Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
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Table of Contents • Notables • On Top of the Hill Vision Credits
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The Balkan Connection
The Balkans aren’t exactly Razorback country, but students from that region of Europe are coming to the University of Arkansas thanks to a close relationship between a two-year college in Greece and Bumpers College. Dr. Preston La Ferney said the transfer program he has shepherded for eight years with Dimitris Perrotis College in Thesaloniki, Greece, is one of the proudest accomplishments of his career. It has brought 17 high-achieving students to the U of A and up to six more are expected this fall. Their native countries are Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia. La Ferney retired June 30 as a university professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness and director of the Bumpers College international agricultural programs. As La Ferney and seniors Tatjana Hristovska and Vuko Karov, from Macedonia, visited recently in his office, he said he feels a kinship with them and the other students from the Balkans regarding their conflict between seeking their fortunes and going home. La Ferney was raised in Griffithville in White County. After earning two degrees at the U of A and a doctorate at Oklahoma State, he spent the first 18 years of his career out of state, mostly in Washington with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, before taking a pay cut to return to Arkansas. Tatjana and Vuko both say they plan to pursue advanced degrees and work in the United States for about 10 years. Even with M.S. or Ph.D. degrees, they might join the ranks of the unemployed, currently at 40 percent, if they returned to Macedonia in the near future. “Eventually, I would like to go back to do something for the people of my country,” Tatjana said. Tatjana’s parents both have law degrees and jobs as a judge and social worker, but they earn only $500 a month. The cost of living is similar to here, she said. Vuko’s mother is a pharmacist and his father, currently unemployed, has been a corporation president and member of parliament. They also live on about $500 a month. Tatjana is from the city of Bitola, but she often visited her grandfather in a farming village. “I really liked the village life and people, but I didn’t like seeing the people unhappy because they worked so hard (as farmers) and received so little (for their crops).” Someday, she said, she would like to work in the Macedonian government on improving opportunities for farmers. “As an Arkansan, I can relate to concerns about the ‘brain drain’ for these countries,” La Ferney said. “But I know of a lot of good people who have returned to Arkansas in mid-career. Based on what I know about human nature and the law of averages, I figure they will get about half of them back home in 15 or 20 years.” “We get some of the top students from Dimitris Perrotis, and they have excelled here,” La Ferney said. All 17 are in good standing toward B.S. degrees or are pursuing or have earned master’s degrees. Four are working on doctorates. The first student, Elpida Ormanidou, a native of Greece who came in 1998, is now a database analyst with the Sam’s Club division of Wal-Mart in Bentonville. She has B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural business and statistics and another M.S. in business logistics. Vuko and Tatjana were the top two graduates in the class of 2005 at Dimitris Perrotis, and the valedictorian from the class of 2006 has enrolled at the U of A for the fall. “I always wanted to come to the States,” Vuko said. But his coming was a financial burden for his parents. The decision was made easier when the university decided to waive out-of-state tuition for Dimitris Perrotis students because they have proven to be such good students, La Ferney said. After proving themselves the first year, most receive scholarships to cover tuition the second year, and they meet living expenses with work-study and summer jobs. Tatjana and Vuko began dating at Dimitris Perrotis and continue to have a close relationship, which has helped them deal with being so far from home, along with frequent e-mails to and from their parents, they said. When asked what they like most about their UA experience, Tatjana and Vuko said it is the opportunities it opens for them and the efficiency and fairness they have experienced here. “There is no discrimination,” Vuko said. “If you work hard and make good grades, you get scholarships, and if you are a good worker you can get a good job.” |
