KSE to invest $10 mln in transforming Kyiv Golf Club into world-class university campus – KSE President
The Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) plans to invest $10 million in internal renovations of the recently acquired Golf Club in Kyiv's Obolon district—purchased for $18 million – to develop a campus that meets the standards of the world's leading universities, KSE President Tymofiy Mylovanov said.
"About $10 million will go into the interior reconstruction – not the exterior. Everything needs to be gutted to make way for labs, amphitheaters, and makerspaces. Outfitting the campus with high-quality, modern educational features like those in top-tier universities will cost $10 million," Mylovanov told Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that KSE sent a team to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to study what a makerspace should be.
"It's a place where students have access to state-of-the-art robots, lasers, CNC machines – anything needed to bring an idea to life and build a prototype. The facility must be fully equipped – from projectors to classrooms – and provide access to expensive software, even by university standards," he explained.
Mylovanov added that these makerspaces will also be open to students from other universities.
He recalled that KSE's first building on Shpaka Street in Kyiv cost $2.5 million, with another $2.5 million spent on renovations, which included a shelter, sleeping capsules, library shelving, AI-powered cameras for hybrid learning, security and fire systems, modern ventilation, batteries, and generators for blackouts.
Much of that infrastructure already exists in the Golf Club, he said, but the space was originally designed for a small number of people – not the thousands of students expected to study there. He highlighted the building's well-insulated basements as ideal for creating shelters for all students and faculty.
He said he was very satisfied with the purchase, noting the high-quality construction of the Golf Club and the favorable purchase price—$18 million for 14,500 square meters of space and 5 hectares of leased land.
"Even without factoring in the land or the location by the Dnipro River, the price breaks down to $1,200 per square meter! But there are no buyers right now. If someone had $20 million, they'd buy a hotel in Indonesia, not invest in Ukraine. I think this is just a consequence of the war – we were lucky. Without the war, this would have cost several times more," Mylovanov said.
In theory, the first students could begin using the renovated building as early as January next year, though in practice that timeline could be extended due to existing tenants. KSE is aiming to resolve those issues amicably.
"But there are two buildings on the Golf Club property. One is currently vacant, with no tenants. We're starting demolition work there this week, and it might become operational sooner. That's where we'll be building the makerspaces, amphitheaters, and other major renovations," he added.
He also noted that the university will maintain the land's current sports designation as stipulated in the lease agreement.
"We're doing everything by the book, so we'll keep the golf operations. Some successful businesspeople have already reached out with suggestions on how to improve it—so there may be potential in that area as well," Mylovanov said.
Looking ahead, he added that KSE would like to officially change the land-use designation to one that fully aligns with university functions. The university plans to submit formal documentation to the Kyiv City Council.
"I think that process will take five to seven years. But we don't have any other choice – we're an American company. Local developers tell me, 'Tymofiy, why bother? Just do what needs to be done and fix the paperwork later.' But we don't operate like that. We're an American company. We don't know how to 'fix' things that way," he said.
KSE is a private university and research center founded in 1996. It operates as a non-profit organization registered in the United States. Since 2022, KSE's donors have provided over $150 million for humanitarian, defense, and educational initiatives, including the development of university infrastructure.
