On the 31st of March, 2015 Chair of Geography at Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University celebrates 70th anniversary of its foundation.

Just a few people know that this day in 1945 by the order of URSR National Commissar I. S. Gulenko (order № 1237 from 31st of March 1945) at Uman Teacher Institute (now USPU) was open chair of geography). Deputy director in scientific and education unit of Uman Teacher Institute Mykhailo Antonovych Oliynyck was appointed as the head of the chair.

M. A. Oliynyck’s scientific and pedagogical activity, his achievements are not very well known among the workers of the university. That’s why it’s time to reveal the forgotten name of the scientist.

Mykhailo Antonovych Oliynyck is known as one of the most prominent figures of scientific, educational and cultural movement in Ukraine, founder of geography education at our university.

Mykhailo Antonovych’s labour activity has begun on the 1st of April 1935 as a seniour teacher of geography at Uman State Teacher Institute (USTI). The pedagogue paid a lot of his attention to the problem of students’ independent work organization, which is regarded to be an urgent problem in contemporary Pedagogics. Mykhailo Antonovych aimed at attracting students to self-learning, saying that knowledge, got by individual work, are steady and promote to self-organization. While he was a head of the chair, there functioned geography circle.

During the Second World War, when the most of the lecturers of the Institute went to the war, the duties of director of Uman Teacher Institute were temporarily performed by Mykhailo Antonovych Oliynyck, who was its head until evacuation of Uman.

After the liberation of our city from fascist occupation M. A. Oliynyck was appointed as a deputy director in scientific and education work and a lecturer of Uman Teacher Institute on the 1st of April, 1944.

A lot of specialists in geography didn’t come back from the Second World War. For the reconstruction of the territories and renewal of national economy URSR was in need of specialists in geography. Therefore, it was decided to open the chair of geography at Uman Teacher Institute and M. A. Oliynyck became its head.

Later on, Mykhailo Antonovych was appointed as a dean of Natural Sciences and Geography Department at Uman State Teacher Intitute (according to the order of Minister of URSR I. S. Gulenko № 1560 from 28th of June, 1947.

A lot of attention Mykhailo Oliynyck paid to scientific work. He was working under thesis in specialty of agriculture of Cherkasy region.

For dutiful educational and pedagogic work M. A. Oliynyck was rewarded by different diplomas, in particular, by a sign “Excellent Worker of National Education” and an order “Sign of Honour”.

The main steps of life, creative work and scientific activity of M. A. Oliynyck are recollected owing to scientific research of head of USPU General Physical Geography and Geology Chair, professor Sergiy Polovka and lecturer of I. I. Mechnykov Odesa National University Olena Polovka. On the basis of the archives they wrote a scientific manual “Pioneer of Geography at Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University (dedicated to the 70th anniversary of geography foundation at Uman Teacher Institute)”.

On occasion of the 70th anniversary of Geography Chair foundation at the university we congratulate the collective on this event and wish the scientists and workers new achievements, scientific projects and prosperty.