Oleksandr Zavalniuk: profile of a bright personality, a talented scientist, a professional educator and facilitator in higher education

The aim of the work is a scientific reconstruction of the profile of the talented scientist and facilitator in higher education, Professor Oleksandr Mykhailovych Zavalniuk. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness and systematics. Also, descriptive, problem-genetic, problem-chronological, biographical, structural-functional analysis, synchronous and diachronic methods are used. The scientific novelty lies in the attempt to create a gestalt of life and activity of a prominent person of the Podillya region, who devoted more than 50 years to professional, scientific, educational and facilitative activities and continues to work selflessly for Ukraine and its people. Conclusions. The study of Oleksandr Zavalniuk’s life allowed us to identify five periods in it, each of which was distinguished by its own peculiar features. The first period covers the events from his birth in 1951 to the completion of postgraduate studies in 1979. During this time, the formation of his personality with its inherent anthropocentric worldview and pronounced with the spiritual system of values, which determined the spiritual type of behavior, which became leading in later life and activity. The second period began with his work as an assistant at the Department of History of the USSR and the USSR at Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical Institute (October 1979) and ended with his election as Dean of the Faculty of History (April 1993). The third period in the life and work of Oleksandr Mykhailovych lasted until November 2001 – the time of his appointment to the post of the acting rector. It was distinguished by extremely vigorous activities aimed at preventing the decline of the faculty in the acute economic crisis of the first half of the ‘90s. To his credit, having laid this responsibility on his shoulders, relying on the support of the team, he achieved a fantastic result. Holding the post of the rector marked the beginning of the fourth period of his life and activity, which lasted until July 2012, which became the heyday of Oleksandr Zavalniuk’s research and management activities. During the given period, the talent of a brilliant facilitator of higher education was fully revealed. He continued to be intensively engaged in research activities. In 2011 he earned PhD degree. The fifth period covers the time from July 2012 to this day. It is characterized exclusively by scientific and pedagogical activity as a professor of the Department of History of Ukraine and his participation in various public events.