LaSalle program is aimed at faculty development (04/07/96)

LaSalle program is aimed at faculty development

by Mark Andryczyk

PHILADELPHIA - In the last five years, the relationship between the United States and Ukraine has gradually grown more intimate. New areas of contact are being explored as the two partners become more familiar with each other. This intimacy has resulted in the development of innovative exchange programs that encourage the sharing and understanding of differences in education and culture in hopes of improving each country's present state of affairs.

One such program is the La Salle University Cultural Immersion Program for Ukrainian Faculty Development. This program was conducted in Philadelphia on February 12-18. Participating were 15 professors and graduate students from the Lviv Institute of Management and Donetske State Technical University who are in the U.S. on two-month internships in areas of their specialization. The Cultural Immersion Program served as an introduction to American business and cultural life; its goal was to ease the visitors' transition into unfamiliar surroundings before they set off on their respective ventures.

The program was spearheaded by co-directors Dr. Andrew Lamas and Dr. James Kelly of La Salle University. The seven-day program concentrated on four areas: English language studies, U.S. financial institutions, Ukrainian diaspora achievements and Philadelphia's cultural attributes. The four areas, sharing many common elements, often blended together during one activity, which contributed to the program's even flow.

The participants from Ukraine were an exclusive group chosen from a large pool of applicants. Consequently, their English language aptitude was excellent and required only a fine-tuning of conversational skills. The first half of each day was devoted to this task as the students were presented with various, everyday situations in which they were forced to practice their conversational English. Prof. Leo Rudnytsky, assisted by students of La Salle's Central and Eastern European studies graduate program, developed the language and cultural studies activities.

The business branch of the program centered on developing an understanding of the operation of U.S. financial institutions. This objective was undertaken by Ihor Shust of CoreStates Bank. After a comprehensive and informative lecture, Mr. Shust escorted the students on a tour of U.S. financial institutions, including Ukrainian Self-Reliance Federal Credit Union, First Security Federal Savings Bank and CoreStates Bank. The visitors from Ukraine commented on the differences in conducting business at small, neighborhood banks as opposed to dealing with large institutions. A trip to Winner Ford's auto dealership in Delaware, owned by a Ukrainian American, complemented their itinerary.

Much emphasis was placed on the use of computers in business instruction. Since most of the program's participants work as instructors in Ukraine, a considerable amount of time was spent listening to lectures on "distance learning" and the Internet. These lectures were presented by Chris Liguori of the IBM Educational Department in Brussels, and Dr. Kenneth Rhodes, associate professor of finance at La Salle.

The week's evenings were devoted to exposing the visitors from Ukraine to Philadelphia's cultural life (both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian). A visit to West Philadelphia's eclectic White Dog Cafe was one of the program's highlights and provided a forum for restaurant owner Judy Wicks to discuss a successful business's responsibility to its community and workers. Other cultural activities included a visit to The Franklin Institute's Omniverse Theater and a stop at Jim's Steaks, billed as home of the world's most delicious cheesesteak.

An important attribute of this program was its balance of offerings. For example, amid all these discussions of dollars and profit were sandwiched a discussion with Rabbi Simcha Raphael, Dr. Gail Ramshaw and Brother Miguel Campos, all of La Salle's religion department, and visits to Philadelphia's Ukrainian churches and cultural centers.

The week was jam-packed with activities, and the participants valiantly absorbed and discussed all that was presented to them. Emphasis must be placed on the discussions that came out of this week of interaction. Co-directors Lamas and Kelly presented the American business climate with all its positives and negatives, and encouraged input from the participants on what kind of business climate they consider most fair and desirable in Ukraine.

Many past exchange programs have consisted of force-feeding the ideas of the American system down the throats of visitors whose ideas and experiences are deemed "inferior." This kind of approach is counterproductive and is successful only in accenting the differences between the two cultures. On the other hand, the existence of more programs such as the LaSalle Cultural Immersion Program will truly benefit both societies in attempting to understand each other better as they approach a new century.

| Home Page |