Russian Exchange Program

InTech, Jul 2005 by Policastro, Ellen Fussell

LEADERSHIP

How can students from around the globe learn to live and work in a global society if they're not exposed to one another's cultures? "Internationalizing our students to the fact that there's more to the world than the U.S. [will help] students graduate and work on an international level," said Jerry Cockrell, Professor of Electronics and Computer Technology at Indiana State University. Preparing students for the new global society is one of the goals behind the student exchange program between Indiana State University and Russia's St. Petersburg University. "A typical Midwestern student from a small Indiana town might not have an opportunity to interact with those from a Russian university," Cockrell said, except in a cultural student exchange program.

This month, Cockrell, Alex Bobovich (Vice-Director of St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation), and a group of ISA students will take part in the two universities' ongoing student exchange program to share presentations, cultural activities, tours, and section visits around the area.

Cockrell has visited St. Petersburg a few times, where they've held presentations at their municipal conference each year. "This is our way of reciprocating," he said. "We'll also run some tests on distance education programs we've been doing together. I've been teaching project management to [the Russians]. We have a chat room set up and they have my video tapes. In the chat room they can ask questions and discuss various aspects of project management."

Cockrell said the program began specifically with Russia because he met Bobovich in 1995, and the two struck up a professional relationship because of their ISA memberships. Cockrell said Indiana State also has an exchange program in other disciplines with China, Morocco, and the Ivory Coast. "We've got another person in the social work department doing work with Russia," he said.

The main goal of the exchange program is understanding, Cockrell said. "We're hoping to continue the exchange. We signed an agreement between the two universities to continue this exchange of ideas, working together to get some of their people to study in our university. We hope to send a group of U.S. students to St. Petersburg."