As part of an educational visit to the University of Notre Dame in the USA, the UCU team met with a partner of the university for many years, The Nanovic Institute for European Studies.
For 14 months, since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Nanovic Institute has been a platform for communication, analysis, and discussion about the atrocities of this unprovoked attack. In order to continue to support Ukraine and demonstrate solidarity with us, the institute announced a collection of funds for a program in support of Ukraine. All the donations which the institute received during Notre Dame Day 2023 will be given for programs, research grants, and scholarly research in Ukraine and about Ukraine in partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University.
“We have already planned a few formats for new partner projects. We hope to deepen our relations with Ukrainian Catholic University, which is one of our most important partners. And this is not only because of the war. Our partnership has always been valuable and productive. Ukraine is a laboratory for many research questions for decades to come. This is yet one more reason why it is important for us to invest in this partnership.” So said Clemens Sedmak, Professor of Social Ethics and Director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs.
Clemens Sedmak also recalled that, in the context of deepening the partnership, it is important to develop service learning together. The University of Notre Dame has a number of projects operating in Ukraine and to which the Nanovic Institute sends its students for internships: “We have joint plans with Ukrainian Catholic University to introduce new projects in the area of service learning: our experience is important, but UCU’s experience is also very valuable. It is truly a privilege to have friends at UCU and the opportunity to study with such friends. Our partner relations have gone on for almost two decades, and we plan to develop them further,” he added.
Ukrainian Catholic University is grateful for the support and help of our colleagues from the University of Notre Dame and the Nanovic Institute, which in peaceful times and also now, the very difficult period of the challenges of war, are in solidarity with Ukraine!
We recall that in May 2022, President of the University of Notre Dame Fr. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Philadelphia Archeparchy of the UGCC Borys Gudziak signed an agreement regarding significant expansion of academic, spiritual, and cultural cooperation between the universities. In addition to research grants for professors, other grant programs offer UCU staff access to online resources of Notre Dame’s library and the opportunity to develop a new course or re-work a given academic program at UCU.
See also: Standing in solidarity: Notre Dame expands partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University
Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research programs
Since 1992, the Nanovic Institute has led Notre Dame to Europe, and Europe to Notre Dame.
The mission of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies is to enrich the intellectual culture of Notre Dame by creating an integrated, interdisciplinary home for students and faculty to explore the evolving ideas, cultures, beliefs, histories, and institutions that shape Europe. To pursue this mission, Nanovic works to promote European studies at Notre Dame, transform its undergraduates, professionalize its graduate students, foster its interdisciplinary faculty research, and build its international network.
By turning hearts and minds toward Europe, the Nanovic Institute seeks to create artisans of a new humanity.
