Connection between Forestry Education Programs in Hungary and British Columbia Continues
Nearly fifty years ago, a significant portion of the students and professors of the Sopron Forestry School (now University of West-Hungary (UWH)) left Hungary because of the political situation there after the 1956 uprising. Looking for a place to continue their education while stationed in Austria, the University of British Columbia (UBC) adopted them and gave them a chance to continue their education in their own language. Indeed, this was a unique emigration, unparalleled in history. After the completion of their education, more than 80% of the graduates and their professors found employment in BC and Canada and most of them became proud and productive citizens of their new country.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the above unique event, the Faculty of Forestry of UBC and the Faculties of Forestry and Wood Science of UWH launched an English language forestry B.Sc. program this fall based on the Deans’ (Dean Jack Saddler and Dean Karoly Meszaros) official agreement signed during the summer of 2005. This agreement included the opportunity for faculty members from UWH to obtain some experience in “forestry education in English”. To that end, UBC will host three to five faculty members from UWH per semester during the next two or three academic years. The first four arrived in early September this year: Dr. Balint Heil (Associate Professor, Soil Science), Dr. Laszlo Jager (Associate Professor, Environmental Law), Dr. Livia Molnar – Hamvas (Associate Professor, Chemistry Dept.), and Dr. Akos Voros, (Associate Professor, Language Education). Three other visiting professors are scheduled to arrive from Sopron in January 2006.
During their stay at the UBC visiting professors from Sopron attended classes and seminars in their area of expertise and met with the UBC faculty members to exchange research and scientific ideas. Professor Heil gave two seminars on (i) Afforestation in Hungary: a key to carbon mitigation? and (ii) Comparison of physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of three forest soils in West Hungary. They will return to their home university in mid-December, and they claim that the three-month experience was really beneficial for both parties. One of the fist collaborating initiatives sparked by this visit will involve Dr. Heil in preparing and teaching a study case for the AGRO 402 – Sustainable Soil Management course offered at the UBC by Drs. Bomke and Krzic in term 2 of 2005/06.
Based on the deans’ agreement, a four-year English language B.Sc. program in forestry is scheduled to start in Sopron in January 2007. They are expecting students from several Central European countries. The program curriculum, which will be very similar to UBC’s Forest Resources Management program, will be finalized within a few weeks. Course delivery will be organized by UWH, and in this some collaboration is expected from the Faculty of Forestry of UBC and several universities from Central Europe.
It is interesting to note that, as the Hungarian students studied forestry in their own language at UBC from 1957 to 1961, students from several countries will be able to study forestry in Hungary in English language starting in 2007.
Prepared by:
The four visiting professors and
Antal Kozak, Professor Emeritus, Forest Resources Management, UBC