November 2025
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with peace, gratitude, and joy
Greetings from Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America
Dear Friends,
On this Thanksgiving Day, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all our sponsors and donors, and to the entire Ukrainian community in the United States. Your steadfast support for the programs of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy is a vital investment in the future of Ukraine and show of support for Ukraine at this challenging time.
Thanks to you, educational and research initiatives continue to grow, talented students receive life-changing scholarship opportunities, and an academic community is strengthened—one that is building a modern, European Ukraine. Your kindness and trust inspire our students and open doors that truly transform lives.
On behalf of the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, I sincerely thank you for your partnership, your generosity, and your long-standing commitment to our mission. I wish you a warm and peaceful Thanksgiving, joy with your families, and many blessings in the year ahead.
With gratitude and respect,
Marta Farion
President, Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
The Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America extends its warmest congratulations to Serhiy Kvit, President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, on the occasion of his milestone birthday.
For 33 years, Dr. Kvit has been an integral part of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy — years marked by leadership, growth, and unwavering dedication to advancing Ukrainian education. His commitment to academic excellence, openness to innovation, and deep respect for Ukrainian culture and scholarship have made him a role model for generations of students and faculty.
We wish President Kvit good health, continued energy, and joy in every new day. May his wisdom and vision keep guiding the academic community, and may Ukraine continue to grow stronger, more educated, and more resilient thanks to leaders like him.
With deep respect and gratitude,
Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America
Even in Darkness, There is Light: Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’s Story of Resilience
This Thanksgiving, while many of us reflect on gratitude, we also remember the courage and determination of Ukrainian students and faculty at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA). Despite missile strikes, air-raid sirens, and frequent power outages, they return to classrooms each day, driven by a commitment to learning and to each other.
Images of students studying in darkness have become powerful symbols of resilience. After long nights in shelters, they come together to share hot tea, charge their phones, and continue their studies. Their humor and solidarity keep them going — often joking: “It’s warm here. We’re under PLED,” referring to their Political Leadership and Economic Diplomacy program.
Thanks to EcoFlow portable power stations funded by the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, classrooms now remain bright, allowing students to continue learning even when electricity fails. “We are constantly inspired by how much Ukrainian students can achieve, even when the electricity goes out,” says Marta Farion, Foundation President.
Please help Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation, USA continue its mission
NaUKMA - Legacy of renown authors, researchers, publications
NaUKMA is proud of the distinguished professors, researchers, and authors who continue the legacy of the university’s history of academic excellence. Recently, the university hosted the presentation of the book “Life on the edge: Ukraine, Culture and the War” ("Життя на межі: Україна, культура та війна"), - a published in 2025, born from the volunteer and journalistic trips of the authors, Volodymyr Yermolenko and Tetyana Ogarkova. It is an attempt to comprehend the reality of the current Russian war against Ukraine, the fundamental concepts on which human existence is based, and to understand how these concepts appear to people whose destinies were changed by the war.
Volodymyr Yermolenko is a renown Ukrainian philosopher, essayist, translator, doctor of political studies, doctor of philosophy studies, senior lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He is the president of PEN Ukraine. Tetyana Ogarkova, a faculty member of NaUKMA, head of International Outreach at Ukraine Crisis Media Center and producer at Kult Podcast.
The presentation was held at the NaUKMA Museum. The book was published by Dukh i Litera (“Spirit and Letter”) , NaUKMA publishing house, research house and a center for dialogue, founded in 1992 on the premises of NaUKMA.
Konstantyn Sigov, who moderated the event, is the co-founder of Dukh I Litera, and is a renowned philosopher and public figure. He is the director of the European Humanities Research Center of the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy,” and professor who has taught at some of the word’s leading universities (Sorbonne, Oxford, Stanford, Geneva, Leuven, among others). He is the author of the course “European Culture: Conflict of Interpretations” at NaUKMA and a cavalier of the Ordre des Palmes Academiques (France).
Olha Poliukhovych, NaUKMA vice-president of research, doctor of philosophy and literature, professor, who lectured at various universities in Europe, Canada, and the United States, hosted this event that brought together Ukraine’s intellectual luminaries, faculty members, students, diplomats and special guests.
"All Ukrainians are grateful to our defenders – they’re the reason we can live, work, and dream today. But gratitude isn’t the same as understanding. Misconceptions about veterans can quietly create distance between them and the society they protect," says Mariia Savrun, co-founder of the Ukrainian Defenders Leadership Center at NaUKMA, in Forbes (US edition).
The Leadership Center bridges the gap between military and civilian experiences. It honors the service of Ukrainian defenders while complementing it with academic knowledge, community support, and opportunities to rethink their role in shaping the present and future of the country.
Read the full Forbes article to learn more about the Center and the stories of its participants:
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Library Hosts Open Access Week 2025
The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Library, in partnership with the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine and the Academy of Digital Development, hosted a week of events for International Open Access Week 2025, themed “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”. The initiative highlighted the vital role of open access in advancing Ukrainian science and promoting equal knowledge sharing.
“Open access is essential for the development of research and collaboration in Ukraine,” said Olha Poliukhovych, Vice President for Academic Affairs at NaUKMA, during the opening ceremony.
More than 100 faculty, researchers, graduate students, and librarians from universities across Ukraine joined the events, gaining knowledge and fostering collaboration within the scientific community.
This week-long initiative reflects NaUKMA’s commitment to open science, innovation, and the free exchange of knowledge for the benefit of all and its commitment to higher education in Ukraine.
Learn more about the events and resources: https://tinyurl.com/t7ch5nx8
Anton Suslov Elected President of Kyiv-Mohyla Alumni Association
On November 20, the Kyiv-Mohyla Alumni Association held its General Assembly. Anton Suslov was elected the new President.
Anton Suslov is a graduate of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (BA in Political Science, 2018, with honors) and the Kyiv School of Economics (MA in Public Administration, 2020). He has served as a research fellow since 2019 and as a lecturer in the Department of International Relations since 2021. He also has experience managing civic-sector projects, including institutional development initiatives at the Kyiv-Mohyla School of Political Analysis.
In his first statement as President, he said:“Only through the active participation of our entire alumni community can we strengthen the Association and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Let us unite, create, and act together.”
We welcome Anton Suslov as president of the Alumni Association and look forward to working with him.
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Students Participate in Third International “Crimea Global” Conference
Students of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (#kma_pro) took part in the Third International Conference “Crimea Global: Understanding Ukraine through the South”, recently held in Kyiv. The event brought together over 200 participants, including experts, analysts, journalists, scholars, and thought leaders from around the world — from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya to Argentina, Mexico, India, and Malaysia.
Second-year students from the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Program in Political Leadership and Economic Diplomacy attended the conference as part of their course “Political Geography and Regional Studies of Latin America and the Caribbean”, under the guidance of Senior Lecturer Oskar Slushchenko.
Conference discussions focused on Ukraine’s security and humanitarian situation, the fight for sovereignty and territorial integrity, pathways to just peace, restoration of justice, global food security, and developments in the Black Sea region. Crimea was highlighted as a symbol of resistance to Russian colonial practices and a key factor in regional food and energy security.
For NaUKMA students, the conference offered a unique opportunity not only to hear from international experts but also to deepen their understanding of global political processes, diplomatic practices, and Ukraine’s role on the world stage.
Kyiv-Mohyla Alumni Engage American Students in Denmark:
“Why Ukraine Matters”
As part of an ongoing effort to foster strategic international partnerships and raise awareness about Ukraine, alumni of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Denmark have been working with American students participating in the Danish Study Abroad program (DIS). Each semester, thousands of U.S. college students, typically aged 20–21 and in their third year of studies, choose Denmark to broaden their horizons.
Through a series of events titled “Why Ukraine Matters”, students gain firsthand insights not only into Denmark’s model of democracy and social market economy but also into the significance of Ukraine for global security, freedom, and democratic values.
The program recently featured engaging discussions at Ukraine House in Denmark with leading Ukrainian thinkers, activists, and authors, including leaders in their fields. We are proud of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy graduates and faculty members who participated. Alumna Nataliya Popovych, Civic activist, international communications expert and entrepreneur, is the chairperson of Ukraine House in Denmark. Yaryna Chornohuz, Volodymyr Yermolenko, and Maksym Butkevych are leading intellectuals, writers, and civic leaders who shared their expertise with the students.
Kyiv-Mohyla alumni are already planning the next steps to engage the new cohort and strengthen the impact of these educational dialogues.
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