VCU Hosts Ukrainian Delegation through Open World Program

By V. Renee Russell
VCU Global Education Office

The VCU Global Education Office, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, and VCU School of Mass Communications recently hosted a delegation of Ukrainian officials.

The visit, which occurred from Feb. 1 to Feb. 9, was sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center’s Open World Program, an exchange program that introduces leaders in post-Soviet countries to the system of accountable governance in the United States.

The delegation visited the Virginia Capitol and met with Sen. Ryan McDougle of Mechanicsville, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus; Sen. Bryce Reeves of Fredericksburg and Sen. Bill Stanley of Moneta, to discuss how the Virginia General Assembly operates. The visitors also observed a session of the Virginia Senate and were introduced on the Senate floor.

“By hosting these international delegations, VCU is increasingly becoming the conduit connecting our community to the world,” said R McKenna Brown, executive director of the Global Education Office. “Richmond is an excellent location to learn about the U.S. These visitors hold high leadership positions back home and their very presence in our community enriches the environment for our students and faculty.”

In addition to firsthand observation of the Virginia state legislature, the group discussed economic and business development at the state and local levels through meetings with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce.  

“The U.S. has such a unique political system in which you try to find simple solutions to complex problems,” said delegate Liliya Muslimova, assistant to the chairman of the Mejlis executive body. “Our government is still young and it’s important for us to learn about different systems and how we want our systems to evolve.”

The delegation’s visit concluded with a discussion on budgeting and tax policy guided by John Aughenbaugh, instructor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.
 
Aughenbaugh focused on how budgeting and taxing decisions in the United States flow from the country's political culture and constitutional principles.

“The larger point for the Ukrainian delegation was that as it develops as a nation, government officials need to be mindful of how cultural and legal norms can affect what taxes can be levied and whether the public will support them,” Aughenbaugh said.

The mission of the Open World Leadership Center is to enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by developing a network of leaders in the region who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and its free-market system.

The School of Mass Communications and the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs are part of the College of Humanities and Sciences.


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