Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University

Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University (Ukrainian: Волинський національний університет імені Лесі Українки) is a Ukrainian university in Lutsk, named after Lesya Ukrainka.

History
The history of this university began in 1940 with the founding of the Lutsk State Teachers’ Institute. During its first year of operation, 135 students were enrolled for the first-year program. The instruction was provided by a staff of fifty professors working within the departments of Ukrainian and Russian philology, physics, mathematics and geography.

The functioning of the university was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1941, and did not resume until 1946. In September 1951, the college was reorganized and designated a pedagogical institute, and a year later, it was granted the use of the name of Lesya Ukrainka. At that time the university's only faculties were those of history, philology and mathematics. By the beginning of the 1990s nine faculties were operating in the institute.

On July 16, 1993, by a decree of President Leonid Kravchuk, the institute was given a higher status and received the name Lesya Ukrainka Volyn State University. In September 2007 President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree granting the university the status of a national university. Then in August 2012, in accordance with a decree signed by President Viktor Yanukovych, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University received yet another new official designation: Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University in Volyn. This name was intended to reflect the aspirations of the university to establish real and/or symbolic ties with educational institutions in western Europe.

Buildings
Classroom and laboratory instruction is conducted in nine different buildings; in addition there are five student dormitories, the university library with holdings of over 400,000 items, four museums, a sanatorium and student polyclinic, a sports complex and a stadium. These facilities are located at various sites within the city of Lutsk. In addition to this, there is a student camp named “Hart”, which is situated at Lake Svitiaz.

Institutes and faculties
Currently six institutes and twelve departments are functioning within the University: Specialties: culturology, religious studies, sociology, philosophy.
 * Institute of Social Sciences

Specialties: Olympic and professional sport; physical rehabilitation; physical education.
 * Institute of Physical Education and Health

Specialties: preschool upbringing, preschool education, primary teaching, primary education, social pedagogy.
 * Pedagogical Institute

Specialties: music art, visual arts, choreography.
 * Institute of Fine Arts

Specialties: psychology.
 * Psychology Department

Specialties: documentation and informational activity; history; museology and the protection of historical and cultural sites; political science.
 * History Department

Specialties: chemistry; ecology and environmental protection.
 * Chemistry Department

Specialties: biology; forestry and landscape gardening management.
 * Biology Department

Specialties: computer science; mathematics.
 * Mathematics Department

Specialties: enterprise economics, accounting and auditing, finance and credit; management of innovational activity; management.
 * Economics Department

Specialties: language and literature (English); language and literature (German); language and literature (French); Applied Linguistics.
 * Institute of Foreign Philology

Specialties: jurisprudence.
 * Department of Law

Specialties: country studies; international information; international relations; international economic relations.
 * Department of Foreign Affairs

Specialties: Ukrainian language and literature (with an additional qualification “teacher of foreign literature”); language and literature (Russian) (with an additional qualification “teacher of foreign (English) language”); language and literature (Polish) (with an additional qualification “teacher of foreign (English) language”); journalism; publishing and editing.
 * Institute of Philology and Journalism

Specialties: physics; physics-related computer studies.
 * Physics Department

Specialties: geography; hotel management; economic and social geography; system of land use and surveying; tourism.
 * Geography Department

The aim of the Preparatory Department is to provide suitable conditions for the effective training of citizens for passing of external independent scoring by means of thorough study of academic disciplines, entering high school and successful adaptation to studying in higher educational establishment. Also there is a preparatory department for foreign citizens.
 * Preparatory Department

Specialties:physical rehabilitation, Ukrainian language and literature, language and literature (English) Language and Literature (German), psychology, finance and credit, accounting and auditing, law, land management and cadastre, informatics, pre-school education.
 * Teaching and Research Center of Postgraduate Education

Awards and reputation
Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University was awarded the honorary title “Leader of modern education” on the basis of the results of the Tenth International Exhibition of Educational Institutions “Modern Education in Ukraine 2007” and was awarded a bronze medal in the category “Modernization of higher education in the context of the Bologna Convention requirements”. For development and implementation of innovative educational technologies into its teaching and educational processes, the university was awarded a certificate of recognition, “Innovative educational technologies 2007”. The university was a winner in the “International cooperation in education and science 2007” category at the “Education and career – Student’s day” international exhibition (2008).

The active role of the university in the sphere of international relations has attracted attention both in Ukraine and abroad. On March 7–8, 2008 a delegation from the university took part in the Ninth International Education Fair “Perspektywy 2008”, which was held in Warsaw. In 2009 VNU won the competition of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the category “International cooperation in the sphere of education and science”.

VNU was awarded a prize in the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “International cooperation in the sphere of education and science” for the exhibition “Modern education in Ukraine 2009” which was held on February 25–27, 2009 in Kyiv.