Olin College and Kyiv School of Economics announce partnership to develop transformative engineering education in Ukraine
Olin College of Engineering announces a multi-year intensive partnership with Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) to support the launch of a new undergraduate engineering program in Ukraine.
KSE and the government of Ukraine see a need for engineers to help rebuild the country, especially engineers who are flexible and comfortable with uncertainty. As KSE expands their offerings to undergraduate engineering they will build on Olin’s model of engineering education to teach engineers to think creatively and adapt to challenges, and prepare engineers who are entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary and user focused.
“We are deeply excited to embark on this partnership with the Kyiv School of Economics,” says Chief Academic Officer and Provost Al Sacco, Jr. “This collaboration represents an exciting opportunity for Olin to work closely with an institution of similar age whose unique and compelling vision promises to transform engineering education in Ukraine and contribute to the country’s economic and human development.”
Olin College Milas Hall pictured in the Fall.
Olin faculty co-leads, Yevgeniya Zastavker, professor of physics and education, and Lynn Andrea Stein, professor of computer and cognitive science, are facilitators for this partnership that will eventually engage members from across the Olin community.
For Zastavker, who was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, this collaboration is deeply personal. “This feels like a beacon of hope for Ukraine and for us as an institution to do some good in the world,” she says. “No amount of support or volunteering will be enough to mend what has happened to Ukraine. This feels like a real contribution for me, personally, and for Olin, this feels like a significant institutional effort that really matters.”
“We are really looking for ways to help KSE set themselves up for success and be as ambitious as they want to be,” says Stein. “I’ve been excited by the response of our colleagues who have been involved in these early stages. There has been much learning, creating and bridging opportunities. I look forward to continuing that in the coming months.”
KSE was founded in 1996 with a mission to build the intellectual foundation for a strong and innovative economy of Ukraine. The university has expanded to offer multiple bachelor’s and graduate degrees, including two recent engineering master’s programs in electronics and unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Ukraine has incredibly talented young people. KSE is a young and agile university that promises students who stay in the country—or return for their college degree—that they will get a world-class education that prepares them to make a difference. Our partnership with Olin College will allow us to bring the most innovative and research-based pedagogy to our new bachelor’s degree in engineering,” explained Tymofiy Mylovanov, the President of the Kyiv School of Economics.
“We believe our future is defined by our actions, not fate. So we act.”
The initial phase of the partnership will span 18 months and focus on developing a vision and strategy, curriculum and culture, recruiting faculty, engaging students, and supporting faculty and networking efforts.
KSE will begin by emulating Olin’s Partner Year, a time where a small group of students spends a year assisting in the development of the college’s programs prior to being matriculated as full-time students. They will also conduct their version of Candidates’ Weekends, faculty searches and other aspects of Olin’s ethos. KSE intends for this experience to be central for both the customization of educational programming necessary for KSE’s unique circumstances, and transformation of faculty approaches that KSE seeks, as it was for Olin.
“Today, Ukraine stands as a resilient, visionary nation helping to shape the future at the center of global conversations,” says Zastavker. “In that spirit, KSE—one of Ukraine’s frontier institutions—is partnering with us to help transform engineering education in Ukraine.”
“Together, we aim to shift engineering education to a model that is collaborative, adaptive, inclusive and responsive to a changing world. This collaboration between Olin and KSE is not about bringing the margins to the center, but about reshaping the center itself—together.”