In Chicago, the Ukrainian Institute of Contemporary Art, the Ukrainian Studies Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, held the event “Ukrainian Studies in Illinois.” All funds raised will go to support the Ukrainian Studies program at the university.
This was reported by the president of the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, Maria Klymchak.
“On September 28, an event took place at the Ukrainian Institute of Contemporary Art in Chicago that can be called a landmark event without exaggeration. It became a kind of bridge between the past and the future of Ukrainian studies in America,” Maria Klymchak noted.
According to her, after the death of Professor Dmytro Shtogrin, who developed Ukrainian studies at the University of Illinois for over half a century, “it seemed as if silence had descended on these auditoriums for a long time.” At the same time, the diaspora has now witnessed a new beginning – the revival and development of Ukrainian studies programs in the United States.
“The experts who came to the meeting understand the importance of the Ukrainian presence in the academic world. The topic was the revival and development of programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and cooperation with a coalition of Ukrainian universities, among which the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy occupies a special place,” the report says.
Among the speakers at the event were Taras Ferentsevych, executive director of the Ukrainian Studies Fund, Olga Khometa, associate professor of Ukrainian literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Markiyan Dobchansky, deputy director of REEEC.
“They ignite a fire of hope that American students will once again have the opportunity to study Ukrainian literature and history, get acquainted with the culture and language of Taras Shevchenko, and understand Ukraine through the prism of news reports from the front,” Maria Klymchak emphasized.
The presence of a large community, she said, once again confirmed that the Ukrainian diaspora does not stand aside
“It is extremely important that Ukraine is heard at prestigious universities so that a new generation of students in the United States can discover its diversity,” Klymchak summarized.
The event was made possible thanks to the support of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, and the Ukrainian Studies Fund.
Background
Dmytro Shtogrin (1923-2019) is a prominent Ukrainian scholar, literary critic, public figure, and one of the leading representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States.
Born in Podillia in 1923. After World War II, he ended up in a displaced persons camp in Augsburg (Germany), and later received his education in Germany, Canada, and the United States. At the University of Ottawa, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Pavlo Filipovych – Literary Scholar”. He also specialized in 20th-century Ukrainian literature, in particular the work of Oleh Olzhych.
In 1969, he developed and taught a course in Ukrainian literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and in 1994 he launched a course in Ukrainian culture. His greatest dream was to create a department of Ukrainian studies at the university. Thanks to his initiative, Urbana-Champaign had the only university Ukrainian studies program outside Ukraine, which held international conferences annually, hosting scholars from five continents.
An important achievement of Shtohryn was the establishment of a library with over 70,000 Ukrainian publications and microfilms – one of the largest collections outside Ukraine. After the professor retired, the program was closed due to the lack of students, which was a great loss for him.
Dmytro Shtogrin actively collaborated with the Ukrainian community of Chicago, participated in cultural and educational initiatives, in particular, projects dedicated to the life of Ukrainian emigrants in displaced persons camps. He left behind a significant scientific legacy and an example of tireless service to Ukrainian culture.
The professor lived with his wife in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Dmytro Shtogrin's heart stopped on September 25, 2019.
Photo: Maria Klimchak
Author: Inna Mikhno