Dear friends and colleagues!

I am pleased to realize that it is already a good tradition to celebrate on November 22 with important scientific forums not only big anniversaries, but also every anniversary of the establishment of our native university. It is extremely useful to gather on a holiday (even with a "social distance" - using the zoom mode) to summarize what has been done for the year and discuss prospects for development. Especially that today we have a lot of things to talk about.

The university is developing dynamically, having indisputable achievements in all areas. In summer hundreds of qualified professionals, young officers, joined the ranks of law enforcement agencies in all regions of Ukraine. First year cadets, having withstood the difficult selection,  entered the university with appropriate professional motivation this year. Students successfully started their studies too. Traditionally, the educational process in all major subjects is based on textbooks and manuals written by the best teachers of the university. Scholars have published dozens of monographs and hundreds of articles devoted to the study of the most pressing issues of jurisprudence, economics, psychology, sociology and more. The scientific schools of the university are gaining more and more recognition not only in our country, but also internationally. The names of our cadets and students are loudly heard among the winners and prize-winners of various competitions, Olympiads and sports competitions. It is very gratifying that in recent years our recent fellow teachers and graduates have clearly demonstrated their abilities, skills and knowledge in positions of responsibility in parliament, public administration and law enforcement.

Mentioned above, gives grounds for optimism, confidence in the good prospects of the university. Yet, for now, it is worth paying attention not only to our achievements, but also to the challenges that the present shows us, and there are a lot of them, unfortunately.I will focus on one of them. From the first days of the existence of the system of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (and the creation of its own, national training system was of great importance for the process of Ukraine as an independent state) attempts to "radically reform" it so, that it was away from national development processes of higher education (primarily legal) have never been stopped. The latest evidence of this is the recent vicissitudes associated with the preparation and discussion of the next draft of the Concept for the development of legal education. Among the many erroneous ideas that were voiced, I was particularly struck by the attempt to deprive those who study in higher educational institutions with special educational conditions of their right to "real" legal education. The reasons given for substantiating this idea do not stand up to criticism. Once, I had a chance to work in the central office of the Ministry, to head the Department of Education and Science. I had a direct opportunity (both during state exams and during the distribution of young professionals) to compare the level of training of graduates of universities and institutes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with civilian universities. Frankly speaking, compared to graduates of even the most "prestigious" civil law schools, our students have no worse (and often better) theoretical training, not to mention practical skills.

I am convinced that the grief-reformers' attempts are ultimately doomed to failure, but I would nevertheless recommend that scholars to deepen their research and regularly discuss the problems of further improving the educational process, based on today's requirements and always keep in mind the question of filling the educational process with humanitarian content.

Wish you fruitful work and stay healthy!

Rector of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs in 2003–2005,

Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law,

Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine,

Major General of Militia Oleksandr YARMYSH