On August 26, Sumy National Agrarian University held the first meeting of the Academic Council for the 2026/2027 academic year.
At the beginning of the meeting, University Rector Ihor Kovalenko ceremoniously presented certificates conferring academic ranks. Oleksandr Chekan received a certificate of professorship from the Department of Obstetrics and Surgery. Certificates of associate professor were awarded to Yevheniia Butenko (Department of Agricultural Technologies and Soil Science), Anhelina Dudka (Department of Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, and Forestry), and Oleksandr Yurchenko (Department of Energy and Electrical Engineering Systems).
Oleksii Kalnahuz received a Candidate of Technical Sciences degree in the specialty “Machinery and Means of Mechanization in Agricultural Production.”
The first item on the agenda was the approval of the composition and work plan of the Academic Council for the 2026/2027 academic year. The Chair of the Academic Council, Volodymyr Ladyka, presented the council’s main areas of focus for the new academic year.
The key issue of the meeting was a discussion of the challenges facing the development of SNAU in the 2026/2027 academic year. Rector Ihor Kovalenko delivered a report.
The report outlined the university’s main objectives in the areas of education, research, and international activities, as well as in the development of its infrastructure and the improvement of management processes.
Following the discussion, the Academic Council took note of the rector’s report and identified objectives across key areas of work. In the area of education, plans include continuing to implement innovative educational technologies—particularly blended and distance learning—and updating educational programs to meet the demands of the modern labor market and digital transformation. Special attention was given to improving faculty members’ digital competencies and developing inclusive education.
Marharita Lyshenko, Vice Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical, and Academic Affairs, presented on the organization of the educational process. The Academic Council reviewed and approved a number of the university’s internal regulatory documents, including new versions of the regulations on the planning and reporting of scientific and pedagogical work, educational programs, and the verification of academic papers, coursework, and scientific texts for originality and signs of academic misconduct.
The Regulations on the Academic Integrity System, the Conceptual Principles of the Humanities Component in Professional Training, and the Regulations on the Organization of Elective Courses for Higher Education Students were also approved.
The Academic Council also considered the approval of educational and professional programs, as well as the reorganization of departments within the Faculty of Engineering and Technology and the Faculty of Food Technology.
Yurii Danko, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, presented matters related to research activities. Members of the Academic Council approved the Regulations on the Research Division of Sumy National Agrarian University, the Regulations on the Council of Young Scientists, and the Regulations on the Academic Integrity Commission.
The meeting also reviewed the Procedure for admitting research and research-teaching staff of Sumy National Agrarian University to the process of conferring academic ranks and reviewing their evaluation materials. The Academic Council considered issues related to sending staff on internships, granting and extending academic leaves of absence, adjusting dissertation research topics, and approving individual research plans and dissertation topics.
Among the objectives identified in the area of research are: increasing the participation of faculty and graduate students in research projects, grants, and international conferences; expanding cooperation with research institutions and the business sector; and increasing publication output in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
International activities remain a key priority. Plans include expanding partnerships with foreign higher education institutions, promoting academic mobility for faculty and students, and intensifying efforts to attract international students to English-language educational programs.
Volodymyr Kasianenko, Vice Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical, Financial, and Economic Activities, presented the agenda items related to economic activities. The Academic Council considered the approval of the Procedure for Analyzing Current Prices of Material Resources for New Construction, Reconstruction, Restoration, and Major Repairs of Buildings and Structures, as well as the staffing standards for Sumy National Agrarian University.
Other items on the agenda were also discussed during the meeting.
