National University Ostroh Academy
National University "Ostroh Academy" (Ukrainian: Національний Університет Острозька Академія, translit.: Natsional'nyi Universytet Ostroz'ka Akademiia) is a Ukrainian self-governed (autonomous) research university that was opened in 1994 by the Presidential Decree of April 12, 1994. The university considers itself a continuation of the historical Ostroh Academy and pretend to be the first Eastern Europe Academy (dating to 1576).[1]
Національний університет "Острозька Академія" | |
Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1576, 1994 |
Rector | I. D. Pasichnyk |
Academic staff | 118 |
Students | 3400 |
Location | 2 Seminarska Street, Ostroh , 50°19′42″N 26°30′46″E |
Campus | Urban |
Website | www.oa.edu.ua |
Ostroh town is called "The Volyn Athens" and mainly it is because of the Academy. The poet Penkalsky wrote in 1600: “The muse lodged in jail, even the god of art Apollo has left the island of Delos and moved to Ukraine”.[2]
The school occupies the buildings of the former Rococo Capuchin monastery (built in 1779).[3] Ostroh Academy is the only elite university of Ukraine that is not located in a regional capital.
History
Ostroh Academy was founded in 1576 in modern-Ukraine lands by the principle Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski in the lands his family owned. The Academy is considered to be the first institution of higher education in Ukraine.[4] The Academy was closed in 1636 soon after opening the Jesuit College in Ostroh (in 1624).[5]
In 1994, the Ostroh Academy was reopened by the Presidential Decree of April 12, 1994.[6] The University's founding rector is Ihor Pasichnyk.[7] National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was a key lobbyist for and partner in the revival of National University Ostroh Academy. Today the Ostroh Academy maintains strong links to NaUKMA. Both were the only higher education institutions in Eastern Europe at the respective times.[8]
Since October 2000 the university carries a title of National.[9]
In 2009, the university became one of the 14 research universities in Ukraine. In the next year 2010 NaUOA became a member of the European Association of Universities.[7]
Publishing
In 1577-1579 Ivan Fedorovych arrived to the Academy from Lviv and founded there the printing house. Under his direction, the most prominent Old Ukrainian Cyrillic printed materials were published. The most famous product is The Slavic Ostroh Bible (1581) which is considered to be a masterpiece of old-Ukrainian polygraphy and that played an enormous role for Orthodox education.[1] There were also published other materials:
- Greek and Slavic ABC-Book (1578)[10]
- The New Testament (1580)
- Sobranie Veshchey Nuzhneyshykh (Collection of Essential Things) by Tymofii Mykhailovych
- Chronology (1581) by Andrii Rymsha
- A Key to Heavenly Kingdom, The New Roman Calendar (1587) by Herasym Smotrytskyi
- Apokrysys by Christopher Filaret
- Slavic Grammar (1619) — a textbook of Church Slavonic Language (East Slavic edition). A literary heritage of the Ukrainian language by Meletius Smotrytskyi.
Famous People
- Jan Latosz — a Polish scholar, astronomer, astrologist and physician; a professor at the Ostroh Academy.
- Herasym Smotrycki — the first Rector of the Academy and famous Orthodox writer and teacher.[11]
- Cyril Lucaris — a Greek scientist and religious figure; the Rector of Ostroh Academy and later, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and after that, the Patriarch of Constantinople.[12]
- Meletius Smotrytsky — a noted archbishop and writer from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, son of the first rector; at the Ostroh Academy he received his first formal education.[6]
- Ivan Vishnevsky — Ukrainian orthodox monk, religious philosopher and polemist. Closely associated with Ostroh scholars and in particular with Ostroh group of polemicists. In 1598, in Ostroh "Book" he published an epistle to Konstantyn Wasyl Ostrohskyi and Orthodox Christians.
- Severyn Nalyvaiko — a hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks (a hero of Ukrainian folklore famous by the Nalyvaiko Uprising); lived in Ostroh for years.
- Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny — hetman of Ukrainian Cossacks; graduated the Ostroh Academy and was a school mate of Meletiy Smotrytskyi.
- Iov Boretskyi — the first Rector of Kyiv Brotherhood School, probably graduated the Ostroh Academy (there aren't clear information about his education).[6]
- Elisei Pletenetsky — Ukrainian cultural and public figure, educator, writer. Archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Founder of the Lavra printing house and the first paper mill in Central Ukraine.[6]
- Oleksandr Talavera — Ukrainian economist.[9]
Campus
Infrastructure
Reсent-day Ostroh Academy:[13]
- high-end computer laboratories;
- Internet access;
- modern language laboratories;
- virtual library;
- module and rating system;
- sports clubs;
- Culture and Art Centre;
Departments
- The Department of Political Studies and Information Management
- The Department of Quantitative Economics
- The Department of Finance
- The Department of Romance and Germanic Languages
- The Department of Law
- The Department of International Relations
International programmes
Students of Ostroh Academy take part in many international exchange programs.
The implementation of youth exchange project Canada-Ukraine (CORE) allows the students of the university to live in Canada for several months, gain experience in economic, social, administrative, educational and other spheres, and improve English and French.
Implementation of the Canadian-Ukrainian exchange «CORE / ECO» annually allows 20 university students to stay for several months in Canada, the master of the country experience in the field of environmental protection, gain leadership skills and get to know people of different nationalities living in Canada.
The program «CORE / HEALTH» — annually provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills in public health, spread among university students and local residents the information and materials about healthy lifestyles.
The program Net Corps, a Ukrainian-Canadian enables students to improve their professional skills in the sphere of informational technologies and programming.
The programs are coordinated by Canada World Youth organization, which has operated for 40 years in more than 50 countries. The partnership between Canada World Youth and the National University of Ostroh Academy has lasted for over 15 years. Some 225 students have participated in the programs.
For the last 10 years the students of the National University of Ostroh Academy have annually participated in such internship and educational programmes as Canadian-Ukrainian Parliamentary Program (CUPP), Fulbright Graduate Program, Edmund Muskie Program, Lane Kirkland Program, Study Tours to Poland, one year degree and non-degree studies at Warsaw University, four year studies at University of Marie Curie Sklodowska.
Rankings and achievements
NUOA is the only Ukrainian University recorded in the Guinness World Records. It got the record after a 456 hour reading of T. Shevchenko’s poetry without a break in 2014.[14]
In 2001 National Bank of Ukraine dedicated the coin to the Ostroh academy.[15]
The academy was ranked in the 6th place among Ukrainian traditional Universities according to official rating of the Ministry of Education & Science of Ukraine; 9th place among Ukrainian Universities according to "Ukrainska Pravda" newspaper; 3rd place among Ukrainian traditional Universities according to Correspondent Journal. Moreover, in 2015 Ostroh Academy was ranked 3rd among classic universities and 6th in the overall rating of the higher education institutions of Ukraine in terms of applicants’ quality. That year its web page took the 5th place in terms of the information value. This ranking was devoted to the monitoring of the higher education institutions’ web pages.
World University Ranking — 784
See also
References
- "The History of Ostroh Academy | The National University of Ostroh Academy". www.oa.edu.ua. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- Бондаренко, Светлана (2019-08-07). "Ostroh Academy: wisdom and charm". Ukraine IS. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- Grzegorz Rąkowski (2005). Wołyń (in Polish). Pruszków: Rewasz. p. 321. ISBN 83-89188-32-5.
- "In 12th century the land is first mentioned as Ukraine. Russia does not exist". EMPR: Russia - Ukraine war news, latest Ukraine updates. 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- "Ostroh Academy". www.encyclopediaofukraine.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- "Miracle of Ostroh: A beacon of hope for Ukraine's future (11/23/97)". www.ukrweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- "National University of Ostroh Academy". www.encyclopediaofukraine.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- "Seven Gifts from Ukraine to the World". VoxUkraine. 2016-01-02. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- "Burning Man and Nikopol • Ukraїner". Ukraїner. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- "Іван Федорович. Азбука 1578". litopys.org.ua. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- "Daniłowicz Herasym Smotrycki". www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2019-09-09.
- Medlin, William K. Renaissance Influences and Religious Reforms in Russia. p. 104.
- "National University of Ostroh Academy". Study in Ukraine. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- "National University of Ostroh Academy". Times Higher Education (THE). 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- "The Ostroh Academy". bank.gov.ua. Retrieved 2019-09-02.