photo by: Elvyn Jones/Journal-World

In this February 2022 file photo, Ilya Brown places a Ukrainian flag in front of the Douglas County Courthouse during a demonstration in support of Ukraine as the country fights an invasion by Russia. Brown, of Lawrence, said he has family and friends in Ukraine.

Organizations and departments at the University of Kansas have raised enough funds to host at least two Ukrainian professors and two graduate students from the war-torn country next school year.

KU leaders on Tuesday provided an update on efforts to assist Ukrainian students and scholars that began shortly after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of the country. A fundraising effort involving KU’s International Affairs Office, Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures and KU’s Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies has raised nearly $50,000, according to KU’s website for the program. Both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research have pledged to match the $50,000, a spokeswoman with KU’s International Affairs department said.

That money will allow KU to host two visiting professors in the next school year, according to a KU press release. Both professors will be from Ukraine. One will teach classes on the region, while the other can be from any academic discipline. The two professors are expected to be part of the Ukrainian Global University project, which is being organized by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science to arrange hosting opportunities for displaced students and scholars.

In addition, KU’s Graduate Studies department and the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures plans to offer two fellowships and two graduate teaching assistantships to students from Ukraine. The program will assist in securing visas for the students, as well as offer health insurance, tuition and a living stipend. Those fellowships will be part of a one-year master’s degree program in Slavic languages and literatures.

KU currently has seven students from Ukraine enrolled at the university, a spokeswoman for KU’s International Affairs department said. Those students are eligible for assistance on immigration matters, and in some cases financial assistance. Financial assistance has included funds to pay expenses related to the remainder of the 2022 academic year, especially for those students who are unable to return home due to the war.

KU has garnered those funds through the Institute of International Education, the KU International Affairs Advisory Board and KU International Affairs, as well as the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the schools of business and engineering, according to a KU press release.

People who would like to donate to KU’s Ukrainian relief efforts can do so through KU Endowment or through the LaunchKU.org website.