International collaborations between higher education institutions are becoming increasingly important in today’s world. By interacting and collaborating on an international scale, more knowledge and cultural sensitivity is shared to increase positive global relations and benefit not only the students and staff involved, but also all of humanity.
Recognizing the importance of engaging in international partnerships, California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine, are formally teaming up to launch an international collaboration program. The goal of the partnership is to promote joint educational, scientific and cultural development for students and staff alike.
“This is tremendous news and a wonderful opportunity that will ultimately benefit students, and the faculty and staff at both of our institutions,” said Tomás D. Morales, President of CSUSB. “The Memorandum of Understanding reinforces my belief that students receive an incredible benefit from international studies. I look forward to our two institutions working togetherThe international partnership is specifically tailored to enhance international understanding and forge a meaningful relationship between CSUSB and Lviv Polytechnic National University. To begin, the cooperation will include developing programs with CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration and Lviv Polytechnic National University’s Tech StartUp School. Lviv Polytechnic National University is one of the largest technical universities in Eastern Europe.
Nurturing mutual activities and seminars on entrepreneurship, research activities, and innovation technology, the partnership opens opportunities to students and faculty from both universities. Conferences, seminars, and academic meetings will be held virtually until the war in Ukraine is resolved.
“The agreement will help expand the global impact for both Lviv National Polytechnical University and the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, our School of Entrepreneurship, and the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE),” said Tomás Gómez-Arias, Dean of the Jack H. Brown College. “We look forward to working with our fellow academics and entrepreneurs with the exchange of research, best practices and growth programs.”
An added benefit of the international partnership is that it will help enhance CSUSB’s globally recognized entrepreneurial program. In recent national rankings from The Princeton Review, the entrepreneurial program was ranked in the Top 50 Graduate Entrepreneurship programs in the United States and globally.
Christopher Watson, Ukrainian-based business leader and facilitator of the partnership added, “Lviv Polytechnic and CSUSB each have a lot to offer the other in terms of learning opportunities. It’s an exciting moment for both institutions to be expanding internationally and is a great chance for CSUSB students to learn about and support the second largest country in Europe during a time of great difficulties and enormous potential.”
Initiated by Watson's aspiration to increase international relations between higher education institutions, the international collaboration will enhance the proficiency of students and academic staff and increase the business competencies of their startups and entrepreneurial endeavors.
“I look forward to our two universities working together,” said Robert Nava, Vice President of the CSUSB Division of University Advancement. “One of the key elements of the partnership is it will bring together among the best of our curricula and faculty to collaborate which will help our students advance, but just as importantly, it will reiterate to the communities, regions and nations we serve, our joint commitment to develop innovative programs that will ultimately move society forward.”