Preparations are underway at Sumy State University for the rector elections, which will be held on April 14, 2026. One of the key stages of the election process will be the meetings of candidates with the teams of structural units, starting on March 24.

Candidates for the position of rector

According to paragraph two of part three of article 42 of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education”, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine submitted two candidates to the university for voting. The following will take part in the elections:

Vasyl KARPUSH – candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, associate professor. For the past five years, he has headed SumDU. He has been working at the university since 1995: he held the positions of head of the department of applied mathematics and modeling of complex systems, dean of the faculty of mechanics and mathematics, vice-rector and first vice-rector.
Serhiy LUKASH – doctor of law, professor. His professional activities are related to the law enforcement system and legal education. Since 2003, he has been working at the Sumy branch of the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, and for a long time he has held the position of director.
Organization of the electoral process

In accordance with the legislation of Ukraine and in connection with the end of the first five-year term of office of rector Vasyl KARPUSH, the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated November 25, 2025 provided for holding elections after the end of the legal regime of martial law, and by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated January 30, 2026, Vasyl Karpusha was appointed acting rector.

In March 2026, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine supported the proposal of the Supervisory Board of Sumy State University to hold elections on April 14 by making appropriate amendments to the order announcing the competition.

Based on established practice, as well as in accordance with paragraph 2 of the Methodological Recommendations on the Features of the Electoral System and the Procedure for Electoral Heads of Higher Education Institutions, on March 17, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine issued an order to assign the duties of the university rector for the period of the electoral process to the first vice-rector - Inna SHKOLNIK, Doctor of Economics, Professor.

How the elections will be held

Candidates will present their university development programs during meetings with labor and student groups of faculties, institutes, and colleges in accordance with the approved schedule.

Voting will take place on April 14, 2026 at 9 polling stations, both in the premises of the basic institution and in separate structural units, in compliance with all security requirements (polling stations are located in shelters).

At the first stage, the election of conference delegates from all categories of employees and students has already been completed. The final composition of voting participants will be approved at the meeting on March 25.

1,267 voters will be involved in the elections, including:

963 (76%) - scientific, scientific-pedagogical, pedagogical workers;
202 (16%) - students;
102 (8%) - representatives of other categories of employees.
Documents of the national and university regulatory framework, regulatory acts of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, decisions of the Academic Council of SumDU, the organizational committee and the election commission, election programs of candidates and schedules of their meetings with voters are posted on the official website of the university by vocation.

The choice that determines the future

Despite the difficult security situation, Sumy State University maintains leading positions among Ukrainian HEIs in international rankings, ensuring the continuity of the educational process and scientific activity.

In recent years:

Science funding has increased 4.5 times (in 2025 - 185 million UAH);

the network of international partnerships has been significantly expanded;

participation in international educational and scientific projects has been intensified.

The university also continues to develop the sports and cultural and artistic life of students, remaining an important part of the front-line community and making a significant contribution to its development.

What Sumy State University will be like tomorrow depends on the decisions made today. Therefore, the voice of every voter in the university community is important.

Leadership is not only strategy and responsibility, it is also openness to dialogue and the ability to unite people around a common goal. Such leadership creates an environment in which everyone feels involved in the development of the university.

At the same time, the future of SumSU is shaped by the daily joint work of the entire university family. Support, mutual respect, commitment to traditions and values, and willingness to lend a shoulder in a difficult moment create the strength that helps not only overcome challenges, but also grow confidently.

It is in the cohesion of the collective and the unity of a team of like-minded people that the source of stability, inspiration, and further success of SumSU, its confident movement forward, and strengthening its position among the leading institutions of higher education in Ukraine.

Reference