Top managers and businessmen will speak with the director of the publishing house A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA about sources of inspiration and motivation. Issues discussed at the meeting will include the source of inspiration and motivation for oneself and others as well as creativity and faith: why when we are children do we think we are capable of anything, and where does this belief go when we get older.

The moderator of the meeting will be Vasyl Myroshnychenko, a partner at CFC Consulting, director and head of the Ukrainian Office at Ukrainian-British City Club.

Participation in meetings “Business Credo” of the UCU Lviv Business School is an opportunity for owners and executives to communicate in the format “business talk” with well-known figures in the Ukrainian and international environment. Guests at previous meetings have been Borys Gudziak, Krzysztof Zanussi, Myroslav Marynovych, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, and Yaroslav Hrytsak.

The event is free, but one must register and receive confirmation from the organizers. Seats are limited. With questions about registration, please contact Oksana Hmelenko, credo@lvbs.com.ua, phone  +38 044 425-39-37, 978-12-24 380 097.

On May 7-11 at UCU, well-known sociologist, professor of sociology at Georgetown University (USA), Jose Casanova gave a series of lectures on global secularization and its causes and consequences. He also spoke about the religious situation in Europe and the USA.

The public lectures were held as part of the Certificate Program “Religion in the Public space: A Christian Experience and Perspective.”

Referring to the poll ”Eurobarometer” (2005), Jose Casanova noted that unlike in the United States where the level of personal religiosity is quite high (even among unbaptized people), much of the population of Europe can be characterized as simply secular and nonreligious. “This indicates that since the 1950s in many European societies there has been a serious and dramatic decline in religiousness. However, since 1989 many post-communist countries, including Russia, and even more Ukraine, have experienced a religious revival.”

According to the researcher, from the comparative perspective European secularization should be understood as a process of sequential deconfessionalization of states, nations, and peoples, that is, the departure from religious identity. But the sociologist warns that when it comes to religion, there are no global rules. “It is obvious that all religions change from the influence of modernization and globalization, but they develop in different ways,” said Jose Casanova.

As for the religious situation in the United States, the professor suggested that religion remains important on three levels: as an individual spiritual religion, on the level of free and pluralistic denominalism, and for the formation of American nationalism through civil religion.

Senior Fellow in Georgetown’s Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs Jose Casanova stressed that all world religions have to respond to the global expansion of modern times. Accordingly, in the opinion of the professor, sociologists of religion should be less “obsessed” with measuring whether there is a decline or a rise in religion and be more focused on new forms of analysis: on the individual, group, and social levels.

“First, the skill, courage, endurance of this film deserves recognition. This film shows how one can conquer evil. Secondly, this journalist needs attention and protection because his work can hurt the interests of many people, and our attention becomes a shield for him,” explained the Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University Fr. Borys Gudziak, PhD, RISU reported.

“Freedom is the ability to rise above one’s own grief and to see a rainbow in the cloudy sky (or to paint it, as Kryvenko would say). A happy person is not always freedom loving, but a freedom-loving person is always happy. Freedom is having no fear of making mistakes, the ability to rise above reflexes, conventions and circumstances. Freedom is the ability to not fear death and the ability to think about what one will leave behind for descendants,” said Serhii Rakhmanin, the first laureate of the Oleksandr Kryvenko Award.

Sasha Kryvenko (May 13, 1963-April 9, 2003) – editor and essayist, founder of Postup and PiK, TSN, and Public Radio. Every year on his birthday his friends organize a Freedom Lecture and award a prize in his name to Ukrainian journalists.

For six days students will learn English at UCU. Classes will be conducted by highly qualified teachers from the Center of Modern Foreign Languages ​​and foreign teachers who volunteer at UCU.

The Center for Modern Foreign Languages ​​invites high school students to participate in English Week. The students will be able to communicate in English with students of UCU and native speakers. They will have a chance to improve their language skills and to join various contests and events. After the program each participant will receive a certificate.

Preliminary testing to determine the students’ level of English will be held on June 11 at 4:00 p.m. All interested persons should be sure to pre-register for the test by June 8 by calling 240 99 44, 0986165353, or by sending a message by e-mail to helga@ucu.edu.ua.

UCU Press Service

From April 26 to 28, a delegation from the Ukrainian Catholic University took part in the annual Assembly of the Federation of European Catholic Universities (FUCE).

This year’s assembly was devoted to the role of Catholic universities in cooperation with the Church. The assembly elected three representatives of the federation to represent the European tradition of Catholic education in the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU-FIUC). UCU Rector Fr. Borys Gudziak, PhD, was elected member of the directorate of the IFCU-FIUC.

The host of this year’s assembly was the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in Poland. A bilateral agreement on cooperation between UCU and the University of Lublin was signed during the assembly. The agreement cemented an old tradition of partnership between the universities.

UCU Press Service

The 8th Annual Ukrainian Investment Summit, organized by Adam Smith Conferences, was held successfully in London. This year it took place from April 18 to 20 in the Grange St Paul’s Hotel.

As it was pointed out by the organizers, the Adam Smith Ukrainian Investment Summit is the largest and longest established investment conference for Ukraine worldwide.

This year the Summit was really special and very well organized. First of all, it is worth noting that the day before the main program was dedicated to the team engaged in Ukrainian metal and mining.

During the rest of the two-day program, an original viewpoint on modern business was presented in the format of constructive speeches, conversations, discussions and debates in which took part key government officials, the top international strategic investors, respected analysts, and representatives of leading Ukrainian companies and financial institutions.

A lot of  Ukrainian companies use the Summit to interact with the international investment community and this list is growing: Galnaftogaz, Ferrexpo, System Capital Management, Industrial Union of Donbass, Naftogaz, Datagroup, Interpipe, Velyka Kishenya, United Media Holding, Smart Holding, Group DF, DTEK, MHP, Khortytsa, TAS Group, Ukrainian Railways, Ukravtodor and XXI Century.

The leading international strategic investors in Ukraine such as Arcelor Mittal, Shell, RUSAL, Kraft, HeidelbergCement, Kulczyk Holding, TNK-BP, Nestlé, SABMiller, MTS, Telenor, Damen Shipyards, AES, Danone, Dyckerhoff view the Summit as an ideal opportunity to share their experiences and debate what needs to be done to attract further investment.

The rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) Father Borys Gudziak, PhD, also gave a speech entitled “Freedom and Dignity: Corporate Social Responsibility in Post-Soviet Countries” at  the Summit in the session of Strategies of the Leading Companies in Ukraine to Deal with a Turbulent Economic Background. This theme was really new for the Summit and the participants were impressed with Father Gudziak’s ideas and understanding of business. “For an organization’s health, it is necessary to build institutional trust,” said Father Gudziak, and it was the main idea of the whole speech. 

He also showed another way of running a successful business based on the strong values of respect, trust, and responsibility. “There is a sense of responsibility – and this is a value. Responsibility is not a charity ball. It is what is reflected in every step of the organization – how decisions are made, how it works with people and other stakeholders. Responsibility is part of a strategy, beginning with the formulation of an idea to the last moment of its realization.” And the Ukrainian Catholic University was used as an example of an institution that can be proud of truly following all of these values. “UCU is attempting to form a corporate culture in which the dignity of people and their sense of well-being are priorities. We provide space to those who do not fit in other contexts. This tactic works.”

After the Summit expectations are high that new opportunities for investment in Ukraine will be established.

]]> http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1011/feed/ 0 http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1008/ http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1008/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 07:59:33 +0000 pkhud http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/?p=1008 ]]> Ukraine’s biggest challenge is creating a democratic government that would represent the interests of the people. Instead, we have a situation where the financial and economic players actually run the country. As long as Ukraine is not a democracy, it will not be possible to bring the state forward, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira said during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic University on April 26.

According to the ambassador of the EU, the political consciousness of Ukraine does not yet fully understand the importance of issues such as rule of law, human rights and the formation of values ​​professed by the European community. “These values ​​are not yet fully ingrained in the Ukrainian consciousness. But I am sure that the Ukrainian Catholic University shares European values​​. You can play an important role in transforming society and the process of reform,” said Jose Pinto Teixeira to UCU students.

He also noted that after the Orange Revolution, Ukraine had a lot of hope, and it seemed that it was on an irreversible path of reforms, especially due to the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which was an important milestone. “In recent years, many steps have been taken to bring Ukraine closer with the EU, but the events that unfolded in recent years have made Ukraine’s membership in the European Union not possible,” said Jose Pinto Teixeira Digest. “The EU does not tolerate the violation of fundamental values. The European Union has its own system of values ​​and Ukraine must independently decide whether to belong to the former Soviet Union or to the European community.”

He also expressed confidence that Ukrainians may profess the same values ​​as the European community, and so are able to achieve higher standards of social and economic development and become full EU members. To do this, Ukraine, according to the diplomat, must find the appropriate guidance, to have political will and take decisive steps.

Concluding the lecture, Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira said: “The youth is the future of Ukraine. Ukrainian young people should have the opportunity to develop, look at other models of society, should form an uncompromising position and believe that their strength will make a difference.”

]]> http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1008/feed/ 0 http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1003/ http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/news/1003/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:35:54 +0000 pkhud http://ucu.edu.ua/eng/?p=1003 ]]> “In the last 10 years predictive medicine has rapidly developed. On the basis of the genetic code (profile of all human genes) it allows us to see not only human health but also to predict how genes will develop and how to prevent mutations. The revolution in medicine is that we can not only treat but also predict disease and prevent damage from it,” said the director of the Molecular Pathology Lab Professor Yuriy Monczak.

From April 2 to 5 the professor at McGill and Montreal universities gave lectures at the School of Bioethics Catholic University on “Genetics and Molecular Biology: Bioethical Issues.”

According to the scientist, over the next 10 years traditional medicine will transform into molecular medicine, because there are more and more molecular tests that allow us to explore cancer and thus provide insight into how they can be cured.

“In the past 20 years there was a huge breakthrough in medicine. Until now, traditional medicine was based on morphology: experts studied how the body looks, the signs of a disease, and then used biochemical research. However, we try to heal the already injured the body. Now, molecular medicine provides us with an opportunity to look into the human body and investigate the cause of change,” says director of the Molecular Pathology Lab.

Such radical changes, according to Yury Monczak, generate many ethical and moral questions that scientists still do not know how to answer. Therefore, there is a great need to develop bioethics, particularly in Ukraine. “In this field the School of Bioethics at UCU has great potential. For the West, Ukraine is a blank slate, where one can write whatever he wants, as there is no relevant legislation, and financial hardship creates more temptations for the people – hence surrogacy and illegal organ transplants. Therefore, it is necessary to develop this science in Ukraine, so that specialists can have a real impact on the legislative process.”

Participant of the certificate program at the School of Bioethics UCU, fourth year student at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ilona Konteruk thinks that Yury Monczak’s lectures are relevant to the Ukrainian scientific community: “I think that molecular medicine will soon spread in Ukraine as it is a promising field in medicine, which opens new horizons in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Methods of research, diagnosis, prognosis opportunities – all are new to our context.”

However, the student believes that the development of genetics needs to be controlled, as there is a high risk of abuse, and curiosity and unlimited opportunities generate a lot of temptations.

This is the second course of lectures that the Canadian professor gave at the School of Bioethics. Last year he lectured students about new developments in molecular genetics and modern anticancer therapy.

 Professor Yuriy Monczak

 Dr. Yuriy Monczak is the director of the Molecular Pathology Lab and Professor of Genetics at the Medical Faculty of McGill University (Canada). Professor Monczak with his mother founded the Mykhailo Monczak, Rev. Ivan Hawryluk, Daria Kohutiak and Sofia Kokotska Memorial Fund as part of the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation. He cares about moral and ethical problems and their assessment from a Christian point of view. The idea of humanizing medicine based on Christian values ​​and respect for human life is important for him.

 UCU Press Service

A series of public lectures by Professor Yury Monczak from Canada  on “Genetics and Molecular Biology: Bioethical Issues” will be held from  April 2 to 5, at the UCU School of Bioethics. Yury Monczak is the director of the Molecular Pathology Lab and professor of medicine at McGill and Montreal Universities.

“The Molecular Pathology Lab in Canada is engaged in advanced research on incurable diseases, including cancer,” says the head of school of bioethics, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology Fr. Dr. Boyko. “So during his lectures at the School of Bioethics, Professor Yury Monczak will speak about new discoveries in medicine not only from a scientific point of view but also the bioethical one.”

The public lectures will take place in the conference hall of UCU (35 Khutorivka St.).

Yury Monczak is a guest professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University. Last year, he lectured at the UCU School of Bioethics about new opportunities in molecular genetics and modern anticancer therapy.

Fr. Dr. Boyko added that today UCU has a School of Bioethics, which offers a certificate program. ”In the future we plan to develop and offer alternative forms of education that will be available for all,” summed up Fr. Boyko.

Professor Yury Monczak

Dr. Yury Monczak is the director of the Molecular Pathology Lab and Professor of Genetics at the Medical Faculty of McGill University (Canada). Professor Monczak with his mother founded the Mykhailo Monczak, Rev. Ivan Hawryluk, Daria Kohutiak and Sofia Kokotska Memorial Fund as part of the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation. He cares about moral and ethical problems and their assessment from a Christian point of view. The idea of humanizing medicine based on Christian values ​​and respect for human life is important for him.

UCU Press Service

The Ukrainian Catholic University Student Brotherhood in Lviv is organizing an event “Easter Together” for students from Eastern, Central and Southern Ukraine.

On the day before Easter, April 14, organizers expect about 200 students from Poltava, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Odesa and the Crimea to come to Lviv. “We are now looking for families who would like to host a student for three days,” said the coordinator, UCU student Lubomyr Leshchuk. “By April 8, we will create a database of those who wish to come and those who will accept visitors. So please submit applications.”

The main purpose of the event, according to organizers, is to acquaint visitors from East and South of Ukraine with the traditions of the celebration of the Resurrection in Galicia. “We want our guests to feel the mood that prevails in Lviv during the festivities, show them the traditions of our region,” explained Lubomyr Leshchuk.

“Easter Together” has been held in Lviv since 2010. Last year more than one hundred students came to Lviv to celebrate.

 For five years the family of Petro Didula has hosted students for “Easter Together.” Last year the family celebrated Easter with three students from Melitopol: “By hosting students, you have a unique opportunity to learn more about Ukraine without leaving the city limits. You form new and interesting and unexpected friendships. We enable people from the East to experience our Western traditions, and at the same time we understand that we are the same in essential things – we have the same problems and the same joys in life. It can be felt only when you communicate directly with young people,” said Petro Didula.