Dear Sirs and Madams,

My name is Svitlana Khyliuk. I serve as a Director for the Law School of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) based in Lviv, Ukraine.

We are a leading law school in Ukraine, working on principles of merit only. We aim to become one of the best law schools in Central Europe. So far, we were financed mainly by donation of Ukrainian small and medium businesses. Scattered by the ongoing war, our local donors cannot support us anymore. Therefore, I am reaching out to you with a request to consider supporting us for the period of the war with a donation to fund scholarships for our students.

The UCU was founded in 1929 in Lviv. Our University’s past was not an easy one. The University was banned during the Soviet era, but reopened its doors in 1994, after the USSR collapsed and Ukraine regained its independence. UCU is a community founded on the principles of respecting human dignity and serving society, hardened in the fight against Soviet legacy in higher education, and supported by donors from all over the world. It is here that a new generation is being formed to build a new Ukraine.

In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity, UCU established its own Law School to train a new generation of lawyers committed to the rule of law and justice. In 2016, we launched the first Master’s program in human rights in Ukraine, which in 2018 was number one nationwide by the merit of entrants and remains in the top to this day. In 2020, we launched our Bachelor’s program in law, with half of its students belonging to top five percent of high school graduates in Ukraine.

87% of our graduates find work in their chosen field within six months after graduation. They usually choose one of three major options to kickstart their careers: leading international and national law firms, non-governmental, and international organizations, or newly-formed government agencies in Ukraine.

Our Law School relies on three main sources of income – tuition fees, scholarships, and fundraising. UCU, as a private institution and does not receive any government funding. To ensure that no talent is left behind for financial reasons, we waive study fees and add a scholarship for students from low-income households. When the war started we paid for 40 students the study fee (fully or partly). Leading Ukrainian law firms have been supported the Law School since its inception.

Our Law School is a place where any talented young person can receive a world-class education thanks to scholarships provided by our generous donors. Unfortunately, since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24th, we have lost most of our funding within Ukraine, as most businesses have suffered staggering losses. These funding sources can only be restored once local businesses have recovered, which could take several years after the war ends. To help our students, we must significantly increase the share of fundraising revenues that would allow us to provide at least three times more scholarships (up to 120). To achieve this goal and to serve Ukraine’s young and bright people, we are seeking contributions from donors that can cover the cost of scholarships for deserving students and/or salaries for our faculty.

We invite you to contribute to building a new generation of legal professionals in Ukraine by supporting our Law School. We would be delighted to welcome you to UCU with motivational speeches, presentations on topical legal issues, and master classes.

We would be most grateful if you could provide your financial support to our students and professors and spread the word about us among your friends and colleagues. I am at your disposal for any further question you might have or if you wish to meet online to present you our Law School in greater detail.

The war is a terrible experience. However, we must not let Russia’s unprovoked, aggressive, treacherous, and atrocious war stop us from fulfilling our mission. I believe that with your support our Law School has a better chance to emerge even stronger after the war.

I greatly appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to hearing from you. With respect and hopes for future cooperation,

Svitlana Khyliuk
PhD, Director
School of Law
Ukrainian Catholic University
207, Khutorivka Str. 35a, Lviv, Ukraine,
79070

Email: svitlana_khyliuk@ucu.edu.ua
Cell, WhatsApp, Telegram +380976248283
https://www.facebook.com/svitlana.hylyuk/

We would greatly appreciate any donation and invite you to consider the following information about our Law School’s funding needs:

• Yearly Student’s Scholarship (supports a student’s year of study)
• Semester Student’s Scholarship (supports a student’s semester of study)
• Yearly Professor’s Scholarship (covers expenditures for a year of faculty member tenure)
  
  

To make donation online, please, follow the link

https://supporting.ucu.edu.ua/en/donate/?order=law_school