**Update January 6, 2022** A huge thanks to everyone who has contributed thus far; the response has been amazing and we have met our initial goal and since raised it. We'd love to keep the fundraising going to ensure that this prize can be offered in perpetuity.  We also know that Lubko has touched so many lives and not everyone has had a chance to contribute, so we are leaving the fundraiser open.  AAUS will email all contributors a receipt for their donations, since we are a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and your contribution may be tax deductible.**

The American Association of Ukrainian Studies (AAUS) is fundraising to establish a new Lubomyr Hajda Graduate Student Prize, to be awarded annually to the best graduate student paper in the field of Ukrainian studies.

 

Lubomyr (Lubko to his many friends) Hajda has had an enormous impact on the Ukrainian Studies community in North America. His long-standing dedication to Ukraine, both personal and professional, has enriched the academic and diaspora communities in myriad ways. In particular, Lubko's deep commitment to helping others has included his mentorship of countless PhD and master’s students over the years, especially those affiliated with the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) and the Davis Center, where he held leadership positions for many decades. To honor his scholarly and personal contributions to Ukrainian studies, the AAUS is raising funds to endow a prize in his honor.

 

Lubko (PhD, Harvard, 1984) is the author of numerous books and articles in the field of Ukrainian studies. He has been an integral part of HURI for more than fifty years, including as Associate Director for two and a half decades. While Lubko retired from HURI in 2018, the impact he has had will last for decades to come. Lubko’s dedication to, and influence on, scholars of Ukraine cannot be overstated; his generosity with his time and expertise has enriched the lives of hundreds of his students, colleagues, and friends.

 

Consequently, rather than soliciting one large gift to fund this prize, the AAUS is reaching out via crowdsourcing to those whose lives have been directly impacted by Lubko’s tireless commitment to advancing the study of Ukraine. Crowdsourcing will allow everyone a chance to contribute, in whatever way--and in whatever amount--works for them.

 

Please join us in commemorating the extraordinary impact Lubko Hajda has had on the lives and careers of his students! No contribution is too large or too small.

 

 

AAUS is a registered non-profit educational organization founded in 1989 and dedicated to furthering knowledge about Ukraine, popularizing Ukrainian studies, providing career-building resources to its members, and making the intellectual resources of the organization available to the media and general public. The membership of AAUS primarily consists of scholars and students from the United States and Canada, although we also have international members, including from Ukraine. AAUS is the American affiliate of the International Association for Ukrainian Studies (IAUS, or MAU in Ukrainian), and is also an affiliate of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN).