Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine
The Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine promotes a scholarly understanding of the government, economy, and society of contemporary Ukraine, as well as the country’s history and culture.
Established in 2001 with the support of Petro Jacyk and the Petro Jacyk Education Foundation, the program is housed within the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) at the Munk School. Program activities and initiatives are administered by the Director of CEES and Program Administrator in consultation with the Program’s Coordinating Committee.
CERES Name-Change Announcement
The region that we study is changing rapidly and dramatically. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now over two years old. The annexation of Crimea is more than ten years old. The referendum on Brexit occurred nearly 8 years ago. Germany has again become a significant foreign policy actor. There is both unprecedented unity of purpose within most of Europe and an equally unprecedented question-mark looming about US support for NATO. Much of this was unthinkable when CERES came into being in 2006. But, here we are in 2024, and the unthinkable is happening before our very eyes. This cannot help but shift how we conduct research about, teach about, and learn about Europe and Eurasia.
As most of you are aware, over the past years such “real-world” changes have given rise to informal conversations about the Centre’s mission and its name. Gradually, informal conversations became more formal, with a faculty retreat, a series of surveys, and consultations with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, both within CERES and across the university. A proposal to change the Centre’s name emerged, and that proposal was discussed thoroughly and extensively before being subjected to a full governance process. Although the full-scale invasion of Ukraine undoubtedly accelerated these discussions, consideration of new names for our centre began well before February 2022. As a result of these processes, beginning July 1, 2024, our Centre will have a new name: the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. Correspondingly, our thriving MA program will have a new degree name: MA in European and Eurasian Studies. Our new name aligns with the practices of other regional studies centres around the university, referencing a geographic region rather than highlighting single countries.
