Mount St. Joseph University has announced an effort to fund scholarships for high-achieving Ukrainian students hoping to complete their studies in the United States.

Mount St. Joseph University students in quad.

CINCINNATI - As the people of Ukraine continue to face the horrors of war and a growing humanitarian crisis, Mount St. Joseph University has announced an effort to fund scholarships for high-achieving Ukrainian students hoping to complete their studies in the United States.

The Mount has launched the effort to continue its commitment to serving as a beacon to the world and to assist displaced college students who may not be able to continue their education because of the war.

"It is just devastating to see the kind of destruction of human life that we are seeing right now in Ukraine," said Dr. Gene Kritsky, the Mount's Dean of Behavioral & Natural Sciences and the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants. "The very least we can do is help these two outstanding young students who are hoping to finish their education after being forced to flee their country."

Through its partnership with a university in Dnipro, Ukraine, the Mount has been working with several high-achieving Ukrainian students who are proficient in English on a variety of projects. While working on these projects, several members of the Mount community have developed relationships with these students.

To assist these students and their peers in completing their education, the Mount has established a Ukrainian student relief scholarship fund. The goal is to support funding that would enable two high-achieving Ukrainian students who are now in Poland and facing a disrupted education to complete their studies at the Mount.

One of the students was studying at the Dnipro University of Customs and Finance; the other was a student at Kherson State University in Kherson, Ukraine.

In addition to Dr. Kritsky's ties to Ukraine, Mount Associate Provost for Campus Technology Alex Nakonechnyi is also from Ukraine. He came to the United States at the age of 16.

Dr. Kritsky's grandparents escaped religious persecution in the Ukraine in 1900. They settled as homesteaders in the tiny central North Dakota town of Butte, where another family member had immigrated to after leaving Ukraine.

"My family was not Russian Orthodox, so at the time they felt it was best to leave," said Dr. Kritsky, who was raised in North Dakota and was a first-generation college student. "The effort by the Mount to help these students means a lot to me. Education has always been the key to a better a life. And it will be wonderful if we can help these two young women with their education, especially with what they have gone through."

About the Mount

As a Catholic institution rooted in the values of the Sisters of Charity, Mount St. Joseph University excels at serving the common good. Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at the Mount are inspired to think beyond the classroom and redraw the bounds of what’s possible for their futures. This is accomplished through individualized educational experiences, a safe, secure campus environment, and an all-in commitment from faculty and staff to inspire students to reach their highest potential. The Mount fosters life-long learners who serve, care, and contribute to the world beyond their front doors. To find out more, visit: www.msj.edu.

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