John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
Encyclopedia
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (in Polish
Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, or KUL) is located in Lublin
, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students. It has eight
faculties
: Theology, Philosophy, Law, Canon Law and Administration, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Humanities, Legal and Economic Sciences in Tomaszów Lubelski
, Social Sciences in Stalowa Wola
. It is the only private college in Poland with the status of a university.
allowed the priest to take the library and equipment of Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy
back to Poland in order to launch the university just as Poland regained its independence. The aim of the university was to be a modern place of higher education which would conduct research in the spirit of harmony between science and faith. The university sought to produce a new Catholic intelligentsia which would play a leading role in the Polish community.
The number of students increased from 399 in 1918–1919 to 1440 in 1937–1938. This growth was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War and Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland. During the occupation the university was ordered shut down and its buildings were converted into a military hospital. Many professors and students were persecuted. Nevertheless, the University carried on its teaching activities in secret. After the invasion of Lublin in July 1944 by the Red Army
, the university reopened on 21 August 1944.
Since then the university has functioned without interruption. The university stayed open during the years Poland was under Communism control between 1944 and 1989, though some of its faculties did not. The faculties of law, social science and education were shut down between 1953 and 1956. It was the only independent, Catholic university in existence in the entire Soviet bloc. Given that the Communist governments all insisted on having a total monopoly of control over educational institutions, the preservation of its independence was a great achievement.
The University was often harassed in various ways by the Communist authorities, especially in the 1950s and the 1960s. The university faculty were under frequent surveillance by the secret police. Periodically some faculties were denied by the state the right to grant graduate degrees. The employment prospects of its graduates were limited.
Despite the difficulties, the university's independence was maintained and it never adopted Marxist dogmas taught at all the other state universities. It served as a haven for students who were
expelled from state universities for political reasons.
After the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989 the university has flourished, quadrupling its student population and greatly expanding its campus.
The university has recently been involved in a scandal concerning the granting of PhD's by departments which were not allowed to grant them, due to not having the sufficient number of academic staff.
ranked the university 54th
among all Polish universities. Another magazine, Wprost
, ranked it 15th among humanity universities. In 2011 placed on 8th position among all Polish universities
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, or KUL) is located in Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students. It has eight
faculties
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
: Theology, Philosophy, Law, Canon Law and Administration, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Humanities, Legal and Economic Sciences in Tomaszów Lubelski
Tomaszów Lubelski
Tomaszów Lubelski is a town in south-eastern Poland with 20,261 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Zamość Voivodeship . It is the capital of Tomaszów Lubelski County.-History:...
, Social Sciences in Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola is the largest city and capital of Stalowa Wola County with a population of 64,353 inhabitants, as of June 2008. It is located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
. It is the only private college in Poland with the status of a university.
History
Father Idzi Radziszewski founded the university in 1918. Vladimir LeninVladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
allowed the priest to take the library and equipment of Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy
Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy
The Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy was an institution of higher education preparing Roman Catholic theologians in the Russian Empire. The Academy granted master's and doctorate degrees in theology and was designed to prepare officers for senior positions in the Catholic Church...
back to Poland in order to launch the university just as Poland regained its independence. The aim of the university was to be a modern place of higher education which would conduct research in the spirit of harmony between science and faith. The university sought to produce a new Catholic intelligentsia which would play a leading role in the Polish community.
The number of students increased from 399 in 1918–1919 to 1440 in 1937–1938. This growth was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War and Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland. During the occupation the university was ordered shut down and its buildings were converted into a military hospital. Many professors and students were persecuted. Nevertheless, the University carried on its teaching activities in secret. After the invasion of Lublin in July 1944 by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, the university reopened on 21 August 1944.
Since then the university has functioned without interruption. The university stayed open during the years Poland was under Communism control between 1944 and 1989, though some of its faculties did not. The faculties of law, social science and education were shut down between 1953 and 1956. It was the only independent, Catholic university in existence in the entire Soviet bloc. Given that the Communist governments all insisted on having a total monopoly of control over educational institutions, the preservation of its independence was a great achievement.
The University was often harassed in various ways by the Communist authorities, especially in the 1950s and the 1960s. The university faculty were under frequent surveillance by the secret police. Periodically some faculties were denied by the state the right to grant graduate degrees. The employment prospects of its graduates were limited.
Despite the difficulties, the university's independence was maintained and it never adopted Marxist dogmas taught at all the other state universities. It served as a haven for students who were
expelled from state universities for political reasons.
After the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989 the university has flourished, quadrupling its student population and greatly expanding its campus.
The university has recently been involved in a scandal concerning the granting of PhD's by departments which were not allowed to grant them, due to not having the sufficient number of academic staff.
Rankings
In 2006 Newsweek PolskaNewsweek Polska
Newsweek Polska is an Polish weekly news magazine, published as the local edition of Newsweek. The magazine circulation in March 2009 was 192,000 copies....
ranked the university 54th
among all Polish universities. Another magazine, Wprost
Wprost
Wprost is a weekly newsmagazine in Poland. It was founded on December 5, 1982 as a regional magazine in Greater Poland, but since 1989 it has been distributed nationwide. The editorial office is currently located in Warsaw. Wprost is an opinion weekly focused on politics and society. Marek Król is...
, ranked it 15th among humanity universities. In 2011 placed on 8th position among all Polish universities
Notable alumni and professors
- Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
(Karol Wojtyła), the most famous person associated with the university. He became a part-time teacher of philosophy at KUL starting in 1954, sharing his time between teaching in Lublin and doing his pastoral work in KrakówKrakówKraków 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...
. After he became archbishop of Kraków in 1963 and a cardinal in 1967, his duties limited the time he was able to spend teaching in Lublin, and his students often commuted to his lectures in Kraków. His involvement with the university continued until he was elected pope in 1978. All of his philosophical works were published in Lublin. - Stefan Wyszyński, Cardinal Primate of Poland