Promocja uczelni poprzez zasoby dziedzictwa uniwersyteckiego: doświadczenia Uniwersytetu Narodowego Politechnika Lwowska
Promotion of a higher education institution through university’s heritage resources: the case of Lviv Polytechnic National University

Author(s): Svitlana Muravska
Subject(s): Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: university heritage; higher education institution; promotion; tour guide; „third mission”; Ukraine; Lviv Polytechnic
Summary/Abstract: The research examines contemporary approaches to promotion of higher education institutions through the use of their heritage resources, focusing on the experience of Lviv Polytechnic National University during the periods of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war. The primary objective of the study was to verify the hypothesis that the main target group of visitors consists exclusively of eventual future students, as well as to analyse institutional promotional practices within a cultural and tourism-oriented context. The research methodology combined a literature review, content analysis of promotional and strategic materials, partially structured interviews with staff members of the Promotion Centre, and participant observation conducted during promotional events and guided tours. The findings demonstrate that Lviv Polytechnic successfully integrates its university heritage with a contemporary cultural framework, thereby becoming an independent tourist attraction in the city. The analysis refuted the initial hypothesis, revealing that the visitor audience is considerably more diverse and that visitors’ motivations extend beyond recruitment-related interests, including architectural and cultural values, as well as the desire to see attractions outside the mainstream tourist circuit. Guided tour activities constitute a key promotional tool, implemented, among others, through the project Lviv Polytechnic as a Site of Guided Tours and through close cooperation with local tourism community. The research results indicate that opening university spaces for tourists not only enriches the city’s cultural offer but also supports the implementation of the so-called „third mission” of the university. The study demonstrates that university heritage can function as an effective instrument for promotion and for building institutional visibility within a broader urban context.

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