ІСТОРІЯ УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ ЯК БРЕНД: КРИТИЧНІ НОТАТКИ

The text deals with branding policy, which has come to characterize the activities of many Ukrainian universities. One of the components of university branding policy is their self-representation practices. With
the help of various rituals and associated symbols, they strive to construct their attractive image. Among the various forms of such self-representation, the most important place belongs to the celebration of anniversaries.
Attempts to improve the image at the expense of history led to the fact that many Ukrainian universities began to manipulate historical facts and change the date of their foundation to an earlier one. The competitive
struggle of brands and “visual means” was manifested, when their own monuments appeared near the universities, which should create an appropriate image of the ancient history of this educational institution.
Given that universities are supposed to be ideological centers of society and provide unbiased expert evaluations, such manipulations of history threaten the reputation of universities. The conclusion states that
the formation of motivation in the education system should be based on the awareness of the value of cultural capital, and a cultured person is unthinkable without a corresponding culture of memory, which
becomes the basis of social responsibility. Therefore, not so much the number of years of existence, but real achievements that characterize the historical path, should become the basis of the university’s brand.