Center on Russia and the United States :: Summary of SUNY/MSU Center Activities

2-week visit of Dr. Oleg Medvedev, Dean Faculty of Basic Medicine, MSU to the four SUNY medical schools.

Visit of Ms. Svetlana Sigida to SUNY Purchase, SUNY Albany and SUNY Potsdam, Crane School of Music to lecture and discuss exchange opportunities. One initiative proposed was a joint teaching exchange between the Crane School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory where the instructors would play each other's music with student participation in the live performance.

Under SUNY Albany, MSU exchange, Tatiana Vasilieva spent spring semester teaching Russian. Graduate student Roshochenko spent the 1999-2000 academic year in research.

March, 2000: Dr. Oleg Medvedev signs agreement with Medical School at SUNY Buffalo for exchange of student interns.

May 11, 2000: First meeting of the Board of Directors, SUNY Center on Russia and the United States. Governor George W. Pataki in attendance. Meeting chaired by Chancellor Robert L. King and Chancellor Emeritus John W. Ryan. MSU representatives were Dr. Oleg Medvedev, Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medicine and Dr. Svetlana Ter-Minasova, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

May 12 - May 19: visit of Dr. Svetlana Ter-Minasova to five SUNY campuses. At SUNY New Paltz, discussion of a joint training course for businessmen interested in doing business in Russia. At lunch, Dr. Roger Bowen, President of the college, expressed his keen interest in expanding relations. Contact person, Dr. Henry Urbanski. At SUNY Oneonta, agreement on a joint course offered over the SUNY Learning Network on "Doing Business in Russia." Contact person: Richard Insinga. At SUNY Albany, visit with Dr. Istvan Kecskes, Chair, Department of ESL. Discussion of development of a dual degree program and exchange of students. Visit to Slavic Languages section. Meeting with Dr. Charles Rugal, Chair of Slavic Languages Section, Department of Foreign Languages and James M. Pasquill, Assistant Director of International Programs, on the SUNY Albany/MSU exchange. At SUNY Cortland, brief meetings with Dr. Henry Steck, Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Political Science, Dr. Gharish Bhat, Department of Political Science, Dr. Thomas Pasquarello, Professor, Chair of the Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education, and Dr. John Ryder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Agreement on working with MSU's Prof. Luri Rogulev of the Faculty of History in the development of a jointly taught Russian studies course. The course would be opened to all students on the SUNY campuses and all students at MSU. A brief meeting with SUNY Cortland President Judson H. Taylor, the President expressed his strong interest in the Center's initiatives. At SUNY Buffalo, meetings with Dr. Stephen C. Dunnett, Vice Provost for International Education and Director, English Language Institute, Janice A. Nersinger, Program Director, Overseas Programs of the English Language Institute, John K. Fitzer, Program Director, English as Second Language Programs and Kathleen L. Curtis, Associate Director and Foreign Student Advisor, the English Language Institute. The meetings had a very positive outcome. Dr. Dunnett agreed to accept one English speaking instructor from Dr. Ter-Minasova's department to teach a full teaching load at UB in the Language Institute for the next academic year. In addition, there was much discussion on a joint degree program, the exchange of student interns, and last but not least, the development of a joint course in American studies to be taught over the SUNY Learning Network. Participation in course development could not be finalized because Dr. Michael Frisch, Director of Graduate Studies, and recently elected President of the National American Studies Association, was out of town.

The final meeting of Dr. Ter-Minasova's program was with Christine Haile, Director of the SUNY Learning Network. Ms. Haile clarified the development of a distance learning course. After some discussion, it was decided that SUNY and MSU would collaborate on the offering of three new SLN courses for spring 2001: Doing Business in Russia (SUNY Oneonta and MSU Faculty of Foreign Languages); Russian studies (SUNY Cortland and MSU Faculty of Foreign Languages), American studies (SUNY Buffalo and MSU Faculty of History). It was agreed that there would be two training sessions, The first would take place in early October 2000 in Albany. The second would be at MSU in mid January.

Plans for the Academic Year 2000-2001

September 4 SUNY Co-director of the Center on the United States at MSU's Science Park, Moscow, Dr. Robert Goeckel, takes up his position in Moscow. For the performance of his duties there, Dr. Goeckel was awarded a grant from the Fulbright Committee.

September 7 to January 1, Dr. Ivan Zassoursky of the Faculty of Journalism will be in residence on several SUNY campuses to offer courses in modern history and journalism. Dr. Zassoursky is the winner of MSU's 1999 prestigious Shuvalov Prize, awarded annually for a graduate student work adjudged best written by a senior academic editorial board. His award winning work is entitled The Mass Media in the Second Republic. In addition to teaching, Dr. Zassoursky hopes to conduct research for his next book on political events as spectacle.

Early September, arrival of MSU instructor from the Faculty of Philology to teach Russian language and literature at SUNY Albany. Five students from this faculty and the Faculty of Foreign Languages will also be coming.

Late September, early October: three week visit to Moscow of Dr. Sophia Lubensky, Department of Foreign Languages, and Dr. Laurie Feldman, Department of Psychology. The two will conduct field tests on MSU students in the Faculties of Philology and Foreign Languages. MSU has offered an office, access to students, and lodging.

First two weeks of October, first training session of the MSU-SUNY teams preparing the three new courses to be offered on the SUNY Learning Network.

Unscheduled but planned: As yet unscheduled are four additional SUNY Professional Fellows, and the return visits of four SUNY faculty to do two-week seminars at MSU in response to requests from MSU’s Faculty of Economics and Business. SUNY faculty with expertise in English as a Foreign Language, Computer Science, and other scientific disciplines will also go to teach short courses. During the next year, MSU will form a new faculty of agricultural science. Plans are already moving forward on the development of a collaborative research agenda with this faculty and the State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. A delegation is coming in July for an informational meeting with faculty visits planned during the fall semester.

Governor Pataki and Chancellor King are leading the effort to engage the private sector in support of the new Centers’ exchange. We are continuing to work with the Department of State on expanded Fulbright support of our centers, with USAID, the US Congress and other institutions of the federal government. The international experience opens minds to the world and breaks down cultural barriers. General Electric and Citigroup are setting a national example of corporations that have made a commitment to international scholarships and leadership programs for students and teachers overseas. We are working with them to put greater effort into Russia.

The principal aim of the new Center at Albany is to make a semester or year abroad in Russia more accessible and relevant to students and faculty on all the SUNY campuses, and to work to ensure that this experience promotes career advancement. Our sister Center in Moscow has the same goals for students and faculty at MSU. Russia’s increasing stability makes it even more imperative that New York State’s leaders in commerce, industry, agriculture and education join with their counterparts in Russia to prepare our future work force to do business with one another.