North American Studies at Saarland University

The SUUN Lecture Series 2026 has come to a close.

Over six sessions, speakers from Ukraine and Germany explored how war, displacement, and institutional change are reshaping education and academic life. The discussions addressed academic freedom, the resilience of displaced universities, wartime challenges in schools and higher education, Ukrainian students abroad, academic diaspora networks, Ukraine’s European integration, and the internationalization of education.

Thank you to all our speakers and participants for their thoughtful contributions and active engagement throughout the series.

The second part of the lecture series will take place in October and November 2026. Stay tuned for more details!

From June 17 to July 22, 2026, participants in the SUUN Training Course took part in the third phase of Module 2, which combined a series of online webinars with individual coaching sessions focused on the continued development and implementation of their Strategic Action Plans.

Throughout the program, participants exchanged ideas, reflected on their institutional contexts, received expert feedback, and discussed practical approaches to advancing strategic change within Ukrainian higher education institutions.

We sincerely thank our speakers and coaches from Ukraine, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany — Prof. Dr. Roksolana Vynnychuk, Dr. Susanne Hamscha, Prof. Dr. Oleksandr Pronkevich, Dr. Nataliia Ishchenko, Dr. Mykola Makhortykh, and Prof. Dr. Dominik Brodowski — for sharing their expertise, insights, and recommendations. We also thank all participants for their active engagement and valuable contributions throughout the program.

📢 Join the SUUN Lecture Series 2026: Ukrainian Education and Academia in Times of War.
From 11 June to 16 July 2026, scholars from Ukraine and Germany will come together for five online lectures and a roundtable discussion exploring how education and academia respond to war, displacement, and societal change.
Topics include:
🎓 Academic freedom and resilience in wartime
📚 Challenges facing secondary and higher education in Ukraine
🌍 Ukrainian students abroad and transnational educational experiences
🤝 European integration and the internationalization of Ukrainian education
🏛️ Universities in exile, academic communities, and cross-border cooperation
💻 Online via Zoom | Open to all interested participants

June-July 2026, Thursdays, 16.00-18.00 CSET / 17.00 – 19.00 EEST
Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89662760990?pwd=Gbn1XCKoYK3RrUM7hCuq3KxOGpMzbU.1
Meeting ID: 896 6276 0990
Passcode: 0fAdD0

Join us for a shared discussion on the future of education in times of uncertainty.

Full program of the SUUN lecture Series can be found here: https://www.amerikanistik.uni-saarland.de/saarland-ukraine/suun-news

🇩🇪🤝🇺🇸 **Happy Independence Day!**

Der 4. Juli steht für Freiheit, Demokratie und den Mut, neue Wege zu gehen. Gleichzeitig erinnert er uns daran, wie wertvoll die enge Freundschaft zwischen Deutschland und den USA ist.

Seit vielen Jahrzehnten verbinden unsere Länder gemeinsame Werte, persönliche Begegnungen und ein lebendiger kultureller Austausch. Besonders für deutsch-amerikanische Familien, Rückkehrerinnen und Rückkehrer sowie alle, die auf beiden Seiten des Atlantiks zu Hause sind, ist diese Verbindung weit mehr als Politik – sie ist gelebte Gemeinschaft.

Als VDAC setzen wir uns dafür ein, Brücken zwischen Menschen, Kulturen und Generationen zu bauen und die deutsch-amerikanische Freundschaft aktiv zu fördern.

Wir wünschen allen unseren Mitgliedern, Freundinnen und Freunden sowie unseren Partnern in den USA einen schönen und friedlichen Independence Day.

**Happy 4th of July!** 🇺🇸

📣 We are pleased to announce our upcoming workshop on "Relational Borders and (Cross-)Border Relations," a joint event bringing together the 14th UniGR-CBS Border Studies Seminar, the Border Chronotopes Workshop, and the UdS American Studies Graduate Forum 2026.

The event will take place on site at Saarland University, E1.7, on June 25–26, 2026. In addition to the on-site program, two components will be held online.

The event promotes dialogue across various geopolitical and epistemic contexts, bringing together European, transatlantic, and American perspectives, as well as comparative and connecting approaches.

You can read more about the event, download the current program, and find all practical details on the website: https://cbs.uni-gr.eu/en/activites/mobilite/seminaires-unigr-cbs-border-studies/frontieres-relationnelles-et-relations

🔗 Registration: seminars.borderstudies.org

It’s time to tell you more about the universities our SUUN-TC 2026 participants represent.
Take a closer look at where they come from, what they stand for, and what makes each of them unique.
Stay tuned!

SUUN training week may be over, but the memories are still fresh and waiting to be shared. Beyond the intensive sessions, participants had the opportunity to experience the charm of Saarland – enjoying a city tour of Saarbrücken, visiting Völklinger Hütte, and taking in the breathtaking views of the Saarschleife.�Stay tuned!

The final day of SUUN-TC focused on refining participants' Strategic Action Plans (SAPs), turning ideas into clear, actionable steps. Aside from the intensive sessions, participants enjoyed a morning campus tour and faculty visit — strengthening both collaboration and a shared vision for future impact.
Stay tuned!