Engagement of higher education institutions with NGOs under transformations: experience of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse and disseminate the experience of collaboration between Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University and NGOs, which has been emerging over the last decade under crisis conditions caused by hostilities and the relocation of the University. The authors demonstrate that such collaboration has a strategic character and contains a significant potential for institutional development, as it prompts rethinking of university strategies and policies, encourages reforms in management and restructuring of university governance permitting it to meet the new realities and challenges faced by the University due to relocation, engages all teachers and learners, encourages the renewal of study programmes and research activities. The analysis of collaborative activities between Volodymyr Dahl Eastern Ukrainian National University and NGOs encompasses an account of partner organizations, cataloguing of existing cooperation approaches and practices, identification of advantages and impact of collaboration, as well as description of impediments to it, formulation of recommendations on multiplication of acquired expertise. While identifying the advantages of university collaboration with NGOs, namely: attracting additional financial resources for renewal and upgrading of the educational and research infrastructure; generation of innovations, facilitation of knowledge exchange, broadening research agenda, enhancing scientific and research capacity; upgrading competencies of students, academic and administrative personnel thanks to trainings that are usually delivered in the course of project implementation; enhancing university social responsibility, raising university profile and augmenting the social role of higher education institutions in the community thanks to active engagement of students and staff in solving current social problems, the article simultaneously reveals impediments that hinder such collaboration. Most frequently, such impediments are lack of experience and connections, both on the part of universities and civil society organizations; absence of social focus in university strategies; insufficient human resources and lack of proactive people among university community; bureaucratic obstacles due to underdeveloped university autonomy; lack of experience in monitoring and evaluation of university collaboration with external stakeholders, in particular with NGOs.