Vladimir Ivanovich Picheta is a Soviet historian, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1946) and the Academy of Sciences of the Belorussian SSR (1928). The first rector of the Belarusian State University and one of its creators. His major works dealt with the socioeconomic and cultural history of Russia, Belorussia, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and Poland.
Background
Vladimir Picheta was born on 9 October in 1879 in Poltava, Ukraine. His father, a Serb by nationality, Ivan Hristoforovich Picheta was the rector of Vitebsk and then Poltava Seminary. His Mother Maria Grigorenko, Ukranian by origin, was the daughter of Kiev official.
Education
Vladimir studied at Poltava Gymnasium in 1897.
From 1897 to 1901 he was a student of the Moscow University, the faculty of History and Philology.
Career
Being a rector of the University, Picheta paid a lot of attention to academic issues, development of the material and technical foundation of BSU. In 1927 he raised a question of building a University campus, and in January 1930 the University had 4 new academic buildings. A lot of attention was paid by the rector to the training of national specialists. In 1927 he initiated opening of post-graduate courses at BSU.
The scientist also initiated the organization of research in local history, geography and culture, and archeological research at BSU. From the first days of the University existence, the rector started to establish business and scientific relations with foreign universities and scientific fellowships.
In 1923 he visited Germany and Lithuania, in 1925 – Kharkov, in 1925 and 1927 he lectured in the Czech Republic on the history of Belarus. As a representative of Belarusian historians, he participated in the work of the Congress of Polish historians in Poznan (1925), the week of Russian historians in Berlin (1928). The rector demonstrated high professionalism in the field of pedagogical activity. He lectured History of National Economy of Belarus in XVI, XVII-XVIII centuries, National Economy of Belarus, History of Poland, etc. The scientist attached special significance to teaching in the Belarusian language.
Being a rector of the university, V. I. Picheta gave much attention to educational and tutorial problems and to the improvement of the material and technical base of the BSU. In 1927 he raised the problem of building a campus. And in January 1930 the university got 4 new educational buildings. The rector also gave much attention to the training of national specialists. At his initiative, in 1927 postgraduate studies were opened in the BSU. The scientist initiated the organization of local studies and archeological researches in the BSU.
During 9 years of his work at BSU every year he published 12-15 books, brochures, articles and reports. He wrote about 500 works, out of which about 150 are dedicated to Belarusian subject.