On December 24, 2025, another meeting of the academic council of the National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute» took place, which became a symbolic result of a year full of wartime challenges, responsible organizational and personnel decisions and strategic steps in the development of the University.
The meeting brought together a wide range of issues – from the analysis of five years of work in the field of postgraduate education to the formation of a vision of the future of the University in the conditions of the front-line region. The main focus was on addressing organizational, personnel and regulatory issues related to the functioning of the University, the educational process and scientific activities. Heads of departments and professors were elected by secret ballot. Traditionally, decisions were made to create one-time specialized scientific councils for the defense of dissertations, which confirms an active scientific life even in difficult times.
An important place on the agenda was occupied by the preparation and organization of the election of the rector of the University. The Academic Council considered and approved a number of provisions regulating the activities of election bodies, the procedure for the participation of observers and representatives of mass media, as well as the electoral system and the procedure for electing the rector, ensuring transparency, openness and compliance with current legislation.
A separate emphasis was the decision to participate the University in the experiment of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine regarding «winter admission» and the transformation of pre-university education – decisions designed to open the way to higher education for those whose educational trajectories were disrupted by the war.
Despite the frost outside the window, alarming news about the shelling of the front-line city and power outages, the meeting of the academic council was held in an atmosphere of concentration and responsibility. In this restrained working environment, the pre-Christmas mood was also felt – waiting for holidays, hope for peace and tranquility and belief that joint efforts, endurance and balanced decisions will certainly lead to recovery and stability.