Tymofiy Mylovanov: Leading the Kyiv School of Economics Through Crisis

Tymofiy Mylovanov, a Ukrainian citizen, is an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh. However, he is currently on a year-long sabbatical, leading the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) as its president. Mylovanov and his family arrived in Kyiv four days before Russia invaded Ukraine, and although he has been urged to leave the war-torn country and return to Pittsburgh, he has chosen to stay on and lead KSE through the crisis.

Mylovanov’s Twitter feed @Mylovanov provides a fascinating window into living and working in a country at war. His posts are an interesting combination of fact sheets on the economic impact of the war published by KSE Institute, tributes to fallen KSE alumni, the business of being a university president, graduations, heartbreaking photos, and the bombing of Kyiv.

The best place to begin is with Mylovanov’s tweet from November 27th where he introduces himself and brings the reader up to date on Russia’s November missile attacks on Kyiv and offers personal glimpses into how families like his live while under siege, and how KSE students are adapting to the situation. A post on December 2nd sees Mylovanov speaking with engineers in the city of Vinnitsa (almost 4 hours from Kyiv) about the unmanned tractors they’ve developed to de-mine local fields and how KSE might be able to help them scale the effort. He also visits the local university where they are creating stoves from empty gas cans and converting totaled Audis into buggies.

More recent posts see Mylovanov back at KSE checking in on math exams, meeting with First Lady Olena Zelenska, and brainstorming new courses. Every day he posts about KSE: the Foundation, the Innovation Center, and the students, faculty, and staff who are developing innovative and creative solutions to the daily challenges of living with war.

To read more about the Kyiv School of Economics, follow this link. This year, the KSE Graduate Business School renewed its MBA program “MBA on the Frontline” and simultaneously launched the RE:empower RE:locate RE:start Platform, which will work in consultation with Ukrainian businesses to meet the challenges of the war and post-war recovery.

If you would like to support the Kyiv School of Economics, you can follow this link for instructions on how to donate. If you would like to support the KSE Charitable Foundation’s fundraising campaign for Ukraine humanitarian relief, please follow this link.

Admitify sends KSE President Mylovanov and KSE’s exciting new MBA program our best wishes and prayers. Slava Ukraini!