The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America

The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America or SUSTA, its acronym for Soyuz Ukrayinskykh Studentskykh Tovarystv Ameryky;(Ukrainian: Союз Українських Студентських Товариств Америки (СУСТА)) — a non-profit, apolitical, organisation run by Ukrainian and/or Ukrainian-American students/alumni of institutions of higher education. SUSTA was created in order to promote the creation and networking of Ukrainian student clubs at American universities, to educate and inform Ukrainian-American students about issues relevant to them, to encourage the development of a Ukrainian-American student movement, to foster an understanding among non-Ukrainian ethnic groups as to Ukrainian affairs and issues, to promote the formation of local Ukrainian clubs at American Universities and to support Ukrainian clubs with resources and ideas for events. The Federation welcomes all who are interested in Ukraine, its culture, history, and society.

SUSTA
The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America
Motto"VIRIBUS UNITIS"
(United effort)
Location136 2nd ave, New York, NY 10003
Established1953
Vice presidentsMykyta Safronenko
TrusteesBohdan A Futey, Eleonora Hust-Kulchytska†, Zinovii Melnyk†
Members7573
AffiliationsUCCA (УККА), CUUS (ЦЕСУС), SUSK (СУСК), UACC (УАКРада)
Websitesustaportal.org

Mission statement

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The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America was established with the intention of fostering cooperation among Ukrainian Student Organizations and promoting their interests at large. SUSTA aims to facilitate the creation and development of Ukrainian student clubs and Ukrainian Studies programs at American universities. SUSTA disseminates information about current issues in Ukraine among all students and other community members.

History

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In July 1952 the preliminary steps toward the formation of the Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations (SUSTA) began with an initial organizing meeting held at the time of the UCCA convention in New York City. The 40 attending students set in motion the organizing process, which was primarily entrusted to the student community in Cleveland.

In August of that year, a joint meeting of the Cleveland and New York students clubs laid the foundation for the November forum that created an interim secretariat responsible for organizing the founding congress. That congress was held at Columbia University in April 1953 with 68 delegates representing 22 Ukrainian student clubs attending. The total membership of Ukrainian students at that time was 654 at 50 universities and colleges.

The first Congress elected an 11-member executive board that was headed by Eleonora Kulchycka as president. The Congress declared that it was continuing the spirit of the First All-Ukrainian Student Congress held in Lviv 45 years earlier and that its purpose was to “ensure academic freedom and student rights and obligations, to represent individual student interests and nurture academic life, ... for building better organizational forums for Ukrainian students outside of Ukraine.”

SUSTA was crucial to the efforts of the Ukrainian community in establishing Chairs in Ukrainian History, Linguistics, and Literature at Harvard University and to the formation in 1973 of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.

The Federation was dormant in the decade before its revival in 2006 by a group of students from Columbia University, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and Villanova University.

Executive Boards

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SUSTA’s official logo, as adopted from the logo created by Roman Tabatchouk for the 2006 SUSTA Conference at Rutgers University
Student of University of Maryland, Victor Zagreba - Regional Vice President (Washington). November 20, 2011.

SUSTA's Presidents

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Eleonora Kulchytska (1891-1980), First President of SUSTA
SUSTA's Presidents
Term Name
1975-1976 Iwan Prynada
1973-1975 Eugene Iwanciw
1972-1973 Yuriy Serant
1971-1972 Inya Gikava
1970-1971 Nestor Tomycz
1969-1970 Kvitka Semenyshyn
1968-1969 Andrij W. Chornodolsk
1967-1968 Yuriy Kulchytskyy
1966-1967 Bohdan Satsiuk
1965-1966 Ihor Duma
1963-1965 Bohdan A. Futey
1961-1963 Volodymyr-Walter D Prybyla
1959-1961 Kostiantyn Savchuk
1957-1959 Zenon Kravets
1955-1957 Oleh S. Fedyshyn
1953-1955 Eleonora Hust-Kulchytska

(First President of SUSTA)

1952 Zinovii Melnyk

(Head of the Working Committee)

Past Executive Boards

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Governing Board 2011-2012
Governing Board 2011-2012
Position Name University
President/Executive Director Maksym Plakhotnyuk University of Illinois at Chicago
Executive Vice President Thomas Maksymiuk Pennsylvania State University
Treasurer Stephan Horon Pennsylvania State University
Regional Vice President

Washington

Victor Zagreba The University of Maryland,

College Park

Governing Board 2010-2011
Governing Board 2010-2011
Position Name University
President/Executive Director Vira Partem Lehigh University
Executive Vice President Olya Yarychkivska Columbia University
Treasurer Roksolana Starodub University of Pennsylvania
Secretary Ostap Tymchuk University of Pennsylvania
Webmaster Pavlo Kononenko Harvard University
Webmaster Roman Vengrenyuk Drexel University
Webmaster Oleh Kotsyuba Harvard University
Governing Board 2009-2010
Governing Board 2009-2010
Position Name University
President/Executive Director Bohdan Pechenyak Drexel University
Executive Vice President Oleh Kotsyuba Harvard University
Secretary Tetiana Sears Columbia University
Webmaster Andrij Harasewych Villanova University
Governing Board 2008-2009
Governing Board 2008-2009
Position Name University
President Bohdan Ignaschenko University of Pennsylvania
Executive Vice President Iryney Makarukha University of Pennsylvania
Director of External Relations,

Websmaster

Andrij Harasewych Villanova University
Business Director Yuliya Sychikova University of Pennsylvania
Director of Operations Ksenia Yachmetz New York University
Alumni Coordinator Andrew Laszyn Rutgers University
Director of Technology Hanna Maksymova University of Pennsylvania
Regional Vice President Midwest Zenon Halatyn Rutgers University
Regional Vice President Northeast Victor Podpirka New York University
Regional Vice President South Gregory Marecki Tufts University
Governing Board 2007-2008
Governing Board 2007-2008
Position Name University
President Zenon Tech-Czarny Rutgers University
Vice President, Webmaster Andrij Harasewych Villanova University
Project Director Igor Makar University of Pennsylvania
Governing Board 2006-2007
Governing Board 2006-2007
Position Name University
President Adrian Podpirka Columbia University
Vice President Zenon Tech-Czarny Rutgers University
Director of Public Relations Mark Pokora University of Michigan
Administrator, Webmaster Andrij Harasewych Villanova University

References

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