Vice Rector for international Relations of Mariupol State University, Advisor to the Chairman of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Professor Mykola Trofymenko got acquainted with the Polish experience of developing strategies for the development of universities during participation in the project "Innovative University and Leadership. Phase V: Interdisciplinarity and Intersectorality and University Development Strategies".

The internship lasted throughout November and included a training course for academic leaders at Warsaw and Jagiellonian universities as well as individual consultations with leading Polish scientists and experts in the field of education and science. The project was attended by more than 20 representatives of the administration of leading Ukrainian higher education institutions as well as the National Agency for higher education quality.

During the trainings at the University of Warsaw, the participants learned about the features of higher education institution management, use of data on applicants and graduates in the development strategy, sources of research funding and the "excellence initiative" (increased funding from the state for research universities) as well as tools for effective promotion of the university in the information space.

The representatives of Jagiellonian University told about participation in European projects, strategy of university development, experience of raising funds for research, practice of interaction with public and media, grant activities and joint projects with Ukrainian universities.

The participants of the internship together with Polish scientists and experts discussed the mistakes that arise during the development of strategies for the development of Ukrainian universities, important components of the organization strategy, modern educational trends, such as interdisciplinarity and intersectorality, ethical foundations of the scientist and changes in Polish legislation in the field of higher education and science.

Vice Rector of MSU Mykola Trofymenko noted the speech of the authorized mayor of Warsaw on the city development strategy Paulina Nowicka who noted that the Warsaw University plays an important role in the strategic development of the city.
 

Warsaw lives in conditions when one out of every nine citizens is a student. There are 220 thousand of them, including 24 thousand foreigners. The city administration understands that students are a kind of investors in the economy of Warsaw, they build its image and develop the city. MSU as the main carrier of the Mariupol brand also aims to take an active part in the implementation of an ambitious strategy for the development of the city: to increase the number of foreign students, to open new relevant educational programs, to transform Mariupol and the regional center for the development of education and science,

– Mykola Trofymenko. 

The program also included tours around Warsaw and Krakow with visits to the main monuments and museums, in particular, the Royal Castle of Warsaw, the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, the Museum of the history of Polish Jews.

Upon completion of the internship, academic leaders are required to implement individual or group projects to improve the work of their universities, academic centers, or the entire system of higher education in Ukraine and submit them to the representatives of the Ministry of education and science of Ukraine and the Union of rectors of higher education institutions of Ukraine at the closing conference in Kyiv.

Mykola Trofymenko will implement the project "University as a center of transformation of society: strategy of development and interaction", which involves the promotion of the image of Mariupol as a safe city, the development of new educational programs at the request of the main stakeholders, the development of material and technical base of the University, the introduction of new methods of career guidance, review of MSU International Relations Office structure, etc.

Project "Innovative University and leadership. Phase V: Interdisciplinarity and intersectorality and strategies of university development" is implemented by the MES of Ukraine and the Ministry of science and higher education of the Republic of Poland with the support of the Fund of Polish Rectors - the Institute of Knowledge Society. Co-organizers are the international charitable foundation "International Charity Fund for Educational Policy Research" and the Union of Rectors of Ukrainian higher educational institutions.