On January 31, on the eve of the Ukrainian Catholic University’s Charity Evening in Kyiv, the 74th meeting of the UCU Senate (Supervisory Board) took place under the chairmanship of Archbishop and Metropolitan of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak, President of UCU.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Grand Chancellor of UCU, welcomed the new senators and presented the decrees of their appointment. Joining the Senate were: Member of Parliament of Ukraine and UCU alumnus Roman Lozynskyi; human rights defender and public figure Maksym Butkevych; human rights advocate Oleksandra Matviichuk; Vice President for Finance of Galnaftogaz Nazar Kupybida; and Deputy First Vice-Rector of UCU, representative of the Academic Council, Stepan Fedyniak.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that Kyiv is currently in a difficult situation and requires assistance and support. “Today Kyiv is going through a challenging period, but your presence here today is a special expression of solidarity,” he said.

The senators shared their impressions and thoughts on the current situation in Ukraine and the world, and its impact on UCU. “It seems to me that it is very important now for all organizations to operate regularly and not use these external terrible conditions as an excuse for inaction. The main recipe now is to demonstrate the ability to continue working,” said Vyacheslav Klymov, co-founder of Nova Poshta.

Meeting of the UCU Senate in Kyiv

UCU First Vice-Rector Yaroslav Prytula presented new academic initiatives of the university, which are at the focus of Strategy 2030 “A University that Serves.” The senators approved the launch of a Bachelor’s Program in Physical Therapy in 2026, which is one of the key initiatives of the strategic direction “Healing the Wounds of War.” For UCU, this is an important step and a significant contribution to the holistic recovery of individuals and society, as the demand for professional rehabilitators, physical therapists, and occupational therapists continues to grow.

Additionally, during the Senate meeting, the launch of a Master’s Program in Biblical Studies was approved. The goal of this program is to disseminate the core ideas and concepts of the Holy Scriptures within academic circles and the public sphere; to develop a national school of biblical studies; and to train specialists with knowledge of biblical languages (Ancient Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Aramaic) capable of academic, translation, teaching, and pastoral work. Graduates of this program are expected to contribute to a mature and multifaceted Ukrainian biblical culture. This program will also contribute to the implementation of UCU’s strategic project “Ad Fontes.”

Yaroslav Prytula shared the university’s achievements in the field of biotechnology and the further development of this area at UCU. He also spoke about the certificate program Comprehensive Defense of Ukraine: Leadership for Resilience — a joint project of the NGO Join Ukraine and the UCU Analytical Center, in partnership with the Swedish Government Agency for Peace, Security and Development and the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency. The first module of this program for professionals from various sectors of society began on January 29 in Lviv, with subsequent modules to take place in Kyiv.

The Senate heard a plan for the activities of the UCU Kyiv Center, which is to become the core and meeting place for the UCU community in Kyiv. Its goal is to combine several models of activity: a community center, an office to represent UCU, and a discussion platform.

Sophia Opatska, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development; Ivan Petrenko, Head of the UCU Entrepreneurship Center; and Oles Dobosevych, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, presented the development of entrepreneurship at UCU and introduced research projects involving students as part of the educational process.

The senators reviewed the proposed UCU communications plan and granted a mandate for its implementation.

The Senate also approved the composition of permanent committees and temporary commissions.

Senate meetings are held three times a year. Between meetings, senators work within committees and commissions. Currently, the Senate operates three committees and three commissions: the University Development Strategy Committee, the Fundraising and Development Campaign Committee, the Nominations Committee, the Motivation Policy Commission, the Branch Development Commission, and the Real Estate Commission.

Meeting of the UCU Senate in Kyiv

Andriy Kostiuk, lawyer and managing partner of the KPLT  Law Association, completed his second term of six years of service as a senator. The senators expressed their gratitude for his dedicated service and support of the university. At the Senate’s suggestion, Andriy Kostiuk was granted the status of honorary senator.

The meeting took place in Kyiv at the cultural and intellectual space Believe in Yourself Space,” organized by the Believe in Yourself Charitable Foundation.

The next Senate meeting is scheduled for June 27, 2026, in Lviv.

The UCU Senate (Supervisory Board) is the authorized collegiate governing and oversight structure of the university. It defines the main principles and directions of the university’s development, makes decisions on the most important matters of its operations, promotes the mobilization of financial resources to support its activities, and ensures effective interaction of the university with government structures, local authorities, the academic community, socio-political organizations, and business entities in the interests of the development, quality, and competitiveness of the university, among other responsibilities.