The Kyyiv-Mohyla Academy: a training ground for future generations (01/24/93)

The Kyyiv-Mohyla Academy: a training ground for future generations

by Marta Kolomayets
Kyyiv Press Bureau

KYYIV - Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, the rector of the Kyyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine's first private university, likes to relate the story of one young lady, who after graduating from Kyyiv State University with honors came straight to the Podil section of the city to apply for the freshman class of the academy.

"I have a diploma, now I want knowledge," the student told a baffled dean who was interviewing potential candidates.

"We offer an alternative education," explained Serhiy Ivaniuk, dean of humanities at the school which opened its doors in 1992 hoping to follow the traditions of its predecessor, the leading center of higher education in 17th and 18th century Ukraine.

"In contemporary Ukraine, all the institutions of higher learning were based on the same system. There was no variety," he said.

"The basic philosophy in education was wrong; it was the collective above the individual," explained Prof. Briukhovetsky, who was a professor of literary theory at the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature before he took on this project two years ago.

"At the state university, I thought I was wasting my time. I didn't feel the energy and enthusiasm I experience here. At the academy, teachers and students are working together, creating their own concept of the history of culture, of literature, of every subject," said Kateryna Khinkulova, a dark-haired, brown-eyed 19-year-old Kyyiv native who attended this capital city's university for two years, before transferring to the Kyyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Yevhen Chmil graduated from the Kyyiv Polytechnical Institute with a degree in engineering. At the age of 21, he felt there was something lacking in his education. Currently a student of philosophy at the academy, he is one of the few students who works, supporting himself with a job at Apple Computer's new office in Kyyiv.

Conscious of the fact that the Kyyiv-Mohyla Academy selects only the best and the brightest (there were three applicants for every one of the 228 freshmen places), Oleh Savchyn, 22, of Drohobych, a graduate of the Drohobych State Pedagogical Institute, hopes that an education obtained here will open up doors to a European school for further study.

"In the past, it had a great name; a historic tradition. I would like to see it integrated into the educational system of Europe," he said.

A bilingual university requiring all students to know both Ukrainian and English, the academy has already established ties with such universities as the Sorbonne in Paris, the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, the Christian University in Austria, the University of Toronto, Columbia University in New York and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

It also boasts a board of advisors that includes Zbigniew Brzezinski, Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, George Shevelov and prominent scholars from European institutions of higher learning.

"As the first non-governmental university, we have some problems, but we have freedom, and that, is very important," Prof. Briukhovetsky explained. With a faculty of 74 professors, both part- and full-time, including eight from abroad, he has managed to attract the best scholars Ukraine has to offer - many of them "defectors" from other institutions.

"Formally, we have independence; Ukraine is an independent country. But really, as I understand the situation, we need a new, well-educated generation, one that has a broad view of the world with an understanding of how Ukraine can enter this world - not as a beggar, but as a partner," he said.

"While I was in school, one-sixth of the planet was under communism, and our education was very rigid. We learned only about that fraction of the world. Our people need to see the wholeness of the world."

Prof. Briukhovetsky promotes the idea of a small, elite university. "We want to remain small," he emphasized, "no more than 1,500 students."

Although KMA now offers only undergraduate classes (this year, the freshmen are the only class) the university will, in time, offer master's and doctoral programs. It is open to citizens of Ukraine and students from abroad.

This first class at the academy is a diverse group, representing all the regions of Ukraine: most have at least one year of study at another institution of higher learning, although some, like 17-year-old Stanislav Ostapenko, a native of Kharkiv, are straight out of high school - and thrilled at the opportunity to choose their own curriculum.

Although they will go down in history as a pioneer class, the students do not feel any special sense of responsibility in this auspicious role. "I feel very good here, but I think that it will be even better for future students," said Ms. Khinkulova.

What they do feel, however, is a sense of community; those who are not Kyyivites live in blocks of dormitories, which, unfortunately, are located far away from the school. The administrators hope to change this with time, and the students will relocate on campus.

"We are a small enough school that we all know each other, we meet in the library, in the reading room, in the cafeteria," said Mr. Savchyn. Some creative types have already made a video documentary, emphasizing their close-knit community.

They have even issued "funny money," a coupon with a picture of Rector Briukhovetsky on its face. Called a "Briukh," it is a good-natured attempt by the students to parody their respected and admired rector.

They are also planning to launch a democratic student newspaper, with financial and technical assistance coming from a foundation called the European Journalism Network.

And although the students express different views and ideas about nationalism, all of them feel nationally conscious and would like to have an input on Ukraine's future.

"We are all patriots," declared Mr. Ostapenko.

"But some of us believe that these ideas, for example, the integrity of the Ukrainian language, cannot be shoved down others' throats," said Mr. Chmil.

Mr. Savchyn, however, believes that Ukrainian must be the only state language in Ukraine. "If we have two state languages, it will be difficult for the Ukrainian language to survive. Because assimilation under the Russian Empire was so great, it deeply influenced eastern and southern territories of Ukraine for more than 300 years," he pointed out.

"I don't think this is a big problem," remarked Ms. Khinkulova. "With time, Ukrainian will take its place in society."

"Institutions such as this one will raise the prestige of our language and culture," concluded a proud Mr. Ostapenko.

Currently, Prof. Briukhovetsky is traveling throughout Canada and the United States, fundraising and establishing exchange programs and workshops with North American universities.

He will be speaking to the Ukrainian diaspora in major cities. For more information on his itinerary in Canada, please call Prof. Jaroslaw Rozumnyj, (204) 488-8693; in the U.S. Prof. John Fizer, (908) 846-4847.

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