Our University

Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University (now it is V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University) is the first Higher Educational Institution in Crimea. Solomon Krim was the first person who proposed to establish it. A special role is attributed to St. Vladimir Kiev University, which opened its branch in Simferopol, in 1918. Many well-known scientists and scholars took part in its establishment, among them chemists V.I. Vernadsky and A.A. Baykov, geographer V.A. Obruchev, physicist A.F. Ioffe and others. A famous anatomist R.I. Gelvig became the first Rector of Tavrida University. Two years later, 4 000 students were trained at the University. In 1920, R.I. Gelvig died of typhus and V.I. Vernadsky was elected as a Rector of the University.

In January 1921, Tavrida University was renamed into Crimean Frunze University; on its basis three higher educational establishments sprang up: Medical, Agricultural and Teachers’ Training Institutes. In 1972, Crimean Teachers’ Institute was retransformed into Simferopol State University. Nowadays 16 faculties and preliminary courses of the University train about 17 000 students. This number includes 10 100 full-time students. The whole educational process is conducted by 75 chairs numbering over 660 highly qualified specialists. They promote the scientific research activity.

The main building of the University is in Vernadsky Avenue. The faculties of Foreign Philology, Physical Training, Philosophy and Oriental Languages are in other buildings in our city. The University has all the necessary facilities for research work including laboratories with modern equipment, computers and libraries. The University library is one of the largest in Crimea. Many professors have enriched the library with their personal collections. Now there are about one million books in it, some of which were printed several centuries ago. The most ancient book is the “Bible” in Latin published in 1482, in Germany. Besides University has its own Astronomical Observatory, Zoological Museum and unique Herbarium and Botanical Garden.

Full-time and extramural students master 40 specialties. Among them are Biology, Chemistry, History, Mathematics, Physics, Philosophy, Economics, Law, Geography, Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar and also Foreign and Oriental Languages. One foreign language is compulsory for the students of the University. English and German are the most common, thus French and even Spanish are also offered.

The University has international links with such countries as China, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, the United States, Germany and others.

Questions:

1. What specialties can be established on the basis of our University?

2. What perspectives do our students have in terms of foreign exchange?

3. Is it enough to have one higher education in order to become a highly qualified specialist?

4. What organizations should be developed to improve the quality of students’ knowledge?

Vocabulary

1. to establish (to found, to set up) – учреждать;

2. to attribute (to ascribe, to impute) – приписывать, относиться;

3. branch (branch establishment, branch office) – отделение, филиал;

4. scientist – ученый, естествовед;

5. scholar – ученый, гуманитарий;

6. to take part - принимать участие, участвовать в чём-либо;

7. spring up – возникать, появляться;

8. to decree – издавать декрет, назначать чьей-то властью;

9. to grant (to give, to confer) – жаловать, даровать, предоставлять;

10. preliminary courses (preparatory courses) – подготовительные курсы;

11. to conduct – вести, руководить;

12. chair – кафедра;

13. to promote – способствовать, помогать, содействовать, поддерживать;

14. to comprise (to include) – включать в себя, содержать;

15. facilities - средства, удобства, возможности;

16. equipment – оборудование;

17. full-time student (internal) – студент очного отделения;

18. extramural student (correspondence) – студент заочного отделения;

19. compulsory (imperative, obligatory) – принудительный, обязательный;

20. link – связь, соединение.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29