A University That Shapes Individuals

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), which last year celebrated the 35th anniversary of its reestablishment and the introduction of artes liberales (liberal arts) studies in Lithuania, has declared 2025 as the Year of Student Well-being.

According to VMU Vice-Rector for Studies Dr. Simona Pilkienė, the university's DNA encodes a unique role for students in the study process. "The university was reestablished following Western traditions and Harvard University's liberal arts model, therefore it did not experience the impact of the Soviet regime on higher education and developed an entirely different approach to studies and students. The idea that students are the most important is not just a slogan—it is the essence of VMU. Our mission is to create the conditions for every individual to discover themselves and gain the power to realize their potential in society", says Dr. Pilkienė.

Every Student Is Unique: They Just Need the Right Conditions to Flourish

According to VMU Vice-Rector, the university helps the students to discover their own path from the very start and encourages them to have no fear of mistakes. "The model of individual artes liberales studies is particularly conducive to this goal. It is not enough to just offer a few elective courses and call it individual studies, like many universities do. The challenges of today's society demand comprehensive preparation for crises and challenges, thus comprehensive (holistic) education is essential, as is the experientially discovered path towards the development of one's individuality", she explains.

At Vytautas Magnus University, the students design their own study plans, choose which study field will be their major and their minor, what additional competencies they wish to acquire, and what kinds of activities they want to take on—from the university's theatre and professional sports to debate and investment clubs.

Since its reestablishment, as one of Lithuania's largest universities, VMU has continued the development of a Western study model and has helped over 40,000 graduates build their own future. Each of its alumni has their own unique story, but they all attest to the unique DNA of VMU that sets them apart within society.

Kristina Petrauskė—VMU graduate, historian, and employee of Vytautas the Great War Museum—says that she chose this university not just because of high-quality studies but also the flexibility of its liberal arts study model. She was also pleasantly surprised by the warm interactions between the teachers and the students.

“I imagined that the teacher would be somewhere far away on a podium with a halo, but instead, it was a person who would say that today’s lecture would take place in an informal setting. It was this informality, this strong desire to help the student, to stimulate their curiosity, the push to strive for more, as well as the liberal atmosphere that revealed a completely different process of studies and study opportunities. Moreover, the teachers would involve receptive students in academic life early on. The very first scientific conference I attended was international and took place in Warsaw. So the level of trust the teachers had in their students and the high standards they set were astounding,” says Kristina.

Singer and VMU Music Academy graduate Justinas Lapatinskas claims that the freedom of artes liberales studies provided him with more confidence to go his own way. "I realized that some things just take practice. Also, I started valuing myself more—completing my master's degree on my own boosted my self-esteem. I liked that the teachers see you as an adult and an individual who is growing and makes mistakes. I apply the same approach to my own students of vocal courses now", notes the VMU Performing Arts alum.

Special Focus on Gen Z and Alpha

Dr. Pilkienė observes that today's students, Generation Z, and the coming Gen Alpha, stand out due to their special sensitivity towards the environment, self-exploration, and either excessive self-confidence or lack of it. Because of this, traditional methods of learning, interaction, or presentation of information are not suitable—a unique approach is required. However, there are increasingly prevalent damaging narratives in society that these are supposedly "unteachable children" or "the written-off generation"—this only serves to deepen the crisis and does not encourage the youths to discover themselves and their talents.

"It is no coincidence that we have declared 2025 to be the Year of Student Well-being. This doesn't mean that we didn't take care of their wellbeing before; we're just giving them special focus now by uniting all of our resources—the Psychology Clinic, Chaplaincy, Disability and Equal Opportunity coordinators, all the teachers, management and students—for the sake of one goal: to help each student discover themselves and feel good while being wherever it is their calling to be. This year, we have also launched a new mentorship program, Peer to Peer, which is dedicated to helping students in various ways", VMU Vice-Rector for Studies explains.

Student Wellbeing Coordinator and Mentors Lend a Helping Hand

To ensure that every student is safe, supported, and aware of where they can seek support or advice, VMU offers the services of mentors and the Student Wellbeing Coordinator, who help the students on a wide variety of issues. "The university seeks to provide students with support and to take care of them, but mentors are not superheroes. Still, they are the people who will be beside the students when they are needed and lend a helping hand on various matters. This encompasses everything that is related to student wellbeing: psychological wellbeing and emotional health, personal effectiveness and motivation, various academic issues and study planning, career opportunities and professional development, etc.", VMU Student Wellbeing Coordinator Gustė Žukauskaitė points out.

According to her, VMU students are the university's essence and driving force. "After all, there would be no university without students. In an inclusive university, the emphasis is placed on the learning process and the way it is adapted to the individual needs and choices of the students—not necessarily to physical disability. The focus is not just on the transfer of knowledge—we can always learn what we do not yet know—but also on the critically important development of certain skills, problem-solving, and critical thinking", Žukauskaitė says, adding that it is highly beneficial and important that VMU has also involved students in decision-making: they participate in various work groups and commissions.

In February, on the occasion of its birthday, VMU hosted the conference “Student Well-Being – A Mission (Im)Possible?”, which took a closer look at the challenges faced by the students. At the event, real measures were discussed to enhance student well-being at the university. Students, researchers, and representatives of Lithuanian National Union of Students, VMU, and other institutions discussed financial, psychological, and other kinds of well-being.

Over the last few years, VMU has also significantly upgraded its infrastructure to support the wellbeing of students, teachers, and staff. The newly opened hubs include the modern Gene Engineering Lab and STEAM Didactics Centre, which is dedicated to innovative learning and teaching practices and to creative education of natural sciences, technologies, engineering, arts, and mathematics. VMU organization MINDED has gained recognition in Europe as one of the best entrepreneurial education experiences: it offers unique alternative learning programs and places the emphasis on experience gained in practical activities. The university is also the only one in Lithuania to offer silent spaces.

Another major milestone for VMU is its leadership of Lithuania's consortium that has established relations with the world’s research and innovation leader Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Boston, USA). This cooperation will allow the university and Lithuania to join forces with some of the best scientists in the world, strengthen the country's transatlantic connections, increase its international visibility, and hopefully help draw in foreign investments and talents.

Business Partners also Contribute to Talent Development

Supporting young people, VMU has launched another initiative this year which aims to help high school students discover themselves before choosing their studies and even attend preliminary interviews with businesses. The initiative, Everything Is Just Beginning... From the Dream, invites high school students to present their dreams and express their wish to study; in turn, the university and its business partners will help them achieve those dreams. The initiative has been joined by Lithuanian and international companies that consider social responsibility as one of their values: Hegelmann Transporte, Vereinigte Hagelversicherung VVaG affiliate VH Lietuva, AB Linas Agro, UAB Agrokoncernas, UAB Dojus agro, UAB Rovaltra, UAB Delaval, UAB Ivabaltė, UAB Nordzucker Business Services, UAB Nando, and others.

"The university and its social partners offer annual scholarships; moreover, for several years now, VMU has scholarship funds for talents as well as students who experience social exclusion. However, this initiative encourages people to discover themselves, to purposefully design their study path, and to secure support of VMU or its business partners even before enrolment", remarks VMU Vice-Rector for Studies Dr. Simona Pilkienė.