FSU’s Ukraine Task Force Program Director Met With President Zelenkyy’s Staff And Other Leaders During Ukraine Trip

Tallahassee, Fla. - Dr. Vilma Fuentes, Program Director for Florida State University's Ukraine Task Force (UTF), spent almost two weeks in Ukraine in late October and early November meeting with members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Office and other Ukrainian political and educational leaders. The trip continued the UTF's efforts to assist Ukraine while advancing FSU's mission.

This was Fuentes' sixth trip to Ukraine since 2019, but it was the first time she had returned since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country. Despite the inherent risks of traveling to Ukraine, the Fuentes was able to continue one of the UTF's primary missions by helping to establish programs for a new generation of Ukrainian military veterans. 

"Dr. Fuentes' visit to Ukraine can be named a humanitarian mission," said Dr. Hanna Shchutska, Director of Kyiv College of Applied Sciences. "Important meetings were held in five cities, including the capital, which united educators, veterans, the military union, state government officials and local administrations, students and public activists in one common goal, understanding the importance of comprehensive support for veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war by establishing inclusive education as a priority for the period of post-war reconstruction of the country. At every stop on her journey around Ukraine, Dr. Fuentes highlighted the importance of and the many ways Ukraine can support military veterans."

One of the most impactful parts of the trip for Dr. Fuentes was attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new veteran center in Khemelnytskyi Polytechnic College led by Dr. Vadym Ovcharuk. Ovcharuk visited Florida State in 2016 as part of the Community College Administrator Program (CCAP), which is administered by the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at FSU. He returned to FSU in August of this year on a grant from he U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to learn more about how FSU serves and reintegrates military veterans.

The new veterans center in Khemylnitsky was built as a direct result of the work of FSU's UTF. The visits to FSU and the lessons learned from the veteran-centered operations on campus gave life to a new era of focus on veterans in Ukraine. During the ceremony, Fuentes shared a recorded presentation delivered by William "Billy" Francis, the Director of FSU's Student Veterans Center.

"Thanks to (the UTF), we were able to convey to the state leadership the idea of creating veteran support centers based on vocational colleges of Ukraine," said Dr. Svetlana Kretovych, Education Advisor in the Office of the President of Ukraine. "This idea was formed while visiting veteran's centers during our visit to Florida State in the summer. For Ukraine, which is currently defending its independence in the face of Russian aggression, the creation of support centers for veterans returning from the war is vital."

Among the leaders Fuentes met with on the trip was Deputy Head of President Zelenky's Office, Olena Kovalska. The discussions with the President's Office centered around establishing veteran hubs at Ukrainian vocational colleges. 

According to Kovalska, in the U.S., universities, and colleges have taken on responsibilities for helping military personnel reintegrate into civilian life and acquire new professions. In Ukraine, veteran development centers perform even broader functions, providing opportunities for new professional training, uniting veterans, providing employment assistance, and providing psychological and other support to veterans and their families.

"In this challenging time for our country, any support from our international friends and partners is invaluable, including (FSU's UTF) assistance in creating veteran development centers at Ukrainian vocational colleges," said Kovalska.

"I am personally very pleased that at the end of the meeting with the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Olena Kovalska," said Kretovych. "I am sure that together we will do everything to help our veterans return to a peaceful life as soon as possible, get a proper education, feeling the care of the state for them and their families."

Fuentes also met with regional government officials in Lviv, Khemelnytskyi, and Ternopil. In Lviv, Fuentes met with Mayor Andriy Sadovy to discuss the UNBROKEN ecosystem, cooperation in helping veterans and educational and medical partnerships. The mayor emphasized that this issue is significant because the city is working on the creation of a unique medical university, Unbroken University.

UNBROKEN | UNBREAKABLE is a unique ecosystem that unites more than twenty projects. It provides various services, including treatment, prosthetics, physical and psychological rehabilitation, housing, and reintegration. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, UNBROKEN has treated more than 16,000 wounded Ukrainians, including children.

"Lviv has received millions of refugees and internally displaced Ukrainians," said Fuentes. "They are serving thousands of military veterans, people with newly acquired disabilities, and citizens struggling to recover from the trauma of war. I am hopeful we can find a way for FSU's diverse and talented faculty to interact with and support this ambitious project in the coming months." 

Another essential stop on Fuentes's trip was at the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU) in Khmelnytskyi. Colonel Andrii Balendr, head of the Language Training and Testing Center at SBGSU, was at Florida State this past summer as part of the BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows program. His time working with the UTF directly led to meaningful discussions with leadership at the Academy during Fuentes' visit.

"A major topic of conversation was the support and reintegration of military veterans," said Col. Balendr. "Dr. Fuentes shared insights from the Florida State University's experience assisting military veterans, particularly those with disabilities. The Academy's leadership expressed interest in adopting similar approaches, especially supporting veterans who have served in the SBGSU.

"The possibility of borrowing American models for veterans' centers was also discussed, with an emphasis on creating joint educational programs, holding workshops, and organizing conferences to address the challenges veterans face. The discussions left participants optimistic about the future of cooperation and the potential for lasting impact on the support of veterans and the professional growth of the Academy's staff."

The relationships established during this summer's BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows program and previous CCAP visits to FSU from Ukraine were critical in the success of this trip. CCAP and BridgeUSA Alumni played a significant role in ensuring a safe and successful trip.

"Alumni of the CCAP program acted as the main organizers of the program of Dr. Fuentes' visit," said Shchutska. "Using the experience gained as a result of studying the American system of educational rehabilitation of veterans, the project for establishing a network of Veteran Development Centers based on 15 technical colleges in different regions of Ukraine was presented." 

Fuentes also participated in the American Councils 50th Anniversary "United for Education" event as the keynote speaker. Florida State was the first American university to host fellows from the BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows program. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with additional funding provided by U.S. host institutions. The American Councils for International Education administers it.

"Thanks to the personal presence of Dr. Fuentes at meetings of different levels, it was possible to draw attention to the problems of technical colleges in Ukraine and to focus attention on the implementation of socially important tasks," said Shchutska. "I express my gratitude on behalf of the educational community to Dr. Fuentes for her caring position and active professional assistance to Ukraine in developing the field of rehabilitation of war veterans." 

"Ukrainian academics need support now more than ever before," said Fuentes. "The next several months will be very difficult as winter sets in and Ukraine enters its third year of war. Ukrainians need to know that regular Americans still support them. FSU can advance its mission and strategic plan while extending a hand of friendship to Ukrainian academics. We can do this by implementing innovative international projects, developing new research collaborations, and applying for grant-funded opportunities. We look forward to continuing and expanding our partnership with Ukrainian colleges and universities in 2025." 

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