Ukrainian leaders to examine national security and humanitarian demining with experts in Virginia
Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
Phone: (804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu
Richmond, VA (March 17, 2023) — For the ninth year, Virginia Commonwealth University will host a delegation of leaders from across the globe through the Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL), formerly called the Open World Leadership Center. Six Ukrainian national security experts will spend March 24-April 1 in Richmond as they meet with VCU faculty, Virginia legislators, state agency representatives, and members of the Ukrainian-American community in Virginia to share experiences with the detection and elimination of land mines.
COIL sponsors and funds the Open World program, a prestigious and engaging opportunity offered by FHI 360 that awards opportunities to young leaders from countries around the world to visit the U.S. and experience how the media and local and federal government agencies operate in the U.S. This year's program will allow Ukrainian participants to have the opportunity to learn about national security advances from VCU researchers, visit the Virginia General Assembly, experience demonstrations and training at the Humanitarian Demining Training Center at Fort Lee, interact with relevant experts at the Center for International Recovery and Stabilization (CISR) at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and meet with representatives of Lift Up Ukraine and other organizations in Richmond that have provided humanitarian relief for Ukraine’s defense.
Jill Blondin, Ph.D., associate vice provost for global initiatives, feels the visit offers beneficial opportunities for both the delegation and VCU.
“Hosting the Congressional Office for International Leadership program is wonderful for VCU and for the Ukrainian delegates," she said. "We have organized engaging activities and meetings, and this is an amazing opportunity for us to learn from each other.”
In collaboration with VCU’s Global Education Office, hosts of the delegation include the Department of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Sciences, as well as the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. In addition, the delegation will spend time at James Madison University for further learning experiences.
Judy Twigg, Ph.D., professor of political science, is helping to organize the delegates’ program of activities. She notes that their visit highlights VCU’s support for U.S. foreign policy goals in Europe and enriches the VCU community.
“It’s an honor and privilege to host these officials and support their valiant defense against Russian aggression,” Twigg said. “Detection and removal of landmines and other explosives planted on Ukrainian soil is a top priority, and this delegation’s work will directly assist in mapping and eliminating these terrible threats to people’s lives and livelihoods.”
While in Richmond, the delegation will meet with Virginia legislators including Virginia Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Maggie Cleary; Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, Jordan Stewart; Virginia Sen. Ryan McDougle; and the former Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, Brian Moran.
Week-long homestays with local Richmond residents will allow the delegates to experience a taste of American family life in addition to the meetings they will be attending. Plans are also set for a tour of Virginia's capitol and to meet with Richmond non-profit agencies that support Ukraine.
Previous Open World delegations hosted by VCU have hailed from Ukraine in 2012, 2013 and 2017, Russia in 2011 and 2014, the Republic of Georgia in 2015, Tajikistan in 2018 and Serbia in 2019.
The Open World Program is a unique, nonpartisan initiative of the U.S. Congress designed to build mutual understanding between the United States and Eurasia and directly administers the programs for delegations from the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Today the Open World program has more than 30,000 alumni and a network of some 8,300 U.S. host families.