Dear colleagues, dear friends!

Today we all together - those who work now at the University, and those who used to work here, and our friends and colleagues from other educational establishments and law enforcement agencies celebrate the University Day - 26 years since its creation. And it is no coincidence that our conference is called “The path to success and prospects for development”. This path of success began on November 22, 1994, when our University was established by the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. That’s why today we must remember and congratulate, first of all, those who initiated its creation and did a lot to make our path truly a path to success.

This is Oleksandr Markovych Bandurka, who put forth the idea of founding a university and, most importantly, implemented it in practice in order to transform an educational establishment from a police course into a university with high educational and scientific potential, the first in the post-Soviet space. To illustrate it, I will give only two figures: in 1992, when the Institute of Internal Affairs was established, only 4 doctors of science worked there, including part-time, and today there are almost 90 of them. The achievements of our University in the first years were so convincing that almost immediately the idea of creating powerful law enforcement universities was borrowed by other countries. These achievements were confirmed by the granting of national status to our University on March 2, 2001.

The development of our educational establishment, and even greater growth of its authority would be impossible without those who used to build and who are building the University. These are the rectors of the University Oleksandr Markovych Bandurka, Oleksandr Nazarovych Yarmysh, Serhii Mykolaiovych Husarov, Valerii Vasylovych Sokurenko. Developing different directions of work of the university, they did a lot to strengthen the position of the University, increase its achievements, and there was a conceptual idea in the activities of each of them: The University should be a powerful and modern educational institution.

Over the years of its existence, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs has given a start in life to more than 50,000 professionals who rightfully hold the title of defenders of the law, for whom a sense of responsibility and justice determine the essence of their work. Many graduates and students of our University have already become generals, hold high positions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies. Among them are also many leading scientists, professors, doctors of science, whose work is widely known in many scientific fields.

The current generation of law enforcement officers, including employees of the University and its graduates, has had a very difficult fate. This is, first of all, participation in the struggle for the preservation of the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the transformation of the internal affairs bodies after the Revolution of Dignity, the transition from militia to police, paving a difficult path to Europe, countering Russia's aggression in eastern Ukraine. And without any unnecessary pathos, we can say that we have withstood these challenges.

However, today we face problems and challenges. This is the transition and implementation of distance learning, protection of the possibility of training specialists in the “Law” specialty. Of course, no one removed from the agenda other important tasks, such as training of highly qualified personnel, expansion and strengthening of the material and technical base, etc.

Congratulating all our team today on the anniversary of the University, I wish everyone good health, success and good luck, more intelligent, talented and promising cadets and students in these walls! On this significant day many years ago, our University was founded to become an alma mater for many talented people, true professionals in their field.

Congratulations! And let future generations of cadets and students be worthy of their predecessors!

Rector of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs,

Doctor of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor

Police Colonel Dmytro SHVETS