On May 19, 2018 the membership of the Shevchenko Scientific Society held its triennial General Meeting. The membership listened to greetings from Dr. Leonid Rudnytsky, President of the World Councils of Shevchenko Scientific Societies, and from Dr. Roman Kushnir, President of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, Lviv, Ukraine. Reports of the outgoing Board of Directors followed.
Prof. George Grabowicz, outgoing Society President, thanked his Board of Directors and the employees of the Society for their contribution to the success of the Society’s programs over the past six years of this tenure. Prof. Grabowicz highlighted the more notable projects, among them the Shevchenko Jubilee Project which was created in 2014 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Society’s patron Taras Shevchenko. In conjunction with research from the Society’s own Institute of Source Studies, an entire series of works on Taras Shevchenko were published which were funded by, or partially funded by, the Shevchenko Scientific Society.
Also noteworthy was the revival of the Shevchenko Scientific Society Papers: New Series, which each member received upon registering for the meeting. The Papers contain articles and materials in Ukrainan and English and its first issue was dedicated to Taras Shevchenko. The newly created series Memoirs from the Shevchenko Scientific Society draws on archival materials of interest. The first book was dedicated to Mykola Velychkowsky.
After reports of the other members of the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs, the membership held its election and voted in Dr. Halyna Hryn as the next President of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. Members of the Executive committee are: Dr. Virko Baley, VP; Dr. Vitaly Chernetsky, Learned Secretary; Dr. Anna Procyk, VP and Liason to Wold Council, Dr. George Grabowicz, VP and UIA/UVAN project liason; Natalia Honcharenko, Treasurer. Committee Chairs: Jurij Dobczanski, Library/Archives; Dr. Oleh Kotsyuba, IT; Dr. Vasyl Lopukh, Membership; Dr. Alexander Lushnycky, Chapter Liason, Vasyl Makhno, Publications/ Dr. Askold Melnyczuk, Outreach; Dr. Olena Nikolayenko, Communications; Myroslav Smorodky, Law Advisory; Dr. Andrew Sorokowski, Bylaws; Dr. Myron Stachiw Scholarships/Grants Program; Dr. Zenon Wasyliw, Finance; Dr. Myroslava Znayenko, Institutional Liason; Dr. Roman Kuc, Audit; Members at Large: Dr. Margarita Balmaceda, Dr. Pavlo Gintov; Dr. Taras Hunczak, Christine Karpevich, Dr. Martha Kichorowska-Kebalo, Dr. Albert Kipa, Dr. Wolodymyr Petryshyn, Dr. Iryna Vushko.
In her acceptance speech Dr. Halyna Hryn thanked the outgoing directors and congratulated the newly elected directors. She noted that namy Ukrainian organizations such as the Shevchenko Scientific Society are undergoing a generational shift as evident in this election. More and more younger members are stepping up to leadership roles to continue the work of their predecessors. They bring with them new ideas and innovation for the betterment of our organization.