SALISBURY, M.d. - Salisbury University announced today that the institution has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine's Sumy State University.
University officials say the memorandum will allow the two schools to build institutional relationships, which includes virtual guest lectures, remote student exchanges, and educational support to Sumy State, which is located in one of the first battlegrounds in the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022 and continues to be impacted today.
“What inspires me most about this partnership is the resilience of students and faculty who remain committed to learning, even in the face of unimaginable challenges,” said Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “At Salisbury University, we are honored to stand alongside Sumy State University, creating opportunities for connection, collaboration, and hope through education.”
The university says they were first introduced to Sumy State by Dr. Yuriy Petrushenko, a professor of economics at the Ukrainian institution, when Salisbury University hosted Petrushenko as a Fulbright Foreign Scholar during the 2024-25 academic year. They say he worked on projects that focused on the eventual work that will need to be done to rebuild civic life in Ukraine afte the war.
“Hosting visiting global scholars on SU’s faculty has long been a critical strategy to SU’s comprehensive global engagement,” said Dr. Brian Stiegler, SU professor of international education and director of the master’s degree in higher education leadership. “Dr. Petrushenko is the latest in a line of visiting scholars who have brought global learning to the SU community.”