UW-Stout prof speaks to Ukrainian students as war rages

Apr. 11—MENOMONIE — Despite the ongoing military invasion by Russia that has turned their country and their lives upside down, at least 100 students from Ukraine are still thinking about the future.

They recently received some help from UW-Stout assistant professor Mary Spaeth, who presented virtually March 30 about entrepreneurship to a class at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

Her talk helped kick off a seven-week course, Innovative Spring of Ukraine. The course was conceived by Professor Ihor Katernyak, a friend of Spaeth's, in the face of the invasion to help the country be prepared to restart and rebuild its economy.

That the course, designed to inspire students and researchers in engineering, life and computer sciences, and economics, is being held at all says much about the people of Ukraine. That it has drawn 100 students from across the country and even some internationally "who want to change our country for the better," according to a university news release, is a testament to the indefatigable Ukrainian spirit that has been on display during the war.

The end of Spaeth's presentation was interrupted by air raid sirens.

"About six minutes before the end of my talk and preceding the Q&A, Ihor interrupted to tell me there were air raid sirens in some of the communities where the attendees were sitting, so he asked if he could make an announcement," said Spaeth, who teaches international business and entrepreneurship.

"In Ukrainian, he let them know that he was recording the session and that they could listen to it later. It was not the kind of announcement that one normally expects in a lecture. We did not take time for questions, but the students and guests were profuse with their thanks and comments in the chat box, and I was overwhelmed by their kindness and energy," she said.

Entrepreneurship can offer opportunity for rebuilding economies by introducting innovation and business skills, Spaeth said.

Katernyak said students are remaining engaged in their studies while getting involved in the war effort.

"What is common for all students here is their great involvement in volunteering, for example taking shifts and volunteering day and night at train stations, meeting IDPs (internally displaced persons) and helping them with food, necessary stuff, settlement and so on. Some students have joined Territorial Defense Forces. But they continue their studies at the universities. And mentors of students' groups constantly stay in contact with their students," he said.

Lviv is in western Ukraine, near the Polish border. Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, with about 20,000 students, is the oldest university in Ukraine.

Spaeth's invitation to speak in Ukraine began with a message she sent to Katernyak the day after the Russian invasion began. She had met him in the 1990s when he visited the U.S. and she was director of marketing and business development for the Northwestern University Evanston Research Park.

They have been friends ever since. "Ihor and I share enthusiasm for economic development and entrepreneurship," she said.

She was hoping to have Katernyak speak at UW-Stout's Ideation Jam, part of the Wisconsin Big Idea tournament, on Feb. 26 but was hesitant to ask him given the turmoil in Ukraine. Yet Katernyak was enthusiastic about meeting the students.

"He visited via Zoom and shared his thoughts about their startup journeys," Spaeth said. "He ended the talk saying that it was evening in Lviv and that they needed to turn off the computer and lights to avoid missile detection, and he softly but firmly said to the students, 'Entrepreneurship is freedom.'"

About three weeks later, Katernyak told Spaeth he was starting the course in Ukraine, for undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. students, and asked her to be a guest lecturer. She quickly agreed to repay the favor and share her enthusiasm for the subject.

Spaeth encouraged the Ukrainian students by noting impressive growth in their country's business startup community the past decade and "sharing case studies of companies that even they did not know were Ukrainian, such as WhatsApp, Grammarly, Gitlab, Petcube and Jooble," she said, and offered tips, tools, networks and strategies for taking startups global at their inception.

She told them that 50% of new companies founded in the U.S. between 2017 and 2020 were started by immigrants, and less than 30% of startup founders are native-born Americans.

"I ended with a reminder that: Entrepreneurship, practiced ethically and empathetically, means freedom to gain financial wealth through self-determination and a means to escape difficult situations while making a positive contribution to your community by making the world a better place."

In late May, Spaeth will reconnect with the course and listen to Ukrainian students' plans for business startups. She will be in Sweden at the time leading a study abroad course for 17 UW-Stout students, who also will listen to business pitches of these students to an international audience of potential investors.