As the war continues between Russia and Ukraine on numerous fronts, this hardly seems to be a good time to think about the future of higher education in Ukraine. But on campuses in the regions controlled by the Ukrainians, schools on all levels are preparing for a new academic year and there are many expressions of hope about the post-war period and the rebuilding of the country, which has been at war since 2013-14.
One example is Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), a remarkable private university located in Lviv, near the country’s western border. UCU was the first Catholic university to open its doors on the territory of the former Soviet Union, and the university is affiliated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Its early roots date back to 1928-29, although it was closed in 1944 during the Second World War, and then re-opened in Rome in 1963. In the 1990s, the school was recreated as the Lviv Theological Academy and then took on its current name in 2002.
During my twenty years with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), I had the privilege of visiting numerous private Christian universities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, but the Ukrainian Catholic University under the leadership of Archbishop Borys Gudziak stands out as a premier educational institution. I visited the campus in 2017 and 2018 and heard Gudziak describe the challenges of building this school while wrestling with the KGB and political opposition. I also heard the testimonies of several government and business leaders in Ukraine and other neighboring countries who graduated from UCU, and I was moved by their narratives about how the university changed their lives and gave them a vision for public service.
The Archbishop gave our group a tour of their beautiful campus and explained how he welcomed the people of Lviv to become a part of this academic community. UCU reminded me of the University of Notre Dame, a school that hired professors from Protestant denominations to teach, yet maintained its Catholic distinctives. I know several Evangelical scholars who have taught at UCU and thoroughly enjoyed their experience.
In Washington D.C., I had the opportunity to meet with Taras Dobko, who recently was appointed the new Rector of UCU, and we have been in communication with each other as he moved into this new role. On his first day as Rector of UCU, Dobko shared these words:
“We do not know what God has planned for our future. There will probably be many more challenges and trials, but with our community, we will bring the victory of Ukraine closer. We will heal the wounds of war and help our defenders return from the front to live a full life in a peaceful Ukraine. The victory will restore Ukraine, transform it into a country for the dignified and safe life of all our compatriots, and promote it throughout the world . . . There is a lot of hatred, fear, and cynicism in the world. The UCU community will be a source of solidarity, courage, and trust . . . See you in the new school year! With God!”
In my last conversation with Taras Dobko, he challenged me to encourage Ukrainian Protestants to develop a Christian university like UCU and, when I left this meeting, I thought about how a Ukrainian Orthodox university could also be a part of this network of faith-based higher education. Ukraine will need men and women of faith who are equipped for leadership in politics, business, journalism, law, and other fields, as well as grounded in their faith and its ethical teachings. Ukraine has a rich and diverse population, and this diversity is one of its strengths. It also has religious freedom, and the war has brought people of faith together to deal with its consequences.
Because of the war, evangelical schools in Ukraine are struggling with the loss of students, staff, and faculty – and, in some cases, the destruction or severe damage to their campuses by Russian troops – but there is hope and strong leadership in their ranks. These schools have supported more than 500,000 refugees since the war began, and this testimony is a powerful witness to their faith and their desire to help rebuild their country. It may be time for several of these schools to merge and combine their resources to build a broadly-based Evangelical university. It is a time for “new wineskins,” and private educational institutions need to be a part of the rebuilding process.
I began my work in the Soviet Union in 1990 and witnessed how religious institutions were never seriously pulled into the rebuilding process when Communism imploded in December 1991, even though the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as Catholic and Protestant churches, were some of the most trusted institutions as the USSR collapsed. I hope this does not happen in Ukraine. International banks are lining up to get involved in Ukraine’s rebuilding process, but the country’s vibrant civil society needs to play an important role in this next chapter of Ukraine’s history – not just the financial and political elites. Private educational institutions and churches have demonstrated a passion for their nation’s survival by serving the vulnerable during the war, and they have a vital role to play in the rebuilding of this great country.
Dr. John A. Bernbaum
Senior Research Fellow
Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics
Calvin University – Grand Rapids, Michigan