Unveiling Excellence: Nurturing Scholarship and Community through Ukrainian Centres

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

University centres and institutes support the values, mission, strategic goals, and priorities of their university while promoting excellence in scholarship, the integration of research and teaching, and contributing to the development of the local and global community. The structure, membership, and activities of such centres and institutes support collaborative disciplinary and interdisciplinary projects, bring overall awareness to the focus area within the institution and offer ways for liberating stereotypes and outdated perspectives. However, they also struggle for financial sustainability.

This round table offers an overview of activities, challenges and affordances of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) at MacEwan University and the Ukrainian Language Education Centre (ULEC) at the CIUS, University of Alberta, from the perspectives of their directors and academic members.

Projects to be discussed include the development of an artist in residence program, relationships with indigenous colleagues, the development of an app to explore local historic sites (walking tour), the offering of local/global courses, the creation of Ukrainian language videos, and how to hold Ukraine in institutional awareness, among others. Participants will share strategies for sustainability as well.

Sub Unit

• Sociology, Public Health, Education

Chair

• Alla Nedashkivska, U of Alberta (Canada)

Roundtable Members

• Olenka Bilash, U of Alberta (Canada)

• Michael Gulayets, MacEwan U (Canada)

• Larysa Hayduk, MacEwan U (Canada)

• Jeffrey Stepnisky, MacEwan U (Canada)

Session Manager

• A. M. LaVey, New York Public Library