforts of the University's scientists are directed to satisfy the
requirements of the Strategy of economic and social development, the "European
Integration Roadmap" for years 2004 to 2015. Research is carried out in
13 compound scientific programs.
Considering the current situation in the development of science and industry
across the world, Kyiv National University has started to train personnel
in many foremost professions, for instance: “educational management”, “higher
education”, “applied economics”, “archival science”, “archaeology”, “international
business”, “folklore studies”, “tourism”, “land surveying”, “photogrammetry”,
“land tenure and cadastre”, “geoinformational systems and technologies”,
etc. Besides, the students of Nuclear Physics, for instance, have received
a chance to intern at the nuclear power stations of Ukraine.
The high appraisal of Kyiv National University is certified by a succession
of awards, namely "Golden Trademark 2003", the National “Business Olympus”
and “Social Recognition” awards, an Honorary Diploma of the Ukrainian Cabinet
of Ministers, the St.Stanislav Order and countless others.
Lately, Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University is one of the highest-performing
organizations in Ukraine in terms of stability, transparency and punctuality
in paying wages to its staff, as well as student allowances and covering
all sorts of educational expenses. Our University is proud to have a multitude
of social programs for those whom it employs, lasting for decades now. The
Rector’s Office, the Academic Senate, the Primary Trade Union Organization
of the University and those of the departments are taking constant care
about social protection of the University’s employees.
Today, the University keeps living its life as a vibrant academic community
of professors who are constantly improving their knowledge and educational
skills and the country’s most gifted students. The environment at Kyiv National
University is encouraging for the students not only to look into the past,
but to analyze the present and look far into the future with high aspirations
to contribute to the Ukrainian nation.
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