On September 1, 2016 hundreds of first-year students (freshmen), parents, professors, university staff and guests gathered at the University Stadium for the solemn matriculation ceremony.
The solemn ceremony began with the raising of the national flag of Ukraine, and singing of the national anthem. However, the first words of welcome have been marred by the mention of the participation of our teachers and students in the ATO in Eastern Ukraine. The audience paid tribute to fallen students of the University – Roman Zozulia and Andrii Proshak, who defended our Homeland, by a minute of silence.
Rector of the university, Prof. Yevstahii Kryzhanivskyi congratulated the first-year students with the new stage of their lives and wished them a great year and all the best under the peaceful sky. Among the guests present at the matriculation ceremony were many official representatives of the town and regional administrations, heads of the Ukrainian oil and gas companies and Archbishop-Metropolitan of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
In his speech, Rector of the University, Commander of the “Order of Merit", the academician of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honored Worker of Science of Ukraine, Laureate of State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Yevstakhii Kryzhanivskyi welcomed the freshmen, their parents and guests, and assured that the university will do everything possible so the younger generation of students could get a high-quality education to successfully meet the challenges of providing energy security of the country. Rector emphasized that Ukraine has chosen its future, the European vector of the future. We are making the first steps towards European integration of our science and education. After the Rector’s speech, graduates of the Institute of Environmental Engineering were granted European Master diplomas of AGH University of Science and Technology (Krakow, Poland) according to cooperation agreements between the universities.
In theatrical performance of matriculation goddess of wisdom, patron of sciences Athena and the god of art and secret knowledge Apollo, arrived from Olympus and entrusted the Key of Knowledge to the Rector Yevstakhii Kryzhanivskyi and first-year students Ilona Mandryk and Roman Marynchak. Queen of Oil had come accompanied by honor guard and brought a cup of oil for oil ceremonial initiation ritual. It is a symbolic oath of allegiance to their chosen profession. After the matriculation, the students have become real oilfield workers. Later, Athena, Apollo, Queen of Oil and oilfield workers inflamed the Fire of Knowledge – the symbol of human wisdom.
Theatrical matriculation was accompanied by numerous performances of professional and amateur artists. Talented Ukrainian as well as international students took an active part in the ceremony, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments.
