says Dr. Borys Hudziak, rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University
“There are nine hundred Catholic universities across the world, but these institutions do not seem to have exhausted the potential of the overall paradigm of a Catholic university. We ought to consider as exemplary also various state and privately run educational establishments. Proceeding from the existing models, we try to find in the UCU operating modes answering the needs of the Ukrainian Christians and the state. We have complex work to do, forming a new kind of educational establishment, with clear-cut principles but simultaneously very flexible in looking for new effective ways to provide a first rate post-secondary education to both Ukrainian and foreign students and raise them as responsible citizens and advanced members of society.
“It should be stressed that the student body and teaching staff represent all three branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Catholics of the three rites (Greek, Roman, and Armenian), along with students of other Christian confessions. There are interconfessional student communities in all countries accommodating Catholic universities. In Ukraine, the situation is complicated, as confessions that had long been severely persecuted by the regime started reviving only a decade ago, so interconfessional conflicts occur now and then. We have worked at Lviv’s Theological Academy for eight years and the UCU was set on its basis, meaning that we have a considerable experience in interconfessional cooperation, with regard to the teaching staff and in terms of research projects and all-Ukraine conferences shaping the teaching process. We certainly strive to become a constructive factor in the global interconfessional process, but we claim no leading role, for it is only our Lord and well-meaning people that will show whether we are called upon to play a more important ecumenical role. Ecumenism, of course, requires a peaceful understanding of the reality, the historical reality surrounding us, as well as our historical past. We hope that we will at least do no harm in the ecumenical realm.
“Ukrainian post-secondary education is in the process of not only post-Communist reform, but also reforms that are compulsory for all countries, because the times change and so do needs and means. Modern higher education must concentrate on every student’s creative potential. One of the greatest problems of the Ukrainian higher educational system is overburdening the students with academic hours. If a student has 30 or more hours a week, where will he/she find the time to read or do independent research?
“Another important task for the Ukrainian higher schools is the development of their autonomy. Post-secondary education, let alone science, cannot exist without freedom. It is always a sensitive issue of balancing between the norms securing a university’s responsibility before society and, say, that university’s charisma. In Ukraine, this balance is upset by central control. Last year, Lviv’s Franko University held a very interesting conference on the higher school’s greater autonomy. We in the sphere of Ukrainian education will have to work hard on this principal issue.
“The Ukrainian educational system has certain stimuli, one being the presence of certain general educational traditions. For example, an average Ukrainian intellectual reads more than his American counterpart, deriving knowledge from both the national cultural heritage and numerous other sources (Ukrainians are well read in Georgian, French, Brazilian literature, and so on). A Ukrainian school student usually knows more about world geography than his US or Italian counterpart. These are advantages that, regrettably, tend to disappear. We see that less and less books are published in Ukraine, particularly Ukrainian language editions, and the latter are in a decreasing demand. I think that the Ukrainian higher schools must be computerized, but a PC cannot replace books and the reading process as such. Therefore, we are faced with a very important task, encouraging our students to read and upholding their interest in the process.
“UCU’s predecessor, Lviv’s theological academy, carried out important experiments. Among other things, we demonstrated a serious attitude to foreign language (academy graduates knew at least six); an important component of a liberal education was included in all curricula. The hyperspecialization trend, while certainly producing specialists advanced in their respective fields, is rather dangerous on the other hand, because we seem to forget that we are human and participants in, if not leaders of, sophisticated human processes requiring awareness and understanding of not only some narrow fields of knowledge. Therefore, we support the principle of an extensive liberal education, including history proper, history of music, arts, and culture. This is the kind of experience we are prepared to share with other institutions of learning.
“I think that all living in Ukraine, regardless of their persuasions, are concerned about ethical issues, crime rate, corruption, and bureaucratic irresponsibility at various levels. We often hear about modern Ukraine’s cultural impoverishment. It is the UCU’s main task to try to perceive and raise a new generation of leaders and responsible citizens on the principles of ethic dictates and Christian tradition; this may serve as a strong morally reviving factor for business, politics, and social process.
“I think that every worker in the educational sphere and every institution of learning must be aware of this tremendous responsibility. Every Ukrainian student getting enrolled at the UCU seeks not only knowledge, but also a good example at the level of philosophic principles and daily conduct. Without doubt, we assume a great responsibility, but it must be borne by every worker in the higher educational domain.
“Many constantly wonder about the recognition of theology as an academic discipline. The more so that this process of recognition has long been completed in Russia and Belarus. Theology is formally acknowledged in Ukraine, but it does not have appropriate official standards, without which no theological curricula can be licensed. Passivity must be the reason, lack of determination and prejudiced attitude to anything new.
“People often ask where the line is drawn between secular and church life at the UCU. The point is that we aim at upholding the life of an integral individual. Until recently things spiritual were forcefully and ruthlessly separated from things material, as were things profoundly human and individual from things social, church life from that of the state. There is no simple solution to this problem, yet our initiative relies on intuition and profound conviction that today, more than ever before, different aspects of human nature, of our society, various kinds of leaders must be synthesized as much as absolutely possible. I am a historian, I have studied at several universities in four countries and done some research. I spent 14 years as a postgraduate and was involved in various teaching projects. I was ordained at 38. But can I draw that line between a scholar and a shepherd? Even if I did, it wouldn’t be natural. The same is true of any other individual, society or country. I think that artificially opposing that which is spiritual to that which is material, secular to religious, belongs to the past. There was a historical period of sacral hegemony, eventually replaced by a secular one. I believe that secularity, while yielding very important results, discovering new aspects of the human potential, proved far from perfect in its most radical manifestations. Ukraine saw just how destructive and genocidal that secularity could become... We live at a very interesting period marked by new quests. Experts on culture call this period postmodern; we could call it postsecular because we know we must put together various aspects of our life which was smashed to bits. I consider this the greatest challenge of our times.
“In our work one must distinguish between training courses involving the Greek Catholic dogmas and 90% other subjects and topics taught at the university. The Greek Catholic dogmas must be represented in terms of confession. Other confessions must be instructed in accordance with their inner principles and canons. The curricula include Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant church life and dogmas. Naturally, any higher school, including the UCU, must respect the dignity and freedom of every member of such a scholarly and educational community. At our university a student can be an atheist, but if so, he isn’t likely to enter the theology department. We do not in principle reject admittance to applicants that are not Greek Catholics or believers in general.
“We must be open for all people having the good will to increase their intellectual and spiritual capacity. The essence of our Christian faith is that man was created by the Lord in His image and after His likeness, and that freedom belongs to the inalienable attributes of man. Just as no one can be made to fall in love, it is impossible to force anyone to feel a genuine spiritual empathy. This can only be offered.
“Of course, not all of the readers will be instantly convinced that a definite spiritual identity can be combined with complete freedom, but I invite you to visit our university and see how we deal with the great challenge of shaping a solid rather than split personality. All your suggestions concerning this complex problem will be welcome.
“As for our direct “subordination” to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, I must explain that the UCU was made a reality by a volunteer organization made up of people representing the UGCC clergy and parishioners. That organization elected a supervisory board known as the university senate. It consists of Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, other adherents, laymen and clergymen from Kyiv, Europe, and North America. The supervisory board has 10 members and is authorized to elect rectors and new members (the self-rejuvenation principle). It further determines the principles and strategic guidelines. In other words, our organization is legally a private entity, not established directly by UGCC, but the Church is, of course, interested and involved; it influences the UCU through its representatives at the executive level. At the same time, the UCU retains its intellectual autonomy which is necessary to carry out its mission. We have a lot of plans, but it’s no time for loud declarations. The inauguration did take place, the festivities are already history, so now is the time to roll up our sleeves and fulfill our promises. This year the rectorate plans to shape the curricula, expand the library, develop interuniversity contacts, particularly with Lviv University, as the theological academy signed a co-operation agreement with it. By the way, LU Rector Prof. Ivan Vakarchuk is a member of the UCU Senate, meaning additional cooperation opportunities. Therefore, it’s time for specific deeds that will be the best proof of the Catholic University’s intentions and actual capacities.”
