FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas School of Law and Freedom House have been awarded an Open World Program grant to host delegations of Ukrainian law professors, law deans and judges this fall.

Freedom House, a nongovernmental organization based in Washington, D.C., and the School of Law jointly sought the grant, the first ever awarded to the School of Law by the Open World Program. As the sub-grantee, the School of Law will receive $11,000 from the Open World Program. The program is administered by the Open World Leadership Center, which was established by Congress in 2000 and is located at the Library of Congress. It brings emerging leaders from Ukraine and other post-Soviet states to the United States, giving them firsthand exposure to the American system of participatory democracy and free enterprise. More information on the program is available at http://www.openworld.gov/.

The School of Law will be collaborating with the Arkansas Bench and Bar and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences in hosting the law professors, law deans and judges. The program designed for the law professors and deans will focus on legal education. A separate program for judges will concentrate on creating and maintaining an independent judiciary. Both delegations will have the opportunity to compare and contrast the legal systems in the United States and Ukraine, as well as to visit law offices and courtrooms in Arkansas.

The law professors and law deans will be in Fayetteville from Oct.17 to 24. The judges, who will spend several days in Little Rock before coming to Fayetteville, will be in Arkansas from Nov.15 to 24.

The delegates will stay with host families while they are in Fayetteville. These home-stays are a centerpiece of the Open World Program and will provide an opportunity for local families to showcase the northwest Arkansas community while learning more about Ukraine, its people and its culture. Inquiries about serving as a home-stay host should be directed to professor Christopher Kelley at (479) 575-3230 or ckelley.christopher@gmail.com.