Graditude from the University of Michigan's Centre for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and also the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia.
Dear Rector E.I. Pivovar:
On behalf of the University of Michigan's Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and also the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, I write to extend our heartfelt graditude to you and your staff for hosting our Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad (henceforth FHGPA) trip, "Understanding Contemporary Russia", that took place at your University from July 11 through July 17, 2010.
Based on the feedback I have received this month from both the leaders and the participants of the FHGPA, and the results achieved at its completion, my staff and I confidently consider it to be a remarkable success. The trip did a great deal to help participants better understand the present-day political and social situation in the Russian Federation and to appreciate its rich history and culture as well the aspirations and values of its people. I have every confidence that the FHGPA participants will successfully integrate the rich expertise they obtained while in Moscow into their teaching, thereby contributing to a better understanding between our two countries.
Throughout the FHGPA's stay in Moscow, our participants were privileged to enjoy the hospitality of the members of your faculty and staff. Thanks to the Department for International Relations, the eleven American teachers who traveled to Russia and spent the concluding week of their trip in Moscow gained invaluable experience and exposureto Russian life, culture and history. We want to express our particular graditude to Svetlana Borisovna Petuchova whose skillful management made the project go smoothly. She did a great job preparing the logistics of the Moscow part of the FHGPA long before the actual arrival of the participants in comfortable dormitory accomodations, organize classes, excursions, and - last but not least - the delicious final dinner for the participants. Thtoughout their stay in Moscow, our FHGPA leaders, Professor Olga Maiorova and Dr. Kelly Miller, received only positive feedback from the participants about the all activities organized be the RSUH for them.
One of the highlights of the entire trip was the group's meeting with you. Your presentation gave the teachers a unique insight into how the University works and how it positions itself in the system of Russian higher education which so different from that in the USA. Your comparative analysis of the educational system in both countries and how they can converge helped every member of the group understand broader issues of rapidly changing social and cultural life in Russia. Thank you very much for contributing your valuable time and efforts to the success of the project!
We are delighted to have had the chance to work with you and your collegues, and hope for more opportunities in the future. With many thanks for your support, energy, and dedication.
Your sincerely,
Douglas Northrop
Director, CREES Associate Professor,
History and Near Eastern Studies
