Implementation of liberal arts as part of Ukrainian reform of higher education

Despite the devastation of four years of the war with Russia and the ongoing constant need to defend itself, Ukraine is making efforts to reform many sectors in the country. This includes the system of higher education (HE) that was shaped during the Soviet era. After implementing legislation to enable the creation of inter-disciplinary study programs Ukrainian universities from all across the country sought inspiration in liberal arts (LA) at a seminar hosted by Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland (AMU) in the summer 2024.

This is being followed by a 3-year Erasmus+ CBHE project Designing and Implementing Liberal Arts Studies in Ukraine led by the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NUKMA). The initiative draws on the best practices and experience of AMU and four other established LA programmes in various European countries that are partners in the ECOLAS network. It was launched in December 2024 at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany and continued by means of a series of seminars offered to Ukrainian academics and leaders that took place at the University College Maastricht, Netherlands and Collegium Artes Liberales at the University of Warsaw. The last and largest seminar took place at BISLA (Bratislava, Slovakia) in the end of March 2026. It hosted about 50 participants and offered several online sessions. A ceremonial event sponsored by ECOLAS that involved artistic performances and the presentation of official guests from within the diplomatic background highlighted the seminar.

LA programmes are now being developed at NUKMA, Zaporizhzhia National University, pedagogical universities in Ternopil and Poltava and Izmail State University of Humanities. They are located within five distinct regions all across Ukraine and are scheduled to open and welcome their first students in September 2026. The participation of ECOLAS underscores its mission to advance the liberal arts throughout Europe and we are pleased to assist this inspiring initiative for the benefit of the Ukrainian HE system.