Solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainian academics and students
2022-03-07
Dear university members
Dear colleagues, dear students,
Many of you will have read our statement of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, which we published on 27 February.
In addition to our dismay and horror at this insidious attack on a sovereign state in violation of international law, we are now particularly preoccupied with the thought of what consequences we as a university can draw and how we can express our solidarity through concrete offers and aid measures. I would like to inform you today about what offers we as a university community can and want to make in this situation.
19 students from Ukraine are currently enrolled at Leuphana. The International Office contacted them immediately after the war began and offered support. I met students from this group today for a dialogue to assure them of our solidarity and to gain insight into their situation and needs. We have identified some initial concrete opportunities for support, which are now being pursued by the university. A continuation of the talks has been arranged.
It can be assumed that researchers will also have to leave their home country of Ukraine in order to bring themselves and their families to safety, or will not be able to return there at present. We therefore want to use external funding opportunities (such as the Humboldt Foundation and the DFG) to offer these researchers material support and an office workspace at our university.
We will not leave our Ukrainian fellow students and colleagues alone. Leuphana offers concrete support to Ukrainian students and researchers.
This includes the following measures:
- We will organise emergency aid for Ukrainian students and academics as needed.
- We will provide comprehensive advice to Ukrainian academics and students on residence issues and social matters.
- We will offer students from Ukrainian universities affected by the war in Ukraine a free guest study programme in which credit points can be earned according to ECTS.
- We will endeavour to enable Ukrainian academics and students to continue their studies or their own research projects in Lüneburg.
- We support initiatives for the reception, accommodation or care of people who have fled the war in Ukraine.
- We call on all university members to help the people in Ukraine and will provide information about relevant initiatives.
Leuphana is also organising a series of public lectures in which experts from our university will provide information and answer questions on various aspects related to the war against Ukraine. Later we will provide more details on this.
In accordance with the declarations of the German Rectors' Conference, the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Research Foundation, numerous German universities and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science, we are suspending our activities in Russia with immediate effect. We will suspend cooperations with Russian universities until further notice. Business trips and excursions to Russia will also not take place.
It is important to us that we distinguish between institutions and individuals. This means that for all Russian students enrolled at Leuphana in Bachelor's, Master's or doctoral programmes, these measures will of course have no consequences - they are and will remain students at Leuphana, are still welcome here and must not be held responsible for the misdeeds of their government.
In view of the horrific images of this war in Europe, we at our university want to do everything we can to overcome political divides, maintain the ability to engage in dialogue and commit ourselves to a peaceful world. We are guided by the values of humanism, democracy, human rights and responsible commitment to society.
In the short term, we will create a new subpage "standwithukraine" on our website, which on the one hand will summarise all important information for people from Ukraine seeking help, and on the other hand will provide continuous information about Leuphana's further activities in connection with the war in Ukraine.
With best regards
Sascha Spoun
President