Meeting of the Academic Council held in May at USUST

On 26 May 2026, a regular meeting of the Academic Council of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies  was held in the Academic Council Hall. The meeting began with a ceremony honouring university staff, researchers, lecturers, and students for their professional, scientific, sporting, and creative achievements.
 
The official part of the meeting was opened by the Chair of the Academic Council, Rector of USUST, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Kostiantyn Sukhyi. He presented certificates confirming the academic title of Associate Professor to:
  • Serhii Bazhan, Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Ukrainian Studies;
  • Denys Zemskyi, Associate Professor of the Department of Intelligent Power Supply Systems;
  • Serhii Poliushkin, Associate Professor of the Department of Design and Reconstruction of the Architectural Environment;
  • Oleksandr Kharlan, Associate Professor of the Department of Design and Reconstruction of the Architectural Environment.

In addition, Doctor of Philosophy diplomas were awarded to Ivan Bobyliev and Iryna Shapka, who defended their dissertations in April 2026 in speciality 051 ‘Economics’.

During the meeting, departmental awards of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine were also presented. Certificates of Honour of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine were awarded to:
  • Olha Sverdlikovska, director of the SEI ‘USUCT’, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor, for initiative, high professionalism, and a significant contribution to the development of education and science in Ukraine;
  • Olena Zavhorodnia, Professor of the Department of International Economics, Management, and Social and Humanitarian Disciplines of the SEI ‘DMI’, for her long dedicated work, a significant contribution to the training of highly qualified specialists, and fruitful scientific and pedagogical activity.
Certificates of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine were presented to:
  • Pavlo Zadorozhnyi, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the SEI ‘USUCT’, Associate Professor;
  • Tetiana Seliviorstova, acting head of the Department of Information Systems and Technologies of the SEI ‘DMI’, Associate Professor;
  • Volodymyr Shalomov, Associate Professor of the Department of Occupational Safety, Civil and Environmental Security of the SEI ‘PSACEA’, Associate Professor.
Commendations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine were awarded to:
  • Serhii Arpul, dean of the Faculty of Energy and Economic Process Management of the SEI ‘DIIT’, Associate Professor;
  • Oleksandr Beketov, dean of the Faculty of Information Technologies and Mechanical Engineering of the SEI ‘PSACEA’, Associate Professor;
  • Mykola Hryshchenko, dean of the Faculty of Transport Engineering of the SEI ‘DIIT’, Associate Professor.
  • Olena Hromova, head of the Department of Architectural Design, Land Management and Building Materials of the SEI ‘PSACEA’,  Associate Professor;
  • Nina Dolbysheva, dean of the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports of the SEI ‘PSAPCS’, Professor;
  • Olena Kosheleva, head of the Department of Theory and Methods of Physical Education of the SEI ‘PSAPCS’, Associate Professor;
  • Stanislav Kovaliov,  acting head of the Department of Power Engineering of the SEI ‘USUCT’,  Associate Professor.
A certificate of the Department of Education and Science of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration for his long  dedicated work, high professionalism, and a significant contribution to the development of the region’s educational potential was awarded to Serhii Hryshechkin, head of the Educational and Research Centre for Education Quality Assurance at USUST, Associate Professor.
During the meeting, rector of the university, Professor Kostiantyn Sukhyi, emphasized that USUST today demonstrates significant achievements not only in research and education, but also in sports and creative activities.
 
The Academic Council congratulated the university’s mini-football team on winning the Mini-Football Cup of the NGO ‘Council of Young Scientists of Dnipropetrovsk Region’. The cup was handed over to Mykola Kalymbet, head of the Council of Young Scientists of USUST.
 
In addition, rector Kostiantyn Sukhyi announced new sporting achievements of the university: the USUST student team won first place in the third interregional stage of the ‘Side by Side’ project of the All-Ukrainian Student Mini-Football League in Kropyvnytskyi, while the university basketball team successfully advanced to the play-off stage.
Special attention during the meeting was paid to the creative achievements of the student community. The rector highly praised the work of the USUST Centre for Culture, Arts, and Media Relations and congratulated the university student team on its victory in the city amateur art contest ‘Student Spring 2026’, where USUST won the Grand Prix.
 
The Grand Prix award from the Department of Youth of the Dnipro City Council was presented by the rector to Stanislav Radzimovskyi, director of the USUST Centre for Culture, and director Oksana Radzimovska.
Kostiantyn Sukhyi shared his impressions of the contest and noted that the USUST team’s performance was one of the most emotional moments of the festival. According to him, despite air raid alerts and difficult conditions during the event, the university team managed to create an exceptionally powerful, coherent, and professional stage performance that received a strong response from the audience.
 
In response, Stanislav Radzimovskyi announced that 70 percent of the prize money received for the victory would be directed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while the remaining funds would be used to restore the USUST Palace of Culture.
 
The Rector emphasized that modern student life is not only about studying and classroom work, but also about creativity, self-realization, and an active civic position.
During the meeting, participants also highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between USUST and the Dnipro City Council, as well as the Letter of Appreciation from the Mayor of Dnipro on the occasion of Science Day.
 
Symbolically, rector presented the Letter of Appreciation to the First Vice-Rector of USUST, Professor Anatolii Radkevych.

At the conclusion of the ceremonial part of the meeting, the Academic Council congratulated Professor Valerii Ivashchenko, deputy director of the SEI ‘DMI’, on his 77th birthday. Those present joined in expressing their gratitude for many years of professional service and dedication to the university.

The next item on the agenda concerned the conferral of academic titles. The report was delivered by the First Vice-Rector of USUST, Professor Anatolii Radkevych.
Members of the Academic Council considered the candidates for the academic title of Associate Professor:
  • Olha Riabtseva, candidate for the position of Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Finance, SEI ‘USUCT’;
  • Vitalii Miroshnyk, candidate for the position of Associate Professor of the Department of Transport Infrastructure, SEI ‘DIIT’;
  • Maryna Rudenko, candidate for the position of Associate Professor of the Department of Finance, Accounting and Psychology, SEI  ‘DIIT’.
Following a secret ballot, all candidates were unanimously approved.
As a separate agenda item, the Academic Council addressed the organization and outcomes of the university’s career guidance activities, as well as preparations for the 2026 admission campaign. The report was presented by Vice-Rector for Research and Academic Affairs, Advertising, Information Activities, and Communications, Professor Olha Ryzhova.
 
In her presentation, Olha Petrivna noted that career guidance activities at USUST are carried out systematically at all levels of the university in accordance with the relevant regulations, while the results of these activities are actively promoted through the university’s official website and social media platforms.
Among the university’s large-scale career guidance initiatives, special recognition was given to the USUST Career Guidance Quests for high school students from Dnipro and the region. These events combined the traditional Open Day format with interactive presentations of academic programmes and elements of gamification. In total, 29 such events were organized.
 
Throughout the year, the university also implemented a number of career guidance projects and events, including USUST Open Days, Dnipro Education City, Future Dnipro Menorah Center, Second USUST Hackathon, UST AI Challenge, Education Fest, ‘Miss and Mister USUST – 2025’ competition, Dnipro League of Laughter, USUST OpenDay, and Sakura Fest USUST 2026.
 
The meeting also presented new educational initiatives launched by the university. In particular, USUST established a preparatory department in the framework of the ‘Winter Admission’project. The first cohort consisted of 36 prospective students studying the Ukrainian language, mathematics, the history of Ukraine, and one selective subject chosen from physics, chemistry, biology, or a foreign language. Olha Ryzhova emphasized that graduates of the preparatory department will be eligible to receive an additional 15 ranking points when applying for state-supported academic programmes. The next intake is scheduled to begin in September 2026.
 
A new degree-based educational format was also announced – the USUST University College of Applied Sciences and Modern Technologies. The college will offer professional junior bachelor programmes for students entering after grade 9 in six areas: Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy, Automotive Transport, Electrical Engineering, Automation and Robotics, Chemical Technologies, Pharmacy, and Physical Culture and Sports.
 
The report also presented the results of career guidance activities carried out by the educational and scientific institutes of USUST:
  • SEI ‘DIIT’ organized 437 events, including DIIT Open Labs, Special DIIT Open Day, DIIT AI Challenge 2026, Translate 2.0 project, outreach Open Day events, and professional development programmes for educators;
  • SEI ‘USUCT’ conducted 176 events, including Open Days, outreach career guidance meetings, and the educational project ‘GREEN-ED. Green Education of Dnipro’;
  • SEI ‘PSACEA’ organized 249 career guidance events, including outreach Open Days at lyceums and gymnasiums;
  • SEI ‘PSAPCS’ implemented 30 events at vocational schools, colleges, and lyceums;
  • SEI ‘DMI’ conducted 132 events, including career guidance quests and the thematic project for school students ‘Code of the future: human, metal, artificial intelligence’.
During her presentation, Olha Ryzhova also provided updated information on the 2026 admission campaign. It was noted that the Dnipropetrovsk region ranks third in Ukraine by the number of registered participants in the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT)  with 27,494 applicants. Particular attention was paid to admission to master’s degree programmes and opportunities for preparation for the Unified Entrance Examination (EVI), including USUST’s intensive preparatory courses, which allow applicants to earn additional ranking points.
At the conclusion of her report, the Vice-Rector presented a new career guidance initiative entitled ‘Admission through the eyes of parents’ and emphasized the importance of building a positive university image through effective communication with prospective students, parents, and the wider community. Statistics on the performance of USUST’s official Facebook and Instagram pages over the past 90 days were also presented, together with examples of the university’s most widely viewed content.
 
The presentation of Vice-Rector Olha Ryzhova’s report is available via the link.
 
The next item on the agenda concerned the organization of admission to USUST in 2026 through vouchers issued by the state employment service. the report was delivered by Oleksii Sihunov, head of the Career Development, Employment and Stakeholder Relations Department, Associate Professor.
 
The speaker reminded the Academic Council that a voucher is an official document granting the right to study an approved profession or specialty at the expense of the Employment Centre. The voucher is issued only once and remains valid for 120 days.
 
It was noted that in 2025 around 200 applicants from various regions of Ukraine enrolled at the university through the voucher programme, including residents of Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, Kyiv, and Poltava. The majority chose master’s degree programmes, while the most popular fields were technical, engineering,
 
transport, information technology, and economics-related specialities. Among the most popular programmes were G19 ‘Construction and Civil Engineering’ (33 students), ‘Aviation and Aerospace Engineering’ (30 students), ‘Railway Transport’(19 students), ‘Automobile Transport’ (12 students), and ‘Civil Security’ (10 students).
Oleksii Sihunov noted that the maximum voucher amount currently equals ten subsistence minimums, amounting to UAH 33,280. The majority of applicants enrolled through the voucher programme in 2025 were individuals aged 45 + with more than 15 years of insurance employment history. The university also continues its efforts to engage veterans, persons with disabilities, and individuals discharged from military service through cooperation with hospitals and rehabilitation centres.
 
The report also highlighted key deadlines for obtaining vouchers for the 2026 admission campaign and provided recommendations on strengthening cooperation with enterprises to encourage employee participation in retraining and professional development programmes.
 
The presentation by Oleksii Sihunov, head of the Career Development, Employment and Stakeholder Relations Department, is available via the link.
 
As part of the subsequent agenda items, the Academic Council considered recommendations for the publication of the university’s scholarly works. The report was delivered by First Vice-Rector Professor Anatolii Radkevych. A number of scientific journals and a biographical essay were recommended for publication.
 
A separate section of the meeting focused on the training of students pursuing the third (educational and scientific) level of higher education. Nataliia Makarchenko, head of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department, Associate Professor, presented proposals concerning the approval of postgraduate students’ reports, the composition of one-time specialized academic councils, and recommendations regarding admission to doctoral studies programmes.
 
The Academic Council also considered the appointment of reviewers for the preliminary examination of doctoral dissertations and approved the programmes for specialized entrance examinations for applicants seeking admission to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes in 2026.
 
Serhii Hryshechkin, head of the Educational and Research Centre for Education Quality Assurance at USUST, Associate Professor, presented amendments to the ‘Regulations on the Organization of the Educational Process at USUST’ and provided justification for the introduction of interdisciplinary educational programmes.
During the discussion, three promising interdisciplinary educational programmes were presented:
  • ‘Business and Product Quality Management in the Food Industry”, based on the specialties D7 Trade and G13 Food Technologies;
  • ‘Engineering and Marketing of Electronic Systems’, based on the specialties D5 Marketing and G5 Electronics, Electronic Communications, Instrumentation Engineering and Radio Engineering;
  • ‘English-Language Communication and Artificial Intelligence’, based on the specialties B11 Philology and F3 Computer Science
Members of the Academic Council noted the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach to training modern specialists and the need to develop educational programmes focused on labour market demands and current technological challenges.
 
The Council also approved a new version of the ‘Regulations on the planning and recording of the work of academic staff at the Faculty of Military Training of the State Special Transport Service’. The report was delivered by Ihor Ostapenko, head of the Faculty of Military Training.
 
A report by Professor Marharyta Skyba, holder of the Borys Paton Scholarship of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on the use of funding for the research project ‘Creation of Functionalized Nanomaterials as Elements of Optical Nanosensors for Various Purposes’ was presented. As part of the research, scientific materials were prepared and published, and the manuscript of a scholarly work was completed.
 
As a separate item, members of the Academic Council considered amendments to the university’s structure. The report was delivered by Dmytro Yahoda, deputy head of the Research Department of USUST.
 
It was proposed to establish a new structural unit – Inspection Body. It is related to the development of conformity assessment in the field of railway transport and the introduction of new requirements for specialized organizations carrying out technical diagnostics of rolling stock in order to extend its service life.
 
During the discussion, it was emphasized that the establishment of such a unit would enable the university to use its scientific and educational potential more effectively, expand cooperation with industry enterprises, officially perform quality conformity assessment activities, and generate additional revenue for the university budget. It was also noted that the accreditation of the new body would contribute to the university’s further European integration.
 
Another important decision of the meeting was the approval of the establishment of the ‘Dnipro Research Centre of Excellence in Aerospace Technologies’.  As noted during the meeting, USUST became the winner of a closed competition held by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to create such centres.
 
At the end of the meeting, rector of the University, Professor Kostiantyn Sukhyi, focused separately on a number of areas of current importance for USUST.
 
In particular, he highlighted a roundtable discussion on nuclear energy issues with the participation of Vitalii Zahilskyi, Acting Director of the Research Institute ‘Innovative Energy’ of the Scientific Centre of Innovative Materials and Technologies at USUST and head of the Dnipro branch of the NGO ‘Ukrainian Nuclear Society’. The rector emphasized that the topic of nuclear energy brought together specialists from various fields of the university, including civil engineers, architects, chemists, metallurgists, and power engineers. During the discussions, the participants addressed the issues related to extending the service life of power units, constructing new facilities, water treatment, obtaining zirconium and hafnium, and producing specialized metal products for the industry. Active cooperation with representatives of Energoatom and the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council was also noted.
 
Rector also informed members of the Academic Council about the progress of restorationof university buildings damaged as a result of missile attacks.
 
It was noted that the mechanical engineering building of the SEI ‘USUCT’ has already been reglazed up to the third floor due to the support of charitable organizations and international funds. In the university dormitories, more than one thousand shattered windows have been replaced through the coordination of Iryna Ivanchenko, head of the Sports Development and Recreation Infrastructure Department at USUST, and cooperation with international and Ukrainian partners.
 
For the SEI ‘PSACEA’ negotiations are underway to organize removal of rubble, while a relevant project has already been prepared for the restoration of the roof and windows. At the SEI ‘DMI’ all damaged windows have already been replaced with the support of charitable organizations and the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant.
 
Rector assured those present that the university has already begun preparations for the next heating season and announced planned works to prepare boiler houses and heat supply systems.
Concluding the meeting of the Academic Council, rector thanked the university community for its fruitful work, professionalism, and unity, and wished everyone good spirits and further success in their work and in the development of the university.
More photos are available via the link