YSU rector's congratulatory message on Knowledge and Schooling Day

September 1 marks a new beginning, but it is also an opportunity to reflect once again on what we expect from education, from the university and from each of ourselves. 

At YSU and the STEM High School, education has long meant more to us than simply imparting knowledge. It shapes ways of thinking and develops the ability to ask questions, make reasoned arguments, listen to different perspectives, make independent decisions and take responsibility for them. 

Our work ahead is precisely aimed at further developing such an environment. In the new academic year, we will continue to enhance our academic programs, strengthen the link between education and research, expand international cooperation and broaden the opportunities that enable all members of the university community to test, develop and bring their ideas to life. 

At the same time, we will continue to expand the opportunities that make university life more diverse and fulfilling, including international mobility programs, training and additional educational programs, conferences, camps, professional meetings and various formats for cooperation. 

Important initiatives are also planned for the coming months. On September 23, "Learn & Work: YSU Expo 2026" will bring together YSU's educational, scientific, technological and cultural potential, as well as the university's partners, on a single platform, creating opportunities for collaboration, new connections and the development of new initiatives. 

We will also continue YSU's active engagement with important public and international agendas, including through initiatives related to COP17. 

Yet the university's development is not determined by new programs or initiatives alone. It takes place every day - in classrooms and laboratories, through new questions raised in discussions, ideas still seeking answers and a willingness to explore new approaches.

We want YSU to be precisely such an environment — one where established approaches can be reconsidered, knowledge can be deepened and broadened, and curiosity can be transformed into research, initiative and tangible results. 

At the start of the new academic year, I would especially like each of us to recognize our own role in this process. Making use of the opportunities the university offers is important, but equally important is contributing something to this environment through our own participation — an idea, a piece of work, an initiative, a new question or a new solution.