During the early years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, things were in a state of flux in almost all the Soviet Republics. Many representatives from American Universities separately and collectively visited many of the emerging independent States in order to learn how relationships could be fostered and assistance provided.

Alabama A&M University was one of the institutions that participated in those early exploratory and planning visits

to those countries, including Ukraine.

Alabama A&M University played a major role in organizing a number of joint conferences in the region, and in the establishment (1994) of American Universities in Russia, Ukraine and New Independent States (AURUNIS), a consortium made up of twenty-five (25) American Universities, the goal of which was fostering collaborative relationships between American Universities and those from the former Soviet Union.

Thus, Alabama A&M University's continued separate efforts led to the establishment of formal collaborative linkage agreements with a number of institutions in Russia and Ukraine including one with Tavrida National University (TNU), formally called Simferopol State University, in 1994. The linkage agreement provides for a broad-based collaboration in research, teaching, exchange of faculty, staff, students and information in mutually beneficial areas. A number of mutual exchange visits by faculty and students have taken place with continued desire to effectively maintain and strengthen the partnership.

To that end, therefore, this proposal entitled "Strengthening Teaching and Outreach Capabilities in Business and Management Education at Tavrida National University, Ukraine, Under a Market-Oriented Economy" which is being submitted, is expected to greatly strengthen the linkage relationship and help to accelerate the transition to market-oriented economic growth in the region and the country.