‘The Top Marks for Summer School in HSE’

Maureen A. Pirog, Rudy Professor of Policy Analysis, Indiana University and Associated Professor, University Washington, Editor-in-Chief, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management gave a special interview to HSE news service.

— Why did the Indiana University start cooperation with the HSE? What's the main goal of such collaboration?

—  The initial was through a US State Department - USAID project between the Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs ( SPEA) and the Higher School of Economics.  The project included faculty exchange, courses taught in Russia by SPEA faculty, and research.  After the three year project ended, the two schools and at a higher level, the two universities signed collaborative agreements to continue to exchange faculty.  This year for the first, SPEA sent students for a summer programme.

— What's your evaluation of the summer school which was organized for the first time? What could be done different? What's effective?

— The students really loved the programme and all would love to come back to Russia and HSE.  The SPEA students would have liked more opportunity to interact with HSE students, perhaps an hour of rudimentary Russian each morning, and a lecture comparing US and Russian cultures from the Russian perspective.  As it operated this year, we would give the programme an A!  Top marks.

— What do your students think of the summer school?

— I believe, for most of them  visiting Russia has become the first international experience. I was surprised but the students all adjusted to Russia rapidly and well.  They found the metro easy to use and enjoyed both the lectures and cultural activities.

— Do you have any specific plans on cooperation with the HSE in the future? Are you going to discuss the possibility of double degree programmemes or students' exchange in the future?

— We will continue to cooperate with HSE.  The terms of the cooperation are the subject of discussions right now. We shall see!

—- Where have you been in Moscow apart from the class rooms? What's your impression on Moscow?

— We have been to Red Square, St. Basil's, the Kremlin, Christ the Savior cathedral, the Pushkin museum, Ismailovo art market, Sergiev Posad, the Bolshoi Theater to see Romeo and Juliette, a boat ride on the Moskva River, among other places.  The entire group really enjoyed Moscow and Russia.


Some of the students shared their impressions of the summer school.

Damon Smith, Indiana University Bloomington - Graduate Candidate:

Studying at The Higher School of Economics in Moscow was indeed a great privilege.  As a graduate student of public administration and East European studies, HSE's summer programme was perfect for me.  In my future, I hope to work in the international development or public administration fields in Eastern Europe, and this programme introduced me to Russia.  

The scholars at HSE have broadened my understanding of public administration in general, and I feel more comfortable drawing preliminary comparisons between Russia, other East European countries, and the USA. The professors were very enthusiastic about future collaboration, and I hope to take advantage of the connections I have made in my future research. Although I had worked in the region for a few years, this was my first time in Russia. I am sure that I will be there again.

Grace Owen Todd:

I've had a little more than a day to reflect on everything I have done in the past two weeks and I've realized that the people I met and the things we experienced together are memories that will never be forgotten. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about a country with such a unique history and structure from the point of view of the citizens themselves. I would definitely recommend this program to any student and look forward to going back!