President of the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), Bryukhovetsky has been the major driving force behind the resurrection of his school, one of Eastern Europe’s oldest universities.
of his school, one of Eastern Europe’s oldest universities.
In his undertaking, Bryukovetsky has attempted to use his own teaching experiences. Between 1989 and 1990 he taught at Rutgers in New Jersey and then in Manitoba, Canada.
After returning, Bryukhovetsky decided to create a university in Ukraine for Ukrainian students, based on the Western model.
In 1991, after Ukraine declared its independence, he obtained one of the buildings from the former Navy Political College in order to begin building the university. Located on Kontraktova Square, the building has long been a part of Ukrainian higher education. From 1615 to 1817, it belonged to Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, one of the first universities in Eastern Europe.
Bryukhovetsky even managed to secure funding from Leonid Kravchuk, the former president of Ukraine, to recreate the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
“Kravchuk reacted quickly to the proposal, since the presidential election was approaching and he needed votes,” says Bryukhovetsky.
Although no aid was offered by his colleagues, members of the Narodny Rukh (People’s Movement), did not prevent him from going forward with his plans. In 1992, the first Ukrainian students entered the academy.
From its first days, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy stood apart from other Ukrainian universities – students were able to chose whatever subjects they wanted to study, tests were administered instead of entrance examinations, and the academic year was divided into three parts instead of two.
NaUKMA is Ukraine’s only school of higher learning not subject to supervision by the Ministry of Education. The school is self-governed by the board of trustees, department heads and student government. The structure and managing methods applied at NaUKMA have never before been used in a post-Soviet educational system.
Students are also given free rein over their own education and are encouraged to think for themselves and voice their opinions.
Many of the university’s faculty members are American and European scholars and the U.S. ambassador and British Council representatives visit the academy on a regular basis.
Things started looking worse in 1994. President Leonid Kravchuk, supported by Bryukhkovetsky, lost the presidential elections to Leonid Kuchma, who was not willing to help the academy.
“Kuchma hasn’t even visited our academy, although he promised,” said Bryukhovetsky.
Is this a result of old offences or personal grudges? Bryukhovetsky said it’s a different matter.
“Kuchma’s entourage just has a negative attitude toward us,” said Bryukhovetsky.
Dmytro Tabachnyk, former head of Kuchma’s presidential campaign in 1994 and head of the presidential administration until 1996, expressed his disapproval of NaUKMA. “Why did you oppose Kuchma?” Bryukhovetsky quoted Tabachnyk as saying.
Until 1994, half of the academy’s finances came from the state budget. In the following years, the government cut funding to just 12 percent of the academy’s budget. Only when Yushchenko became prime minister did the government increase the academy’s funding level.
In 1995, Bryukhovetsky founded the Renaissance, International Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Charitable Fund. Money was donated by Ukrainian businesses and Canadian Diaspora donors.
Serhy Ivanyuk, co-founder and former rector of the academy from 1994, stopped his active work at the school in 2000. Neither Bryukhovetsky nor Ivanyuk would comment on the situation.
Bryukhovetsky encountered more problems in 2000 when Samostiyna Ukraina (Independent Ukraine) members vandalized the office of the Ukrainian Communist Party on March 9. Bryukhovetsky ignored a letter sent him by the Prosecutor General’s Office and refused to send a NaUKMA student who had participated in the strike down for questioning. Student-participants from other universities were forced to comply with the PGO’s request.
During the Ukraine Without Kuchma campaign in 2001, NaUKMA students went on strike. Students also remember that there was a time when roundtables for the opposition were expected to be held at the academy, but they were canceled. Unconfirmed rumors have circulated that Bryukhovetsky was threatened by the SBU via telephone for the scheduled roundtables, but he denies such allegations.
In 2002, Bryukhovetsky entered politics. He refused to join the Our Ukraine bloc but agreed to become Yushchenko’s representative during the elections.
Bryukhovetsky said that there were no repercussions.
Now Bryukhovetsky is preparing to make changes in the academy. “My position requires me to use caution. The university is behind me and I bear the responsibilities for it,” said Bryukhovetsky.
This article was originally published in Russian in Korrespondent magazine in December 2002 as part of a series devoted to the top 100 most influential individuals in Ukraine.
