Resilience Unites: MSU Community Takes Part in Transform4Europe Activities in Kaunas
Last week, from October 21 to 24, the academic team of Mariupol State University traveled to Lithuania to participate in the events of the Transform4Europe Alliance of European Universities. This year, the organizer was Vytautas Magnus University, which took over the presidency from the University of Silesia in Katowice.
T4EU Week brought together leaders of European universities, researchers, and students. The overarching theme of all events and discussions was resilience — specifically, how education, research, and cooperation can strengthen Europe in times of uncertainty.
As tradition dictates, during the Strategic Political Conference, the presidency of the Alliance was transferred to Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” Over the next year, the Bulgarian university will lead activities and further strengthen European identity.
A significant milestone was the ceremonial signing of a document by the rectors of partner universities, which officially establishes the Alliance’s coordination through a newly created legal entity. This will make it possible to support joint initiatives even after European Union funding ends.
The T4EU Week program was divided into several thematic parts and included not only working meetings with international colleagues but also opportunities to explore Lithuanian culture through social events, excursions, and performances. Taking advantage of the occasion, representatives of Mariupol University exchanged experiences with the academic community of the Lithuanian partner and identified areas of cooperation, including discussions on optimizing the dual bachelor’s degree program in information technology.
In addition, educators from the invincible university had the opportunity to meet with students of Ukrainian schools currently residing in Kaunas. The meeting took place within the framework of the MSU Center in Lithuania, established at Vytautas Magnus University to assist with admission to Ukrainian educational institutions.
In her speech, Acting Rector of MSU Tetiana Marena dedicated her remarks to the invincible university, highlighting “what an academic community can achieve when it has lost almost everything, but continues to move forward for the sake of recovery.” She emphasized the the university’s resilience, its ambassadorial mission, and invited students to join MSU. Afterwards, Mariupol University student self-government leader Mykyta Horbashevskyi expressed hope that next autumn they would all meet again as MSU students.
Meanwhile, Professor of the Department of Marketing and Tourism Andriy Stoyka outlined MSU’s educational capabilities, emphasizing its flexibility and modern teaching approaches that allow young people to pursue their chosen profession from anywhere in the world. To conclude, Head of the Department of Systems Analysis and Information Technologies Hanna Martyniuk held a cybersecurity workshop for the students.
