CSU Professor Emeritus Examines Ukraine in Free Program

Ukraine in Context: An Historical and Personal Perspective will be presented Thursday, September 22, from 6-7:30 pm at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures. The free, in-person program will feature John Olienyk, Emeritus Professor of Finance at Colorado State University. Dr. Olienyk, whose four grandparents were born in Ukraine, is the former Senior Associate Dean for CSU College of Business.

“We will examine the evolution of Ukraine, with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries,” Dr. Olienyk said. “Historically dominated by people of other ethnicities, Ukrainians have fought to preserve and develop their unique cultural and ethnic identity. Modern, independent, democratic Ukraine was created during a period of great upheaval in Central and Eastern Europe that culminated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The reverberations, most recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continue today.”

Dr. Olienyk taught at the Institute of Business and Economics in Moscow and has traveled extensively in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. He has worked with faculty members in universities throughout Ukraine. His professional experience combines with a personal perspective. “My parents were among the first generation born in the U.S.,” Dr. Olienyk noted. “I grew up in a Ukrainian enclave in North Dakota, and the country’s culture and traditions were deeply embedded in me at an early age.”

Professor Olienyk taught for 34 years at CSU, where he earned his PhD in economics. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Master of Science in business economics at North Dakota State University. In 2017 at CSU, Dr. Olienyk served as Academic Dean for Semester at Sea.

The Global Village Museum is located at 200 W. Mountain Avenue, and Museum hours are 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit globalvillagemuseum.org or call 970-221-4600.