University without walls: Ukrainian-Australian reflections on the future of universities in a geopolitically unstable world
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Author(s)Yana SuchikovaLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4537-966X
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Igor LymanLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9349-8500
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Tim Winkler
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DOIhttps://doi.org/10.21511/gg.07(1).2026.05
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Article InfoVolume 7 2026, Issue #1, pp. 54-69
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3 Downloads
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Type of the article: Reflexive Preface
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has challenged the conventional understanding of the university as an institution inherently tied to a fixed territory and campus infrastructure. This paper adopts a collaborative autoethnographic approach to reflect on how universities transform amid war, forced displacement, and prolonged instability. Drawing on the experience of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University after the occupation of its home city, as well as on reflections developed through Ukrainian–Australian academic dialogue during a series of public lectures and scholarly discussions in Australia in 2026, we examine the reconfiguration of academic life beyond territorial constraints. Rather than presenting results in the form of discrete empirical findings, the study develops a reflexive analytical account of how institutional continuity is sustained through mobility, distributed networks, and relational forms of coordination. The concept of the “university without walls” is advanced as a way of interpreting these transformations not merely as a temporary response to crisis, but as an emergent model of a post-territorial university. The analysis suggests that, under conditions of geopolitical disruption, the defining features of the university shift from physical infrastructure to relational capacities: trust, collaboration, and the ability to maintain academic community across dispersed contexts. By situating lived experience within a broader analytical framework, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on the future of higher education in a world marked by instability, inequality, and global interdependence.
Acknowledgments
Yana Sychikova and Igor Lyman express their sincere gratitude to their co-author Tim Winkler and the Future Campus team for organizing the symposium and supporting the research visit to Australia. The authors also thank Stephen Matchett for his support during their stay in Sydney and for his professional synthesis of the symposium discussions.
The authors are grateful to Online Education Services (OES) for their sponsorship and for organizing a warm and welcoming meeting, as well as to the organizers of the Universities Australia Solutions Summit 2026 for covering the costs associated with attending the event.
Special thanks are extended to Professor Maree Meredith, a proud representative of the Bidjara people, for organizing the cultural program and for her personal support during the visit to Australia.
The authors also sincerely thank the University of Melbourne and the Faculty of Education, as well as the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Marek Tesar, for organizing the public lecture, the open academic dialogue, and the formal dinner that became an important part of this scholarly exchange.
Finally, the authors express their deepest gratitude to the defenders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, whose courage and sacrifice make it possible to continue academic work even in times of war.
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JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)I23, I28, O15, F52, P48
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References47
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Crisis response strategies of universities during the ongoing war: Beyond experience and responsibilities
Oleksandr Spivakovsky ,
Serhii Omelchuk ,
Daria Malchykova
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(2-si).2025.09
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 23, 2025 Issue #2 (spec. issue) pp. 121-135 Views: 3194 Downloads: 792 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯExtraordinary threats of the large-scale stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war challenged the resilience and capability of all higher education institutions. However, their influence varied with location, infrastructure damage, internal capacity for changes and academic community resilience, external support, and solidarity initiatives. The purpose of this study is to assess the implementation of crisis management decisions and the formation of a crisis response strategy for a university in wartime (on the example of Kherson State University). The assessment draws on thematic analysis, the case method, statistical data analysis, and a survey of academic community members in 2023 (664 students and 150 staff), which focused on identifying a vision of the university’s values and strategic priorities. It showed the priorities of ensuring education quality and research, expanding international cooperation, diversifying funding, and strengthening cooperation with external stakeholders, including employers. The analysis of the university management’s actions in 2022–2024 demonstrated that the university transitioned from a resistance strategy (2022) as the first situational response to the large-scale invasion and occupation to a resilience strategy and the return to progressive development in the years ahead. The paper concludes that successful crisis management follows the key principles: flexibility, value orientation, and scaling up. It offers management guidance for developing a crisis response strategy that can be adapted to the unique needs of other universities: a comprehensive analysis of the crisis situation, crisis communication, planning of resource maintenance, and transparent and participatory decision-making for crisis management based on values and ethical implications.
Acknowledgment
This study is part of project No.101129236+DigiUni-ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE). The research was partly supported by the 2024 BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with additional funding provided by Harvard University and administered by the American Councils for International Education. The opinions expressed herein are the authors’ own and do not necessarily express the views of either the Bridge USA or American Councils.
The authors express their gratitude to the vice-presidents, deans of faculties, and academic and non-academic staff of Kherson State University who participated in the development of institutional documents that implement crisis management decisions presented in this paper and form a crisis response strategy for the university during martial law. -
A bibliometric analysis of the economic effects of using artificial intelligence and ChatGPT tools in higher education institutions
Anna Vorontsova ,
Svitlana Tarasenko ,
Wojciech Duranowski ,
Arkadiusz Durasiewicz ,
John Soss ,
Artem Bilovol
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(1).2025.08
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 23, 2025 Issue #1 pp. 101-114 Views: 3114 Downloads: 799 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯOne of the main challenges in higher education management is the complexity of resource optimization and increasing volumes of data, which limits the efficiency and accuracy of decision-making. The application of artificial intelligence can address these issues.
The present study aims to identify the key trends, knowledge gaps, and opportunities for further research into the economic effects of using artificial intelligence and ChatGPT tools in higher education. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify and screen the scientific articles related to the topic of this study indexed in Web of Science and Scopus from 1986 to 2024. A total of 234 articles were selected, all demonstrating positive growth both in scholarly output and citation count. The study identified the key contributors to scientific research on this topic by region (the United States, China, and India). It concluded that the relevant research centers are still at an early stage of their development. Based on bibliometric clusters formed by co-occurrence relations, three main areas of research were defined: 1) artificial intelligence in education for decision-making; 2) process automation and digital transformation in educational institutions; 3) artificial intelligence technologies and their application in education.
The study highlights the main areas of economic effects of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT tools in higher education, including reducing administrative costs, saving time for teachers and students, and improving the quality and accessibility of educational process.Acknowledgments
The publication is part of the research topic “Economic Basics of Technology Diffusion into the National Economy of Ukraine Considering Best International Practices” (№0124U003482). -
Challenges of improving effectiveness and efficiency of the higher educational system in developing countries
Saheer Al-Jaghoub ,
Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan ,
Hussein Al-Yaseen ,
Anas Al-Soud ,
Ahmad Areiqat
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(1).2019.03
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 17, 2019 Issue #1 pp. 19-31 Views: 2876 Downloads: 877 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯDue to the country’s lack of natural resources and its dependence on human resources, Jordanian universities have started to implement quality assurance system aiming to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the higher educational system. This paper presents the results of a research that aims to identify the main issues and challenges facing these universities in implementing quality assurance system. Data for this research were collected using a survey mailed to all public and private universities to investigate the main issues affecting the implementation of quality assurance system in Jordanian universities. The results of this research showed that the most important challenges faced by Jordanian universities are: human and lack of awareness, resistance to change and cultural among others. The research findings hoped to be useful for both universities and policy makers in the government in order to realize the full benefits of implementing quality assurance system. Hence, this and other research on implementing quality assurance in higher educational institutions might be of assistance.
