VANCOUVER, Wash. — Viktor Kotsur, the rector (president) of the Pereyaslav State Pedagogical Institute near Kiev, will talk about the history of immigration from Ukraine during a lecture Friday, Jan. 26, at Washington State University Vancouver.
Kotsur’s 5 p.m. lecture topic is “The Ukrainian Diaspora from the 13th Century to the Present.” He is a world history scholar and an authority on U.S.-Ukrainian relations. The Pereyaslav Institute is the primary partner in WSU’s curriculum development project in Ukrainian/American Studies.
Clark County is home to more than 20,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union, including the Ukraine. WSU Vancouver, the City of Vancouver, the Association of Slavic Immigrants and the Center for Columbia River History are hosting a 4 p.m. public reception and the lecture in the Student Services Lecture Hall at WSU Vancouver. Light refreshments will be served. Viktor Tkhor, secretary of the Vancouver Association of Slavic Immigrants, will greet guests at 4:30 p.m. Musicians from the Vancouver Ukraine community will provide entertainment.
The event is designed to engage community members with Ukrainian and Russian neighbors and discuss the impact of Ukrainian immigration on the Ukraine and Pacific Northwest.
“This is a great opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and dialogue. Ukrainian immigrants and refugees comprise a large number of newly arrivals,” said Galina Boyechko, coordinator for the City of Vancouver Neighborhood Services. “Their culture and background bring richness to our community.”
Professor Kotsur’s talk is co-sponsored by WSU Vancouver, the WSU Vancouver Humanities Speaker and Events Fund, the City of Vancouver Neighborhood Services and the Center for Columbia River History. For more information, contact Laurie Mercier, assistant professor of history, at 360/546-9646 or mercier@vancouver.wsu.edu.
