According to the latest report from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, seven thousand scholars have fled Ukraine and thousands more have been displaced within the country since Russia launched a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. To date, over 170 Ukrainian institutions of higher education have been damaged and more than 20 have been completely destroyed. And the academics who stayed in Ukraine now conduct their research, teaching, and public service in very challenging circumstances.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, universities around the world began helping Ukrainian academics in exile through a mix of publicly and privately funded ‘scholars at risk’ initiatives. These initiatives have done much to help Ukrainian refugees. But the loss of faculty combined with the destruction of basic infrastructure means that the Ukrainian academy is in dire need of international assistance. With that said, the Centre for Civic Engagement will begin addressing the needs of the Ukrainian academy by offering institutional, intellectual, and financial support for students, scholars, and publicly engaged academics in Ukraine.
