The University of Guelph is the first university in Canada to partner with a Ukrainian university under a new international partnership program.
The twinning initiative will allow Ukrainian students from Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University to continue to learn, work and research at the U of G.
An agreement of intent was signed by U of G president Charlotte Yates on Tuesday, in the presence of officials at DSAEU online.
"This partnership is a testament to the unrelenting power of higher education and the profound courage of the students, staff and faculty of Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University,” said Yates in a press release.
“I want the students, staff and faculty of DSAEU to know that this MOU represents the beginning of a long-term commitment with the University of Guelph to collaborating on impactful academic and research endeavours,” continued Yates.
DSAEU is located in Dnipro and is home to 8,000 students and 500 faculty members. It is located 150 kilometres away from the front lines of the war with Russia.
The purpose of the partnership is to have academic and research exchanges with DSAEU.
Ukrainian graduate students and upper-year undergraduate students at DSAEU are expected to arrive in Guelph this fall to research and help complete their degrees, said Stuart McCook, assistant vice-president at U of G, in the press release.
“For our university, it’s very important to keep doing academic and research activities despite the war and all the difficulties,” said Iryna Volovyk, from the department of international relations and public communications at DSAEU.
“During the war, it's also important to show our staff and students that we have partners, friends – old and new ones – who stand with us. This twinning project has created a link between DSAEU and U of G that will last many years. Our joint research and academic projects will create a space to get to know each other better and to move ahead together,” said Volovyk.
McCook and Volovyk emphasized the need to continue the partnership even after the war has ended.
