UzhNU celebrates its 80th anniversary!
On Friday, October 17, the university community, representatives of the government, the military, and business gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Uzhhorod National University in a solemn atmosphere. This event is significant not only for Zakarpattia, but also for the entire country, because the university has been a center of science, education, and spiritual development for eight decades. The festive hall was filled with sincere words of gratitude to teachers, students, and graduates who glorify their native university with their achievements, as well as wishes for further prosperity, scientific discoveries, and new generations of talented youth.
The rector of Uzhhorod National University, Professor Volodymyr Smolanka, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech: “A memorable date, an anniversary is always a good opportunity to reflect on what has been experienced and experienced, to analyze in detail the stages of development, and most importantly, to outline the right guidelines for further progress, to find the optimal ways to successfully overcome the challenges of the time and implement ambitious plans. This year's celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of Uzhhorod National University is just such an opportunity. We can state with an open soul that our team has something to be proud of, we have something to reflect on, we know what we strive for in the coming years and decades. And to implement our plans and ideas, we first of all need peace, the strengthening of Ukrainian statehood and the entire European civilization, which today Ukrainians, including employees and graduates of UzhNU, are defending in battles in the eastern territories of Ukraine,” the head of the university emphasized. – Despite global geopolitical upheavals, epidemics and martial law, the staff of Uzhhorod National University is full of hope for further progress, development and a better future – their own, the Ukrainian state and the European continent as a whole – dreaming of a powerful, prosperous country without war, life in a united European community”.
On the occasion of the anniversary of Uzhhorod National University, numerous distinguished guests from Ukraine and abroad visited the university. Among them were Myroslav Biletskyi, Head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration – Head of the Regional Military Administration; Roman Sarai, Head of the Zakarpattia Regional Council; Bohdan Andriiv, Mayor; Bishop Varsonofii, Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate; Halyna Yurovska, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine; Ruslan Hurak, Head of the State Service for the Quality of Education; Mykola Polishchuk, President of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society; Ivan Hrytsak, Ukrainian diplomat; Andriy KrIuchkov, representative of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Zakarpattia region; Mariana Marusynets, director of the Department of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of the Zakarpattia RMA; Svitlana Mitriaieva, honorary president of the Center for Regional Risk Analysis.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps also arrived to support UzhNU on the holiday: Henryk Sasai, Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Uzhhorod; Aron Cech and Edina Albertne Szymon, representatives of the Consulate General of Hungary in Uzhhorod; Gratian-Florin Pirvu, Consul of Romania in Solotvyno; Zbigniew Wojciechowski, Head of the Commission of the Sejm of the Lublin Voivodeship (Poland), Commissioner for Assistance in the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
UzhNU partners arrived from abroad - representatives of European universities: Radoslav Dobrovolskyi, Rector of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (Lublin, Poland); Jozef Czebulski, Vice-Rector of the University of Rzeszów; a delegation from the Technical University of Košice, consisting of Vice-Rectors Jan Pitel, Juraj Gazda and colleagues. Vasile Pop represented the Vasile Goldis Western University in Arad (Romania). Also among the honored guests were heads and representatives of Ukrainian universities. Representatives of the justice system and law enforcement agencies were also present.
The Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, unfortunately, was unable to attend the meeting, but addressed the staff of Uzhhorod National University with a video greeting:
“Uzhhorod University is important both for me personally and for Ukrainian higher education. Because it already occupies a high place and, I am convinced, has a great European future. I highly appreciate the way you work, I know your level of quality, I see with which managers and with which people you build an attitude towards students every day. I wish you prosperity for many years to come. Let investments in higher education, the development of science and trust in our statehood constantly grow. I want us to achieve high results together. To do this, you need to believe in Ukraine, dream and set ambitious goals for yourself - something you already know how to do very well.
Military personnel also came to honor the university - Sviatoslav Kutchak, Viktor Troshki and Maksym Shelepets, participants in hostilities, heroes-defenders of Ukraine and university teachers. Their presence became one of the most touching moments of the holiday: the hall greeted the soldiers standing, with warm words of gratitude and thunderous applause. In response, the military thanked the staff of Uzhhorod National University for their constant volunteer support, assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and sincere care for the defenders.
The Head of the Zakarpattia RMA Myroslav Biletskyi noted that this day is extremely important for the educational community and the entire Zakarpattia:
"80 years is a whole era, a stage in history, when UzhNU not only taught, graduated specialists, and became the scientific center of our region, it was also an active creator of its history. The university has educated thousands of specialists who today work in all areas — from medicine and education to IT, diplomacy, and management — in different corners of not only our country, but also abroad. UzhNU was and remains a forge of qualified specialists who are very much needed by the rapidly developing Zakarpattia. Dear students, study, grow, acquire a specialty and stay to work here, at home."
During the celebrations, many university employees were awarded honorary awards and thanks from the Rector of UzhNU and representatives of government bodies. They were awarded diplomas and awards from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Zakarpattia RMA, the Zakarpattia Regional Council and the Uzhhorod City Council for their significant contribution to the development of education, science and international cooperation, as well as for their dedication to the university.
Today, Uzhhorod National University confidently steps forward, combining traditions and innovations, scientific achievements and active civic position. The 80th anniversary was not only an opportunity to remember the path taken, but also a symbol of stability, unity and faith in the future. UzhNU is not just an educational center, but a large family that preserves and multiplies the achievements of the past, forms a new generation of Ukrainian specialists and remains a reliable support for the state in times of trials.
