History of the Institute

The history of the Institute dates back to 1988, when the faculty of physical education was established at the Higher School of Pedagogy in Rzeszow. It was in 1988 that an agreement was made between the rector of the Rzeszow WSP, Associate Professor M. Bobran, and the Krosno governor, Tadeusz Kruk, to establish a WSP Consultation Point based in Krosno, where studies in physical education were established. The Krosno authorities provided free teaching facilities and social conditions for students, and made gymnasiums and sports facilities available. At that time, the rector appointed Adam Krzanowski, M.A., as head of this unit. The didactic and scientific supervision of the newly created faculty was taken over by Dr. Kazimierz Obodyński - head of the Independent Department of Physical Education of the WSP/Study of Physical Education. Such were the beginnings. At that time, there were a total of 88 students (58 - first year, 30 - second year) in full-time studies, and the Krosno staff of the Point included 8 permanent lecturers, 2 lecturers, 5 permanent assistants and 2 assistants, as well as employees from the WSP: an associate professor, assistant professors, 14 lecturers with a PhD degree, and 70 instructors, trainers and teachers conducted practical classes on commissioned hours. In the 1990/91 academic year, students used 4 gymnasiums, a swimming pool, a stadium and a sports hall (KKS Karpaty), and participated in women's and men's volleyball competitions for advancement to inter-provincial competitions within the AZS. By then, the plan was already to launch a 3-year extramural program with a major in physical education and to establish a new major - recreation and tourism. Financial and personnel shortages, as well as a serious shortage of its own teaching facilities, led to the adoption of a plan to move PE to Rzeszow and create its own base here. P.E. students were allowed to continue their full-time studies, and a Department of Physical Culture was established at the Social and Pedagogical Faculty, which brought together the newly hired independent staff and the rest of the scientific staff. The function of head of the Independent Department of Physical Education was assumed by Dr. Marek Mirkiewicz. At the same time, it should be recalled, PE classes at other faculties of the WSP were conducted during this period by the staff of the Physical Education Department.

The first plans for the establishment of an independent organizational unit for the training of future teachers in the field of physical culture were made at the Faculty of Social and Pedagogical Sciences.The Faculty's development plans for 1990-2000 envisaged the establishment of a PE Department. At the request of the Dean of the Faculty, an Independent Department of Sports, Tourism and Recreation was established, whose tasks included: organizing and conducting the teaching process for PE majors. - IV and V years of study, conducting optional studies, organizing camping for PE and other majors, and conducting scientific research.

In 1991, the Institute of Physical and Health Education (IWFiZ) was established by the JM Rector of the WSP, at the Social and Pedagogical Faculty. Prof. Leslaw Grzegorczyk, Ph.D., became the director, with Dr. Kazimierz Obodyński as his deputy. The Institute included five departments: Department of Sport, Tourism and Recreation, Department of PE Theory and Practice, Department of PE Didactics, Department of Biology, Department of Sports Medicine. The institute had 44 employees: 4 professors, 7 PhDs, 29 MAs and 5 administrative staff. In 1992, a five-year PE degree program was launched for the first time, this was possible when 5 independent researchers were employed. New departments were also established: Human Anatomy and Human Physiology. In 1993, the Institute's Council approved 2 new specializations: rehabilitation and tourism and nature conservation, as well as recruitment for 3-year extramural studies for teachers. The IWFiZ counted 9 departments - the existing ones were joined by the Department of Human Anatomy, the Department of Human Physiology, the Department of Health Education, the Department of Tourism and Nature Protection, and the Department of Biology and Anthropology expanded the scope of research.

In the 1994/95 academic year, the IWFiZ was one of the largest institutes in the WSP, with 525 full-time students enrolled in PE, 236 part-time students, and 83 in optional studies. The institute employed, among others: 10 professors, 9 assistant professors and 16 lecturers and senior lecturers. In November 1994, extremely important changes took place at the Institute of Physical Education at the WSP. Prof. Grzegorczyk became dean of the newly established Faculty of Pedagogy and recommended to the Council the election of Dr. K. Obodyński as director, who proposed the candidacy of Dr. Mark Mirkiewicz as his deputy.

In 1996, the Institute was one of 5 centers in Poland where the Faculty of Pedagogy awarded master's degrees in PE to graduates. The teaching facilities were still insufficient, as it was not possible to build or acquire teaching and sports facilities from the Rzeszow authorities, improving our situation. Due to the increasing interest in the direction, which was caused, among other things, by the increase in the number of hours of PE in schools from 2 to 5 per week, the needs of the Institute increased. The authorities of WFiZ were looking for new opportunities for development. New specialties were prepared: launching, in addition to corrective-compensational gymnastics and the organization and management of tourism, biological renewal and physical rehabilitation. To this end, the Department of Rehabilitation was established under the direction of Professor Ryszard Cieslik.

There was a rapid development of the Institute in the field of scientific research and creation of facilities: new premises were acquired, we negotiated the takeover of the “Resovia” stadium, our own quarterly “Scientific Review of the IWFiZ” was created, we took patronage of the medical college and established scientific cooperation with Prešov and Lviv. Since 1995, the IWFiZ also provided scientific care for the physical education major at the Teachers' College in Krosno, and the Council of the Pedagogical Faculty approved the application of the Krosno governor, the superintendent of education and the college's management for the establishment of the PWSZ in Krosno, with which the IWFiZ was to continue cooperation and provide scientific and didactic care for the physical education major. Further development of the Institute in Rzeszow is associated with the establishment of the Department of Physiotherapy and the Department of Clinical Medicine, and the transformation of the Department of Theory and History of Physical Education into two separate departments - the Department of Theory of Physical Education and the Department of History of Physical Education.

Despite the independence of our medical colleagues and the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine, our development has allowed the long-planned and long-awaited Faculty of Physical Education to become a reality - as of April 1, 2005. Since then, we have continued to develop dynamically - despite temporary difficulties and financial shortages - which are timeless in nature and which we have successfully faced for many years.

In 2019, as a result of the reform of the higher education system, the University of Rzeszow underwent a major restructuring. Faculties disappeared, four Colleges were created and within them Institutes, the former Faculty of Physical Education was renamed the Institute of Physical Culture Sciences. The first director of the Institute was Prof. Dr. Wojciech Czarny, his deputies were Prof. Dr. Paweł Król and Dr. Emilian Zadarko, and Dr. Maciej Huzarski was appointed assistant dean for teaching.

A detailed description of the history of our unit can be found below by clicking on the cover of the monograph: