Uzhhorod National University visitors enjoy Preston hospitality in first ever UK visit
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has welcomed its Ukrainian University partner to Preston for the very first time.
Representatives from the International Relations department at Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU), led by Vice-Rector Professor Myroslava Lendel, travelled from Western Ukraine into Hungary before flying to the UK for the visit.
It wasn’t an easy journey but one that the group was keen to make in order to finally meet the UCLan community they’ve been speaking to on video calls for the last 18 months.
UCLan twinned with UzhNU in June last year in a pledge of support to help the University maintain operations during the war with Russia. Since then, UCLan has provided English classes to UzhNU students, both online and in-person at UCLan Cyprus, as well as shipping a large pallet of computer equipment that will be used by young learners and other professionals displaced by the war.
"As a city we are of course shellshocked by the situation the Ukraine is living in. It is life-changing but we remain optimistic and want to develop our relationship with UCLan and Preston."
— Antonina Bulyna, Senior Teacher and Assistant Department of International Relations at UzhNU
“It was nice to finally meet everyone in person” said Antonina Bulyna, Senior Teacher and Assistant Department of International Relations at UzhNU. “As a city we are of course shellshocked by the situation the Ukraine is living in. It is life-changing but we remain optimistic and want to develop our relationship with UCLan and Preston.”
The visitors from UzhNU, which is the based in the west of Ukraine on the Slovakian border and has approximately 15,000 students, had never visited the UK before so were treated with trips to traditional British tourist destinations, including York and Blackpool, but the highlight was visiting Liverpool on the day of Eurovision.
Associate Professor Oksana Sviezhentseva, Head of International Relations Department at UzhNU, said: “When we saw people in the Eurovision Village holding Ukrainian flags and messages of support and singing, I felt very emotional. People were singing ‘With a little help from my friends’ by the Beatles.’ The atmosphere felt so positive and supportive.”
"When we saw people in the Eurovision Village holding Ukrainian flags and messages of support and singing, I felt very emotional."
— Associate Professor Oksana Sviezhentseva, Head of International Relations Department at UzhNU
During the week-long stay, Professor Lendel and her four colleagues met staff from various Schools at UCLan to learn more about the courses offered, research opportunities and potential other new partnerships. They were also given a tour of UCLan’s Engineering and Innovation Centre and Medical School.
Dr Colin Michie, Deputy Head of the UCLan School of Medicine, said: “It was a privilege to meet the Uzhhorod delegates and share how we operate as a Medical School. There is clearly a lot of potential in how we can work together in the future, particularly around the best teaching methods and academic supports for our students.
“The Uzhhorod National University teach many international students, as do we, and it would be particularly useful if we could join them in medical education projects to improve the methods we use for students starting out on this profession on our respective campuses.”
"We’re excited to finally be here and hopefully we can welcome UCLan colleagues to our city one day in the future."
— UzhNU Vice-Rector Professor Myroslava Lendel
Professor Lendel added: “Twinning with UCLan is a really important step for our University. We have other partners in Central Europe but not in the UK and we see this partnership as something for the long term that will develop with student and staff exchange programmes and research opportunities including in English, literature, social sciences, bioscience and medicine.
“We’ve really enjoyed seeing Preston and already feel an affinity because the City reminds us of Uzhhorod in some ways and is of a similar size. We’re excited to finally be here and hopefully we can welcome UCLan colleagues to our city one day in the future.”
