University of Alberta Joins Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies

The University of Alberta, through the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) and the Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, has officially joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, an international initiative launched under the leadership of Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska to strengthen Ukrainian studies worldwide and foster greater international academic collaboration around Ukraine.

The Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the University of Alberta's participation in the Coalition was signed in Toronto on 11 September 2026, during the visit of the First Lady to Canada. Dr. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, and Dr. Oleksandr Pankieiev, director of the Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, Faculty of Arts, traveled to Toronto to participate in the meeting hosted by Mrs. Olena Zelenska and Mrs. Diana Fox Carney to acknowledge universities and cultural institutions joining the Coalition.

The University of Alberta has joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary since the establishment of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Founded in 1976 through the joint effort of the University, the Government of Alberta, and the Ukrainian Canadian community, CIUS continues to support research, scholarship, teaching, and publishing in the field of Ukrainian studies, advancing knowledge about Ukraine and its diverse communities at home and abroad, while actively engaging scholarship across cultures, religions, political divides, and international borders. A pioneer of community engaged scholarship, Kule Folklore Centre marks its twenty fifth anniversary since its inception in 2001. Membership in the Coalition opens new opportunities to deepen international academic partnerships, develop collaborative research and educational initiatives, and further strengthen the global network of Ukrainian studies.

Reflecting on the importance of the Memorandum, CIUS director Natalia Khanenko-Friesen said: “One of the focal events for the academics invited to participate in the state visit of Ukraine's President Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska to Canada was a special meeting hosted by Madame Diana Fox Carney and Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska for the new members of the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies. As director of CIUS, which has been an avid supporter of the Coalition since its inception in 2024 and is now one of its new members, I found it especially moving to listen to Mrs. Zelenska's words recognizing the contributions our institute has made to Ukraine and its sovereignty over fifty years of operation."

Launched in 2024, the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies brings together universities and academic institutions committed to expanding the study of Ukraine's history, culture, language, literature, and contemporary society. In just two years, the initiative has grown to include 100 universities in 27 countries, with another 100 institutions expressing interest in joining. The University of Alberta was among five Canadian educational and cultural institutions joining the Coalition, alongside Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, MacEwan University, and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada.

Photos Credit: Office of the President of Ukraine