History of Kyiv University

Kyiv University is an institution of higher education that trains specialists in many fields of knowledge and carries out research. Although this description can be applied to any other institution of similar kind, Kyiv University enjoys a special status among the establishment of higher learning in Ukraine. It is the number-one Ukrainian university, and a major centre of advanced learning and progressive thinking. It consists of more faculties and departments than any other school in Ukraine and provides training of specialists in a greater number of fields than any other comparable Ukrainian educational institution.

Kyiv University is named after Taras Shevchenko, a major figure in Ukrainian arts. Its reputation transcends the boundaries of Ukraine. Since the time of its foundation, a hundred and sixty years ago, the University has been generating progressive ideas, shaping Ukrainian intellect, and providing champions of upheld national liberation activity in Ukraine. It has always upheld the Ukrainian freedom-loving spirit.

Kyiv University dates back to the first half of the 17th century. The Kyiv Mohyla Academy, founded in 1632, provided the foundation upon which Kyiv University was subsequently built. This Academy, whose history spanned almost two hundred years, was the first establishment of higher education in Ukraine. Among its students one may find prominent figures of Ukrainian cultural development: Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Feofan Prokopovych, Meletiy Smotritskiy and many others.

For many years it was realized that the city of Kyiv needed a new type of university. Pressure on the authorities to allow the creation of such a school was growing but it took many decades before this idea was realized. Since Russian autocracy feared the new school would turn into a centre of Ukrainian national liberation activity, one must say that such fears were not at all groundless. Kyiv University did become a focal point of national consciousness.

The first 62 students started their studies at Kyiv University in 1834, in the one-and-only Faculty of Philosophy, which had two Departments: The Department of History and Philology and The Department of Physics and Mathematics. There were new additions to the original department in 1835 and 1847: the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Medicine. Later on, the original Faculty of Philosophy was divided into two separate units: the Faculty of History and Philology and the Faculty of Natural Sciences. There were no more additions to the number of the departments until the 1920's.

In 1939 Kyiv University was named after Taras Shevchenko. Upon graduation from St Petersburg's Academy of Fine Arts, Taras Shevchenko returned to Kyiv and between 1845-1846 was employed by the Archaeological and Ethnographic Commission at Kyiv University. In 1847, the activities of the Cyril-Methodius Brotherhood, of which Shevchenko was an active member, were suspended and Shevchenko arrested. Although Shevchenko's arrest and subsequent exile brought his work at the commission to end his links with Kyiv University were not entirely severed.

Upon his release and return from exile, Taras Shevchenko wrote "Bukvar Yuzhnorusskiy" (An ABC-Book for Children) and saw to it that Sunday-schools in Ukraine for which it was meant received the book; Shevchenko kept up a correspondence with the first Rector of Kyiv University, Maksymovych.

Faculty members, scholars and scientists of Kyiv University have made a worthy contribution to the development of science and social-political thinking in Ukraine. The list is long and comprises, among others:

prominent historians and philologists: M. Maxymovych, M. Kostomarov, V. Antonovych, I. Luchytskiy, M. Drahomanov, V. Perets, O. Beletskiy, A. Krymskiy, Ye. Tarle;
lawyers K. Nevolin, M. Ivanishev, M. Vladimirskiy-Budanov, O. Kystyakovskiy;
the economist M. Ziber;
mathematicians V. Yermakov, D. Grave, M. Bohomolov;
specialists in mechanics I. Rakhmaninov, H. Suslov, P. Voronets;
physicists M. Avenarius, M. Shiller, Y. Kossohonov, E. Lashkariov;
chemists A. Babko, A. Holub, A. Kipriakov, S. Reformatskiy;
geologists K. Feofilaktov, V. Chirvinskiy, M. Andrusov, P. Tutkovskiy;
botanists I. Shmalhausen, S. Navashyn, K. Purievych, O. Fomin, M. Kholodniy;
zoologists K. Kesler, O. Kovalevskiy, O. Severtsov, O. Korotnev;
the biochemist O. Palladin;
specialists in medicine V. Bets, M. Sklifosofskiy, F. Yanovskiy, V. Obraztsov, M. Strazhesko, to name but a few.

Among the graduates of Kyiv University one finds a considerable number of prominent figures of the Ukrainian arts: the playwright Mykhailo Starytskiy, the poet Maxym Rylskiy, the composer Mykola Lysenko and other.

At present the student body of Kyiv University totals about 20 000 students; this number includes students at the Institute of International Relations which is attached to Kyiv University as a faculty of almost two thousand strong.

Kyiv University maintains contacts with many universities and research centres throughout the world.

The newly acquired independence of and changing situation in Ukraine have put forward new requirements to Kyiv University which is contributing to the all Ukrainian effort to create a radically new political, social and economic structure in the country. Kyiv University is obliged to improve its system of training specialists since its graduates are to work in various segments of the political, social and economic system of independent Ukraine. Kyiv University graduates are expected to be highly qualified, patriotic and aware of the tasks facing the new Ukraine; they must be open to the national ideals, and feel responsible for what they are required to do; they are expected to be able to demonstrate a creative approach in solving the pressing problems of today and tomorrow, and to think in terms of long-term and wide-ranging reforms. In other words, we are striving to achieve a truly universal character in the training of our specialists. We believe this can be achieved through engaging the most talented minds into the university educational system; we should involve the most talented scholars and scientists in the academic process at the same time providing them with adequate means by which to sustain their selfless efforts and endeavour; we must do our best to protect them from unnecessary and at times incompetent control on the part of certain government bodies. To do this successfully, Kyiv University has to acquire the status of an independent educational establishment. We are going to do our best to achieve this goal.

The doors of Kyiv University are open to anyone who is eager to devote himself or herself to enhancing the intellectual potential of and to developing the arts and economy of Ukraine.