UCU is offering a new approach to researching the phenomenon of leadership, the methodology of study, and the teaching of leadership. Thanks to the support of Ihor (Ian) Ihnatowycz, President and CEO of the investment company First Generation Capital Inc (Canada), and his wife, Marta Ihnatowycz, the university is opening a Center for Leadership, including research and methodology.
Today there is an opportunity to join the project’s team. An international competition is in progress to fill the vacant position of the executive director of UCU’s Center for Leadership. Details and requirements here
The Center will research the theme of leadership, using the experience and methodology of the Ivey Business School in Canada, one of the world’s leading business schools. The Center’s team will study and analyze exemplary cases which will be included in the academic programs of the Lviv Business School, School of Public Management, and Institute of Leadership and Management, all at UCU. In addition, the results of the work will be accessible for other leadership centers of the world.
“In recent years we have seen a number of good examples of leadership. But society needs to understand this phenomenon. The Center’s research will provide the opportunity to tell the world about examples of leadership in Ukraine. We are talking about military leadership in the context of current events in Ukraine, leadership in volunteer initiatives during the Revolution of Dignity, and business leadership. The Center will not only research leadership as a phenomenon but will development the country’s ‘brand.’ The cases which will be part of our work will be accessible for various business schools of the world to view,” explains Sophia Opatska, CEO of the Lviv Business School.
The methods for teaching leadership at UCU’s programs will include self-reflections, group work, and comprehensive assessment and training. The participants will better understand their weak and strong sides and also acquire skills necessary to direct change and develop the culture of leadership.
In its work UCU’s Center for Leadership will use the “leadership based on character” approach. According to this concept, the main components of real leadership are the character, competencies, and dedication of the leader.
Pavlo Sheremeta, Director of UCU’s School of Public Management, admits that Ukraine is in desperate need of such a center, to do thorough research, global comparisons, systemic structurization, and wide coverage of the challenges and decisions of leadership, in both the private and the public sectors.
The project has been made possible thanks to the support of Ihor (Ian) and Marta Ihnatowycz.
“The Ihnatowycz family are very well-known philanthropists. Mr. Ihnatowycz has had the opportunity to become personally acquainted with the Ukrainian Catholic University, the activities and projects we carry out. His support of this project is very important for us. It demonstrates that we are developing in the right direction. Of course, this is a new experience for us, but I am certain that the results received will be an important research achievement for Canada and Ukraine,” explains Natalia Klymovska, UCU’s Vice-Rector for Communication and Development.
The Center will operate not only in Lviv but in Kyiv and other cities.
The Center for Leadership will work together with UCU institutes like the Lviv Business School, the School of Public Management, and the Institute of Leadership and Management, and also the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, which is sponsored by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund.