Strategic Development and Human Capital: An Interview with the Institute’s Administration

How do you envision the strategic development of the Institute?

Achieving strategic goals is the result of persistent daily effort. For me personally, maintaining stability is paramount. The year 2025, much like previous years, has been a period of meticulous daily work: responding to challenges, countering threats, moving forward with respect for history and tradition, and implementing future-oriented innovations in the educational and professional spheres. Ultimately, this translates into effective development. Stability remains one of the Institute’s key characteristics, ensuring a consistent course and sustaining established trends. This creates the necessary environment for the foundation, consolidation, and growth of academic schools in the fields of international relations, law, and economics.

What role do people play in the Institute's success and development?

In my view, their role is pivotal. I always emphasise—our students are the best, and our faculty members are infinitely dedicated to their craft. The Institute’s fundamental achievements depend precisely on the people who exert the effort and for whom all changes and improvements are made. The Institute is a large family, comprising over 3,000 learners at various levels, approximately 200 academic staff, and a significant number of technical personnel. Special recognition must go to those who ensure the seamless operation of our infrastructure. Their contribution often goes unnoticed, yet it is incredibly vital, indispensable, and deserves profound respect.

How has the modern learner transformed, and what does this mean for the Institute’s growth?

The modern student has undergone significant changes, which directly impact the Institute’s development strategies. Increased access to information, the proliferation of digital technologies, and the need to adapt to rapid societal shifts are shaping a new type of student. They seek flexibility in learning, an interactive educational process, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world scenarios. For the Institute, this necessitates a rethinking of pedagogical approaches, the implementation of modern methodologies and technologies, and the creation of conditions for each student's individual and professional growth. This includes the integration of online platforms, the development of practice-oriented programs, and close alignment with contemporary labour market challenges. The transformation of the learner into an active creator of their own educational path requires flexibility and a readiness for change from the Institute.

What opportunities are available to students today, and do they influence the Institute's image and development?

Modern students have a wide spectrum of opportunities which they actively utilise, thereby positively influencing the Institute’s reputation and growth. It is worth noting that the scale of these opportunities has increased significantly. Through academic mobility programs and bilateral cooperation, our students study at over 300 universities worldwide. They participate in international conferences, symposia, and roundtables, engage in research projects, and represent Ukraine in various international youth organisations. Furthermore, students themselves initiate new opportunities. With their participation, active analytical centres and youth organisations have been established to strengthen the educational ecosystem and improve the quality of higher education as a whole. Additionally, volunteer, educational, and charitable initiatives are a vital part of their activities. Cultural events with a charitable focus, such as "Rainbow of Countries" and the "Charity Ball," have become traditional, with proceeds funding various projects. Volunteer campaigns like "St. Nicholas Gifts," language lessons for children, and support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine—including providing essentials for soldiers and weaving camouflage nets—remain highly popular. Students also assist animal shelters and engage in other critical initiatives. This holistic involvement in civic, educational, and cultural spheres not only unlocks the potential of our youth but also reinforces the Institute’s reputation as a progressive and innovative institution.

What role do faculty members play in the development of the Institute?

Faculty members play a key role in the Institute's development, serving as carriers of ideas, innovators, and a pillar of support for students. Their resilience and dedication are truly admirable. The main task is to preserve this inner drive, support their thirst for knowledge, and create conditions for new ideas to emerge, as faculty are the true engine of change and innovation. The war has significantly exacerbated the shortage of qualified personnel—a challenge affecting not only higher education institutions but the entire labor market. From personal experience, it is clear that the workload on faculty in current conditions has become excessive, while financial remuneration remains insufficient. Despite this, they not only fulfill their professional duties but also serve as vital moral authorities, sources of support for students, and catalysts for change within the academic environment.

What professional challenges do faculty face today, and how do these circumstances affect their motivation and role in the educational process?

At this stage, educators face numerous professional challenges that markedly impact their motivation and place in the educational process. Constant reforms and often uncertain or contradictory approaches from regulatory bodies create an environment where time spent with students in the classroom becomes the exception rather than the rule. While teachers find fulfillment in their educational, mentoring, and advisory roles, the actual volume of time dedicated to direct work with students is unjustifiably small. Simultaneously, scientific activity requires significant self-funding, and professional development opportunities are often perceived as an unattainable luxury. A significant portion of faculty resources is consumed by bureaucracy: preparing reports and documentation takes an incredible amount of time and energy, leaving little room for creative or scientific work. Under these circumstances, the educational process is sustained by enthusiasts—people who realize the importance of their mission. They understand that working with students or doctoral candidates today is the foundation for the country's future recovery. They are ready to work tirelessly, even with minimal financial reward. However, this enthusiasm cannot serve as a stable long-term motivation; such a model is exhausting and unsustainable from a strategic perspective. Clearly, it is time to revise the approaches to the educational system: we must rethink priorities, shift focus, and create conditions where faculty can fully realise their professional potential while receiving proper support and a decent salary. Only in this way can we ensure the effectiveness of the educational process and the sustainable development of society.

What role does education play in shaping and restoring Ukraine's human potential, especially in the context of post-war reconstruction?

People have always been, and remain, the key labour resource capable of meeting both the country's current needs and the prospects for its recovery. Natural population replacement requires significant time and a material base. The process of birth, upbringing, and providing basic and professional education takes at least 20–25 years. Furthermore, mechanical population growth through the return of internally displaced persons or the attraction of labour migrants also depends on the availability of economic resources, jobs, and necessary infrastructure. However, the country currently lacks these resources in sufficient measure. Under such conditions, it is necessary to focus on a third approach—increasing the quality of the existing human resource. This includes restructuring and optimizing production processes, as well as emphasizing the applied nature of learning. This will shorten the adaptation period for workers to production realities and increase the efficiency of labour resource utilisation. Education is the fundamental component in achieving this task. It ensures the formation of skills and knowledge necessary for rapid adaptation in a changing environment, promotes professional mobility, and stimulates the country's innovative potential, especially in the context of post-war reconstruction.

How would you evaluate the main results of the Institute's activities in 2025?

There is much to be proud of. Assessing the main results of the Institute's activities in 2025, one can confidently say there are grounds for pride. All achievements are the result of the hard work of many people. The significant successes and constant progress demonstrated annually by the Institute shape its reputation as a leading educational hub in the field of international relations. Maintaining this status is a complex task that requires daily effort. When the year's results are mentioned, it usually refers to impressive statistical data: the number of graduates (the lion's share of whom are honours students), the number of defended dissertations, new students, and the volume of textbooks, monographs, and articles produced. These are not just dozens, but hundreds of results in each category. But more important than the figures is not just the quantitative indicator, but the sense of significance and collective effort that accompany these achievements.

How do you evaluate the passing year in terms of the feelings, emotions, and internal state of the Institute community?

The Institute unites a large number of people, so it is impossible to give a single answer. Obviously, everyone has their unique impressions of this period. It all depends on which projects a person participated in, how visible the interdependence between their efforts and the results achieved was, and whether their expectations were met overall.

What were the special moments of 2025 that stood out the most?

These 365 days have become a part of our lives that will never be repeated but will remain in memory due to their unique details. Unexpected events, such as meeting the President of Finland or members of the European Commission, the first lectures held by flashlight; breaks accompanied by the sounds of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"; foreign language classes on rescheduled days; the cinema of France, the USA, and Sweden united on a single screen. And also the warm food and fresh pastries in the cafeteria, even during power outages, and even the mortarboards appearing in the sky over our Institute twice a year. All these moments—so different—together created an unforgettable history of the year. And this is far from the end!