The transition of Russia to the market economy is likely to bea durable and painful process. Higher education is at adverse position in this transition for the lack of federal financial subsistence, the acute requirement for reforms both in the curricula and in the basic principles of the universities organization. One may witness the contradictory trends: drastic decline in access to the novel academic literature and swift development of the Internet, suspicious attitudes towards humanities due to its status in the former USSR and rising claim for the humanities etc. The ambivalent situation makes the assessment and comprehension of the University and academics place and role in the transitional process very important.

PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE:

The main objective of the conference is to conceptualize the current state and long term vistas of  University education and academics "lifestyle" in the transitional period and the reform of the higher school. The conference is intended to give the opportunity for the USIA Alumni, the intellectual elite of university faculty, to conceive how the adverse effect of the lack of research projects funding may be minimized? What do the new standards and slogans of the Social Sciences and Humanities knowledge construction mean? How well and to what extent could Internet help in replacing the scarce library resources? How the American experience of research and development could be adjusted to the today's Russia's transition? What could the USIA Alumni Association do for its members in order to promote their academic and research activities? What are the pespectives for the further development of Higher education in Russia and how they should be shaped?

LANGUAGES OF THE CONFERENCE:

Russian, English.

SPECIAL COURSE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Applications from the USIA Alumni (Fulbright, , IREX, Kennan, ACTR and other academic exchange programs) are especially welcome.

FUNDING:

Conference is funded by USIS/IREX. All travel and accomodation expenses are expected to be covered for the USIA Alumni and the invited speakers. We'll do our best to cover some expenses for the non-Alumni participants though we can not guarantee reimbursement of spending.

ABSTRACTS:

Your application should include the topic of your presentation, contact information (your address, phone numbers, email, etc.), name and the year of the exchange program you have participated in,and the abstract of your paper. Abstracts in Russian or English up to 3 pages(30 lines at a page, 60 letters in a line) can be submitted (preferably by e-mail in ASCII codes - plain text format) to one of the following addresses:

• info@prof.msu.ru (Russian, English)
• shollowa@irex.ru (English)
• bazhan@bazh.univ.simbirsk.su (Russian, English)

Please keep in mind that Cyrillic letters may be coded differently and thus cause some problem in reading your messages when sent by email.

ABSTRACTS DEADLINE:

May, 29, 1998 If you choose to mail your applications, please send it to the following address:

ADDRESS OF THE ALUMNI CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CHAIR:

Valentin Bazhanov, 432063 Ulyanovsk-63, P.O.Box 1602. Tel. (8422)695728 (home), (8422)329316 (office) Fax: (8422)313000 E-mail: bazhan@bazh.univ.simbirsk.su (OR) bazhan@sv.uven.ru Ulyanovsk State University (L.Tolstoy str., 42).

APPLICATION FORM. USIA ALUMNI CONFERENCE "Academics and Universities of Russia in the Transitional Period" Ulyanovsk, September, 17-20, 1998

• First name and surname:
• Name and the year of the exchange program:
• Mailing address (please, include city code):
• Tel.:
• Fax:
• E-mail:
• Home University:
• Department:
• University address:
• Tel.:
• Fax:
• E-mail:
• Title of the presentation: