NEWS AND VIEWS: University of Kansas teams up with Ivan Franko University (12/15/96)

NEWS AND VIEWS: University of Kansas teams up with Ivan Franko University

by Capt. Paul K. Baumann

LAWRENCE, Kansas - When you think of the state of Kansas, visions of Eastern Europe do not immediately come to mind. Nor would you imagine a close, habitual relationship between an American university located on the plains of Kansas and an East European university located in historic western Ukraine. In fact, such a relationship does exist, and it fosters an academic and cultural exchange that can only be described as outstanding.

The program I am talking about is sponsored by the University of Kansas, located in the city of Lawrence. It is a six-week, fully-funded, overseas summer study program connected with the prestigious Ivan Franko University in Lviv The program has recently completed its third, highly successful, cycle and is looking forward to many more.

This program is part of what may very well be the premier Ukrainian studies program in the United States. It serves to complement the Ukrainian track of the Russian/East European studies (REES) program at the University of Kansas.

The over-all REES program at KU concentrates on five different disciplines: political science, geography/economics, philosophy/religion, art/literature, and history. To earn a master's degree in this department, you must complete courses in each of the disciplines as well as advanced language training. The over-all program is extremely challenging and epitomizes a true interdisciplinary degree in Ukrainian or Russian/East European studies.

The most exciting opportunity of the entire program is to be able to participate in the six-week summer study program in Lviv. Completion of the program earns six credit hours. Three of these credit hours count toward the advanced language requirement, while the remaining three credits count toward any of the five major disciplines within the department.

The program is designed to be an immersion experience. Normally, two students are paired up and live with a host family from the city of Lviv. These host families are carefully screened and selected by the faculty and staff of both the University of Kansas and Ivan Franko University in Lviv.

Generally, the daily instructional content of the program consists of approximately three hours of intensive Ukrainian language training, along with additional courses in Ukrainian history, literature, religion, economics, geography, etc. To complement this instruction, there are numerous tours to various libraries, museums and historic sites in Lviv. The students learn so much about the city of Lviv that most of them consider it to be their second home when they leave.

In addition to the Lviv experience, three of the six weekends are spent on various excursions away from Lviv. These excursions include a three-day trip to Kyiv, a two- day trip to the Carpathian Mountains, and a daylong excursion to visit the castle of Olesko.

Transportation to and from Kyiv is provided by university vans and gives the students a chance to see the Ukrainian countryside. The trip to Kyiv provides the visiting students an opportunity to get to know the capital of Ukraine and its many historic sites, such as St. Sophia Cathedral and the ancient Monastery of the Caves, the Pecherska Lavra. The students are also afforded enough free time to shop and experience the city on their own if they wish.

While in the capital, the students are housed in an international student dormitory. These living accommodations, including food, are coordinated by the faculty and staff of Ivan Franko University.

The two-day trip to the Carpathian Mountains is especially enjoyable and provides the students with an opportunity to get acquainted with Ukraine's beautiful outdoors. Again, transportation, accommodations and food are provided for by Ivan Franko University. The accommodations, rustic cabins, are part of a retreat camp that belongs to the university.

Not only does the trip to the Carpathians provide an opportunity to do some extensive hiking and enjoy excellent food during a fireside cookout, it also gives the students the chance to see the historic Castle of Mukachiv and spend a little time getting acquainted with the town of Mukachiv. On the return trip to Lviv, there is even some roadside shopping for souvenirs and a quick stop in the town of Stryi.

The last weekend in Lviv is mostly left to the students, to see the sites that interest them the most for one last time. The only organized excursion arranged by the university for that weekend is to the Olesko Castle. The tour of the museum at Olesko Castle is conducted entirely in Ukrainian and gives the students one more opportunity to practice the Ukrainian language skills they have been learning at Ivan Franko University.

As a personal note, this experience was not only extremely beneficial to me from an academic and cultural standpoint, but it was also highly valuable from a professional standpoint. I am a career military officer in the United States Army. Currently, I am in the process of earning my master's degree in the Russian and East European studies department at the University of Kansas.

This degree is designed to complement my training as a foreign area officer. Not only is the University of Kansas providing me with the highest quality of education possible in this area of study, it has also provided me with an opportunity to study in an East European country where I will hopefully find myself performing military liaison duties within a few short years.

It is important to note that this program would not be possible without the commitment and support of at least three very important people. First and foremost is Alex Tsiovkh, visiting professor from Ukraine. He serves as everything from travel coordinator, mentor and tour guide to friend. His involvement is invaluable and insures a highly successful trip. In short, he is irreplaceable.

Next is Prof. Maria Carlson. She is the director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Kansas. Without her personal commitment to the Ukrainian Studies Program, this particular endeavor would be impossible.

The third person is Dr. Victor Kervs of Ivan Franko University. He is the dean of international students at Ivan Franko University. Without his heartfelt desire to see this program work, it never would.

If you read this and feel that I am very pro-Ukrainian and very pro-University of Kansas, then you are correct. The Ukrainian Studies Program offered at the University of Kansas is probably the best in the country. I would encourage anyone interested in this area of study to seriously consider the University of Kansas as their institution of study. The opportunities are endless.