University of Kury

University of Kury

Motto	Pro Deo et Veritas
Motto in English	For God and Truth
Type	Corporate University
Established	7th of March, 1584
Endowment	3.5 billion NSD
Rector	Fyodor Kuzubov
Vice-Rector	Hans von Tiller
Academic staff	5,659
Administrative staff	2,857
Students	17,843
Undergraduates	10,281
Postgraduates	7,328
Location	Kury , Venagorod Tysyacha , Venadia
Colours	Orange

The University of Kury is Venadia's oldest university, and the most prestigious. It was established by papal bull in 1584 and originally took in five hundred students, and in 1598 was the first to be granted Corporate University status by the Republic of Venadia. The University is located in the town of Kury which in the modern era has become a university town, largely servicing the University itself.

The University is made up of a number of distinct institutions, referred to as Halls, of which there are fifteen as of 2016. The University lacks a single campus, as its buildings are scattered throughout the town centre of Kury and some in the surrounding countryside. The University of Kury undertakes both research efforts and teaching, with undergraduate teaching primarily accomplished by lectures, classes and laboratory work undertaken by the faculties and halls themselves.

Kury possesses the largest academic library in Venadia and operates the second-largest University Press. Several scholarships are located in Kury, the oldest of which is the Platonov Scholarship created in 1798. A third of the student body of Kury come from outside of Venadia, and Kury alumni includes many well-known scientists, politicians and academics.

As of 2016, roughly two thirds of Kury's academic staff were involved in teaching, giving the University a 1:4.7 teacher-student ratio.

History

The University of Kury was founded in 1584 by boyar Isaak Migunov as a result of a papal bull, and its first Hall opened its doors to the first students that very year. Initially, the University was funded by the Catholic church and mainly taught theology and law. In 1598 it was granted, along with the slightly younger Povarino University, Corporate status and became more independent from the Catholic Church. Throughout the 17th century, it added new Halls and came to dominate the Kury city centre, with a total of five thousand students and as many members of staff.

In 1669 the Great Veche decided to grant authority of the township of Kury to the University, which sparked great resentment among the townsfolk. In 1675, there came to violent clashes between the constabulary and locals, with nine locals dead and two constables. The University decided to restore the Kury Veche in 1682 and withdrew to a great extent from direct management of the town, but retained authority of the town square itself. The University still nominally rules Kury, but aside from the Rector having a non-elected seat in the Kury Veche, this is largely symbolic.

For most of its early history, the majority of students and alumni of the University where non-Boyars. The University was granted a stipend from the Great Veche in order to educate sons of the professional classes for public management and administrative duties, which required an expanded intelligentsia. The University expanded greatly in the 18th century however, moreso than the Venadian Republic was willing to fund, and as such started charging tuition. This coincided with a cultural shift among the Venadian Aristocracy, as the University of Kury had by now attained a great amount of prestige, and many boyars wanted to send their sons to gain an education beyond that of private tutors.

Along with an influx of aristocratic students, the late 18th and early 19th century saw the rise of scholarships, wherein poorer sons of the professional classes and even some from the labouring classes could attend Kury. This diversification of the student body also led to a diversification of the degrees attained, with the University now granting degrees within Theology, Law, History, Literature and the Natural Sciences. Many of Kury's student traditions date back to this era, wherein the student body expanded from 2,000 to more than 10,000.

In 1836, students of Kury attained the right to a Student Parliament and more say over administrative matters at the University. The University of Kury was a focal point of the Revolutions of 1847, many of the Constitutionalists being alumni of the University of Kury, including Dobromir Agapov, leader of the Constitutionalists and first President of Venadia. The University marked itself as a liberal force in Venadian politics, in contrast to its ancient rivals in the Povarino University whose students and alumni tended towards the conservative side of politics throughout the 19th century.

In 1909, the University of Kury opened for the first time its door to women, becoming the second Venadian University to do so and one of five to do so before the Equal Rights Bill of 1927 who forced remaining male-only universities to do so. In the 20th century, the University started attracting an ever larger foreign student population, partially through the Agapov Scholarship dedicated to offering degrees to promising youth from third world countries but mostly from the University's burgeoining international prestige leading wealthy foreigners to sending their sons and daughters. Throughout the 20th century, a significant number of Kury alumni have held leading positions in Venadia. In 2012, 62 Kury alumni sat in the Great Veche, eight of Venadia's 21 presidents have been Kury alumnis and several notable figures abroad are Kury alumnis.

Buildings and Sites

The University of Kury is scattered around the Kury town centre, and indeed, the majority of the town centre are buildings of the University of Kury. Iconic buildings and sites of the University include the Kury Observatory, the Salagin Theatre and the Saint Peter Park.

Organization

The University of Kury is a corporation, and in many ways are still structured by the principles of a medieval corporation. The University is allowed a significant degree of autonomy, having its own University Constabulary and Court. The town of Kury has since 1669 been under the partial control of the University, although in the modern era the University largely only has a ceremonial role on town management. Each of the fifteen Halls that constitute the University are headed by a Chancellor, with the University as a whole headed by the Rector. Academic staff and students of the Universityhave to be a member of a Hall, with the exception of the Rector, Vice-Rector and Faculty Heads.

The Faculties are distinct from the Halls and operate centrally in the University structure. While the Halls are based on location, names and to some extent family ties, the faculties are based around areas of knowledge and research. The Faculties and Halls operate in tandem for the purpose of teaching and research. The University had a total of nine distinct faculties, who are under the authority of the Vice-Rector and the individual Faculty Heads.

Since 1836, the University has also included a Student Veche, whose representatives have an advisory role in the management of the University. The students of each Hall elect three representatives each at the start of every semester, and the Student Veche elects a Student President from among its ranks.

Student life

Academic dress is required for examinations, matriculation and disciplinary hearings. The Kury academic dress is different for men and women (who have been allowed to enroll in the University since 1909), with the male academic dress consisting of long-sleeved orange gold-trimmed robes, while the female academic dress consists of an orange and white dress. The University also hosts a weekly formal meal where the academic dress has to be worn, as well as quarterly balls where the academic dress or formal wear has to be worn.

Membership in the student union is mandatory at Kury, and Kury has numerous student clubs and associations open to members of the student union. These range from sports clubs (the Kury Archery Club and the Swimming Club being particularly famous), political clubs, hobbyist clubs and others. Many of these clubs are centuries old, and carry long traditions and lineages. There are three weekly student newspapers, a student radio, choirs, theatre groups and more. The University also hosts a number of elite invitation-only clubs for various purposes, which are open to students and alumni.

Traditions

As a more than four centuries old University, the University of Kury has a significant amount of traditions. One well-known is that of the "scholarship cap" wherein scholarship students (who are typically from poorer backgrounds) are given an orange cap as well as a suit and pants upon enrollment by the student union. This dates back to at least the 19th century, and was supposed to make the 'scholarship boys' distinguishable from the riff-raff and servants.