Donetsk National University

Donetsk National University
Донецький національний університет Донецкий национальный университет
Established	1937
Type	National university
Rector	Volodymyr Shevchenko
Location	Donetsk, Ukraine
Website	www.donnu.edu.ua

Donetsk National University (DonNU) (Russian: Донецкий национальный университет Ukrainian: Донецький національний університет, Donets’kyi Natsional’nyi Universytet) is the leading higher educational institution in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The University's history starts in 1937 from the moment of creation of a pedagogical institute in Donetsk (then Stalino). In 1965, the Institute was transformed into Donetsk State University. It was accorded the National status in 2000.

History^[1]

On July 15, 1937, a State Pedagogical Institute was established in the city of Stalino (Donetsk) by decree from Ukrainian SSR. Its first director was Olekasandr Yevdokymenko, who was arrested in 1938 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment during the Joseph Stalin's Great Purge. Originally the institute consisted of two departments, of History and of Philology, and five chairs.

From 1940 to 1961 the Institute was led by Serhiy Ksenofotnov and from 1961 by Mykola Khoroshailov. In 1964 Institute was subordinated to Kharkiv State University and became a Donetsk branch of Kharkiv State University named after Maksim Gorky.

On May 28, 1965 the Soviet of Ministers of the USSR enacted a Decree on organising Donetsk State University (DonSU) based on Donetsk branch of Kharkiv State University. Professor Leonid Lytvynenko became the first rector of the University (1965–1968).

In 1965 post-graduate studies were launched at the University with only 16 students at first. This was the year when faculties of biology and physics as well as students' campus were built.

Professor Yuriy Shevlyakov was appointed the second rector of the University, who managed the institution from 1968 to 1970. In this period the main 12-storey building was constructed. Professor Hryhoriy Tymoshenko was the third University rector (1970–1975). In 1972 a Museum of University's history was opened in the main building.

Professor Hryhoriy Ponomarenko was the rector from 1975 till 1986. Since 1986 the University has been managed by the Professor Volodymyr Shevchenko. On September 11, 2000 by the Decree of the President of Ukraine the University was accorded the national status.

On the December 22, 2003, an unusual from the point of view of law and moral event took place. It was called "The New Year exam auction" by organizers, who were the heads of DonNU and of the faculty of the accountancy and finance of the same university. ^[2][3][4]

In addition to high-profile corruption scandals, DonNU is also known for cases of plagiarism of foreign scientific publications. Thus, in 2010, the case of plagiarism by Inessa Artamonova (former head of the Journalism Department at Donetsk National University) became known, as she was caught red-handed by Russian colleagues, namely for theft of texts of Russian scientists while writing her doctoral thesis. Until now, official bodies of Ukraine did not respond to the complaint of Russian scientists, who gave all the evidence of plagiarism. ^{[5] [6][7]}

Infrastructure

Donetsk National University unites training, research and industrial centers forming a complex that includes: 12 Departments; 33 Specialties; Mariupol Humanitarian Institute; Donetsk Interior Institute; Donetsk Humanitarian Institute; 3 Technical Colleges; first in Ukraine Lyceum with Ukrainian as a training language; 6 regional Training and Retraining Centers; 3 Educational-Research-Industrial Complexes; 8 Training Complexes; 5 Departments and Advanced Training Centers; the UNESCO Department for Ecology in the Technogenous Region; Business Centre; Centre for Political Studies; Youth Centre for Legal Studies; the Laboratory for International Scientific and Technical Cooperation; Consulting Centres of the British, German and French Councils; Postgraduate Courses and Doctoral Studies.

Renaming the university disputes

In December 2008 a group of current and former students of the university published an appeal asking that the university be named after one of its graduates, Vasyl Stus. The letter to the Minister of Education was signed by more than 500 people, including the poet’s son Dmytro Stus. The Minister supported the initiative and approached the Rector of the university with a request to discuss the issue among staff and at the academic council.^[8] On 5 February 2009 National Deputy Olena Bondarenko presented a new initiative: to name the university after Volodomyr Degtyaryov, the First Secretary of the Donetsk Regional Party Committee from 1963 to 1976. The initiative was endorsed by some other National Deputies, including the leader of the Party of the Regions Viktor Yanukovych, Mykola Azarov and others.^[8] On February 17, 2009 62 out of 63 members of the university's "Scientific counsil" voted against renaming the university to Vasyl Stus or Volodomyr Degtyaryov (61 voted against this), 63 voted for not changing the name of the institute. Earlier (February 13, 2009) representatives of the university's students voted in exact the same fashion.^[9]

Notes and references

1. ^ This article incorporates text from "History of the University" at the Official Web Site of the University, whose republication is expressely allowed if referenced to www.donnu.edu.ua.
2. ^ "The purchased lots were exchanged on…university marks" А. Yeremenko, L. Surzhyk «Zerkalo Nedeli» №4, 31.01.2004
3. ^ "Want mark 5? Give cash!" А. Yeremenko «Zerkalo Nedeli» №2, 17.01.2004
4. ^ "Reprimand to the rector…" «Zerkalo Nedeli» №5, 07.02.2004
5. ^ SOS. Ukrainian plagiarism. April 6, 2011
6. ^ The Artamonova case. The problem of scientific plagiarism with one specific reference.
7. ^ Plagiarism is a professional and ethical problem. Ukrainian review.
8. ^ ^{a b} When silence is a crime (about Vasyl Stus) by Halya Coynash, UNIAN (February 27, 2009)
9. ^ (Ukrainian) Донецький національний університет відмовився від Василя Стуса, ZIK (February 17, 2009)