Page - 208 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

208 ♦  Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 of other chairs that would answer the needs of Ruthenian gymnasia, such as classical philology; if a second philological chair were to be created, he proposed a candidate from the Russian Empire.156 Only Šaranevyč, a pro- nounced conservative and the house historian of the Stauropegion Institute, warmly greeted the new chair, proposing Studyns’kyj as the best candi- date.157 Despite an obvious lack of support within the faculty, the ministry appointed Studyns’kyj as an associate professor.158 A few months later, the faculty successfully proposed Kolessa as a full professor; Studyns’kyj achieved this only in 1908, with the addition ad personam (that is, bound to his person and not creating a new chair; this was accepted unanimously in the faculty). In other words, with Studyns’kyj’s retirement or death, Church Slavonic would be abandoned at the philosophical faculty.159 Studyns’kyj certainly remained an interesting figure in the narodovtsi- dom inated L’viv. His first major publication after his appointment was an edition of the letters of Holovac’kyj, and he was intensively engaged in the Ruthenian Christian Social Party, later editing its journal, Ruslan (Руслан).160 Still, this politicized appointment should not obscure the fact that the divisions among the Ruthenian faculty members were of secondary importance compared to the issue of nationality; indeed, in subsequent years the Polish versus Ruthenian conflict overshadowed the internal divisions, especially because most Ruthenian scholars (including Franko) were united in the Ševčenko Scientific Society. Such unity among the Ruthenian scholars can be seen in 1907, as the ministry deliberated the creation of five additional Ruthenian chairs, in- cluding in chemistry (Horbačevs’kyj) and the history of literature (Franko). Experts from the university commission, which unsurprisingly had a Polish majority, criticized this approach, listing financial reasons and the violation of university autonomy as crucial. Unsurprisingly, the votum separatum, penned by Hruševs’kyj, Kolessa, and Studyns’kyj, claimed both the need for such chairs and their importance in the future creation of a Ruthenian uni- versity.161 Here, the provincial governor, Andrzej Potocki, took a pro-Polish position, characterizing this decision as the creation of a “university of auxiliary professors,”162 once more repeating that Ruthenian scholars had the option to habilitate. The issue then dropped off the agenda, partially owing to the intensification of nationalist conflict, which led to the assas- sination of Potocki in April 1908. The only way for Ruthenian scholars to succeed was to habilitate in disciplines no Polish candidates wanted, such as Austrian history.