Campus Compact stands behind the citizens of Ukraine as they fight to protect their independence and democracy. We are heartbroken by the violence and loss of life and also inspired as we watch the engaged citizenry of Ukraine defend their freedoms. We stand as witness to the truth that democracy is precious and requires both care and defense.

Campus Compact’s mission is to advance the public purposes of colleges and universities by deepening their ability to effectively partner with communities and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. As an action-oriented coalition of students, faculty, community engagement professionals, and presidents, we intend to marshall our collective resources for civic learning and impact in response.

During the next few weeks, we will use our infrastructure to collect and disseminate information about what our members are doing on their campuses and in communities and provide opportunities for dialogue, reflection, shared learning, and action. We will also partner with complementary associations to deepen and extend impact.

The situation in Ukraine is not an isolated incident with numerous active conflicts, civil wars, and genocides occurring globally. Campus Compact is committed to equity and justice—which includes holding ourselves and our members accountable for the harm we have done through our actions or in many cases in action. As we advance the response to the current conflict in Ukraine, we must simultaneously examine our individual and institutional responses to the wars in Afghanistan or Syria, the genocides in Myanmar, China, or Ethiopia, or the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. Southern Border. In the past, we have failed to respond with the same intentionality as we are today. We are committed to doing better and partnering with you all to ensure that we advance liberatory practices in our work—individually and collectively.

Ways you can participate:

Join us for a Coalition Conversation on the Ukraine crisis
March 15, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Eastern
We have partnered with the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative to arrange a discussion including Diya Abdo, Professor of English at Guilford College and Founder of Every Campus a Refuge, Eric Hartman, Executive Director of the Haverford College Center for Peace and Global Citizenship and co-founder of the Collaborative, and Shelley Inglis, Executive Director of the University of Dayton Human Rights Center and an accomplished practitioner of human rights law, working with the United Nations in the Balkans, Turkey, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together, they will provide critical information on how campuses can respond currently and proactively to support the global human rights movement and the immediate crisis, and help us envision and compile ways that institutions and individuals can offer support immediately and over the longer term.

The registration process also provides an opportunity to share what you are doing and resources you are utilizing or generating—even if you can’t attend the event please consider submitting so we can collect and disseminate back to the network.

Register: events.compact.org/ukraine-crisis

Advance cooperation between European and U.S. higher education entities
Coming soon
We are also working with our partners at the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility, and Democracy to organize a session with global leaders in the next few weeks on how U.S. higher education can play a supportive role in the crisis and overall to advance cooperation between European and U.S. higher education entities committed to advancing civic engagement. More information and the opportunity to register coming soon!

Attend Compact22 for more opportunities for dialogue
March 29-31, 2022
Compact22, our upcoming virtual conference, will center space for conversations among attendees to generate ideas, reflect on what is happening, and mobilize our coalition for action.

Learn more: events.compact.org/compact22

Actions and resources to consider:

Host dialogues
Host dialogues on campus and with communities to offer support locally to students and community members affected by the crisis. Resources on a variety of approaches can be found in Campus Compact’s Dialogue Resources for Higher Education knowledge hub.

Consider your institution’s role as an economic anchor
Seek opportunities to support local Ukrainian businesses through purchasing and offering capacity building resources. Resources and best practices are available through the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities’ Anchor Learning Network.