UWC board member partners with 8 Ukrainian universities, promotes Ukrainian university in Brazil

Vitório Sorotiuk, a UWC board member and former head of the Ukrainian-Brazilian Central Representation, is visiting Ukraine to strengthen educational and cultural ties between the Ukrainian community in Brazil and Ukraine.

The main goals of his visit were to support the teaching of Ukrainian and Portuguese at the State University of Central-West in Brazil and to promote partnerships between Brazilian and Ukrainian universities.

Another important issue discussed was the establishment of a Ukrainian Free University in Brazil, a key initiative to preserve Ukrainian identity and culture within the diaspora.

During his visit, Sorotiuk held meetings with the leadership of eight universities and two educational institutions. Among them were Volodymyr Buhrov, Rector of the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv, and Serhiy Kvit, Rector of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

He also met with Bohdan Buiak and Uliana Koruts, Rector and Vice-Rector, respectively, of the Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, as well as Prof. Iryna Ivashchuk; Mykola Mytnyk, Rector of the Ternopil National Technical University; Mykhailo Korda, Rector of the Ternopil National Medical University; Halyna Protsyk, Vice-Rector for International Relations at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv; and Iryna Kliuchkovska, director of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations at Lviv Polytechnical University. He also met with Liliia Bondarenko from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Sorotiuk also met with Halyna Hrushko, Director of Ternopil Vocational School of Services and Tourism, to explore ways of supporting the Brazilian city of Prudentópolis in creating a center for producing traditional Ukrainian clothing.

One of the highlights of his visit was his proposed new slogan for Ternopil. 

Expanding on the well-known phrase “Ternopil — Faine Misto” (“Ternopil — a Fine City”), he suggested “Ternopil — a Fine and Smart City,” emphasizing the region’s strong educational and cultural traditions.

“These contacts will open new opportunities for academic and cultural ties between Brazil, its Ukrainian community, and Ukraine,” Sorotiuk said, expressing optimism for deeper cooperation and mutual understanding.