Friends of EHU

For those who understand the importance of academic freedom to a free and prosperous society, the European Humanities University (EHU) is a beacon of hope—the only Belarusian university that has succeeded in escaping the Belarusian government's ideological control—and an engine for the future integration of Belarus into the family of democratic nations.

Based in Vilnius since its forced closure in Minsk in 2004, EHU provides students from Belarus and the region with an education in the humanities and social sciences in a free and democratic environment—an opportunity no longer available in Belarus today.

Friends of EHU are committed to:

• Supporting EHU so that it can fulfill its mission of providing a high quality liberal arts education that stresses personal responsibility, critical inquiry, and academic freedom
• Educating students from Belarus to use their talents to move their country in the direction of openness and democracy so that it could rejoin the family of democratic nations

Please consider joining Friends of EHU, a US-based 501(c)(3) organization registered in Washington DC, by making a gift to support EHU. Your gift can help cover the costs of tuition and accommodations, and provide a monthly allowance for living expenses and health insurance to a promising EHU student.

By joining Friends of EHU and making a donation today, you can give a student from Belarus the gift of freedom.

To join Friends of EHU, please contact Development Coordinator Olga Bulgak. To make a donation today, please use the donation form provided by American Councils for International Education, which accepts donations on behalf of EHU, can provide a letter that acknowledges your gift for tax purposes, and transmits 100% of the amount to EHU.

For more information about EHU, please see EHU's website.

EHU Celebrates its 20th Anniversary in DC and NYC May 8 and 9

The European Humanities University and the Friends of EHU invite you to a celebration of EHU's 20th anniversary in Washington, DC and New York City on the 8th and 9th of May, respectively. Programs honoring the 20th anniversary and continuing impact of EHU will feature current students along with remarks by the University's Founding Rector Anatoli Mikhailov and other special guests. The students, a living example of civic education in action, will discuss the challenges and rewards of attending EHU and what EHU means to them and their country, Belarus.

The celebration in Washington DC is organized jointly with the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award at the Woodrow Wilson Center and will take place on May 8th at the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. To attend the event, please RSVP to: joseph.dresen@wilsoncenter.org

EHU's 20th anniversary celebration in New York City will take place on May 9th at the Kosciuszko Foundation from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. To attend, please RSVP to: olga.bulgak@ehu.lt

Both events are generously sponsored by the American Councils for International Education - EHU's partner in the United States. The celebration in New York is also sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York.

EHU is a private, non-profit liberal arts university founded in Minsk in 1992. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the university has been headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania since authorities expelled it from Belarus in 2004. It serves nearly 2,000 mostly Belarusian students, offering undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programs and promoting research in the humanities and social sciences.

EU Observer: Education used as weapon against young people in Belarus

In Belarus, the government appoints and dismisses university heads, who collaborate with Belarus's KGB in monitoring student and faculty activities. Students are regularly expelled for expressing their views. A recent article in the EU Observer cites approximately 700 such cases since 2006.

Noting this factor, the European Students Union recently recommended against approval of Belarus's application to become a member of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). As Allan Päll, Chair of the European Students Union, puts it: "Even though Belarus might fulfill formal criteria to join the EHEA, it should not become part of it as there is no such thing as academic freedom in Belarus."

March 29th: Powerhouse DC Law Firm Alston & Bird Hosts EHU's Moot Court Team

EHU's Moot Court team will participate in the 53rd invitational Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, DC. The four third- and fourth-year law students will be guests at a reception hosted by Alston & Bird at their offices (Atlantic Building 950 F Street, NW). The reception on Thursday, March 29th is at 6:30-8:00 p.m. A short program from 6:45-7:00 p.m. is designed to leave ample time for conversation and interaction.

Save the Date! May 8th—EHU 20th Anniversary Celebration in DC

The first of EHU's 20th Anniversary celebrations takes place on May 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. The day starts with a buffet lunch program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and ends with an evening special event co-hosted by the Swedish and the Lithuanian Embassies. The program, commemorating EHU's founding in Minsk in 1992, will feature current EHU students and faculty as well as experts and other supporters in a celebration of EHU's innovative educational strategy, courageous perseverance, and continuing defense of academic freedom in the face of authoritarian intimidation.

EHU Leaders Discuss Belarus with Atlantic Council Experts: Invitation Only Event in DC

EHU Rector Prof. Anatoli Mikhailov and Head of EHU's History Department Prof. Pavel Tereshkovich will discuss the "Authoritarian Slippery Slope: The Case of Belarus" with a select group of foreign policy and regional experts. The roundtable will take place at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC on March 1, 2012 and is by invitation only.

Leading a University in Exile - Inside Higher Ed

The European Humanities University may be unique in the world, in that it operates today completely as a university in exile.

U.S. Ambassador receives Friends of EHU

The Ambassador of the United States to Lithuania, Mrs. Anne E. Derse, receives Friends of EHU on May 31 as they prepare to join more than 550 representatives of government, business, academia from the Baltic Sea Region.

Current Donors

Governments

European Commission, Nordic Council of Ministers
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania (host), The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United States

Private Foundations

Open Society Institute
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Robert Bosch Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Foundation

Partner Organizations

American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS
Eurasia Foundation

Associate Partner Organizations

The Carnegie Corporation of New York
BBC World Service Trust
IREX-Europe