The delegation from Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, led by Rector Oleksandr Cherevko, participated in the international conference entitled “Engagement with the Past. Activism in the Present” based at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (the Republic of Poland).

The event was organized with the support of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Poland within the framework of the “Solidarity with Ukraine – European Universities” program.

The participants of the conference were scholars from such educational institutions as Nicolaus Copernicus University (Toruń, Poland), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine), Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy (Cherkasy, Ukraine), Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine), the University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium), the University of Rijeka (Rijeka, Croatia), Maastricht University (Maastricht, the Netherlands), the University of Essex (Essex, the United Kingdom), the University of Oxford (Oxford, the United Kingdom), and the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Finland).

The visit by scholars form BKNUC continued the collaboration with NCU, in particular with the Faculty of Historical Sciences. Historians from the Educational-Scientific Institute of International Relations, History and Philosophy have been maintaining scientific contacts with their Polish colleagues for many years, developing joint projects, undergoing internships at NCU, and organizing joint events involving students from both institutions.

Last year, the rectors of NCU and BKNUC signed an agreement that intensified cooperation between the universities.

During this year’s visit, professors Oleksandr Cherevko, Olha Morozova, and Yevhenii Sinkevych raised the issue of the activities and training of historians during the war.

Oleksandr Cherevko gave a speech titled “The Historical Component of Archival Studies as an Important Tool for Understanding the Present” and Olha Morozova spoke about the peculiarities of the training of historians during the war, with BKNUC as an example.

The result of the visit was a meeting between Oleksandr Cherevko and the rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Professor Andrzej Tretyn. The heads of the institutions updated the cooperation agreement and agreed on the continuation of collaboration.

The Cherkasy delegation talked with the Dean of the Faculty of Historical Sciences of NCU, Professor Waldemar Rozynkowski, the Vice-Dean, Professor Inga Głuszek, and the Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Archival Sciences of NCU, Professor Maciej Krotofil.

“Together with BKNUC professors Yevhenii Sinkevych and Olha Morozova, we worked fruitfully at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

The event brought together scholars from Poland, Ukraine, Belgium, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Finland.

It is good that the topic of Ukraine is being discussed at the international level, with scholars playing an important role in the process. Polish historians are interested in the issues of functioning and training of historians during the war and the necessity of preserving national heritage, in particular the role of archives and archival studies in understanding contemporary events. This is exactly what my report was about.

During the working visit, the agreement on cooperation with the rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Andrzej Tretyn, was updated. We discussed further projects, particularly, agreed on new areas of cooperation under the NAVA and Erasmus+ programs. We thank our partners for their warm welcome and willingness to further develop our relationship!” Oleksandr Cherevko concluded.

The Educational-Scientific Institute of International Relations, History and Philosophy