International Center for German-Russian Studies
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Programs and Events
September, 2009: CSU in Saratov, Russia
Several CSU delegates recently visited Saratov Province in Russia, as part of CSU’s strategic partnership with Saratov State University (SSU). Dr. Lou Swanson, Vice Provost for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships, and Dr. Lee Sommers, Director of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, met with SSU representatives to discuss a jointly sponsored
Rural Institute to be housed in Saratov Province, with input from researchers at both universities.
“The Rural Institute would be an opportunity to integrate research and outreach on agriculture, community development, and economic development,” says Dr. Swanson. “SSU and CSU actually have very similar climates and grow similar crops, including dryland wheat. The rural institute would also encompass cultural studies, including the agricultural and family cultures of Germans from Russia, a group that left a strong imprint on agricultural practices in both Saratov and Northern Colorado.”
During the visit, the university delegates also met with representatives from the Russian Federal Government, who expressed support for the university strategic partnership. “These kinds of partnerships may hold benefits for the world community, in addition to positive outcomes for both countries,” said A. Gordienko, a supervisor of higher education reform in Russia.
CSU Hosts German-Russian Conference
The Inaugural Conference on German-Russian Studies at Colorado State University in June was attended by more than 100 participants who enjoyed a full day of panels and presentations. Russian and Ukranian presentors brought informative materials that illustrated the emerging partnership between Colorado State University and Saratov State University. This partnership, which includes plans to research, digitize, and archive German-Russian documents, manuscripts, books, videos, and other historical materials, will begin a pilot program to catalog materials in the Saratov region and Black Sea area in 2009.
Dr. Rick Miranda, Interim Provost and Executive President, along with Dr. Lou Swanson, Vice Provost for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships at CSU, explained the role of CSU in the partnership. Dr. Leonid Kossovich, Rector of Saratov State University, talked about the role of Saratov State in the partnership and how the University would be involved in the German-Russian project and the proposed joint university Rural Institute program.
Russian participants included Dr. Arkadiy German, Director of the Study of German-Russian History and Culture at Saratov State University; Elena Sofinskaya, Journalist, Volga Media Group; Olga Litsenberger, Professor of History, Saratov State University; Natalia Shirova, Director, State Archives of Saratov State Provinces; Ivan Komarov, Director, State Archives of Russian-German History, Engels, and Svetlana Bobyleva, Professor of History, Dnepropetrovsk National University, Ukraine.
Dr. Janet Bishop, Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections at Colorado State University, explained how documents are preserved and archived at CSU. Dr. Bishop and Dr. Ken Rock, Professor of History Emeritus at CSU, showed slides of their recent visit to Saratov, a number of the villages and the archives and museums. Their story emphasized the large amounts of materials that are available for research and archival preservation.
Dr. Tim Kloberdanz and Rosalinda Kloberdanz, members of the North Dakota State Faculty, gave a much-appreciated closing presentation to the group on “Germans from Russia in the Virtual Age.”