On April 3, 2020, the meeting of the University Academic Board was held online. The Zoom services allowed all the 73 participants (65 members of the Academic Board, and invited personnel) to be present at the video-conference at the same time.
The agenda included changes in the academic calender for the spring term of 2019/2020 academic year, formation of temporary specialized board, and current questions concerning the organization of the university operation during the lockdown.
“Life goes on, the university staff reacts quickly to the new challenges. We have made a socially responsible decision to hold the regular meeting of the Academic Board without leaving our houses! Ensuring the educational process and the university operation requires making important decisions, but it should be organized in strict accordance with the quarantine limitations, and as safely as possible for the public health,” commented Volodymyr Onyshchenko.
The decision of the Academic Board introduced changes in the spring term of 2019/2020 academic year, new dates were shared as to until when the laboratory practicals, all the types of final assessments and final attestation for the Bachelor’s degree receivers were postponed.
Also, the application for participation in an experiment, passed by the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of March 6, 2019, No. 167 “On performing an experiment in conferring the Doctor of Philosophy degree”, was approved to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. As Svitlana Sivitska, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, announced, the university will form a special board for a one-time doctoral dissertation defense in the specialization No. 192 Construction and Civil Engineering.
The members of the Academic Board considered results of work during the quarantine and supported the socially oriented policy of the university.
Rector Volodymyr Onyshchenko emphasized, “Not a single member of staff has been forced to take unpaid leave! The colleagues who decided to go on leave during the lockdown have a paid leave. The salaries and scholarships are paid in time, with no delays, and the university pays for public utilities, in spite of the possibility to postpone the payments. I am tankful to the university personnel for the united work from the very beginning of the quarantine, and the realization of the E-University strategy! We already miss each other, but hopefully this strange period will end successfully, and we will be back to our usual life. But I know for sure that we will appreciate the simple joy of real life communication even more, as we did not notice it before. I wish you all good health!”
The Academic Board approved the expenses on nonstop provision of campuses and dormitories with sanitizing and cleaning means, protection means for the workers and residents of dormitories, with fuel to drive workers who ensure the operation of the university to their working place. The Epidemiological Surveillance Group continues functioning and monitoring the health of the employees and students every day.
The Media Centre of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
