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.

Burnout dynamic among Ukrainian academic staff during the war

“…Instead, factors such as the university's relocation and migration processes among female academic staff become significant, affecting the adequacy of perception of effectiveness and accomplishment. Several studies on the impact of war on Ukrainian universities outline the problems encountered by Ukrainian academic staff after the relocation of the university to a new location and forced migration [52][53][54][55] .…”

Social Responsibility in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities

“…O. Porkuian et al (2023) detail the experience of reviving a Ukrainian university amid war, exploring the challenges and strategies employed. The authors share insights into the resilience and determination of the university community in the face of adversity.…”

Coverage of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine in scientific works: Bibliometric analysis

“…Dahl East Ukrainian National University and Donetsk National Technical University, which had to change their location twice (Porkuian et al, 2023;Zakharova & Prodanova, 2023); institutions in Chernihiv and Sumy, which worked during terrorist missile bombings and encirclement (Novomlynets et al, 2023;Nifatova et al, 2023;Karpusha et al, 2023); the resistance of the capital's university, which was at the epicenter of terrorist missile attacks several times (Bugrov et al, 2023); aid and volunteering of universities located hundreds of kilometers from the front line (Nestulya et al, 2023;Kaplenko et al, 2023;Tsos et al, 2023); online learning projects acquired during the COVID-restrictions and even more important in wartime (Kuzheliev et al, 2023;Kvyetnyy et al, 2023;Greshta et al, 2023); organizing the work of a scientific library in the front-line Dnipro (Kolesnykova, 2023); acquired by scientists during emigration and continuation of scientific research (Polishchuk et al, 2023), etc. In the article by Petrushenko et al (2023) from this special edition, a bibliometric analysis of publications on the management of higher education institutions in wartime conditions is presented, in which the lack of conceptual studies devoted to the role of universities in the war and post-war reconstruction of the State of Ukraine is noted.…”