History

Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Bioresources: historical path to its 100th anniversary

For many years, scientific and teaching staff and students of the faculty have been counting the creation of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Bioresources from 1921 – from the creation (at that time) of the Zootechnical Faculty at the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute.

At the same time, there are discussions at the University and in zootechnical circles about the date of creation of the Faculty of Zootechnics (now the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Bioresources), one of the oldest faculties of the University. Let us try to understand this issue based solely on the hard facts – archival documents.

It should be noted right away that the history of the faculty is closely linked to the development of zootechnical science in Ukraine. It began with the agricultural department of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, established in 1898, where the Department of General Zootechnics was opened and operated, headed by its founder, the renowned scientist Prof. M. P. Chirvinsky, one of the founders of Ukrainian zootechnical science, from which, we can also say, the modern Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Bioresources of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and its existing departments trace their history. This department was equipped with special classrooms and laboratories, an exemplary cattle yard for that time, and an experimental sheep farm (about 100 head of fat-tailed, Volosky, Tsigai, and other breeds of sheep, and in total more than 30 breeds and types that were common in the country at that time). This made sheep farming classes more visual and opened up broad opportunities for comparative study of the available breeding stock. Most of the animals in the livestock yard were personally selected by the scientist at the first All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow in 1912 and were its best exhibits.

Thus, the fundamental basis for the formation of our faculty was the Department of General Animal Husbandry of the Agricultural Department of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, which was established in 1898.

In August 1900, M. P. Chirvinsky was appointed dean of the agricultural department for four years, and in September 1905, he became the first elected rector.

On June 3, 1921, a historic decision was made to separate the veterinary faculty from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (hereinafter KPI) and create an independent Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute on its basis. An exceptional role in the organization and establishment of this institute belongs to its directors, professors V. K. Lindeman (1921-1922), F. Z. Omelchenko (1922-1924), and A. K. Skorokhodko (1924-1926).

It is believed that the zootechnical faculty (faculty of animal husbandry and aquatic bioresources) was established in 1923 at the Kyiv Agricultural Institute, which was created on September 1, 1922, from the Agronomic Faculty of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and had four departments: zootechnical, economic, agricultural machinery, and agriculture.

Photo 1. Establishment of an agricultural institute with four departments

According to archival data, on June 8, 1923, Professor V. P. Ustiantsev submitted his resignation from the position of dean of the zootechnical faculty of the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute, which he had been in charge of, first as vice-rector and then, from January 1922, as dean, with the aim of transferring him to the position of dean of the zootechnical faculty of the Kyiv Agricultural Institute.

Photo 2. Consideration of V. P. Ustiantsev's application for dismissal from the position of dean

However, at that time, political commissar Martinenko considered it necessary to retain Professor V. Ustiantsev as dean of the zootechnical faculty.

Photo 2.1. Decision of the Political Committee to refuse to dismiss V. Ustiantsev

This decision was also supported on August 27, 1923, by the chief inspector of agricultural education of the Main Department of Education, who issued a decree stating that Professor V. P. Ustiantsev would remain in his position as dean of the zootechnical faculty of the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute, since the Kyiv Agricultural Institute would only have a zootechnical section.

Photo 3. Archived copy of the Resolution of the Chief Inspector of Agricultural Education of the Provincial Department of Education of the Kyiv Province

Therefore, according to official archival documents, the zootechnical faculty was established in 1921 at the Kyiv Veterinary Institute, which was reorganized into the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute.

Professors M. P. Chirvinsky, V. P. Ustiantsev, A. K. Skorokhodko, and others made a significant contribution to the establishment of the Faculty of Animal Science, the development of its material and technical base, and scientific research. Prof. V. P. Ustiantsev was appointed the first dean of the faculty, who also headed the Department of Zootechnics at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (after M. P. Chirvinsky).

All of the above-described stages in the formation of the Faculty of Zootechnics at the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute can be seen in the diagram.

Photo 4. Stages in the development of the Faculty of Animal Science

The organization of the Veterinary Faculty was entrusted to a new Organizational Commission. The new Organizational Commission began its work on January 15, 1921. During discussions on the creation of the Veterinary Faculty, the Organizational Commission considered the question of whether it should be a Veterinary Institute or a Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute. To graduate veterinary doctors, veterinary doctors-zootechnicians – if a single-faculty form of the Veterinary Institute, or a two-faculty form – the Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute – with the graduation of veterinary doctors and zootechnicians separately. The commission came to a firm decision that the school should be built as a two-faculty institution—a Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute—with joint general biological training in the lower grades and division by specialty in the upper grades.

Photo 5. Archival copy of the Detailed Report on the History and Status of the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute

In letter No. 825 dated February 28, 1921, the agricultural education department of the Ukrainian Central Trade Union reports to the Kyiv Provincial Trade Union on the need to establish a Zootechnical Institute (Zootechnical Center of Ukraine), emphasizing the necessary prerequisites:

the existence of zootechnical farms and a large amount of resources for their creation;

the presence of an adequate number of zootechnical scientific personnel;

the Institute should be established independently of large centers so that it would be possible to use the existing large number of zootechnical scientific personnel, because it would not be possible to operate solely on its own for a long time due to the lack of such trained scientific personnel;

it is necessary to have a basis for the existence of a zootechnical faculty of the existing Veterinary Institute in terms of the material formation of secondary agricultural schools, which, due to natural and historical conditions, have a tendency towards a developed zootechnical branch of agriculture.

Photo 6. Archival copy of the document, the so-called Letter of Report on the Prerequisites for the Creation of Zootechnical Education in the Kyiv Province

By a decision of March 2, 1921, the Kyiv Provincial Council of the Bolshoi Collegium approved this letter and decided to implement the decision in accordance with the vertical of power.

The Kyiv Provincial Committee for Vocational and Technical Education petitioned the Ukrainian Main Professional Education Committee in letter No. 625 dated April 28, 1921, as follows (hereinafter, direct quotation from the archival document, according to the original). "Sending a copy of the report of the Commission of the Kyiv Veterinary Institute on the need to establish a Zootechnical Institute in Kyiv, the Provincial Trade Union Committee finds it not only possible but also urgently necessary to establish an educational and scientific zootechnical center for Ukraine in Kyiv for the following reasons:

Kyiv has a university with a department of agriculture and agricultural and veterinary faculties at the Polytechnic. Thus, the Zootechnical Institute will be fully provided with scientific and specialized personnel;

Kyiv has a number of institutions that could serve this institute, namely:

laboratories of general and private zootechnics, a dairy farm, and a zootechnical museum at the Polytechnic;

a well-equipped bacteriological laboratory with an auditorium for 100 people;

a bacteriological institute with large laboratories and a large stable for 150 horses;

a pathological-anatomical museum and a cattle yard;

a hospital for animals with an exemplary stable;

a municipal dairy farm with a group

Photo 7. Archival copy of the document-petition of the Kyiv Provincial Committee for Vocational and Technical Education to Ukrglavprofobru

on June 12, 1921, No. 3805, based on the memorandum of the Commission of the Council of the Veterinary Institute, composed of the chairman of the Council, Prof. V. K. Linde, Deputy Chairman Prof. V. P. Ustiantsev, member of the Organizing Commission of the Veterinary Institute M. S. Leontovich, representatives of the Provincial Department of the "Scientific Committee A. K. Skorokhodko," the Animal Husbandry Department N. V. Anikeev, the Land Department N. A. Ternovsky, and a letter of justification from Prof. V. K. Lindeman, Ukrgolovprofobr gave a positive decision on the creation of the Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute in the city of Kyiv.

Photo 8. Archival document – memorandum from the Commission of the Veterinary Institute Council

Photo 9. Archival copy of Professor V.K. Lindeman's explanatory letter

Since October 1921, the institute has been directly subordinate to the Kyiv Provincial Education Department and the Ukrainian Education Department. On October 5, 1921, the Provincial Education Board decided to change the administrative structure of the Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute in accordance with the “Provisional Statute of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine” of the Main Education Board (notification of the Provincial Education Board dated October 7, 1921, No. 6291).

According to the resolution of the Provincial Professional Education Board dated October 7, 1921. No. 6291, the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute is considered an independent administrative, financial, and economic entity, separate from the Polytechnic, divided into two faculties: veterinary and zootechnical, with a four-year curriculum based on a trimester system.

Photo 10. Archival copy of the Detailed Note on the history of the creation, organization, and status of the Kyiv Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute

The first graduation ceremony at the zootechnical faculty took place in 1925. Students who enrolled at the Veterinary and Zootechnical Institute in 1921 graduated from the zootechnical faculty in 1925.

Only 10 graduates received zootechnician diplomas.

Photo 11. List of the first graduating class of zootechnicians

Based on the above material, which consists of archival copies of documents, the Faculty of Zootechnics (now the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Bioresources of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv) was established on October 7, 1921.

So, happy 100th anniversary, Faculty of Animal Science!