The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America, known by its Ukrainian language acronym, SUSTA (СУСТА, pronounced as one word; an acronym for Soyuz Ukrayinskyh Studentskyh Tovarystv Ameryky, Союз Українських Студентських Товариств Америки) is a non-profit, non-political, organisation run by Ukrainian and 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, educate and inform Ukrainian-American students about issues relevant to them, encourage the development of a Ukrainian-American student movement, foster an understanding among non-Ukrainian ethic groups as to Ukrainian affairs and issues, promote the formation of local Ukrainian clubs at American Universities and support Ukrainian clubs with resources and ideas for events. The Federation welcomes everyone who is interested in Ukraine, its culture, history, and society.
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The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America (Союз Українських Студентських Товариств Америки) 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.
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 “hromada” 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 of 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.”
For many decades SUSTA was in the forefront of national and human rights activism in the United States. It was an integral part of the political and social life of our community. From the time of its founding, SUSTA’s ranks have included hundreds of Ukrainian Americans in leadership capacities and thousands of members in its student clubs.
SUSTA was crucial to the efforts of Ukrainian community in establishing Chairs in Ukrainian History, Linguistics, and Literature at Harvard University and to formation in 1973 of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.
The Federation was dormant in the decade before it was revived in 2006 by a group of students from Harvard University, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and Villanova University.
CURRENT EXECUTIVE BOARD: 2011-2012
President/Executive Director
Maksym Plakhotnyuk, University of Illinois at Chicago
Vice-President
Thomas Maksymiuk, Penn State University
Treasurer
Stefan Heren, Penn State University
Regional representative
in Washington,
Victor Zagreba, The University of Maryland, College Park
Webmaster:
Nikita Evgenevich, Drexel University, Philadelphia,
Governing Board
President/Executive Director: Vera Partem, Lehigh University
Executive Vice President: Olya Yarychkivska, Columbia University
Treasurer: Roksolana Starodub, University of Pennsylvania
Secretary: Ostap Tymchuk, University of Pennsylvania
Webmasters: Pavlo Kononenko, Harvard University; Roman Vengrenyuk, Drexel University; Oleh Kotsyuba, Harvard University
2009-2010
Governing Board
President: Bohdan Pechenyak, Drexel University
Executive Vice President: Oleh Kotsyuba, Harvard University
Secretary: Tetiana Sears, Columbia University
Webmaster: Andrij Harasewych, Villanova University
2008-2009
Governing Board
President: Bohdan Ignaschenko, University of Pennsylvania
Executive Vice President: Iryney Makarukha, University of Pennsylvania
Director of External Relations, Website Coordinator: Andrij Harasewych, Villanova University
Business Director: Yuliya Sychikova, University of Pennsylvania
Board at Large
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
2007-2008
President: Zenon Tech-Czarny, Rutgers University
Vice President, Webmaster: Andrij Harasewych, Villanova University
Project Director: Igor Makar, University of Pennsylvania
2006-2007
President: Adrian Podpirka, Harvard University
Vice-President: Zenon Tech-Czarny, Rutgers University
Director of Public Relations: Mark Pokora, University of Michigan
Administrator, Webmaster: Andrij Harasewych, Villanova University
1986: Andrew J. Futey[1]
1981: Ronya Stojko-Lozynskyj[2]
1975: Eugene Iwanciw[3]
1974: Eugene Iwanciw[4]
1973: Eugene Iwanciw[5]
1960: Konstantyn Savchuk[6]