Summer 2005
FEATURES
College Explores Programs with Schools in Mexico, Russia and Turkey
Geneseo has been exploring working with three partner universities overseas to develop dual-diploma degree programs — Moscow State University in Russia, Universidad de las Americas in Mexico and Hacettepe University in Turkey.
The College hopes that students enrolled in a degree program would be able to receive a diploma both from Geneseo and the international partner university, reports Stephen Burwood, assistant provost for international affairs.
All three universities are exceptional academic institutions, among the best in their respective countries, said Burwood. To date, Geneseo officials have made some progress on all fronts but have not reached the stage where any commitments have been made.
“Much discussion and consultation remains to be done before we know if any of these initiatives will bear fruit,” said Burwood.
Last December, Geneseo put together a proposal for a dual-diploma program in economics to be run jointly with a partner institution in Turkey. A delegation from Geneseo will travel in June to talk with officials from Hacettepe University. Provost Katherine Conway-Turner will lead the group, which will include Burwood, Nader Asgary, associate professor of economics, and Robert Goeckel, coordinator of international relations.
President Christopher C. Dahl went to Moscow in late 2004 for the 250th anniversary of the establishment of Moscow State University. While there, he met with Dean Svetlana Ter-Minasova, of the faculty of foreign languages and discussed Geneseo’s potential cooperation. This past semester, Geneseo hosted a visiting scholar from Moscow, Elena Barsukova, who taught in the communication department. She worked with chair Joe Bulsys to produce a preliminary document that described how a program in intercultural communication might be designed. Much work, both here and in Moscow, will be done during the summer and early fall to prepare for a Geneseo delegation to visit Moscow to continue face-to-face discussion later in the fall, said Burwood.
Also, in April, Dahl and Burwood traveled to Mexico to visit the Universidad de las Americas (UDLA) to explore the possibility of a range of cooperation between the two institutions, but in particular a dual-diploma program in international relations. This followed a preliminary and highly successful visit to Geneseo in February by UDLA’s chair of international relations, Jose Luis Garcia. Discussions are continuing and a delegation is expected to travel from Geneseo to UDLA in the fall.
Geneseo has expanded its international activities during the past few years and is poised to dramatically increase its engagement with universities and students around the world. Dual-diploma degree programs are but one of a number of initiatives to achieve this end. The State University of New York’s Office of International Programs, under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor Ambassador Robert Gosende, have assisted Geneseo by facilitating introductions and visits in Albany, Mexico City, Moscow and Ankara.