Development and Fundraising

The strength of development and fundraising efforts is epitomized by the success of the UW Polish Studies Endowment Committee. Founded in 2002, UW PSEC is a grass roots organization of dedicated volunteers, with the twin goals of fundraising for an endowed chair of Polish studies and educating the Seattle community about Poland. UW PSEC has established a Polish Studies Endowment Fund, it sponsors a Distinguished Polish Speakers Series, co-funds (with the Fulbright Commission) a Fulbright Lectureship at the UW, and supports students who wish to study in Poland with its scholarship. Professor Katarzyna Dziwirek and Shosh Westen have been involved in UW PSEC efforts since the beginning and have worked tirelessly on its behalf.

While other development and fundraising efforts in the department cannot yet rival the achievements of the Polish Studies, very active Endowment Funds also exist in Czech and Ukrainian. In Czech, fundraising drives have resulted in the establishment of the “Jehlik Scholarship Fund,” which allows more students to participate in our summer Prague program. During the 2007-08 academic year Ukrainian Studies at the University of Washington became considerably more visible thanks to the Shevchenko Society Postdoctoral Fellowship which allowed its recipient, Dr. Maria G. Rewakowicz, to teach three courses on Ukrainian subjects. The Ukrainian Studies Endowment, together with REECAS, co-sponsored a lecture by a leading Ukrainian intellectual, Mykola Riabchuk, currently a visiting scholar at the University of Alberta. The Endowment Committee is also working on a number of events with the goal of raising awareness and support among members of the university community of Ukrainian heritage and supporters of Ukraine in the community at large.

Click here for more information about our endowment efforts.

Complete list and description of Slavic Department Funds