President of Kyiv Mohyla Academy
Dr. Serhiy Kvit Visits Toronto and Ontario
Dr. Serhiy Kvit,
the dynamic President of the National University - Kyiv Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA)
will be in Toronto and Southern Ontario from May 20th to 30th, following
speaking and fundraising visits to both Australia and the U.S. The Academy is one of the most prestigious
and highly respected universities currently in Ukraine, primarily owing to its
aggressive program of adopting European and international standards and
practices for post-secondary education.
Regrettably,
this approach has also put it at odds with the Ukrainian government and its
current reactionary Minister of Education, Dmytro Tabachnyk. Over the past two
years, the government has significantly cut its support grants to NaUKMA, and
has mounted a concerted effort to try and reverse many of the progressive steps
that the University has taken to bring it in line with educational standards
and policies practised in the West. The
University is well known for its stringent qualifying entrance exams and the
widespread use of English as the second language of teaching for many of its
courses. The Ministry has sought to
reverse these innovations and to further curb the University’s autonomy by
introducing a restrictive law on post-secondary education that is reminiscent
of repressive Soviet era controls. So
far, the University has managed to fight off these administrative attacks,
however, the government is showing no sign of letting up in its attempts to
bring NaUKMA to heel.
On
the positive side, NaUKMA’s enrolment continues to grow as well as its
reputation as Ukraine’s most highly regarded and sought after university. It
has introduced the first internationally recognized PhD program of any
university in Ukraine, and succeeded in 2011 in increasing its international
rating among the world’s finest universities. Further, the University continues
to renew and expand its historic landmark campus in Kyiv’s Mohyla precinct.
Dr.
Kvit’s visit is being sponsored by the Canada Ukraine Foundation (CUF) which
has been a strong supporter of NaUKMA for the past 17 years, having raised over
$700,000 for the development of the University during that time. CUF is hoping
to raise additional significant funds for the development of the Kyiv Mohyla
Academy during this visit of Dr. Kvit to Toronto, Hamilton, and other centres
in Southern Ontario, from the Ukrainian community in general, and from private
donors and benefactors.
CUF
has arranged a full programme for Dr. Kvit and his Vice President Liudmyla
Diachenko for the following cities, at the following times:
• Sunday, May 20,
Toronto, NaUKMA Alumni Event, 4:00 pm.
• Tuesday, May 22,
Fundraiser Event – host James Temerty, 6:30 pm.
• Wednesday, May
23, Toronto, KUMF Gallery, 2118A Bloor St. W, 7:30 pm.
• Thursday, May
24, Hamilton, TBA
• Friday, May 25,
London, Ukrainian Centre, 247 Adelaide St. S., 6:00 pm.
Dr. Kvit will be
speaking on not only the current challenges that NaUKMA is facing as it strives
to be the best post-secondary institution in Eastern Europe, but also on the
contemporary political situation in Ukraine, the upcoming parliamentary
elections, the commemoration of the Holodomor, and the perilous state of
journalism in his country. Information on these events and other details of Dr.
Kvit’s visit may be obtained by contacting Bohdan Myndiuk (Tel.: 416-418-9609)
or by e-mail mytram@hotmail.com
These
details are also available on the CUF web page – www.cufoundation.ca.
According
to Bob Onyschuk, President of CUF, the Kyiv Mohyla Academy is to Ukraine, both
historically and academically, what Oxford and Cambridge are to England.
At
a time when the Academy is under attack by the reactionary forces of the
Yanukovych regime, it is highly important that Ukrainians throughout the world
lend it their support, both morally and financially. Mr. Onyschuk emphasized
that all contributions for projects that CUF is engaged with in Ukraine are tax
deductible.
Volodymyr
Kish, National Executive Member, Canada Ukraine Foundation
PHOTO
Dr. Serhiy Kvit