Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University () is a university in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, the largest university in Poltava Oblast. There are more 7 000 students studying in the university as of 2013. Its current rector is Mykhaylo Zagirnyak.
History
The origins of Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University dates back to 1921. In that year the first institute of higher education was established in Kremenchuk. It offered higher educational courses with the Ukrainian language of teaching. The legal status of these courses was comparable to those offered by colleges which were considered as higher education institutions.
Later, in 1925 the courses were reorganized in Kremenchuk Pedagogical College. There were day-time and evening classes where three different departments - preschool, school, and communist education - prepared future nursery teachers, primary school teachers, and pioneer leaders.
In September 1930, by the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of Ukraine, the Kremenchuk Institute of Social Education was opened on the same basis. There was only the School faculty which consisted of four departments: agrobiological, linguo-literary, technical-mathematical, and historical-economical. The students could attend full-time, correspondence, and evening classes.
In March 1939 the Kremenchuk Teacher Training Institute was reorganized in Pedagogical. In September 1940 the institute was attended by 942 full-time and correspondence students; 208 of them were first-year students of the Pedagogical Institute. More than 100 teachers including 2 professors worked there.
Consequently, the first higher education institution in Kremenchuk existed from September 1920 till June 1941. Unfortunately, World War II interrupted the development of higher education within the city. Only in 1960 did higher education in the city resume with the creation of the general technical faculty of the Poltava Institute of Agricultural Construction Engineers. In 1972 the Faculty was subordinated to the Kharkiv Road Institute. By that time it had 854 students which were trained by 24 teachers including seven associate professors.
By 1974 the number of students had increased by 2.5 times, teaching staff had trebled. Kremenchuk GTF was transformed into the Kremenchuk branch of Kharkiv State Polytechnic Institute. The work of the branch was characterised by two distinct periods: from 1974 to 1989 it offered cooperative education by either evening classes or correspondence learning and from 1989 to 1997 it offered full-time studies.
On 21 August 1997 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution «The formation of Kremenchuk State Polytechnic Institute» which was based on the Kremenchuk branch of Kharkiv State Polytechnical Institute, Krukiv Machine-building College, and Kremenchuk Automotive College. Professor Maslov V. Ye., who stood at the origins of the institute, was a Merited Education Worker of Ukraine, and Kremenchuk Honored Citizen, was elected to be the first rector. The institute consisted of seven faculties which included seventeen departments. Three years later the institute was reorganized in Kremenchuk State Polytechnic Institute and after another three years it was accredited as third tier higher educational institution – an acknowledgment of its ability to provide an educational process, specialist training and scientific research of the highest standards. During this time, the higher educational institution has provided industrial enterprises based in the city and Dnieper region with highly qualified specialists; creating the technical elite of the region.
In 2001 the university won in the nomination «The University of the Twenty-first Century» and was rewarded the golden medal from European Committee for Non-governmental Organizations. Later in 2001 it became a prize winner of the International Academic Ranking of Popularity and Quality «Golden Fortune» in the nomination «The Quality of the Third Millennium» and got the Certificate and the silver medal. In January 2002 KSPU won the nomination «Education» in the «Top-100 Organisations of Ukraine» ranking.
According to the «Higher Education» Law of Ukraine in November 2002 the election of a new rector took place. Among several candidates the university personnel by a majority of votes elected Mykhaylo Vasylyovych Zagirnyak — Honoured Scientist of Ukraine, Doctor of Sciences, Professor, Holder of the Order of Merit of III degree, Master of Sports.
