NEWS AND VIEWS: Ukrainian Free University takes another step forward (08/08/04)

NEWS AND VIEWS

Ukrainian Free University takes another step forward

by Bohdan A. Futey

As the busy summer session draws to an end, the Ukrainian Free University is making preparations for celebrating another important milestone. The year 2005 will mark the 60th anniversary of the UFU's existence in Munich. This distinction renders the UFU the oldest private university in Germany.

It was not, however, always located within the borders of that country. The UFU, an idea of the Ukrainian intellectual community in Lviv, was founded on January 17, 1921, in Vienna. Its tenure in Austria would be short-lived as it was transferred to Prague in the fall of the same year. The UFU would experience productive years over the next two and a half decades in Prague, but it would nevertheless move once again following the conclusion of the second world war. The UFU would finally settle down in Munich in 1945, and shortly thereafter, in 1950, would receive accreditation by the Free State of Bavaria.

For many years, the UFU's primary function was that of preservation. It sought to accomplish abroad what could not be accomplished internally in an occupied Ukraine where the past was being distorted and scholarly thought was being suppressed. Keeping with the times, today the UFU's focus has shifted, and is aligned with Ukraine's emerging status in the international community. The focus is on building and on bridging the gap between independent Ukraine and Germany, as well as the European Union. The UFU's successes in these regards are impressive, especially in light of the tight monetary constraints under which it operates.

The UFU's rigorous academic programs underpin and complement the university's commitment to research and diplomacy. The faculty consists of 56 instructors who are responsible for educating the university's 207 students. The student body comprises highly talented individuals who converge on the university from all parts of the world to take advantage of the unique learning environment the UFU provides. The students may select from any of the three schools that now form UFU: Ukrainian Studies, Philosophy, and Government and Political Economy.

Further, cognizant of its scholars' diverse backgrounds and consistent with its international mission, the UFU offers courses and lectures in English, Ukrainian, and German. As Vasyl Kremin, Ukraine's minister of education and science, has aptly summarized: "The classroom atmosphere of the UFU, where the wisdom of the professors is passed on to following generations, is informed by an unwavering faith in the future of Ukraine and the unshakable conviction that the work for a better world must continue."

In the confines of the UFU's library, one can find the most comprehensive collection of Ukrainian works in Germany. The UFU continues to add to the field of literature through its series of publications, which now number well over 500. These scholarly works are published in English, Ukrainian, French and German. For instance, the UFU recently published a German version of Ivan Kotliarevsky's "Eneida" and is currently preparing a German translation of Vasyl Barka's "The Yellow Prince."

The UFU also collaborates with Ukrainian and German universities to arrange international congresses, conferences and symposia. Moreover, the UFU organizes high-level delegation exchanges between prominent members of German and Ukrainian communities. This undertaking provides a much-needed informal forum for discussion between the two countries, and the resultant dialogue raises international awareness and concomitantly proliferates Ukraine's acceptance and integration into the European sphere.

As a result of the tireless efforts put forth by the present leadership of the university, the UFU has received a long deserved recognition from the government of Ukraine. On May 21, the Ukrainian Free University and the High Accreditation Commission signed an agreement which provides that UFU academic degrees will be recognized within Ukraine. The recognition is significant not only from a symbolic perspective, but also because it permits the UFU to more completely effectuate its stated goals. The agreement is an endorsement of the quality of the UFU's work, and it allows its influence to extend legitimately and completely within the Ukrainian academic community.

Now that Ukraine's government has validated the UFU's academic degrees, it is time for Ukraine to support the UFU in return for the years that the UFU supported Ukraine. Although several promises have been made, actual financial assistance has yet to be provided. The UFU is one of the few remaining, if not the only, private university to receive a subsidy from the Bavarian State (approximately 100,000 euros). The university also receives support from the UFU Foundation in New York. The UFU, however, is in need of additional finances to support all of its operations - from instructional programs to building repair to financing its publication series. The UFU makes the most of the finances that are currently at its disposal and will certainly do so with any other monetary support that becomes available.

It is imperative that the Ukrainian Free University receive the necessary funding to sustain its current undertakings as well as the necessary funding to further expand. The university made great strides during Dr. Leonid Rudnytzky's tenure as rector, and it is poised to do the same under the leadership of its new rector, Dr. Albert Kipa. Without the necessary funding, it is conceivable that the university will eventually cease to exist. If such a possibility should indeed come to fruition, it would be an indescribable setback for Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in general.

As Dr. Hans-Juergen Doss, former member of the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) and lecturer, recently explained: "If the UFU did not exist, it would have to be invented." Given the current situation in Germany, however, receiving accreditation and obtaining subsidies would be next to impossible. In other words, "once it's gone, it's gone." It is incumbent on Ukraine and the Ukrainian community to ensure that such an outcome is never realized.

Bohdan A. Futey is a professor at the Ukrainian Free University, who has been teaching summer semester classes on constitutional law, judicial systems and election disputes, since 1988. He is also a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, having been appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the Senate in 1987.

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