| National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute" | |
|---|---|
| Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут" | |
| Established | 1885 |
| Type | Public university |
| Rector | Prof. Dr. Leonid Tovazhnyanskyi |
| Admin. staff | 3,700 |
| Students | 24,000 (as of 2006) |
| Location | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | IAU |
| Website | http://www.kpi.kharkov.ua/ |
The Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute National Technical University (NTU "KhPI") ((Ukrainian: Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут")), in the city of Kharkiv, is the largest and oldest technical university in eastern Ukraine. Founded in 1885, it is the second-oldest technical university in the Russian Empire (after Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology) and in the territory of modern Ukraine (after Lviv Polytechnic).
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The university was established according to the program for technical education in the Russian Empire set up by Dmitry Mendeleev as a Practical Technological Institute, with two departments (mechanical and chemical) which could offer training to 125 students. The organizer and first rector of the institute was Viktor Kyrpychov, an honored professor specializing in mechanics and resistance in materials. In 1898, the institute was renamed the Emperor Alexander III Techological Institute. After the October Revolution in 1917, the Technological Institute continued its work. In 1921 the institute set up the first department for workers (rabfak) in Ukraine, and in 1923 (at the request of students, teachers and employees) the institute was renamed for Vladimir Lenin. In 1929 the V.I. Lenin institute of Technology was renamed the Kharkiv V.I. Lenin Polytechnic Institute (KhPI), a name kept until the fall of the Soviet Union.
In 1930, five independent higher-educational institutions (for mechanical machine-engineering, electrical technology, chemical technology, engineering and construction, and aviation) were set up as five separate departments of the institute. KhPI, as a whole, temporarily ceased to exist after that but historians consider these five institutions as informal branches sharing a common history. During World War II over 3,000 professors, students and institute employees joined the Army. Evacuated to Krasnoufimsk and Chirchiq, the institute continued training engineering staff; it also solved serious scientific problems related to strengthening national defense (such as contributing to tank-design work spearheaded by Alexander Morozov, one of the key engineers in T-34 design). In 1949 four higher-educational institutions (the institutes for mechanical machine-engineering, chemical technology, electrical technology and the institute of the cement industry) were reunited into the Kharkiv V.I.Lenin Polytechnic Institute. Professor Mikhail Semko was appointed its rector, and remained in this position for 30 years.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, KhPI continued its work as a Ukrainian institution of higher learning. In April 1994, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine granted Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute university status and it was renamed the Kharkiv State Polytechnic University (KhSPU). In September 2000, the status of National Technical University has been given to KhSPU, by decree of the President of Ukraine; since then, it has had its current name (NTU "KhPI"). In February 2010, NTU "KhPI" was granted the status of Autonomous Research National University by decree of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers.
NTU "KhPI" has been accredited as a university of the highest (IV) level. It trains full-time students in 91 fields and offers 69 fields for instruction by correspondence. It has the greatest number of matriculated students in eastern and southern Ukraine (4,377 places for full-time students and over 4,000 places for correspondence students). The university has 21 full-time departments, departments for correspondence and new full-time students, a center for foreign students, an inter-branch institute for advanced studies and three research and design institutes. It prepares specialists in the fields of machine-building, automation, electrical engineering, electronics, chemical engineering, control systems, management, computer science, software engineering and business.
The University is unique among other Kharkiv educational institutions, as it occupies the same campus that was initially given to it at its foundation in 1885 (the area was formerly called "Technological Garden", after the former name of the university).
Several campus buildings remain intact from the 19th century and may be considered historically significant as samples of past campus architecture:
In addition, these modern facilities were established during the Soviet era:
The institute has a contemporary sports complex, allowing for more than 30 types of sports and activities; this allows for active involvement in sports for students and faculty. Among thousands of active sportsmen in NTU "KhPI" are Olympic and world champions, winners of international and national competitions, including Т. Artemenko, I. Moskaltsov, V. Homutov (mountaineering), Aleksei Barkalov (water polo, two gold Olympic medals in 1972 and 1980), G. Gafanovich (volleyball), Dmitrii Bezkorovaynyi, Ruslan Babaev (arm wrestling), I. Kaydash, L. Tkachenko-Garkavaya (track and field), N. Yesipenko (badminton), I. Kyrychenko (cycling), Igor Tselovalnikov (cycling, gold Olympic medal in 1972), I. Raevskyy and D. Slatyn (basketball).
2004 Summer Olympics participants from NTU "KhPI":
2008 Summer Olympics participants from NTU "KhPI":
Since 1997, Dmitriy Bezkorovaynyi and Ruslan Babaev have won several world arm-wrestling championships. Considerable success on the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens was achieved by Andriy Zhyltsov (gold, silver and two bronze medals) in athletics (track-and-field) events.