Rector of Vytautas Magnus University Was Officially Awarded Title of Honorary Professor

The academic community of Mariupol State University awarded Rector of Vytautas Magnus University, Ineta Dabašinskienė, the title of MSU Honorary Professor for her invaluable support during the university’s relocation and for establishing a strategic partnership.

The conferment took place on May 6 during a solemn meeting of the Academic Council. MSU Rector Mykola Trofymenko held the ceremony to award the diploma and mantle. He welcomed a reliable partner and dear friend, expressing gratitude for her deep concern for the fate of the educational institution with a Mariupol identity.

Today, in a dignified atmosphere, we are honoured to welcome Ms. Ineta as part of the academic community of Mariupol University. She already holds the status of Ambassador of the Invincible University, and now we ask her to accept the attributes of an Honorary Professor,

– says MSU Rector Mykola Trofymenko.

Professor Ineta Dabašinskienė recently became the head of one of the leading educational institutions in Europe, Vytautas Magnus University, becoming the first woman in its history to hold this position. As the institutional coordinator of the Transform4Europe European University Alliance, she facilitated MSU’s inclusion in the alliance, thereby offering its academic staff and students the opportunity to adopt best practices and fulfill a vital mission – to be the voice of their native Mariupol and Ukraine on the international stage.

To receive such recognition from a university that is not only a center of knowledge but also a symbol of dignity, resilience, and unbreakable spirit in the face of war is an honour that is hard to compare to anything else. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for this award, but even more I am grateful for your example, your friendship, and your belief in the power of knowledge to heal and to build,

– says Honorary Professor of MSU, Ineta Dabašinskienė.

It was a pleasure to see among the event guests Jurgita Jankūnienė, Advisor to the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Lithuania has supported the Ukrainian people in their fight for independence not only with words but with concrete actions.

I never thought that while the war is ongoing, I would be able to be here today ‘in Mariupol’. Lithuania is a small country, but it has always stood with you – it helped, is helping, and will continue to help. We will definitely defeat the enemy and celebrate that day as the greatest in our history. Together to Victory and beyond,

– says Jurgita Jankūnienė, representative of the Embassy of Lithuania in Ukraine.