From 26 May to 2 June, a delegation from Uzhhorod National University took part in a working trip to Corvallis, Oregon, USA. The event was part of a joint project between UzhNU and the Regional Development Agency of Zakarpattia Oblast, aimed at strengthening international cooperation and exchanging experience in the field of education. The initiative aims to adapt the Ukrainian education system to the needs of veterans returning to civilian life. The delegation from the university included vice-rectors, the dean of the Faculty of International Economic Relations and the dean of the Faculty of Law, as well as lecturers from the Faculty of Social Sciences. It should be noted that this project was initially supported by USAID. During the implementation process, the agency worked with leading employers in the region and identified key areas of professional training that are in demand on the market. The university, in turn, took on the task of developing appropriate educational programmes tailored to the needs of veterans. However, when USAID funding ceased, the initiative was taken up by the Rotary Club of Corvallis (Oregon, USA), Uzhhorod's sister city. It was the Rotary Club that supported the educational component of the project. Distance learning, in particular the asynchronous format, was chosen as the main tool. This approach is becoming increasingly popular as it allows teachers and students to work in a mode that is convenient for both, without the need to be in the classroom or online at the same time. This is especially important for veterans, working people, older folks, people with families, and others with responsibilities. One of the key partners in this effort is Oregon State University (OSU), which, by the way, is one of the top five universities in the United States in the field of distance learning. Thousands of its students study through asynchronous learning, including bachelor's and master's programmes.
"This project was implemented in two stages. The first was the training of UzhNUrepresentatives, which took place a few weeks ago in Košice (Slovakia). Thirty teachers were trained on the Canvas platform, one of the world's most popular modern distance learning tools, which is convenient for synchronous interaction with students. The second stage was a study trip to OSU," said Ruslan Zhylenko, PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, who was also on the trip. Thus, from 26 May to 2 June 2025, a delegation from UzhNU visited Corvallis to study the institutional experience of OSU. The delegation included: Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work Prof. Oleksandr Rohach, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work Prof. Igor Korol, Dean of the Faculty of International Economic Relations Prof. Mykola Palinchak, Dean of the Faculty of Law Prof. Yaroslav Lazur, Prof. of the Department of Sociology and Social Work Olena Bartosh, Assoc. Prof. of the Department of Sociology and Social Work Ruslan Zhylenko. The programme included more than 15 working meetings and aimed to familiarise participants with modern practices of university governance, strategic development, social support for students and partnership building.During the visit, a series of meetings with representatives of OSU, scientific and educational institutions, companies and public organisations took place on 26–28 May with the aim of strengthening academic partnerships and exchanging experience.
The delegation learned about the history and model of American higher education, the system of academic self-governance, strategies for engaging vulnerable groups, and OSU's work in communities, ranging from agricultural innovation to programmes for veterans and youth. In subgroups, participants visited the engineering companies NuScale Power and Jacobs Solutions Inc. and discussed support for the implementation of distance learning at our university. In addition, NuScale provided humanitarian support to UzhNU in the form of technical equipment. A meeting on educational mobility with the president of Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) was also important. LBCC is a public community college with five campuses in Linn and Benton counties (Oregon, USA). It ranks sixth in size among the state's 17 community colleges and enrolls more than 12,000 students annually. On 29 May, the delegates attended a series of meetings on online education. During a Zoom conversation with Arpad Arokhaty, the possibilities of the Canvas Learning Management System were discussed. This is a learning management platform that is actively used at OSU due to its flexibility, integrations and analytical tools. This was followed by a meeting with Dan Arp, former dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, who shared his experience of launching online educational programmes in agriculture.The UzhNU delegation also learned in detail about the work of Ecampus, a special division of OSU that is fully responsible for the organisation of distance learning, from the development of educational courses to quality control. Ecampus OSU is one of the leaders in online education in the United States, serving over 16,000 students. The discussion focused on the quality standards of educational courses, support for teachers and students, the development of open educational resources, partnerships with business, corporate training and micro-accreditation. The day ended with an official dinner with the Rotary Club. The next day, meetings were held with representatives of Samaritan Health Services. The first speaker was Kyle Hatch, who provides resources, support, and advocacy for the mental, physical, and social well-being of veterans and their families. As a certified agent, he prepares, submits, and follows up on claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Hatch presented a support system for veterans that includes emotional support, art therapy, and educational initiatives. The delegation then met with Jerry Florez, Regional Coordinator for Veterans Employment and Local Employer Representative for Veterans Affairs at the Oregon Department of Employment, USA. He spoke about vocational rehabilitation programmes and interactions with employers for the relevant group of individuals. On the same day, the programme participants met with Professor Susan Felstiner from the private Lewis & Clark Law School, who shared her experience of studying law. This was followed by a final debriefing. The next day, a presentation was given on the challenges facing Oregon's wine industry at Lumos Vineyards. Finally, on 1 June, during an official meeting with representatives of the Rotary Club and Oregon State University, the delegation received certificates of completion of the internship programme ‘UzhNU Leadership Delegation to Champion Asynchronous Learning: Let's change the world together’ (3.8 Continuing Education Units, OSU Professional and Continuing Education). The experience gained creates the conditions for adapting effective management models to Ukrainian realities at Uzhhorod National University. Uzhhorod National University expresses its sincere gratitude to the honorary citizen of Uzhhorod, Mr. Pete Bober, for his dedicated work in organising and coordinating the working trip.