IUEH Visits BSU

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BSU Welcomes Ukrainian Partner University

Bath Spa University recently welcomed five members of staff from the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH), based in Ukraine.

BSU has been working with IUEH since 2018 and became twinned with them in 2022 as part of UUK's Twin for Hope initiative.

The aim of the trip was to showcase how strong Bath's support has been for Ukraine since the invasion: the city has welcomed many refugees, held fundraising concerts in Bath Abbey, projected the colours of the Ukrainian flag onto city buildings, and partnered with the city of Oleksandriya.

One of the trip’s highlights was a reception with the Mayor of Bath, held on Tuesday 4 June. The reception provided an opportunity to connect Bath with another Ukrainian city, Rivne, and to bring together some of those in Bath who have been actively involved in supporting Ukraine during the past two years.

Other stops on the trip included a tour of Newton Park, a visit to Fairfield House and a trip to BSU London, with IUEH visitors also meeting Baroness Emma Nicholson whilst in the capital.

Chair of the Ukraine Britain Business Council, which BSU has recently joined, the meeting with Baroness Emma Nicholson provided an important opportunity for the delegation to report on the impact of the war on education in Ukraine and to discuss ways of addressing the challenges that Ukraine faces now.

Speaking about the visit, English Literature Professor Ian Gadd touched on the importance of the partnership between BSU and IUEH:

“We were honoured to welcome our friends from International University of Economics and Humanities to Bath. We have been working with them for several years but this was the first time they were able to visit us here. It was an invaluable opportunity to introduce our University, to discuss our ongoing collaborations in education, humanities, and business, and to affirm our support and solidarity for them and the people of Ukraine.”

The Rector of IUEH, Professor Vitalii Demianchuk said:

“We are deeply moved by our visit to Bath Spa University. Our meetings with colleagues were productive, interesting and informative. We believe that we will be able to fulfil the prospects of our established collaborative objectives. We are extremely impressed by the attention, care and friendliness of colleagues from Bath Spa University, as well as the residents of the city of Bath. Memories about this visit will remain with us for a long time.”

With the collaboration receiving additional funding from Research England, the aim is to host more groups from IUEH for further planning and collaboration workshops later in the year, with the hope being to also send a BSU delegation to Rivne in the future.