Twice displaced, but unconquered: The experience of reviving a Ukrainian university during the war

Abstract

A new wave of relocation of universities from the war zone has resulted from the negative consequences of the hostilities and the temporary occupation of the territories of Ukraine by the russian federation. The challenges of today have a multidirectional impact, especially on universities that have been displaced twice. The relocation of each university is a unique experience, and academic management is the object of modern scientific research. Therefore, the paper aims to highlight the experience of gaining resilience and developing the sustainability of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University (hereinafter V. Dahl EUNU) during the evacuation in 2014 from the city of Luhansk to the town of Severodonetsk, and in 2022 along the entire movement path to the city of Kyiv. It is determined that the main resources are human and social capital, which allow not only counteractong the challenges of martial law, but also ensuring the restoration of the system and its further development. The introduction of digitalization of the educational process, and work on the development of values and reputation are identified as the main tools for survival in dangerous war conditions. According to the results of the study, it was proved that in the conditions of martial law, the university acquired new qualities and developed the capacity for resilience. The ability of V. Dahl EUNU to use its strengths to overcome dangers and obstacles and to choose strong strategies focused on recovery and development was considered.

Keywords

• digitization
• distance learning
• martial law
• occupation
• relocation of the university
• students