KSU and the University of Agder (Norway) signed a memorandum of cooperation

"This memorandum serves as an official framework that legitimizes and structures all further steps of interaction. It is important that the partner university demonstrates a high level of openness to cooperation and a clear interest in joint projects and formats of interaction," – emphasized Oleksandr Spivakovsky.

Prior to the signing, a substantive meeting took place with Rector and Head of the International Office Christina Milsom.

The KSU team provided a comprehensive presentation of the university, which included:

• the vision and strategic priorities of KSU;
• the expertise of KSU researchers, particularly through interaction with the KSU Center for Digital Expertise;
• the transformation of the university under the conditions of war and relocation, which we view as a model of crisis management that may be of interest to our partners;
• a demonstration of the state of infrastructure before the war and the scale of destruction today;
• examples of the resilience of the academic community, which continues to work despite extremely difficult conditions.

"We showed the state of destroyed buildings, dormitories, and even photos of my destroyed home and the homes of our employees. For our partners, this became direct and visual evidence of the reality of the war, rather than just information from the media," – noted Oleksandr Spivakovsky.

During the discussion, key areas of potential interaction were identified:

• digitalization of education and university processes;
• international mobility;
• scientific cooperation;
• development of the medical faculty;
• exchange of best practices in the field of pedagogical education.

"Special attention was paid to the university's medical faculty. KSU prepares specialists for the Kherson region who are already working today under extremely difficult conditions in a frontline region. Kherson medics perform surgeries under time constraints and high risks, as evacuating the wounded to other cities (Mykolaiv, Odesa) is often impossible or critically delays assistance. Our students are also members of ambulance crews. These are all real cases that build practical skills. This is why local personnel training is a matter not only of education but also of security and the development of the region's human potential," – said the Rector of KSU.

We spoke about the motivation of students to return to their small homeland, our university's mission to preserve the academic community and Kherson identity, and the training of personnel for their native Kherson region.

The Norwegian side presented the situation regarding the development of academic mobility for students. There was talk about the possibility of studying in a European environment, familiarizing themselves with best practices, and further implementing the acquired knowledge in Ukraine for the reconstruction and modernization of the country.

The visit to Adhera University is an important step in expanding international academic cooperation. The signed memorandum and substantive negotiations open the practical stage of cooperation, oriented towards joint educational, scientific, and recovery initiatives.

"Thank you to the team – Alla Tsapiv, Evhenia Revenko, Maksym Poltoratskyi, Liubov Petukhova", – summarized Oleksandr Spivakovsky.

KSU Press Center