October 2025 Issue#1
Glory to Ukraine!
Greetings from Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America
Dear Friends,
Today is Defenders Day in Ukraine. We thank the Ukrainian Military Forces and each defender for their bravery, resilience in defense of freedom for all of us in the West. We also honor those members of the Kyiv-Mohyla family who gave their lives and those who continue fighting now. We embrace them with our support as we continue to work toward rebuilding Ukraine through education and leadership.
We are pleased to share just a few of the many programs, projects and activities taking place at National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in just the last few weeks. As Kyiv-Mohyla Academy is situated in a central district of Kyiv, the enemy’s missile attacks force interruptions in scheduling classes and events. Even during the lecture of prominent historian Serhiy Plokhiy, the speaker and audience were forced to interrupt proceedings and change location to a bomb shelter on campus. It is the strong will and moral position of the Ukrainian people that guide the Kyiv-Mohyla community to persevere and continue working toward victory and peace. With your continued generosity, we can provide hope and help during this time of war. Thank you for your interest and your support.
Слава Україні! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!
Marta Farion / President / KMFA
KMA hosted eminent authors in the Third Congress of Historians of Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania,
and Belarus
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy hosted the first session of the Third Congress of Historians of Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. The forum focuses primarily on the early modern history of these nations. The first Congress was held in Vilnius, the second in Warsaw. Representatives from Belarus were absent for obvious reasons.
The plenary lecture by Serhii Plokhii, Harvard University Professor of History and Honorary Professor at NaUKMA, titled “Russian History in the Context of the Russian-Ukrainian War”, was briefly interrupted by an air raid alert. The lecture resumed in the underground hall of a 17th-century building constructed by Petro Mohyla, where the first classes of the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium took place.
Photographs from the event also feature Jan Malicki, Professor at the University of Warsaw, and the panel discussion: “‘Us’ and ‘Them’ in the Community of Four Nations: Visions of the Past, Present, and Future.”
Congratulations on the appointment of Ivan Verbytskyi, alumnus of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, as Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications
The government has appointed Ivan Verbytskyi as Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. He will oversee the development and implementation of state policy in the fields of cultural heritage protection, museum affairs, and the export, import, and restitution of cultural property. Key priorities and first steps in these areas are already underway.Verbytskyi brings many years of experience in analytics, community development, and culture. From 2019 to 2024, he headed the think tank Cedos, expanding its work in local development, culture, and social and housing policy. Under his leadership, Cedos carried out the Community reBuilding project, which won the New European Bauhaus Prize 2024. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in sociology from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Safeguarding cultural heritage and ensuring the return of cultural assets are critically important for Ukraine today. The challenges are immense, but the Ministry is building a team with the expertise, strength, and courage to take them on. Culture matters. It shapes our identity and our future.
PHOTO - Tetyana Berezhna, Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, graduate of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ivan Verbytskyi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
Please help Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation, USA continue its mission
Always be among the best. Resilience, Intention, and Leadership
Inspire by example and show that nothing is impossible.
That’s the rule Tetyana Berezhna set for herself as a student of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy — and the one she follows today as Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. “I wanted to surround myself with the smartest people,” she says. “It shaped the way I make decisions even now.” In a video episode of the Happy Monday podcast “This (Not) For You”, Berezhna shares why she chose public service as her path to change — and what it really takes to lead. The episode is part of the Give Yourself a Chance: a national campaign to support Ukrainian women in their professional growth, within the Women For The Future initiative. She talks about: how her failure can become the start of future success, how to be a creator of your own life and deal with pressure, how to break gender stereotypes and open doors for other women.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/y5wuztah
François Villeroy de Galhau, governor of the Banque de France and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, met with faculty and students and presented a lecture on “Balancing Stability and Innovation: Insights from Central Banks.”
The session was moderated by Pervin Dadashova, director of the Financial Stability Department at the National Bank of Ukraine and senior lecturer at NaUKMA.
Villeroy de Galhau stressed that trust in central banks is built on a “golden triangle”: mandate, independence, and accountability.
Transparency is key. It helps the public understand decisions and builds confidence. Thanks to increased transparency, Ukraine is now closer to the practices of leading European and U.S. central banks. He also shared lessons from Europe and around the world on combining financial stability with innovation. Students asked questions on global crises, political pressure, the future of cryptocurrencies, and the impact of new technologies.
The visit highlights growing cooperation between Ukraine’s academic and financial communities and European institutions. It also reinforces Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’s commitment to knowledge and reforms that will lead the way to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
Bohdana Neborak, KMA alumna, journalist, curator of book projects, leads video project
on the power of shared stories.
“Literature reminds us—we are not alone. Someone has definitely felt what you feel. Talking about a book shows how your thoughts collide with others, how quickly and dynamically your impression of a work can change—like a flower that needs sun and water to fully bloom.” These are the words of Bohdana Neborak, NaUKMA alumna, journalist, and curator of book projects. What does prose give us? How does literature help overcome loneliness? Why is storytelling so important? And how can you start—or join—a book club? Bohdana Neborak explores these questions in her video essay How Reading Brings Us Together.
This season of video essays is supported by the Yevhen Kvaskov Memorial Grant with the backing of the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation in Ukraine.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/bdzjnhym
KMA Welcomed Myroslava Gongadze
On Freedom, Truth, and Civic Responsibility
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy hosted Myroslava Gongadze as part of the Heorhiy Gongadze Memorial Week. The event, within the Professional Dialogues series, focused on freedom, truth, and responsibility: what the murder of Heorhiy Gongadze means for Ukrainian democracy today, 25 years later.
Speaking from a personal perspective, Gongadze highlighted Heorhiy’s significance for modern Ukraine — as a symbol of freedom of speech, truth, and human dignity. She stressed his role as a moral compass for journalists, activists, and citizens who strive for a free and democratic Ukraine.
During the discussion, Gongadze reflected on how historical events shape the present and influence Ukraine’s future. Topics included the importance of active civic engagement, personal responsibility, and the challenges facing modern journalism and civil society. “I am convinced that civil society has been the backbone that helped Ukraine endure. Civil society in Ukraine does not stay silent, it is a civil society that takes on the role of state institutions when they fail to act.”
Myroslava Gongadze is a journalist, public figure, and international policy expert. She serves on the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Institute and as a Senior Advisor on Ukraine at the Institute for State Effectiveness in Washington, D.C.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/39b9ns6s
Austrian Minister of Education Visits the КМА Mental Health Center
Christoph Wiederkehr, Austrian Federal Minister of Education, visited the Mental Health Center at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy during his official trip to Ukraine.
Since 2022, with support from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the State Service for Education Quality of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science, the Center has been implementing the Safe Space project — providing immediate psychosocial support for students and schoolteachers.
The initiative helps teachers work with traumatized children and supports students’ psychological adaptation. It was originally launched in 2014–2015, when children in eastern Ukraine first experienced explosions, military equipment, and violence. Serhiy Bohdanov, Head of the Mental Health Center at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and co-author of Safe Space, recalled: “We were approached by the Ministry of Education and Science and UNICEF to develop a program that would help children and support teachers and psychologists who were severely burned out in such conditions. And so we did.”
During the visit, representatives of the Center together with the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs presented the project’s results to the Austrian delegation and the Austrian Embassy in Kyiv, while also stressing urgent needs in Ukraine’s psychosocial support sector.
The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and Minister Wiederkehr have provided crucial financial support and active engagement in addressing Ukraine’s urgent challenges — particularly in psychosocial care during wartime.
Read in Ukrainian: http://bit.ly/3K985SR
News from the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America
Chicago’s Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art hosted scholars of the Ukrainian Studies program at the University of Illinois Champaign.
We welcomed Dr. Olga Khometa, alumna of Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
Text hereOn September 28, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago hosted an informational event in support of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Illinois. For decades, Professor Dmytro Shtohryn built the foundation of Ukrainian studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After his passing six years ago, many feared that his voice—one that drew generations of American students to discover Ukraine—had been silenced.
Scholars who gathered in Chicago stressed the importance of keeping Ukraine visible in American academia. The discussion focused on developing programs and building partnerships with a coalition of universities. Speakers mentioned the ongoing collaboration between the law schools of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the University of Illinois, including courses in Legal English, and the role of Professor Taisa Markus, who teaches at both universities’ schools of law.
Among those carrying Professor Shtohryn’s legacy forward are Taras Ferencevych, Executive director Ukrainian Studies Fund, Markiyan Dobchansky, Associate Director of REEEC, and Olga Khometa, professor in the Literature department at University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign. Dr. Khometa is a graduate of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She received her PhD from the University of Toronto, and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Philology – Comparative Literature and Theory from National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The team of Ukrainians was joined by several professors from the University of Illinois history department. State of Illinois Treasurer, Michael Frerichs, surprised everyone with his discovery of unclaimed funds in the state treasury belonging to the Ukrainian Program, and kindly personally delivered a check.
The strong turnout showed the diaspora’s interest and commitment to Ukrainian studies. In a world where attention often shifts elsewhere, participants emphasized how critical it is for Ukraine to be heard in major universities. The event proved that Professor Shtohryn’s work continues to inspire and has a future with the support of the Shtohryn Endowment that he left as his testamentary gift to the program.
Thank you for helping Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation, USA continue its mission