Notre Dame Law School expands partnership with the Ukrainian Catholic University

Notre Dame Law School has further deepened its ties with the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) after the universities formalized an agreement to significantly expand their existing partnership.

Deans G. Marcus Cole of Notre Dame Law School and Svitlana Khyliuk of the Ukrainian Catholic University School of Law met earlier this spring to discuss further widening and deepening the collaboration between the two law schools. Notre Dame Law School aims to support UCU’s efforts to establish itself as a mission-driven leader in legal pedagogy in Ukraine. Cole and Khyliuk also spoke about possibilities for collaboration in support of UCU’s work on constitutional reform and laws and policies meant to shape its response to Russian aggression and to inform post-conflict planning for a proudly independent Ukraine.

In addition, Cole announced a substantial financial commitment in support of UCU exchange students. For the next three years, Notre Dame Law School will fund visits from two UCU students per year.

In the spring 2023 semester, Notre Dame Law School hosted three law students from UCU — Adriana Hrytsyna, Solomiia Humen, and Vitaliia Mahas. In spring 2024, the Law School hosted two UCU law students — Nazar Dudchak and Ilona Pekar.

Khyliuk visited Notre Dame as a visiting scholar in the fall of 2021 through the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. During her semester at Notre Dame, Khyliuk spent a significant amount of time at the Law School, where she taught a course on the European Court of Human Rights’ approach to human rights. Khyliuk has been an enthusiastic supporter of the UCU students who have studied at Notre Dame Law School thus far and of the exchange program between the University of Notre Dame and UCU.

Notre Dame and UCU have fostered strong academic, religious, and cultural connections for more than two decades. The relationship between the two institutions strengthened following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Notre Dame has increased its support for UCU through various initiatives, with the establishment of an exchange program for UCU undergraduate and graduate students serving as a central part of their collaboration.

Read more about the Law School’s Global Lawyering Initiative here.