KU Comes Together to Assist Ukrainian Students and Scholars


Mykola Hordiichuk protesting
Mykola Hordiichuk, second from right, attends a protest in Kansas City, Missouri.

When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, KU finance student Mykola Hordiichuk didn’t fully believe it was real. After reading previous predictions over the past few years of a Russian invasion, Hordiichuk nor his friends and family back in Ukraine thought it would happen.

“On the actual night of the invasion, I was at the gym and my phone blows up,” Hordiichuk said. “People started texting me and I didn’t believe it. I thought it was some sort of training or propaganda.”

Then, his parents called and showed him a video of smoke coming from bombings of a military warehouse in his hometown of Uman, Ukraine, about 130 miles south of Kviv.

“It was quite a shock,” he said.

Since February KU’s Ukrainian students and faculty have been living in two worlds, one where their friends and family are under constant threat of bombings and military attacks in their home country and the other in the United States, where the war is a distant thought for many.

“There’s this dissonance in my head. Because I see all this news, but then I go to university and everything around me is fine,” said Mariia Verbytska, a KU student from Odesa in southern Ukraine.

Throughout the spring, Verbytska said she had trouble sleeping and concentrating on classes as she constantly checked Google for news, worrying about her friends and entire family in Ukraine. Her parents and little brother in Odessa were under constant bombing, spending much of their time in the basement.

For Hordiichuk the past few months have been an emotional roller coaster. His family in Uman has also dealt with daily threats of bombing, as well as a steady stream of refugees from the east, who shelter at his parents’ home before heading further west.

For his part, Hordiichuk attended protests in Kansas City and Lawrence and a rally at the Kansas State Capitol, as well as spoke to newspapers throughout the region about the situation in Ukraine.

“In the beginning, I felt helpless and useless. My parents told me every plus is a plus, even a small one,” Hordiichuk said.

For Verbytska she found comfort among fellow Ukraine students and support from professors, who allowed for make-up exams, and classmates, who asked about her family and friends in Ukraine.

“It was such a small thing, but it really helped me out,” she said.

Support for Ukrainian Students

Since March International Support Services has been in regular contact with KU’s seven Ukrainian students, advising on immigration matters, providing guidance on financial support and directing them to other campus resources. The units within KU International Affairs have also worked to secure financial resources to support these students, who may be unable to return to their homes or face significant financial difficulties due to the war.

Additional support was leveraged for each enrolled Ukrainian undergraduate student to assist with expenses for the remainder of the 2021-2022 academic year. The financial aid was possible through support from the Institute of International Education, the KU International Affairs Advisory Board and KU International Affairs as well as the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and schools of Business and Engineering.

The financial assistance has been a ‘huge help’ for Hordiichuk and Verbytska. Both have faced unexpected challenges since the start of the war.

Prior to February, Hordiichuk and Verbytska had planned to return home over the summer. Now they are unsure when they will see their families again. The war has also made their families’ livelihoods uncertain. Verbytska’s mother works for the government and Hordiichuk’s parents own a small artificial Christmas tree production company. Additionally, for Hordiichuk there is the worry that family members could be drafted into the war.

“My dad might be drafted, that is a possibility,” Hordiichuk said. “And I would really, really hate that. I just hope it doesn’t happen. I try not to think about it and leave it for tomorrow me.”

Launch KU Campaign and Scholar Support

In April the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures, in conjunction with KUIA and the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, set up a dedicated fund within the International Affairs office. This effort is connected to an unfolding partnership with the Kyiv National Economic University, which is working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science on establishing Ukrainian Global University, an emerging consortium of higher education institutions in Ukraine that will identify needs and hosting opportunities for displaced students and scholars.

Donations to the fund will enable KU to support Ukrainian students at KU and to host displaced Ukrainian scholars and students.

The Office of Research and the College have each matched those funds, thus enabling KU to host two visiting professors for the current academic year.

Additionally, Graduate Studies and the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures are offering two fellowships and two graduate teaching assistantships for a one-year accelerated master’s degree in Slavic languages and literatures with a special concentration in Russian, East European & Eurasian studies to students from Ukraine. The program will offer visa support to students, as well as health insurance, tuition and a living stipend.

“As difficult as it is to see the devastating war in Ukraine unfold, it is important that we not sit idly by,” said Charles Bankart, senior internationalization officer for KU. “We can and are making a difference. This war deeply affects us all, not just our many Ukrainian Jayhawks here and around the world, and Russia’s invasion goes against everything we stand for as a community. Working together to support Ukraine in its time of greatest need is our responsibility, and I am proud of how our community has come together.”

Donations can be made through the KUIA Development Fund, please specify the gift will support Ukraine students, faculty and staff. Go to kuendowment.org to give.