With Sadness a Joy was Embracing...

Uzhhorod National University turns 78 today. The years it has lived, compressed in time, are perhaps best illustrated by the immortal lines of the poem by Oleksandr Oles "With Sadness a Joy was Embracing". During all these years, UzhNU has lived the same kind of life as the general public of Transcarpathia, fully sharing with them both the happy moments of their existence and the difficult trials that fell to their lot.

In the first years of the university's existence, young sons and daughters of the Silver Land were filled with joy because they finally received the opportunity to obtain higher education and their dream profession in their native land and in their native language, which was very soon overshadowed by political repression. Cerberi of the Moscow regime cynically and mercilessly broke the destinies of patriotic young people educated in the spirit of the national values, arrested students even in classrooms during lectures and accused them of serious crimes they had never committed.

The creative approach of the university teachers and the educational process were attenuated by propagandist dogmas, and very often scientific research depended on ideological expediency. Despite these obstacles, artificially introduced by the ruling regime, the majority of university teachers imparted their professional knowledge and skills to their students, taught them to separate the wheat from the chaff and start their independent lives with sufficient knowledge.

Owing to the potential and cohesion of the teaching staff, the university not only preserved, but also increased its educational and scientific assets during the difficult years of formation of the independent Ukrainian state, when teachers had to wait for their symbolic salaries for several months, conduct lectures and scientific research in unheated classrooms and laboratories. However, even in those difficult times, the university was developing dynamically: new faculties and specialties were opened, new relevant topics of scientific research were approved, international cooperation and partnership relations with colleagues from other countries were established.

The measured and confident development of the university in recent years was artificially slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic. Both teachers and students withstood this test with dignity, mastered the skills of online training and independent finding of the sources of necessary information. Medical students joined the teams of doctors and nurses in the fight against this viral invasion.

The large-scale war unleashed by russia brought a new bitter trouble into our lives. Despite the fact that they could avoid being mobilized, some teachers of UzhNU joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine: for instance, the head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Professor Fedir Shandor, Associate Arofessor of the Department of Physics and Mathematics of the Ukrainian-Hungarian Educational and Scientific Institute Viktor Troshki, the head of laboratories of the Department of Theoretical Physics Vasyl Martyshychkin, senior lecturer of the Department of Instrument Engineering Svyatoslav Kutchak, Deputy Director for Educational Activity of College of Natural Sciences and Humanities Kristian Papp, a teacher of physical education of College of Natural Sciences and Humanities Oleksandr Babanin, senior lecturers of the Department of Military Training Petro Marko, Yevhen Bargman, Andriy Matviychuk, a lecturer and a guide of the Museum of History of the University Kostyantyn Shcherbey , employees of the administrative and economic departments Petro Shykula, Ruslan Volkov, Vasyl Sydun. Thanks to them and their comrades in the Armed Forces, the resilience and courage of all defenders of Ukraine, we have the opportunity to study and work, to create a new history of the community called Uzhhorod National University.

Despite the grief and tragedy brought to the lives of our families and teams by the war with the russist occupier, the university adequately responds to the challenges of the day and prepares new specialists for the reconstruction of a qualitatively new, modern Ukraine. Its daily routines have been recorded in the publications of the official website.

Education and science

Before the beginning of the large-scale invasion, many foreign students had studied at UzhNU. When a full-scale war began, thanks to the coordinated work of the university with the consulates and embassies of India and Hungary, as well as student representatives, a special green corridor was created for our foreign students. Most of them went by bus to Budapest, they were allowed to do so without Schengen visas. From there, they were flown to India by special military planes. Some students, citizens of African countries, remained in Europe. Many of them have already returned to Ukraine. Currently, there are about 1,450 foreign students studying at the Medical Faculty No. 2 — mostly citizens of India, Jordan, Nigeria, and some other African countries. Several hundred of them have already returned to Uzhhorod, the rest are studying online from their countries. Most seniour students who have clinical disciplines have come to Uzhhorod, while younger students mostly study theory online.

In 2023, UzhNU resumed the practice of the Summer University for students of Transcarpathian schools from almost all territorial communities of the region, as well as children IDPs. Interesting excursions, development of computer games, recording of video improvisations and radio plots, trainings in IT, tours to the outskirts of the city, DNA research, development of leadership qualities, watching films, familiarization with the curiosities of all UzhNU divisions will remain in the memory of all the participants of the Summer University.

The military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine posed a number of important questions to scientists in Ukraine and the whole world. These include, in particular, the application of the norms of international humanitarian law, methods of bringing the aggressor to justice for committed war crimes, payment of reparations and compensation for damages to Ukraine, as well as many other issues related to the russian war against our country. With the support of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Center for the Study of the Law of War was established at Uzhhorod National University to find an effective mechanism for regulating these legal issues.

On the initiative of Peter Bober, the vice president of the twin cities Corvallis-Uzhhorod, and with the support of the rector of UzhNU, Volodymyr Smolanka, the implementation of the training project "Preparation of Women for Entrepreneurship in Conditions of War" was held. Three month training and consultations were held for women who were already running their businesses, but needed additional information and support under wartime conditions.

In December 2022, the competition "Startup - UzhNU: Innovative Ideas that Bring Victory Closer!" was held, and surprised everyone with the relevance of the projects. In order to select the winners, a highly qualified jury was formed consisting of experts in various fields - representatives of government, science and business. In 2023, the selection of participants for this year's startup competition has already taken place.

International cooperation and rankings

In recent years, UzhNU has established itself among the best Ukrainian universities according to the indicators of respectable world rankings. UzhNU is the 9th best among Ukrainian universities according to the GreenMetric ranking. According to University Impact Rankings 2023 by Times Higher Education, UzhNU occupies the high 3-6th place among Ukrainian universities. For the first time in its history, UzhNU got a position in World University Rankings 2024. Currently, it is the 12th best among Ukrainian universities and is ranked 1501st among the best universities in the world. According to the "International Prospects" indicator, UzhNU belongs to 1,000 best universities in the world, occupying the 955th position in the ranking.

Over the past year, UzhNU has actively worked on expanding its international ties. Within the framework of The UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative  business relations have been established with the University of Central Lancashire, Great Britain. With the support of our British partners, free English language courses have been organized, a language training for UzhNU students was held in Cyprus, technical equipment was handed over, an official visit to Preston was held to discuss further directions of partnership, etc. Uzhhorod National University became a co-founder of the Eastern Partnership European University Cluster.

Assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Uzhhorod National University continues to provide assistance to military personnel and their families, collect and coordinate the receiption of volunteer aid, organize art events, charity fairs.

Military personnel and their family members were trained at the university how to start their own business. As part of the training program "Norway-Ukraine. Professional adaptation. Integration into the State System" military personnel and members of their families underwent professional retraining for civilian specialisms that are in demand on the labour market.

The university held an international round table and a photo exhibition about the role and place of the Ukrainian diaspora in the russian-Ukrainian war. From the first days of the large-scale invasion, the university began to work as a humanitarian hub, through which organizations of the Ukrainian diaspora, in particular from Hungary and Romania, have been providing constant assistance. Since the beginning of the large-scale war, the Ukrainian diaspora has actively participated in assistance in all possible areas, including humanitarian, financial and military. Representatives of diaspora organizations from all over the world, Ukrainian societies in Spain, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova joined the round table.

A lot of military personnel who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine are alumni, students or employees of UzhNU. At the end of 2022, the "Professor from the Trenches" Fedir Shandor became the laureate of the "Man of the Year" competition in Hungary. "He is a model that will help to solve problems in interstate relations," said Esik Sándor, editor-in-chief of the "Voice of Hungary".

Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, UzhNU has provided shelter for thousands of forced migrants. Hundreds of internally displaced persons still live in the university halls of residence. To create comfortable conditions for their work, a co-working space on the basis of the scientific library of Uzhhorod National University was opened. The project was developed by UzhNU volunteers and funded by the Carpathian Fund of Ukraine and a group of foreign enterpreneurs.

 

 

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