This was not an easy year for us. A year of opposition and struggle. But I want to stress that we are not just speaking out «against» something, but first of all «in support of» things. In support of our rights and freedoms, in support of our achievements, in support of the uniqueness of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, in support of reforming science and education in Ukraine, so that we could live in a just and prosperous state.
I want to stress two things. First, despite everything, the main task for our university is to provide academic excellence and rigour. This is the foundation upon which all our plans stand: plans of university development, decreasing the academic load, developing our campus in Podil, promoting the progressive draft bill «On Higher Education», finally, NaUKMA’s participation in international rankings. Academic excellence is the weight of our word and our postion, and that is why we should concentrate the efforts of the Mohyla community, of the Board of Trustees, of the Alumni association on this.
Second, the main capital of Mohylyanka is the people, our unique staff, faculty and students. This is how it has been, and this is how it will always be. Therefore, i want to express sincere gratitude to our faculty and staff mambers – for their devoted work and professionalism, to our students – for their active position and interest, our friends in Ukraine and all over the world – for the support of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The past year has confirmed our steadfastness and survival skills. Congratulations to all of you on Academy Day and all the best to you.