IU expands program supporting Ukrainian scholars to eight universities

IU program supporting Ukrainian scholars

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana University’s fellowship program supporting at-risk Ukrainian scholars is expanding to eight universities with help from the Big Ten Academic Alliance.

With Indiana University spearheading the initiative, the IU-Ukraine Nonresidential Scholars Program is now growing, offering even more opportunities for academic collaboration and support.

The expansion will include eight more universities, including Penn State, University of Michigan, and Ohio State.

Professor Sarah Phillips, coordinator of the IU-Ukraine Nonresidential Scholars Program, gave thanks to the Big Ten Academic Alliance.

“We had 330 applications from Ukrainian scholars. It looks like our incoming cohort is going to be a cohort of 40 fellows,” Phillips said.

IU responded to Russia invading Ukraine by launching the initial program just months after the conflict began. Scholars include professors, graduate and PHD students.

“IU has had a host of virtual scholars who have benefitted from a stipend, basically a years salary, and access to all of the electronic resources of IU Bloomington,” Phillips said.

The program helps the scholars shelter in place until they decide to either leave Ukraine or stay in their country, once things are more safe.

“These are academic scholars who, for legal reasons, academic reasons, or personal reasons, are unable to leave or don’t want to leave Ukraine amidst this terrible ongoing war, and continue their work in education,” Phillips said.

Phillips said the students appreciate having a sense of solidarity as the fellowship offers a sense of connection to the global academic community.

“They have really talked about the importance of the sense of the community that has been developed throughout this program. The fact that they’re able to establish relationships with scholars in the United States, with an eye towards continuing to work together, apply for grant funding, there have been wonderful opportunities for the Ukrainian scholars to give guest lectures,” Philips said.

IU hopes to continue to expand the program even more in the future, especially in other areas around the world.

“We’d envision proposing programs like this for scholars in Syria, Sudan, in Gaza. It really is a model of support for scholars in similar situations,” Phillips said.

The scholars are being onboarded to the program and will get their formal appointments at their respected Big Ten Academic Alliance school starting in the middle of December.