Ukrainian Catholic University inspires active citizenship

Especially today, it is painfully clear that any society needs strong institutions with enlightened leaders. The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), a small university based in Lviv, Ukraine, demonstrates that ethics and academic excellence go hand in hand. Since the fall of the iron curtain in 1989 and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, it has been helping young people prepare for the challenges of life so they can take up positions of responsibility in business, government, media, religion, education and society. UCU’s approach combines professional training and ethical education, academic rigour and religious affiliation, intellectual commitment and service to the marginalised. Integral human development and educational social engagement projects (service-learning*) are at the core of UCU’s mission and vision. The approach is especially relevant in Ukraine’s current situation.

“I am volunteering because people are what matters the most,” says Khrystyna, a third-year student in the Sociology Program. “I give food to people at the platforms and support them as much as possible. Helping someone means helping yourself to live through this pain.”

Members of the faculty are already considering how they can strengthen the pillars of their integral education model and how human dignity, solidarity and civil society can be restored in Ukraine’s post-war period. “At UCU, we are preparing students who will be able to take responsibility for the renewal of Ukraine after the war,” says Dmytro Sherengovskyy, UCU’s Vice-Rector for Academic Matters.

Porticus Partner: Ukrainian Catholic University

*In service learning, students learn by offering services to others. For example, law students may spend time on projects in prisons, business students may help people in rural areas set up small businesses. Read more about the concept of service learning here.