Manor College’s Ukraine Dialogue Returns November 6

The event discusses First Lady Olena Zelenska’s Diplomacy Exporting Ukrainian Culture through Academia.

Manor College’s Ukraine Dialogue returns on Thursday, November 6. The theme for the event is First Lady Olena Zelenska’s Diplomacy Exporting Ukrainian Culture through Academia.

The program discusses the First Lady of Ukraine’s new initiative, how it is preserving Ukrainian culture globally, and how it enlisted the world’s most esteemed colleges and universities to ensure the culture lives on for future generations.

Panelists for the event include Dr. Olha Oseredchuk, Head of the Project Office for the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies and Olga Budnyk, Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Support of Education, Science and Sports. The event is moderated by Roman Popadiuk, Former American Ambassador to Ukraine.

The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies launched in 2024 with support from Zelenska, bringing together nearly 100 universities worldwide, including institutions from South Africa, Canada, Korea and Japan. In September 2025, Manor College was among several higher education institutions in the United States to formally join the coalition.

“We are doing our part to ensure that Ukraine’s culture is preserved globally,” Dr. Jonathan Peri, Manor College President, said. “We’re joining with some of the world’s most esteemed colleges and universities, so that no matter how desperately Russia attempts to squelch Ukraine’s culture, it will live on and grow, having the opposite effect from what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin intends.”

Manor College joined the Coalition because of its current and continuing legacy of promoting Ukrainian Heritage. The institution is the only college in the United States established by an order of Ukrainian Sisters, the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great.

In 1977, Manor College established the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center on campus in 1988 to preserve, promote and perpetuate Ukrainian culture and traditions through educational and cultural programs. Two years ago, Manor College established Project Resilience, which acquires and digitizes materials of significant historic and cultural value to Ukrainian Diaspora studies for global access to preserve, enrich and inspire future generations.

The Ukraine Dialogue is free to attend both in person and via Zoom thanks to our sponsor, Self Reliance Financial Federal Credit Union. To register for the in-person event, click here. To attend via Zoom, register here.