Ms. Koutková, what is the current situation, and how are Ukrainian students currently being handled at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences?

At the end of March 2022, a Task Force Ukraine was established at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences on behalf of the Rector. This group, consisting of administrative staff, faculty and institute members, and members of the Student Council (StuRa), maintains the Ukraine information portal and manages the email address Ukraine@hszg.de, which was set up specifically for matters related to Ukraine. This is also where most of the university’s activities related to Ukrainian students and refugees from Ukraine are coordinated.

Our priority, of course, is to support Ukrainian full-time students who, due to the war in Ukraine, have lost their livelihoods or part of them and are at risk of being unable to continue their studies in Germany. In this area, we work closely with the Friends of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.

In addition, we receive many inquiries from students from Ukraine who have either already arrived in our region or are still in Ukraine and are looking for a place to study in Germany. Incidentally, these are not only Ukrainians, but often also young people of Asian or African descent who studied in English in Ukraine.

Lecturers from Ukraine and university staff also repeatedly reach out to the university—either directly or through their hosts in Germany—seeking opportunities for collaboration. For both groups, the biggest challenge is their lack of German language proficiency. The vast majority of our degree programmes are not offered in English. Where possible, we integrate prospective students into our German language courses for exchange students or into the 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory college ), with the goal of eventually enrolling them as non-degree seeking guest students or full-time students.

For faculty members from Ukraine, the job shadowing model—based on the Erasmus+ project—has proven effective so far. For example, at the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management, Prof. Oksana Makovoz from the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute was integrated into our program in this way. At the moment, we do not have any Ukrainian faculty members or researchers who are refugees on staff.

Since the start of the war, the HSZG has been working in close coordination with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which represents German universities in matters of international cooperation. At the same time, coordination is also taking place at the state level. Under the guidance of the State Rectors’ Conference, structures are currently being established to coordinate activities at Saxon universities. In addition, the task force is in constant contact with local support centers for refugees. Even though the situation is constantly evolving, we strive to provide a stabilizing influence for our students from Ukraine and Russia.

What about Russian students?

As far as students from Russia are concerned, the situation here is very complex. Due to its strategic international orientation, the HSZG maintains long-standing active partnerships with universities in Russia, such as ITMO and UNECON in St. Petersburg. To secure funding for these partnerships, we have successfully obtained grants in the past through the Erasmus+ Worldwide and DAAD Eastern Partnerships exchange programs. The Faculty of Natural Sciences runs a successful dual-degree program with ITMO. These partnerships are now partially at risk due to the political developments of the past few weeks. While stays by Russian students and staff at HSZG can still be funded—meaning no one has to return home early—our projects will expire either at the end of 2022 or by mid-2023 at the latest. It is currently uncertain whether we will be able to secure new funding and how partnerships with Russian higher education institutions will continue to be supported.

How many Ukrainian students are currently enrolled at HSZG? What assistance and support options does HSZG provide?

Currently, 11 Ukrainian students are enrolled in our degree programmes and in the 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory college). Shortly after the war began, we asked them to contact the International Office if they needed support. Some have taken advantage of this opportunity, and university staff remain in close contact with them. In addition, the Rector invited them to a personal meeting on April 1, 2022. So the students know that all doors are open to them here. Some students are involved in refugee aid, while others are caring for family members who have fled. Overall, they are very independent and proud individuals.

As the director of the International Office, you’re used to organizing international student programs at the university and faculty exchange programs. How challenging have the past few weeks been for you?

Since the war began, this issue has dominated my daily work. It’s a major challenge, but one that was to be expected in the context of such a crisis. At this point, I’d like to thank the University Executive Board—and especially the members of the task force, as well as the staff who are volunteering their free time—for their dedication and good cooperation! Placing the coordination within the Student Services & International Affairs division is a logical decision, especially since there is already experience here from around 2015, when refugee and migration issues previously played a major role for the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. However, should the coordination efforts develop into a long-term undertaking, we will need to rethink the distribution of responsibilities. The issue of funding must also be addressed here. In order to offer language courses on a larger scale or to hire Ukrainian staff, we must secure funding. At the moment, we are waiting for the call for proposals for new funding programs.

Overall, it’s fair to say that my work at the International Office has never been as politically charged as it has been in recent weeks. This event will certainly steer the HSZG’s international orientation in new directions. I see this above all as an opportunity for the HSZG and am curious to see the results.

What about German students who are currently participating in an exchange program in Ukraine or Russia?

Due to its strategic focus on Eastern Europe and the CIS states, HSZG maintains very active partnerships with Ukrainian and Russian universities, such as Ternopil Pedagogical University in Ukraine and ITMO and UNECON universities in Russia. Fortunately, at the time the war broke out, we had only one dual-degree student from the Faculty of Natural Sciences in St. Petersburg. We asked him to return fairly soon, as we assessed the security risk to be too high. He returned to Zittau via Helsinki, as there were no longer any direct flights available at that time. The other students did not leave the country in the first place. At this time, student, faculty, and staff exchanges to Russia are not eligible for funding.

How is communication and collaboration with partner universities proceeding? Are you in contact with them?

Communication with partner universities generally takes place through the faculty coordinators. Our Ukrainian partners indicated some time ago that they were safe. Of course, that may have changed in the meantime. According to the DAAD, over 50 percent of Ukrainian universities have had to suspend operations, while others are still conducting classes online. We have informed our Russian partner universities that we must “freeze” cooperation for the time being, with the exception of incoming student exchanges. It is currently difficult to make a realistic assessment of how the situation will develop. We must remain flexible.