Seton Hall and Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) have signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize and expand their existing partnership, Seton Hall announced on September 23.
The schools have partnered in many capacities over the last year.
“The idea came after several successful collaborations…including joint history and language classes, faculty development workshops, and online cultural exchanges, ” said Dr. Mary Kate Naatus, assistant provost and dean of continuing and professional education. “These experiences showed the value of a deeper, more formal relationship.”
The benefactors of this deal hope that the formal relationship will lead to more research and, as Naatus put it, “collaborative online international learning (COIL),” which is designed to foster greater cultural understanding.
These opportunities extend to students and faculty on both campuses. In Lviv, students learn through joint online classes and in-person classes taught by SHU professors like Andrew Misura, who has taught at an English summer school for the past two years.
“The program is an intensive language immersion program for first and second-year students from various programs, including social work, ethics, policy and economics, as well as seminarians,” Misura said.
As the director of media and marketing strategy, Misura spoke to how meaningful the program has been for the Ukrainian students.
“The most rewarding part was watching students grow from hesitant to confident English speakers by the end of the program,” he said.
Both universities have been connected for years by their commitment to the “Catholic intellectual tradition, promoting truth through faith and reason while upholding human dignity, justice and solidarity,” Naatus said.
The two parties hope that the bond formed by this shared value system will extend beyond the classroom.
SHU has been dedicated to expanding its cultural outreach in recent years, an initiative that includes other Ukrainian universities, such as Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, where faculty and students contributed to joint research published in the ‘Young Scholars Grinchenko-Seton International Journal,’” Naatus said.
Despite this, the formal partnership remains significant. Amid challenging socio-political issues, UCU has been a beacon of Catholicism.
“UCU is the first Catholic university to be opened in the territory of the former Soviet Union…,” Misura said. “For Seton Hall students, this means a chance to learn alongside peers who are shaping Ukraine’s future during a pivotal time for their country.”
The announcement of this partnership came a day after SHU announced its new For All, Forever campaign, focused on the university’s efforts towards a future of faith, service and collaboration. UCU announced a similar campaign earlier this year titled UCU Strategy 2030, focused on developing communities and healing the wounds of the war it has faced.
With both universities focused on laying the groundwork for future generations, leaders of the initiative are hopeful that students and faculty will continue to reap the benefits of expanded cultural exchange and academic collaboration.
Brandon Strohl is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. He can be reached at brandon.strohl@student.shu.edu.
