Established in 2001 with the support of Petro Jacyk and the Petro Jacyk Educational Foundation, the Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine focuses on contemporary Ukraine, as well as its history and culture. The major themes covered by the program focus on the challenges of independent Ukraine and include: building an effective state; foreign policy and international relations; education, culture and national identity.
The mission of the program is to promote scholarly understanding of the government, economy and society in contemporary Ukraine, as well as the country’s history and culture, primarily through the encouragement and support of collaborative projects (typically involving workshops, conferences, lectures, seminars, and visiting scholars) and through the support of graduate students studying Ukraine at the University of Toronto.
The program actively encourages scholars in Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto and Ukrainianists at other North American institutions to develop joint projects, and facilitates the study of Ukraine by organizing workshops, conferences, lectures and seminars. The program brings visiting scholars from Ukraine and invites Ukraine’s statesmen and cultural figures to speak in its guest lecture series.