History

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In the winter semester of the academic year 1961/1962, the Department of Theory of Production and Works in a Workshop is established. This was also supported by the fact that introducing technical education into primary schools brought the need to study this subject in combination with other natural sciences like mathematics, physics, chemistry and geography. At the time, studies at the Pedagogic Institute were being reorganized and the subject of theory of production and works in a workshop was not compulsory for all students. The department had to adjust its development to the change of the educational plans and schemes and as a result of this, had to change its content.
The main task of the Department was:

• To raise the academic standard of teachers by attending seminars on university pedagogy, among other things.

• To improve the professional aspect of pedagogic activity of teachers. Since its establishment, the Department promoted the need to differentiate student training according to the educational stages they are trained for.

In the academic year 1962/1963, the general basics and triple combination programmes were discontinued. Activity of the Department is focused on the first to fourth year of the part-time and full-time courses in teacher qualification in mathematics/works in a workshop, physics/works in a workshop, chemistry/works in a workshop; and on preparation of students for 1st to 5th year of the methodics of technical education in the 3rd year of study; resumes cooperation with the factory SEZ – Křižík Dukla, Prešov and strengthens cooperation with all the factories students have spent their industry placements at. Members of the Department participated in extra-curricular activities, activities that fell under the Ministry of Education and the former mass social activities.

In the academic year 1963/1964, the Department changes educational plans and schemes (order from the Ministry of Education), deeper definition of goals and responsibilities of the Department is set out again.
The issue of the new university law (1965/1966) is related to the changes of educational plans which enables to introduce the new subject Technical Mechanics. This subject further emphasized the necessity to develop technical thinking and the withdrawal from the technical character of teaching. Content of the newly introduced subject consists of familiarization with the basic questions about the mechanics of solids, liquids and gases.

The course of years 1966/1967 was marked by the new concept of teaching – searching for new solutions that were based in the fact that the amount of technical skill/physical work as a means of performance was lowered and the main focus was kept on the requirements of the second scientific revolution i.e. on the development of technical thinking, technical imagination and construction skills.
Until the establishment of an independent department, teaching of theory of production and works in a workshop was conducted by Ing. Ján Tulenko, Ing. Viktor Šoltés, Magda Krulišová, Ladislav Ferenčík, Vasil Ihnaťuk. This structure lasted until the academic year 1961/1962 when the independent Department of Theory of Production and Works in a Workshop was established.

Besides the above mentioned, in the Department of Theory of Production and Works in a Workshop worked the following: Anna Tkáčová, Ján Sremaňák, Helena Rimarčíková, Imrich Maričák, Imrich Pavlovič, Peter Gabor, Imrich Borovský, Ing. Karol Illiaš.

In the following years, the name of the Department changed as follows:

• Department of Basics of Industrial Production

(1st Sept 1964 – 30th Sept 1972)
Leader: Ing. Ján Tulenko

• Department of Mathematics, Physics and Basics of Industrial Production

(1st Oct 1972 – 31st Aug 1978)
Leader: doc. RNDr. Ondrej Strečko, CSc.

• Department of Physics and Basics of Technics

Leader: Ing. Ján Tulenko (1st Sept 1978 – 14th Oct 1980)
Leader: doc. Ing. Pavel Šuťák (15th Oct 1980 – 15th Dec 1989)

Members of the Department: Ing. Pavel Šuťák, doc. RNDr. Ján Birčák, CSc., PhDr. Ladislav Ferenčík, Dr. Michal Mlynár, CSc., Ing. Karol Illiaš, Ing. Miloslav Kotulič, Ing. Ján Tulenko, PaedDr. Jozef Pavelka, Imrich Borovský, Anna Tkáčová.
Department of Basics of Agricultural Production:
doc. Ing. Martin Dziak, CSc., doc. Ing. Ladislav Orenčák, CSc., Pavol Guňa.

• Department of Technical Education

Leader: doc. Ing. Karol Illiaš, CSc. (1st Sept 1990 – 20th Nov 1997)

Members of the Department: Ing. Karol Illiaš, CSc., PaedDr. Jaroslav Šoltés, PaedDr. Peter Beisetzer, Mgr. Peter Csatáry, Ing. Milan Bernát, PhDr. Ladislav Ferenčík, Ing. Miloslav Kotulič, CSc., PaedDr. Jozef Pavelka, PaedDr. Iveta Šebeňová, doc. Ing. Pavel Šuťák, Ing. Oleg Tkáč, PaedDr. Igor Urban, Igor Gajdoš, Pavol Krupa.
Leader: prof. Ing. Michal Šefara, CSc. (21st Nov 1997 – Sept 2003)

• Department of Technics and Digital Competencies

(since 6th Sept 2004)
Leader: doc. PaedDr. Jozef Pavelka, CSc. (since September 2003)

Members of the Department:
PaedDr. Peter Beisetzer, PhD., Ing. Milan Bernát, PhD., PhD, RNDr. František Franko, Mgr. Vojtech Rusňák, PaedDr. Jaroslav Šoltés, Ing. Oleg Tkáč, PaedDr. Igor Urban, PhD., Antónia Marinicová, Ondrej Tabačko.

External members of the Department:
prof. Ing. Michal Šefara, CSc.,

On 1st Jan 2002, the Department of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) was established based on the decision of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences (AS FHNS), following a proposal from the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences of the University of Prešov (FHNS UP). The aim of the mentioned department was to provide ICT education – literacy for all the students of FHNS UP in 1st to 3rd year and to deepen readiness of graduates from the Faculty, especially to prepare students of the technical education for the information society.

The leader of the department was doc. Ing. J. Bajtoš, CSc., PhD, later RNDr. František Franko. Members of the department were Ing. Viera Perečinská, Ing. Bianka Horváthová, Ing. Marián Mochnay and Mgr. Vojtech Rusňák. On 1st Jan 2006, based on the decision of AS UP, the Institute of Digital Competencies (IDC) of University of Prešov was established and in relation to this, following the decision of AS FHNS UP, the Department of ICT was separated from the Department of Technics on 15th Feb 2006 to form the new Office of ICT of FHNS IDC UP. Employees that moved from the department to the institute were Ing. Viera Perečinská, Ing. Bianka Horváthová and Ing. Marián Mochnay.

In 2010, structural changes took place in the Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences of the University of Prešov. Within the new organizational structure, three former separate departments were integrated into the new Department of Physics, Mathematics and Technics. The mentioned department has three separate divisions: physics, mathematics and technics. The leader of the newly established department became dr.h.c. doc. PaedDr. Vladimír Šebeň, PhD.

Members of the Division of Technology 2010/2013 (left to right: doc. PaedDr. Peter Beisetzer, PhD., doc. Ing. Milan Bernát, PhD., Mgr. Vojtech Rusňák, PhD., PaedDr. Jaroslav Šoltés, PhD., prof. PaedDr. Jozef Pavelka, CSc.)