collection - Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre fonds

The Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) is an endowed institution within MacEwan University. It was created as a project development centre, operating through internal partnerships with faculties and external relationships with other universities in Canada. It was formally established and recognized on April 21, 1988 when the Board of Governors of Grant MacEwan Community College passed a motion officially establishing URDC as a component of the College. As an established centre within the institution, the director of URDC was in direct contact with MacEwan Vice-Presidents and faculty Deans, allowing for a high degree of transparency and communication. The URDC offices were initially located at the Jasper Place Campus, and later moved to the City Centre Campus.
In the years between 1987-1991, the URDC worked in the local community to bolster the arts, music, languages, business, and agriculture, focusing its efforts on developing the Ukrainian community within Canada’s borders as part of a broader national movement towards multiculturalism. This focus shifted in 1991 when the collapse of the Soviet Union brought on renewed interest from Ukrainian Canadians in returning to and developing Ukraine. Today, the Centre engages in initiatives that promote community development and intercultural dialogue. Through provincial, national and international projects, they link MacEwan to universities in Ukraine and to academic and cultural centres that are devoted to Ukraine, in Canada and abroad.

The Ukrainian Foundation for College Education (UFCE) was established in 1994 to raise, manage, and donate funds for URDC projects and programs. Its efforts have resulted in partnerships between MacEwan University and universities in Ukraine and Eastern Europe such as KyivMohyla Academy (NaUKMA), Ternopil State Medical University (TSMU), and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). In addition, decade-long partnerships were established with the International Institute of Business (IIB) and the Institute of Special Pedagogy (ISP) of the National Academy of Pedagogical (now Educational) Sciences.