Chancellor Brady and Delegation to Build Partnerships between Russia and the U.S.

Chancellor Brady in Russia

A delegation of leaders from seven U.S. colleges and universities visited Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan from February 27 to March 5, 2011, with support from the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State. The purpose of the visit was to promote increased partnerships between institutes of higher education in the two countries and was organized by the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC). The Commission was crafted by Presidents Barack Obama and Dimitri Medvedev in order to improve coordination between the two countries, share ideas, and explore opportunities for further collaboration.

Chancellor Linda Brady (accompanied by Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost for International Programs at UNCG) was joined by representatives from Lehigh University, Montclair State University, North Carolina State University, University of Arizona, University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. The delegation participated in a week-long study tour in Russia to visit potential partner schools and international organizations. They attended a one-day conference on March 1 on “U.S.-Russia University Cooperation: New Opportunities,” which, according to the IIE, focused on “issues of international collaboration through educational exchange programs, collaborative research projects, university partnerships, dual degree programs.”

Chancellor Brady and Rector Gafurov signing agreement

At Kazan Federal University (formerly Kazan State), the Chancellor co-signed (with Rector Ilshat Gafurov) an agreement to expand our existing study abroad program to incorporate research collaboration and faculty exchange. Thanks to the ground-laying work of Dr. Kathleen Macfie, who spent a year at Kazan in 1999 on a Fulbright exchange, UNCG has sent 24 students to Kazan for semester-long programs in Russian Language and Culture since 2004. The new agreement creates opportunities for the Joint School of Nanotechnology and Nanoengineering with North Carolina A&T State University.