Agricultural University of Cracow
Encyclopedia
The Agricultural University of Cracow (Polish: Uniwersytet Rolniczy w Krakowie), located in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, became an independent university by decree of the Council of Ministers as of 28 September 1972. Formerly, it was known as the Higher College of Agriculture of the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....

, as well as other names, since its establishment in 1890.

History

As early as 1776 the university's patron Hugo Kołłątaj, then a member of the National Education Commission, postulated creating a Department of Agriculture as part of the reformed Cracow Academy. The department existed for a very short period between 1806-1809 due to the partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...

 that ended the existence of the sovereign Polish state
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

. Over 80 years later, a three year Agricultural Study was established at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....

 in 1890, at the Collegium Iuridicum.

Professor Emil Godlewski
Emil Godlewski (senior)
Emil Godlewski was a Polish botanist. Professor of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, he was one of the key figures responsible for developing the field of botany in Poland. -References:*...

 became the Head of the Study in 1892. It was thanks to his efforts that the Collegium Agronomicum was built in 1906-1910 for Agricultural Study. The building, later named after him, is now the seat of the Rector's office, and the University's Senate. The Study existed till 1923 when it was transformed into the Faculty of Agriculture of the Jagiellonian University. In 1924 the Faculty offered Europe's first Higher Academic Cooperative Course. The studies took four years and graduates obtained a BSc degree. In the same year horticultural courses were offered, later transformed into a three year Horticultural Study.

The Second World War caused considerable losses to the University, most seriously among the Faculty of Agriculture staff (see: Operation Sonderaktion Krakau). In spite of considerable difficulties posed by the German occupation secret courses in agronomy were conducted
Education in Poland during World War II
This article covers the topic of underground education in Poland during World War II. Secret learning prepared new cadres for the post-war reconstruction of Poland and countered the German and Soviet threat to exterminate the Polish culture....

, headed by a temporary Dean Anatol Listowski. After the war, the Faculty resumed its activity in January 1945. In 1946 it was renamed as the Agriculture and Forestry Faculty, and later (1949) transformed into two separate faculties.

In 1952-53 the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry became the Higher College of Agriculture. In 1963 the Faculty of Animal Science branched out from the Faculty. Further development of the University took place in the following years. New faculties were created: the Faculty of Land Reclamation (1955) with the Geodesy Division (since 1960); Forestry (reactivated in 1963), and the Faculty of Horticulture.

By decree of the Council of Ministers as of 28 September 1972 the Higher College of Agriculture became an independent University of Agriculture. A new division of Mechanization and Energetics in Agriculture was formed and later changed into a separate faculty in 1977.

An out-of-town branch called the Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Commerce was created in Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...

 in 1973, then changed into the Faculty of Economy - Rzeszów Branch. Currently, since 1 April 1997 it has regained its status as the Faculty of Economy. A Division of Food Technology was created at the Faculty of Agriculture in 1974 and became a separate Faculty of Food Technology twenty years later.

Between the years 1923-1990 over 26 thousand students graduated from the Agricultural Study, later Faculty of Agriculture of the Jagiellonian University and the Agricultural University of Cracow, out of which 260 became associate or full professors, almost half of them employed at higher educational institutions or research institutes. 8105 students pursued studies at the Agricultural University in the academic year 1995-96, including 5582 internal and 2523 external students.

Organizational structure

Faculties (since 1997)
  • Agriculture and Economics
  • Animal Sciences
  • Environmental Engineering and Geodesy
  • Food Technology
  • Forestry
  • Horticulture
  • Production Engineering and Energetics
  • Biotechnology
  • Landscaping
  • Branch Faculty of Economy in Rzeszów
    Rzeszów
    Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...


Enrollment

Over 8,000 students pursue vocational, undergraduate and graduate programmes (both internal and external) at the Agricultural University. They may choose from among nine majors. The University offers various post-graduate programmes and four-year doctoral studies. The University employs over 800 research workers, 175 professors and associate professors. All faculties, except the one in Rzeszów offer degrees of Doctor of Science and Doctor habilitated
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...

.

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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