DMYTRO MOTORNYI TAVRIA STATE AGROTECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY – THE CRADLE OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION

In 2022, Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University(TSATU) celebrated its 92nd anniversary. Time flies quickly, and history captures the uniqueness of each day, decade, and era. The university’s formation was far from easy.

The history of TSATU began with the establishment of the Melitopol Real School in 1874. The future university evolved through a vocational school, a polytechnic vocational school, and a technical college.

The independent functioning of the Melitopol Institute of Agricultural Engineering (MIAE) began in 1932.

In 1941, the institute was awarded a First Degree Diploma and was entered into the Book of Honor of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition.

During World War II, the institute was evacuated to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and returned to Melitopol only in 1944. That same year, it was renamed the Melitopol Institute of Agricultural Mechanization (MIAM).

In the following years, the institution continued to develop: new departments, faculties, and specializations were established, the student body grew, and the number of doctoral and candidate of sciences degrees among the teaching staff increased.

In 1981, MIAM was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for its success in training highly qualified specialists and in connection with its 50th anniversary.

In 1994, MIAM became the Tavria State Agrotechnical Academy.

In 2007, a significant event took place – the agrotechnical academy was reorganized into Tavria State Agrotechnological University (TSATU). With the change in status, TSATU rose to a higher educational level and became a university, being accredited for the first time at the highest level (Level IV). Educational and scientific opportunities expanded significantly, new specializations were introduced, and the corps of doctors and professors grew stronger. International cooperation developed through participation in various international projects, conferences, and exchange programs for students, lecturers, and researchers.

By order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated February 7, 2019, No. 149, Tavria State Agrotechnological University was named after Dmytro Motornyi, a twice Hero of Socialist Labor, Hero of Ukraine, and an alumnus of the university.

Since December 2021, the university has been led by Rector Sergiy Volodymyrovych Kyurchev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, and a graduate of TSATU.

February 24, 2022, is a date that divided the lives of all Ukrainians into “before” and “after.” Dreams, plans, and development prospects were left in the past, drawing a bloody red line for each of us. The full-scale invasion by Russia and the occupation of Melitopol disrupted normal and peaceful life, depriving the university of its main function – continuing the educational process in its usual format.

According to the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated April 26, 2022, No. 387, regarding the temporary relocation of Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University and its separate structural units, TSATU, along with its five colleges (with the Novokakhovskyi College relocated to Kropyvnytskyi), was temporarily relocated to Zaporizhzhia, based at Zaporizhzhia National University, where it continues to operate in a remote format.