The Power of Community: MSU Participates in T4EU Week in Lisbon

Mariupol State University continues to actively strengthen international cooperation within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) European University Alliance.

From May 25 to 29, under the auspices of the Portuguese Catholic University, the T4EU General Meeting took place. Dedicated to the theme of collaboration for positive change, the event brought together around 500 participants — students, academics, and experts from 36 countries and 16 higher education institutions.

Mariupol State University was represented by Acting Rector Tetyana Marena, Director of the Center for International Education Iryna Sikorska, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Law Svitlana Kalinina, Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing and Tourism Inna Arakelova, and students Anita Sharaievska (Cultural Studies and Cultural-Leisure Activities program) and Tetiana Aleksieieva (Finance, Banking and Insurance program).

T4EU Week is one of the Alliance’s flagship events. Each year, partner universities come together to learn, strengthen international cooperation, participate in governance processes, and engage with communities. These gatherings are designed to foster a sense of belonging within the Alliance and highlight the role of higher education institutions as active agents of social development, closely connected to both local and global communities.

One of the central events was the Global Partnership Forum, a platform for discussing practices that help create more inclusive institutions and public spaces through dialogue, experience-sharing, and cooperation. During the panel discussion “The New European University: Transformation and Heritage in Teaching,” Ukrainian higher education was represented by the Acting Rector of Mariupol State University.

Tetyana Marena spoke about how educational institutions operate amid war and extraordinary challenges, paying particular attention to the experience of her home university. Today, MSU functions as a multifunctional support center for students, faculty members, veterans, and internally displaced persons and, importantly, as a hub for preserving regional identity, cultural heritage, and historical memory.

Although Ukraine is still on its path toward membership in the European Union, the Mariupol University community is proud that, thanks to Transform4Europe, both educators and students can experience what it means to be part of a large European family,

— said Tetyana Marena, Acting Rector of MSU.

As is customary during the annual gathering, meetings of the T4EU Executive Board and Steering Committee were held to discuss and address current issues related to the Alliance’s activities. A particularly significant event was the signing of an agreement between Mariupol State University and Vytautas Magnus University — a strategic partner of the resilient university — to implement a “Mobility Window” program for bachelor’s students in Systems Analysis and Data Science.

The T4EU Week program also featured a series of workshops on a wide range of topics, including open science and research data management, innovative teaching methodologies, developing a green university strategy, the use of artificial intelligence in research, and inclusive internationalization. Both students and staff were able to find activities aligned with their interests.

It was truly impressive to see so many students, lecturers, and professionals from different educational institutions gathered in one city. It was a wonderful opportunity to discover so many new and exciting things! Every day, I had the chance to communicate, exchange experiences, and connect with people from different countries and cultures. Moments like these make you truly feel part of an international university community,

— said MSU student Tetiana Aleksieieva.