University of Ostry

University of Ostry

Ùniwersytet Òstrsczi (Ostric) Universitetet i Ostrøy (Navish)
Motto	Per scientiam, profectum
Motto in English	"Through knowledge, progress"
Type	Public
Established	1949
Parent institution	University of Berke
Chancellor	Maria Malinowska
Rector	Njål Danielsen
Academic staff	57
Undergraduates	503
Location	Jakóbgard , Ostry , Navack
Campus	Urban
Language	Ostric, Navish
Colors	Blue, grey, white
Website	www.uostroy.nv

The University of Ostry (Ostric: Ùniwersytet Òstrsczi; Navish: Universitetet i Ostrøy), often shortened to U Ostry, is an undergraduate-only public university and the only post-secondary institution in Ostry. Founded in 1949, the University of Ostry is focused on the educational needs of Arctic communities, and is affiliated with the larger University of Berke on mainland Navack.

History

The Main Hall, the largest building on the campus, is the administrative centre and former home of the Straszna Rëbna Seminary.

The site of the current University of Ostry first housed Saint Olaf's Church, built in 1857. The church, run by the monastic Order of Saint Hedvig, burned down in 1912, after an electrical fire. The plot stayed empty until 1930, when the Order began building the Straszna Rëbna Seminary, which officially opened in 1932.

The seminary opened an orphanage within its building in 1935, which took in homeless and destitute children from around Jakóbgard and elsewhere in Ostry. By 1945, the seminary and orphanage faced financial bankruptcy, and the Order of Saint Hedvig began to look for interested parties to buy the property. The government of Navack, looking to bolster higher education in Ostry, bought the dilapidated Straszna Rëbna Seminary in early 1948, announcing plans to convert the grounds into a urban university campus. The University of Ostry officially opened on 1 September 1949.

The campus was expanded upon twice, first in 1951 to include a block of apartments and dormitories behind the Main Hall, and again in 1999, when the Jónek Nesz Library and Research Centre was opened, connecting with the Main Hall.

Programs

The University of Ostry offers a number of undergraduate degrees offered, with a focus on liberal arts, social sciences, and environmental sciences. As of 2019, U Ostry offers over twenty programs, including History, Business, Computer Science, and Social Work.

U Ostry also offers degrees in Arctic Studies and Environmental Science, two programs that have distinguished the institution from other schools in the region.

Archives

The University of Ostry has operated the Jónek Nesz Library and Research Centre since 1999, and holds the largest grouping of records and documentation regarding Ostric history and ecology. The Centre also keeps numerous government records, as well as the largest collection of land sale receipts from the period of Oppgjørspolitikk.