Uniting to serve: Mariupol State University completes participation in the REDU project
On April 12, the III International Scientific and Practical Conference "Personality, University, Society: Interaction in Times of Change" took place at Mariupol State University. This event officially concluded the extensive and long-term project "Rebirth of Displaced Universities: Strengthening Competitiveness, Supporting Communities" (REDU) with the support of the European Union.
To summarize the results, experts from institutions that were essential for the project's implementation visited the invincible university’s front office: the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, the British Council in Ukraine, and the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University.
The conference began with a plenary session. The first to address the audience with welcoming words was the coordinator of the education and science sector of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Vira Rybak. She noted that the capacity gained by the project’s partner universities would enable them to meet all the challenges of today.
Next, the head of the REDU project, advisor to the Directorate of the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Svitlana Kalashnikova, presented, outlining the project’s beginnings, transformations through challenges, and overall results achieved.
The leaders of the participating universities in REDU also spoke during the plenary session. They shared how the project had impacted their academic communities.
This project helped us survive, helped us stabilize in those uncertain conditions when it was very difficult and when we were trying to come to life again. The project helped us determine where we are going, who we are, what we are building, and for whom we are building. Today, Mariupol University is Mariupol. We are the city, it lives in us. We are now working to be a real center for the community, not only for Mariupol but for all Donetsk region. University is not just an educational process; it is much more. War today is conducted not for territories, but for people. We are preserving our identity, preserving the understanding that we will never forget these territories. After Victory, we will return there and rebuild,
– says MSU Rector, Mykola Trofymenko.
The British Council’s Head of Education Programs, Liudmyla Tatsenko, shared about successfully incorporating British experience into the project, internationalization training, and enhancing language competencies. In turn, the Director of the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Iryna Drach, emphasized that the experience of implementing the REDU project was crucial for the Institute’s team as a research institution striving to have practical results and a real connection with university life.
After exploring the updated facilities during a tour of the university, conference participants discussed in working groups what had been achieved or not achieved within the project and identified tasks for the future to continue progress. Seven technically equipped locations, including shelters, were available at the university for this event.
The moderators of the working groups presented the results of their discussions during the final meetings. Oleg Sharov, the General Director of the Vocational and Higher Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, was among the attendees. In his speech to the academic community, he emphasized the fact that when a university is alive, it has something to say about the future, and Mariupol University and Dahl University are such live universities. The representative of the Ministry of Education expressed gratitude to the REDU project for helping relocated educational institutions establish themselves in Kyiv.
The ceremony of awarding certificates, gratitudes, diplomas, and gifts to participants became a bright conclusion of the conference. Taking advantage of the solemn occasion, the head of Mariupol University, Mykola Trofymenko, on behalf of the academic community, awarded Svitlana Kalashnikova an honorary MSU insignia for her significant contribution to the development of the Invincible University and ensuring its strategic directions. The rector also presented acknowledgments to the most active educators in implementing the REDU project.
