Student Exchange Fund
Recently initiated Ukraine-ISU Student Exchange fund plays an integral role in reaching our objective to bring one thousand Ukrainian students to ISU in the next several years. The Fund is a strong signal of the support from the big group of the US citizens. We use proceeds from it as a basis for matching corporate donations and applying for government grants. Often the portion of the project paid from the Fund is only 10-15 %. Financial analyst would record 600-900% Return on Investment. But we record positive changes in the young lives. There is no percentage to assign to this change. Those people build prosperous and sustainable future of Ukraine defining its place among leading nations in the world. There are many ways to contribute. Please contact the Fund representatives today. You can find their contact information here.
The First Step in Cooperation
The first step of each cooperation in education and research is a student exchange. Young people learn and become familiar with the new environment very fast. Students learn how to live in the different society, work and collaborate with other nations on the day-to-day basis, be independent, and be a leader. After returning home they cannot live as before and impact their home institution in a way that fosters further cooperation. Then some students leave their institutions for the private sector and make even greater impact there. Thus, continual student exchange becomes a permanent engine of strong relationships between nations.
Focus:
- Students and young professionals
- 2-3 months internships and training
- Cooperation of prestigious universities
- Educational and enriching experiences
- Multicultural understanding
Variety
Iowa State University was able to fuel this constant cooperation with Ukraine by exchanging new students each season. Keeping focus on agriculture, ISU broadens its relationships with institutions from Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Simferopol and other cities. In this way we make sure that beneficiaries are not concentrated in one region and a broader audience has access to the popular exchange program.
Outcomes
Selected approach yielded significant results. Student exchange became a backbone for other ventures. Among them are Linkage Project that brought agricultural education in Ukraine to the higher level and also shaped an Ag. education in the world with the establishment of the Global Consortium for High Education and Research in Agriculture; High school student exchange that brought closer rural communities in Iowa and Ukraine; Agricultural Banking school that facilitated a development of the farm credit system in Ukraine; just to name a few.
1983-2003 Impact:
- Positive changes in student's lives
- Over 500 participants from Ukraine
- Over 250 participants from Iowa State
- 11 long-term projects have a combined $10 million budget
- Increased cooperation between Ukraine and Iowa State
Future Goals
In the pipe are many solid projects and ideas for mutual cooperation and development. No wonder ISU and our partners in Ukraine are looking forward to expand the student exchange as much as possible. Lately we set an objective to bring one thousand students from Ukraine to ISU in the next several years.
2004-2009 Goals:
- Attract 1,000 students and young professionals from Ukraine
- Increase duration of visits to 3 to 6 months
- Increase the variety of programs
- Engage the American-Ukrainian community
If you consider supporting the program, please go to "How to Help" section for more details.
For Students: How to Apply
We have an expanding list of participating universities in Ukraine. Please check with the international office in your institution if it participates in the exchange program with Iowa State University. We strongly encourage browsing this web-site to discover if you are qualified for other programs. If you have any questions, please direct them to the officers, listed in the Contacts section.
