The Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) University, which tripled its number of students to 700-750 a year ago, plans to increase this number to 2,000-3,000 in the near future, as the necessary resources are available, stated KSE President Tymofiy Mylovanov in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"This year, we plan to double the student intake. Next year, we may increase it by one and a half times, but we'll see, maybe even double it. We aim to have 2,000-3,000 students," he said.

Mylovanov recalled that KSE had 200 students two years ago, with a plan to grow tenfold.

"But we'll see, maybe it will be even more because we now have resources to grow even more. We have resources to expand the campus, increase the number of teachers, and recruit them from all over the world. As a university leader, I used to think the problem was resources, but now I think the problem is people," said the university president.

According to him, KSE currently has several tens of millions of dollars, for which the board of directors will decide whether to spend on laboratories, campus expansion, or endowment.

"The general logic is that it is better to spend on activities than to accumulate. It is risky; perhaps, if there were no war, we would look at it differently, but under war conditions, we will spend this money. For example, on children whose parents died or whose parents are military – we are now awarding a large number of scholarships," Mylovanov said.

He added that KSE, which recently launched specialties such as UAV engineering and is launching master's programs in micro- and nanoelectronics, also spends funds on laboratories for engineers and is now starting to build a laboratory.

"We will open these laboratories to all other universities, meaning they will be open not only for KSE because we want to be an open system: state university – come, private university – come, research institute or government official – come, private company – come and work," the university president said.

Regarding the campus, he stated that surveys showed the need to look for premises in the city. "People want it to be almost like a Buddhist monastery, but for you to step out and already be on Hrushevsky or Khreschatyk," Mylovanov said, describing the expectations from the campus.

According to him, KSE is looking for premises near existing areas, but even with available funds, there is a problem of legal clarity of the assets offered for purchase.

The president added that in parallel, the university attracted to the Global Advisory Council former Harvard president and U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry H. Summers, who now works at OpenAI, and hired two vice presidents: Davis Center director at Harvard University Alexandra Vacroux and former Eurasia Foundation president Horton Beebe-Center.

"They will be vice presidents for KSE development, working with me. Thus, we are trying to build access to global knowledge and connections and create a place to connect Ukrainian youth with the developed Western world," said Mylovanov.

In his opinion, Ukraine now and after the war needs a cultural shift, in which "much remains that we are not very proud of, for example, polarization, paternalism, disbelief in oneself."

"Giving a person the tools to believe in themselves and make themselves – this is also part of Ukraine's development, the development of the state and society. We want to develop this culture and see how to do it. For this, we need to teach tens of thousands of people and create an environment where a person changes. Provide access to communication with people who are in Ukraine and beyond, from whom one can learn," said the university president.

He added that the three pillars on which KSE is built are economics, engineering, and democratic practices.

"Previously, all this looked like some crazy idea, and now for many it still looks that way, because people have lost faith. But I am not interested in building a university in Germany or being a university administrator in the United States... We must have our top universities in Ukraine. If we do not have places within the country where youth is interested, they will leave. We are fighting for this, fighting for our youth," concluded Mylovanov.