DELAND, Fla. — Stetson Universty announced that it plans to open it's doors to people displaced by the violence in the Ukraine war, according to a recent statement by the school. 

Stetson faculty announced that immigrants will have housing, board, and travel expenses taken care of, among other resources available, for students and faculty fleeing the war.

“We’re going to work with our connections over there, work with our friends,” explained Martin Blackwell, a visiting professor of history at the school. “Things have to happen quite quickly,” he continued.

Blackwell has been a professor at Stetson for a little over three years. Before that, he spent nearly a decade in Eastern Europe living in cities across both Russia and Ukraine, becoming fluent in another language and submerging himself in a culture he would ultimately teach students about at Stetson.

“We would hope to have these students come August,” Blackwell said.

As the war in Europe enters another month, he and his colleagues at Stetson are figuring out ways to help those impacted by the violence.

That’s why the university’s program in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies announced they’ll be opening its doors to Ukrainian students and faculty displaced by the war.

“No one within the space of Ukraine is safe at the moment,” stressed Blackwell.

It’s not clear how many students will arrive at Stetson, but the professor says there are already efforts in place to have them here by the fall semester.

The SPREES program at Stetson started in 1958 during the Cold War Era.

Blackwell is one of several educators who has spent time in the region, and what’s happening in Ukraine is not only challenging for them to watch, but they understand that many of their friends and family are in harm’s way.

“When these students and scholars are on campus, it will illustrate why they are fighting for their independence,” he said.

On top of being a safe location for the refugees to continue their education and careers, Blackwell believes Stetson will be a great learning opportunity for the current students at Stetson. 

SPREES will have a series of events to help raise funds for those in need of help. That includes an Eastern European Slavic folk music workshop and concert on April 11.

Before students and faculty arrive on campus, Stetson hopes to raise $250,000 in financial support for the upcoming academic year.