Palacký University Olomouc is expanding its cooperation with one of its important partners in the USA, the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In April, the US partner welcomed UP representatives, while in May the Nebraska representatives visited Olomouc.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney is not an unfamiliar partner for Palacký University. For more than two decades, the UP Faculty of Arts has been successfully cooperating with this school via the UP Department of History. “American students come to study at UP for a whole semester; in the times before the Covid-19 pandemic we even had two-semester classes. And even though they have to pay tuition for their study, they have a sustained interest in our faculty. We always have about twenty students taking courses in Central European history, politics, and culture. They also attend a Czech language course," said Jan Stejskal, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He added that over the years, the working relationship with colleagues from Nebraska has turned into a friendly one. “Thanks to this cooperation, we have hundreds of Americans who have spent time in Olomouc,” added the dean.
This mutually beneficial long-standing contact is also prized by the American university. During the visit of UP representatives in April, the University of Nebraska at Kearney awarded its medal to UP Rector Martin Procházka. The possibilities of student exchange, implemented at the UP Faculty of Arts, should gradually expand to other faculties. The US partners have expressed, among other things, their interest in cooperation for student mobility, for example in the form of internships at local Czech primary and secondary schools cooperating with UP, where they could be an asset to pupils and students as native speakers. A number of various joint online courses across the UP faculties, short-term exchanges, and other activities are also under consideration.
“We are trying to build and develop relationships with American universities, and I am delighted that they are partners who are really incredibly supportive. Thanks to this cooperation we will be able to offer our students a chance to compare their knowledge and skills not only with their peers from European universities but on the global scale. I am very happy about this and convinced that we will succeed in enhancing the reputation of our university and country in international collaboration. It is very valuable for the healthy development of our society if young people can gain experience abroad and then seek to apply it domestically,” said UP Rector Procházka. He awarded his American colleagues Palacký University medals as an expression of gratitude for their cooperation and development of mutual relations.
