Ternopil and Iowa universities continue academic cooperation

by Barbara McBreen

AMES, Iowa - Roman Hevko, dean of agricultural economics and management at Ternopil State University of Economics, visited Ames, Iowa, in early February to share ideas and learn more about the academic structure of Iowa State University.

"It's of great interest to me to understand how Iowa State University functions, how students choose courses, how many classes they take and other realities of academic life," Mr. Hevko said.

David Acker, associate dean of academic and global programs at Iowa State University, said he visited Ukraine in 2004 and invited Mr. Hevko and Mariya Shymchyshyn, associate professor in the department of foreign languages, to visit.

"We also plan to send one or two professors to Ternopil this summer, which will be the first step in establishing a student exchange program," Mr. Acker said.

Mr. Hevko said Ternopil State University of Economics has 32,000 students and is similar to Iowa State University, which makes for good collaboration.

Mr. Hevko said he is proud of the graduates from his department, including Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko.

The Ternopil dean's visit to Iowa is a sign of continued cooperation between the two universities. "What we are trying to do is establish cooperation between the two universities, such as student and faculty exchanges, and we are trying to develop new programs at Ternopil in fields we don't have at this time," said Ms. Shymchyshyn.

Ms. Shymchyshyn taught Ukrainian language and culture classes at Iowa State two years ago. That program was sponsored in part by the Ukraine-Iowa State University Student Exchange fund, which was initiated by Stefan and Kateryna Dwojak. The Dwojaks initiated the fund with a donation of $350,000 in November 2003.

Ms. Shymchyshyn said exchange programs help students from both countries prepare for the global economy.

"I really appreciate the work led by the Dwojaks and the support of the American Ukrainian community. Such activities really broaden the educational borders in both countries. I believe, with the strong support of the American Ukrainian community, the exchange program will reach its goal of raising $1 million," Ms. Shymchyshyn said.

For information about the Ukraine-Iowa State University Student Exchange Fund readers may contact Mr. Acker at (515) 294-6614.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 12, 2006, No. 11, Vol. LXXIV

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