Ukrainian delegates with President Gus Konkel (centre) and Dr. John McNeill (far right).
Providence College played host to two top officials from the National Economic University in Ukraine, one of the top Universities in Eastern Europe. The two delegates, the President of the university and the Vice President of International Affairs, came to discuss the possibility of partnering with Providence in future academic endeavours.
Providence became connected with the university through a former Providence student who was from Ukraine. “It was through Taras Paslavskiy that we got in touch with the university. Providence hosts a summer long language institute that is held at the university campus in Kharkiv, and many of the university’s students go to our language institute,” said John McNeill, Intercultural Studies professor at Providence, “we realized that we could partner with each other to benefit both sides.” McNeill also taught a faculty workshop and a student seminar at the university in the spring of 2008.
The delegates toured the Otterburne campus, including the new Student Life Centre construction site, met with the Providence cabinet over lunch, and talked with various professors. They also toured Harv’s Air in Steinbach. Both Providence and the university are excited about the possibilities of a partnership. “We can offer enrichment to one another. It would be a two-way partnership. We are very positive about exploring all the possibilities,” said McNeill.
