The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America explained

SUSTA
The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America
Motto:"VIRIBUS UNITIS"
(United effort)
Established:1953
Vice Presidents:Mykyta Safronenko
Trustees:Bohdan A Futey, Hust-Kulchytska†, Zinovii Melnyk†
Location:136 2nd ave, New York, NY 10003
Members:7573
Affiliated:UCCA (УККА), CUUS (ЦЕСУС), SUSK (СУСК), UACC (УАКРада)

The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America or SUSTA, its acronym for Soyuz Ukrayinskykh Studentskykh Tovarystv Ameryky;(Ukrainian: Союз Українських Студентських Товариств Америки (СУСТА)) — a non-profit, apolitical, organisation run by Ukrainian and/or Ukrainian-American students/alumni of institutions of higher education. SUSTA was created in order to promote the creation and networking of Ukrainian student clubs at American universities, to educate and inform Ukrainian-American students about issues relevant to them, to encourage the development of a Ukrainian-American student movement, to foster an understanding among non-Ukrainian ethnic groups as to Ukrainian affairs and issues, to promote the formation of local Ukrainian clubs at American Universities and to support Ukrainian clubs with resources and ideas for events. The Federation welcomes all who are interested in Ukraine, its culture, history, and society.

Mission statement

The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America was established with the intention of fostering cooperation among Ukrainian Student Organizations and promoting their interests at large. SUSTA aims to facilitate the creation and development of Ukrainian student clubs and Ukrainian Studies programs at American universities. SUSTA disseminates information about current issues in Ukraine among all students and other community members.

History

In July 1952 the preliminary steps toward the formation of the Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations (SUSTA) began with an initial organizing meeting held at the time of the UCCA convention in New York City. The 40 attending students set in motion the organizing process, which was primarily entrusted to the student community in Cleveland. In August of that year, a joint meeting of the Cleveland and New York students clubs laid the foundation for the November forum that created an interim secretariat responsible for organizing the founding congress. That congress was held at Columbia University in April 1953 with 68 delegates representing 22 Ukrainian student clubs attending. The total membership of Ukrainian students at that time was 654 at 50 universities and colleges.

The first Congress elected an 11-member executive board that was headed by Eleonora Kulchycka as president. The Congress declared that it was continuing the spirit of the First All-Ukrainian Student Congress held in Lviv 45 years earlier and that its purpose was to “ensure academic freedom and student rights and obligations, to represent individual student interests and nurture academic life, ... for building better organizational forums for Ukrainian students outside of Ukraine.”

SUSTA was crucial to the efforts of the Ukrainian community in establishing Chairs in Ukrainian History, Linguistics, and Literature at Harvard University and to the formation in 1973 of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.

The Federation was dormant in the decade before its revival in 2006 by a group of students from Columbia University, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and Villanova University.

Executive Boards

SUSTA's Presidents

SUSTA's Presidents
TermName
1975-1976 Iwan Prynada
1973-1975 Eugene Iwanciw
1972-1973 Yuriy Serant
1971-1972 Inya Gikava
1970-1971Nestor Tomycz
1969-1970Kvitka Semenyshyn
1968-1969Andrij W. Chornodolsk
1967-1968Yuriy Kulchytskyy
1966-1967Bohdan Satsiuk
1965-1966Ihor Duma
1963-1965 Bohdan A. Futey
1961-1963 Volodymyr-Walter D Prybyla
1959-1961 Kostiantyn Savchuk
1957-1959Zenon Kravets
1955-1957 Oleh S. Fedyshyn
1953-1955 Hust-Kulchytska(First President of SUSTA)
1952Zinovii Melnyk (Head of the Working Committee)

Past Executive Boards

Governing Board 2011-2012
PositionNameUniversity
President/Executive DirectorMaksym PlakhotnyukUniversity of Illinois at Chicago
Executive Vice PresidentThomas MaksymiukPennsylvania State University
TreasurerStephan HoronPennsylvania State University
Regional Vice President
Washington
Victor ZagrebaThe University of Maryland,
College Park
Governing Board 2010-2011
PositionNameUniversity
President/Executive DirectorVira PartemLehigh University
Executive Vice PresidentOlya YarychkivskaColumbia University
TreasurerRoksolana StarodubUniversity of Pennsylvania
SecretaryOstap Tymchuk University of Pennsylvania
WebmasterPavlo KononenkoHarvard University
WebmasterRoman VengrenyukDrexel University
WebmasterOleh KotsyubaHarvard University
Governing Board 2009-2010
PositionNameUniversity
President/Executive DirectorBohdan PechenyakDrexel University
Executive Vice PresidentOleh KotsyubaHarvard University
SecretaryTetiana SearsColumbia University
WebmasterAndrij HarasewychVillanova University
Governing Board 2008-2009
PositionNameUniversity
PresidentBohdan IgnaschenkoUniversity of Pennsylvania
Executive Vice PresidentIryney MakarukhaUniversity of Pennsylvania
Director of External Relations,
Websmaster
Andrij HarasewychVillanova University
Business DirectorYuliya Sychikova University of Pennsylvania
Director of OperationsKsenia YachmetzNew York University
Alumni CoordinatorAndrew LaszynRutgers University
Director of TechnologyHanna MaksymovaUniversity of Pennsylvania
Regional Vice President MidwestZenon HalatynRutgers University
Regional Vice President Northeast Victor PodpirkaNew York University
Regional Vice President SouthGregory MareckiTufts University
Governing Board 2007-2008
PositionNameUniversity
PresidentZenon Tech-Czarny Rutgers University
Vice President, WebmasterAndrij HarasewychVillanova University
Project DirectorIgor Makar University of Pennsylvania
Governing Board 2006-2007
PositionNameUniversity
PresidentAdrian PodpirkaColumbia University
Vice PresidentZenon Tech-Czarny Rutgers University
Director of Public RelationsMark PokoraUniversity of Michigan
Administrator, WebmasterAndrij HarasewychVillanova University

References