A Meeting was Held between a MoESYS Delegation and the leadership of American Councils for International Education

Monday, 12 December 2011

On December 10, 2011 a delegation visiting the United States of America led by Yevhen Sulima, First Deputy Minister [of Education and Science, Youth and Sports] met with Dan E. Davidson, President of the American Councils for International Education and representatives of his organization.

American Councils for International Education was established in 1974 and is one of the leading organizations in the USA that conducts academic exchange programs for pupils, post graduate students, teachers, and educators, as well as international trainings and internship programs, specifically the Fulbright Program which is supported by the US Department of State.

American Councils for International Education also works to advance international projects including those that create business incubators, develop technology transfers, implement new developments and commercialize intellectual property.

There was a lively discussion of how conducting external independent testing and the admission campaigns to establishments of higher education are organized in Ukraine and how to include international experts in these processes. Mr. Davidson agreed that the EIT score should not be the sole factor for determining acceptance to HEIs. Both parties agreed that every country, including Ukraine, needs to consider the unique characteristics of their educational system and their national needs [when developing these processes]; for this reason, basing HEI admissions on additional indicators such as the final secondary grade point average and an HEI score can give a more objective assessment of an applicant, and can also give HEIs a larger say in which students are most compatible with their universities.

Additionally, the parties discussed the possibility of future cooperation between leading American and Ukrainian universities in such areas as conducting joint scientific research and organizing graduate theses which would be done under the supervision of Professors from both countries. They also spoke of creating a joint international business incubator with two Ukrainian and two American universities that would include entrepreneurs from both countries.

The parties agreed to prepare a contract between American Councils for International Education, the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and Ukrainian establishments of higher education to send Ukrainian students and post graduate students to study at leading universities in the USA through relevant programs that the government of Ukraine has been running since April 2011. They also agreed on Mr. Davidson visiting Ukraine in March of 2012 to further discuss their cooperation.

MoESYS