Ukraine Delegation Visits SB, Westmont

A delegation from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine, visits Westmont on Friday, March 23, to tour the campus and hold a roundtable discussion with faculty and students. The five elected Crimean legislators and staff have spent a week in Santa Barbara, promoting understanding between the U.S. and the Supreme Council of Crimea. The cultural and political exchange, hosted by the Santa Barbara Sister Cities Board and sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center, has focused on democratic reform and government accountability. The group came from the city of Yalta, Santa Barbara’s sister city and a well-known resort on the Black Sea.

The delegation includes the vice speaker of the Crimea Republic Legislature; consultant of the department for the Supreme Council of the Crimea;  head of the secretariat for the Supreme Council of the Crimea;  consultant for the Department of Information Policy for the Cabinet of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; and a representative from the office of information and analysis.

The roundtable discussion will include Westmont professors Thomas Knecht, Alister Chapman, David Anderson and Jesse Covington, as well as Tatiana Nazarenko, a former faculty member at the National University of Kyiv (Ukraine), who serves as Westmont dean of curriculum and educational effectiveness.

The Crimea region officials arrived in Santa Barbara March 16 and have met with local elected officials and public administrators with the city and county of Santa Barbara and Solvang.