Kamianets-Podіlskyi Ivan Ohiienko National University is an educational, scientific and cultural center of Khmelnytskyi oblast. The university was founded as Kamianets-Podilskyi State Ukrainian University on October 22, 1918, according to the law signed by Pavlo Skoropadskyi, Hetman of Ukraine, during the time of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The chairman of the Kamianets-Podilskyi district zemstvo O. Pashchenko, the chairman of the town’s council O. Shulminskyi, and the head of the Podilska province “Prosvita” doctor K. Solukha proposed the idea of the university foundation. I. Ohiienko was the first rector of the university. V. Bidnov, D. Doroshenko, M. Khvedyorіv, M. Stolіariv, P. Buchynsky, H. Lebid-Yurchyk, P. Klepatskyi, E. Tymchenko, P. Klymenko, M. Drai-Khmara, L. Biletskyi, Y. Sitsynsky, S. Rusova and other outstanding people were the founders of the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Ukrainian University.
During the period of the Ukrainian National Republic the University became one of the pillars of the Ukrainian state foundation. It provided training courses for instructors of local authorities, organized lectures for soldiers of the Ukrainian People’s Republic Army and local workers as well as courses for teachers and clergy. The books of religious literature were translated into Ukrainian there (in particular, the book of the New Testament – Acts of the Apostles), civil and criminal laws, and dictionaries on the history of the Ukrainian language and law terminology were created. Professors of the university with M. Hrushevskyi edited the Ukrainian magazines “Life of Podillia”, “Ukraine”, “New Way”.
There were several reorganizations of the university during its history. It was transformed into the Institute of National Education in the early 20th of the previous century.
In 1930 the Institute of National Education was reorganized into the Institute of Social Education. Professors V. Chetverikov, A. Palko, M. Kurynevych, L. Kareta, V. Khranevych, I. Liubarskyi and others worked at the university during many years of its activity. In 1933-37 many teachers of the stuff were subjected to repression during the years of the Soviet Terror: V. Herynovich, F. Kondratskyi, P. Palko, V. Bernatskyi, M. Drai-Khmara, P. Klepatskyi, I. Kulyk and others.
In 1997 Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical University was founded on the basis of the Pedagogical Institute.
According to the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated by August 20, 2008 (No. 1119-r) Kamianets-Podilskyi National University was named after Ivan Ohiienko.
There are 9 faculties, 40 departments, 18 scientific schools, 14 research centers, 23 research laboratories at the university. More than 478 scientific and pedagogical workers, including 50 doctors of sciences, professors and 311 candidates of sciences (PhD), associate professors provide educational process and scientific activity at Kamianets-Podilskyi National Ivan Ohiienko University.
In general, tens of thousands of specialists were trained in this higher education institution. There are many outstanding people among them: M. Godovanets, the writer, academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine V. Smolii and I. Vishnevskyi, professors D. Martyniuk, V. Stepankov, Y. Teplinskyi, M. Rozhenko
The university’s work is dignified at the international and national levels. Thus, in particular, during the last decade, the university has been awarded the Honorary Diplomas of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, with distinctions of international ratings “European Quality”, “Glory Laurels”, “Millennium Award” (Business Assembly, Oxford, Great Britain), all-Ukrainian honors – “Sofia Kyivskay”, “Golden Fortune”, gold and silver medals of the annual exhibitions “Modern Education in Ukraine”, “Modern Educational Institutions”, “Innovation in Modern Education”, “Education and Career”, etc.
In different years this Kamianets-Podilskyi high school was headed by Rectors V. Herynovych (1923-29), I. Zeleniuk (1947-66), I. Iwakh (1967-77), A. Kopylov (1977-2001), O. Zavalniuk (2002-2012), since 2012 – S. Kopylov.