By Keith Sayer
Building on a 20-year partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University, the launched the in September 2023. This initiative, which spans all schools and colleges at the University of Notre Dame, aims to bring together scholars and students focused on Ukraine—from anthropology and political science to Ukrainian language, history, religion, and culture, among other fields.
A Ukrainian Studies Hub at Notre Dame
The Hub leads and coordinates educational and research initiatives, serving as a platform for fostering partnerships with Ukraine and responding to the critical challenges facing Ukrainians and the global community. Committed to integral human development—a core tenet of Catholic Social Teaching and a central commitment of the —the Nanovic Institute currently focuses its academic contributions on healing and unifying communities in light of the devastation wrought by Russia’s war on Ukraine. At the same time, this initiative builds on a longstanding partnership with Ukraine and will continue to produce joint research and collaborative projects long after the war has come to an end.
Partnering with leaders and scholars at , the Hub seeks to deepen mutual understanding through research, immersive educational experiences, and shared classroom opportunities. In 2024, the Nanovic Institute committed $100,000 for a Research Grant aimed at funding projects that explore essential aspects of Ukrainian studies, including religious, moral, and social issues, as well as resilience and justice. Notably, the Hub will host its first biennial conference, “,” at Notre Dame in March 2025, uniting students and scholars from Ukrainian Catholic University, Notre Dame, and institutions around the world that engage with Ukraine. The program will focus on research by international scholars, policy collaborations, artistic and cultural expressions, and addresses from dignitaries and leaders from both the U.S. and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Studies Hub also serves as a coordinating center for Ukraine-related initiatives within the University of Notre Dame. A few notable examples include collaborative projects by architects, anthropologists, and filmmakers to restore Ukraine’s cultural heritage and research by political scientists and peace scholars examining the impact of sanctions and resilience in Ukraine.
This concerted effort positions Notre Dame to become a leading U.S. university in Ukrainian studies, actively engaging its community to develop this vital, timely area of scholarship.
Mapping Ukraine: Understanding the picture of Ukrainian studies across Notre Dame
In October 2023, the Nanovic Institute’s Ukrainian Studies Hub organized a campus-wide conversation on Mapping Ukraine with Taras Dobko, rector of Ukrainian Catholic University. This event featured Notre Dame’s community of scholars who have worked in Ukraine and on subjects of importance to Ukraine, often in partnership with UCU scholars and students. The meeting facilitated interdisciplinary conversations aimed at generating important feedback from Rector Dobko, a cross-pollination of ideas among colleagues, and an inclusive non-siloed approach to research at Notre Dame with Ukraine as its focal point. These presentations showcased how Notre Dame is connected to Ukraine and UCU in many ways, and this event helped the institute chart the course for future collaborations.
Ukraine-relevant research projects span a variety of backgrounds, including political science, philosophy and theology, anthropology, film, journalism, architecture, literature, and business. This diversity of specialties reveals that all disciplines have something to offer. These interdisciplinary collaborations are a powerful means of joining forces to promote resilience and recovery in Ukraine.
Read about these projects and more in the .
A multidisciplinary effort to bring Ukraine to the Midwest U.S.
The efforts of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies have generated transformative momentum within the University of Notre Dame. Working with its partners across campus and around the globe, the institute and its new Ukrainian Studies Hub are transforming what might have been a temporary (albeit significant) show of solidarity for Ukraine in the context of the current conflict into a permanent home for Ukrainian studies at a Catholic research university in the Midwest United States.
This outcome should not be surprising, as the Nanovic Institute’s core commitment since its inception has been to bring Europe to Notre Dame and Notre Dame to Europe, a mission summed up in the institute’s call to “turn hearts and minds to Europe.” The institute has many historic strengths, such as a robust program for undergraduate students and a network of scholars across Central and Eastern Europe. The Hub enables it to actively reimagine these strengths to become vital components of Notre Dame’s strategic framework to be the , solidifying the place of Ukraine in this vision.
Author Bio
Keith Sayer is the communications program director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, where he leads its communications and marketing efforts. Keith has a B.A. in English and religious studies from Anderson University (Ind.) and an MTS degree from Vanderbilt University. He is an experienced full-stack marketing professional, copywriter, and project manager who has worked in the nonprofit, tech, startup, ad agency, and higher education sectors. While at the Nanovic Institute, he has led the team to a gold award in the Educational Advertising Awards for its annual Year in Review publication, and he currently serves on the board of the American Marketing Association’s Michiana Chapter, where he will assume the role of president in July 2025.
