What does this research mean for the field?

A university's identity and relational infrastructure persist despite the loss of physical territory, exemplified by the concept of the 'University Without Walls' in war-affected Ukraine. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.ESTABLISHES_NEW_DIRECTION.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how Ukrainian universities adapt and maintain identity during warfare and displacement.

February 24, 20260 citationsOpen Access

After the Campus. University Without Walls: Wellbeing Lessons from Ukrainian War Zones

YSYana Suchikova ILIgor Lyman

Key Points

The aim is to explore how Ukrainian universities adapt and maintain identity during warfare and displacement.
Analysis of the transformation of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University during the occupation.
Conceptual differentiation between the material and lived aspects of the university.
Examination of institutional practices in a context of war.
Physical campuses were lost, but institutional identity remained intact.
Trust and shared practices continued among displaced university communities.
The idea of a university is shaped more by human capacity than by physical space.

Abstract

This presentation examines the transformation of Ukrainian universities under conditions of full-scale war, focusing on the case of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University — an institution physically displaced following the occupation of Berdyansk in February 2022. The talk introduces the concept of the post-territorial university, distinguishing between the material body of the institution (infrastructure, buildings, equipment) and its lived body (shared practices, trust, academic continuity). While war eliminated physical campuses, it did not dissolve institutional identity or relational infrastructure. The core proposition is clear: a university is not defined by territory but by coordinated human capacity. The “University Without Walls” is not a metaphor, but an institutional condition emerging in contexts of displacement, uncertainty, and prolonged crisis.Event:University Without Walls: Wellbeing Lessons from Ukrainian War ZonesAustralia, 2026Event page: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/university-without-walls-wellbeing-lessons-from-ukrainian-war-zones-tickets-1981077754894

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Cite This Study

Suchikova et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/699d4028de8e28729cf652f7 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18680950

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