psuinternational

PSU Launches Inter-Collegiate Volunteering Week

Got bright ideas? Like interaction? Looking for friends? The roundtable titled “Can a Foreign Student Be a Volunteer?” will take place on 30 November at 6pm, in Russian and English languages.

The roundtable, run by the Youth Project Office at PSU, is a part of a bigger venue called “DobroLIVE” – a place to learn about volunteering, join projects and share positive vibe in a great company.

The event aims to increase the level of knowledge in volunteering among students of Perm Territory. On 29 November5 December, the participants will meet experts, learn skills, play games, resolve group tasks, participate in sweepstakes, as well as enjoy a family house gathering, both on- and off-line.   

DobroLIVE is a part of the Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program, which aims to form a wide group of universities urging to become leaders in creating new scientific knowledge, technologies and developments for implementation in the Russian economy and social sphere.

As part of the event, a recruitment of coordinators from educational institutions of Perm territory will take place. “We regard DobroLIVE as a platform for those who want to plunge headlong into volunteering and those who miss having good warm evenings in excellent company,” the organizers note.

Currently, there are about 300 international PSU students staying in Russia, and many more in Perm. Along with the Russian residents, they are invited to participate workshops and discussion groups of the Volunteering Week in Perm.

Please, see links to detailed program and an application form in the comments below.

Picture source: Youth Project Office at PSU.

Please, get more info and register for participation here.

PSU Experts Participate Volga-Yangtze Youth Forum

Perm State University discussed the prospects for scientific cooperation between universities in Russia and China at the Volga-Yangtze Youth Forum. At the Forum, PSU students and teachers presented several reports, covering the history of Perm Society of Friendship with China, the creation of tourist routes for Chinese students and the creation of a common academic network.

“During the preparation for the Forum, we worked closely with the Ministry of Tourism and Youth Policy of the Perm krai. The projects of our University were highly appreciated. In the future, we plan to hold a series of events to discuss the plan and algorithm for the implementation of projects that were developed at the Forum,”

comments Vyacheslav Tereshenko, PSU International Department.

The Forum, which lasted 2 days, consisted of four sections:

  • education;
  • science and innovation;
  • youth entrepreneurship;
  • tourism, culture and art.

PSU delegates presented the following reports:

1. “The Introduction of Chinese Students to Perm Territory: Tourist Attractions and Routes” by Anna Sterlyagova, undergraduate student, Faculty of Geography, PSU (academic adviser: Svetlana Myshlyavtseva, Associate Professor, Department of Tourism);

2. “Perm Society of Friendship with China: History, Formation, Modern Development” by Mikhail Kamenskikh, Associate Professor, the Department of Culture Studies and Social-Humanitarian Technologies, PSU;

3. “Russia and China: Creating a Common Educational Space” by He Tingting, postgraduate student, Faculty of Philology, PSU.

“I was quite excited to participate in the Forum. We discussed new educational technologies as a tool of international cooperation, the mission of young teachers in education and international exchange, the cooperation of Nanchang University with Russian partners, and the importance of student mobility programs. It was interesting to ask questions to speakers both from China and Russia,”

comments Meilis Tuvakov, undergraduate student, Faculty of Economics, PSU.

The Forum has been attended by representatives of Universities located in the Volga Federal District, Russia, and the provinces of the upper and middle Yangtze River: Anhui, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, as well as the city of central subordination Chongqing. The event is part of the program of the Year of Russian-Chinese Scientific, Technical and Innovative Cooperation.

In June 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the Development of Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Interaction Relations Entering a New Era. According to the Statement, 2020 and 2021 were declared the Years of Russian-Chinese scientific, technical and innovative cooperation.

During the Years of Cooperation, over 1000 joint events are taking place both in Russia and China, including scientific projects, conferences and exhibitions, as well as intensive exchange between scientific institutions, universities and innovation centers.

Delegations of Perm-based universities have been taking part in the Forum for several years already, promoting academic exchange and opportunities for international students. In 2017, PSU delegates attended lectures at Hefei universities, took tours to local enterprises, visited classes on Chinese history, culture and arts, and planted a tree in the Friendship Alley of Anhui University.

International Students in Perm and PSU: News on Vaccination, Tests and Study Format

According to RBK-Perm Media Company (РБК-Пермь), the return of all foreign students to Perm might take 3-4 months. To remind, this is the information about the city on a whole, with several universities teaching various groups of international students, from all over the world.

One of the most important issues related to the return is the vaccination against coronavirus. Many students, according to the rules of their country, already come vaccinated. And, in order to switch them to full-time studies, universities require notarized and translated copies of vaccination certificates. However, not everyone has analogs of QR codes attributed to Russian vaccines.

As we earlier noticed, prior to arrival, foreign students must notify PSU International Department at least 10 days in advance of the entry date by int_dpt@psu.ru and international@psu.ru. No earlier than 3 days before the arrival, a foreign student must pass a PCR test for COVID-19.

Vadim Gataulin, Head of PSU International Department and Yasir Jasmin (Iraq), student of the Faculty of Chemistry, PSU, winner of the Russian language test TruD ’2020

Since September 2021, PSU international students are able to get vaccination at the University health center (dormitory #2). To do this, a student needs to show a voluntary health insurance, a personal ID and a student pass. Also, foreign citizens can be vaccinated in their own country.

Generally, foreign students in Perm are offered anti-COVID vaccination at Perm Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases (AIDS Center), on a commercial basis, RUB 650 per an injection. Those who do not get vaccinated, will also be allowed to study, in a remote format.

“The distance learning offered during the pandemic has already proved its efficiency. Offline classes ere are also present for those specialties which require lab projects and workshops. The process yet has been moved to the maximum distance,”

says Vadim Gataulin, Head of PSU International Department.

The overwhelming majority of foreign students in Perm – more than 90%, study on a paid contract basis. The tuition fees among all Perm-based universities remain the same – as well as the curriculum, which covers all the disciplines required, albeit in a distance format. Besides Perm State University, in Perm foreign students choose Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm State Medical University, Perm State Agrarian and Technological University.

PSU Contributes to International Center on Eurasian Integration

Perm State University participates in Eurasian integration by creating a specialized research center, together with partners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia and Russia. On the way, participants from more countries and institutions will join the project.

Vyacheslav Tereshenko, International Department, PSU, has presented a project “International Center for Science Competence as a Driver of Eurasian Integration”, in partnership with colleagues from Tyumen, Kuban, Tomsk and Kazakhstan universities.

The project is aimed at formation of international expert groups in priority areas of research on Eurasian topics, the creation of laboratories and scientific schools. The Center will develop and implement educational programs for master’s and postgraduate studies in a network format.

“For the Center to start going, it is necessary to create a consortium of universities, which will serve a launch pad for educational programs, internships and research on integration in the Eurasian space. We consider the universities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia and Russia to be our first choice, since these states are actively creating a legal framework to commercialize the results of scientific, research and technical activities. The mentioned activities allow to develop new mechanisms for interaction between science and business – to ensure the introduction of high-techs into production, and stimulate businesses to participate in scientific projects,”

comments Vyacheslav Tereshenko.

The notion of Eurasian countries in the project means the opportunity for a wider variety of national entities to step in the Center’s activity. The Eurasian continent spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago in the east, geographically. The division between Europe and Asia is a historical social construct, yet regarded as a whole in terms of water mass.

The presentation took place at the IPR MEDIA platform, the company being one of the leading developers of digital education resources in Russia. IPR MEDIA is known for its innovative products aimed at professional exchange, building communities and passing knowledge through end-to-end digital technologies.

Come Back to PSU: A Notice to International Students

International Students at Perm State University (PSU) will start the 2021-2022 academic year in the same format as Russian students: full-time bachelors will start their studies in a traditional format, while second-year graduate, postgraduate and part-time students will start distance studying, online. Yet, foreigners must follow entry rules developed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Prior to arrival, foreign students must notify the Department of International Relations at PSU at least 10 days in advance of the date of entry by int_dpt@psu.ru. No earlier than 3 days before the arrival, a foreign student must pass a PCR test for COVID-19.

In case of a negative result is negative, please provide confirmation in Russian or English. Foreign students are required to do a repeat test within 72 hours after entering Russia. Before the announcement of the second test results, it is necessary to observe the self-isolation regime at the place of stay. If necessary, PSU will provide a dedicated, isolated observation placement for that.

“We are trying to create comfortable learning conditions for our international students. With all its advantages, the distance format cannot provide a high level of efficiency of practical training, which is most important for natural science specialties. Therefore, PSU is committed to providing full-time residency for as many international students as possible – guided by the rules of entry for foreign citizens studying at Russian universities, developed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russian Federation,”

comments Mikhail Grabevnik, Head of International Academic Mobility Office, PSU.

PSU international students will be able to get vaccinated at the University health center (dormitory #2). To do this, a student needs to show a voluntary health insurance, a personal ID and a student pass. Also, foreign citizens can be vaccinated in their own country.

Perm State University expects 550 two-component vaccines for foreign students. Currently, 340 out of 412 foreign students are staying in Russia. In the future, about 200 more are expected to come.

International students will be able to continue their studies at Russian universities in full-time format in accordance with the joint decision of the Operational headquarters to prevent the import and spread of a new coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

International Students Express Opinions on Higher Education in Russia

IPR MEDIA, an industrial member of the “Russian Exporting Universities” network, has studied the level of satisfaction with Russian universities among international students, during the pandemic.

The survey has been performed from 13 April to 6 June, 2021. It involved 851 foreign students from 6 Russian universities – participants of the network partnership:

The survey aimed to estimate the current situation, possible changes and prospects of Russian education on the global educational market.

According to students’ feedbacks, for almost half of them (48.2%), the quality of education has not changed. However, the options “got better” and “got worse” received a nearly equal amount of voices: 22.3% and 22.6%, respectively. The higher the level of respondent’s education, the more positively he/she classifies the quality of education during the pandemic.

The majority of respondents are planning to continue their studies at Russian universities – 87.9%, while 3.2% of them failed to show any interest in that.

The results show a high level of students’ satisfaction with the quality of educational services, positive experience gained , and a high demand for Russian education.

Almost half of the total number of respondents chose the following areas of studies when applying to Russian universities:

  • medical and biological faculties – 48.2%,
  • humanities – 17.4%,
  • economics and related – 10%.

The above streaming reflects a general trend in selecting disciplines for studying in Russia.

The study confirms the assumption that more foreigners choose Russia as a place for study. The Russian language is among their choices, as well. Under the conditions of the pandemic, which has been lasting over 1,5 years from now, foreign students tend to adapt to distance learning, and are less likely to express dissatisfaction with its quality and technical conditions.

For reference: “Russian Exporting Universities” is a voluntary association of universities and experts that aims at improvement of practices and educational methods used at teaching foreign students, developing modern educational programs, attracting newcomers, improving competences in teaching Russian as a foreign language, developing the state testing system for the Russian language, etc.

For more info, please, see the original in Russian.

PSU joins Summertime Russian 2021 Language Club

More than 350 international students and applicants joined “Summertime Russian 2021” Language Club – a joint project by Russian universities, held recently online. Yulia Kuznetsova, a teacher of preparatory language courses, Department of International Relations, Perm State University (PSU), was among the tutors to run Club sessions.

More than 350 people from around the world registered to participate in the Club, to mention Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Congo, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, UK, USA, Senegal, Thailand, Zambia, and more.

Language classes were held twice a week for 1,5 hours for groups of 10-15 people, using the ZOOM platform. The participants practiced Russian language in live communication on a variety of topics, including cinema, sports, social networks, travel, pandemic and healthy lifestyle. Special attention was drawn to Russian culture, traditions, national cuisine and folklore.

“We managed to bring together completely different people in terms of training level and age. My classes, for instance, have been attended by students from 25 to 50 years old. There is a noticeable interest in the Russian language, culture and history. Although most of the participants have never been to Russia, most of them learnt about our country from books and films,”

confirms Yulia Kuznetsova.

“The group communication format has proved to be useful and effective. It was nice to notice the participants overcoming their language barrier by the end of our sessions – as they used the proposed vocabulary and enjoyed interacting in Russian. I believe a practice of summer conversational clubs for international students might be implemented at Perm State University,”

shares Yulia Kuznetsova.

“Summertime Russian 2021” Language Club has been organized through the “Russian Universities-as-Exporters” network, for the second time this year. The Club classes have been run by teachers from 11 Russian universities who are a part of the partnership:

PSU Alumnus Gets a PhD in Russian, Teaches at a Chinese University

What do you become after the University? Yin Jiejie (China), our alumnus from the Faculty of Philology, talks about the reason he had chosen education in Russia, his achievements and discoveries during the student years, and his prospects after the graduation.

A passion to literature might be one’s pass to a university – Russian and Chinese, in Jiejie’s case. To compare them, he decided to study in Russia. “I was eager to see your country, meet Russian people, experience your culture and raise the language level,” confirms Yin Jiejie. “I also heard much about the beauty of Russian women.”

Jiejie had chosen Linguistics and Literary Studies as primary subjects. “To be honest, I’ve never heard of Perm before. A friend of mine recommended Perm State University, as she used to study here,” Jiejie recollects. “I remember my first steps on campus as a touch of a centenary history. Each building has its own story, resembling wisemen. I also liked the university sculptures. Most importantly, I received a scholarship by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. “

Russian writers Viktor Astafiev and Valentin Rasputin, widely known in China, served a research source for Jiejie, who studied ‘ethical space’ of their novels. During his spare time, Jiejie worked as a Chinese language teacher and translator, and was also engaged in arts and sports. He danced during performances at the PSU Student Club, and played basketball with the University team. In the countryside, Jiejie learned to take a steam bath, cook Russian dishes, and skate.

Recently, Jiejie teaches at one of the universities in China. “Russian education helped me find a reliable and respected job back home. I teach the Russian language, which I love, at Shandong Women’s University,” he comments. “Staying with students makes you feel young, task-oriented and learn new things.”

Today, a greater amount of foreign students at Perm State University come from China, followed by those from Iraq and Turkmenistan – choosing the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Faculty of Philology, and Chemistry, as a primary choice.

PSU Goes Internationally Digital

Vadim Gataulin, Head of the Department of International Relations, PSU, has participated in the case session “Expansion: Ready to Roll On Cooperation with New Digital Reality”, as part of Education Week last May. At the session, he commented on the progress of international activity at Perm State University (PSU), as well as the increase of partners from abroad, regardless of the pandemic.

In 2020, PSU signed 23 agreements on scientific and academic cooperation with universities from 12 countries, to name Armenia, Great Britain, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mexico, Norway, USA, Taiwan, Turkey and France.

Since the start of 2021, PSU has already signed 19 agreements on scientific and academic cooperation with 16 universities from Belgium, Belarus, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Romania, Uzbekistan, and Japan.

Despite the difficult working conditions in 2020, PSU accepted 865 international students in both basic educational programs and academic mobility and academic exchange programs. (Figures did significantly increase last years: 387 students in 2017; 353 in 2018; and 747 in 2019).

Keeping in mind students from abroad and partner organizations, the case session discussed the adaptation of Russian universities to the new conditions of teaching, the education market after the pandemic, and the efficiency of online and offline services.

“Besides challenge, any crisis does provide opportunity. Yet, at the same time, I have to state that the pressure on teaching staff has increased, in connection with online formats. And, in order to ensure the same level of education quality, additional efforts have to be made. This year we were forced to fully engage in the online environment,”

says Vadim Gataulin, head of the Department of International Relations, PSU.

Within the case session framework, the issue of legal support when working with foreign applicants, has been touched, as well as migration legislation and further employment opportunities in Russia.

The has been set by IPR MEDIA, moderated by Vera Skorobogatova, Leading Researcher, Institute for Demographic Research, Federal Research Sociological Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as Natalya Ivanova, Head of IPR MEDIA.

PSU Delegates Report on Work-Based Learning Strategy

The presentation of personnel training in photonics and its application in Russian universities has taken place at the Photonics-2021 exhibition (Moscow, Russia). Perm State University (PSU) PSU shared its experience of work-based learning (WBL) based on interests of industrial partners.

During the presentation, Natalya Dobrynina, Head of the International Academic Cooperation Department, PSU, spoke about the requirements for creating programs based on WBL methods, regarding those challenges its developers have to overcome.

“In our presentation, we intended to demonstrate the benefits of implementing a work-based learning approach taking into account the needs of the employer, university and student. We believe the experience of WBL components in education should be based on successful European practices. The latter have been presented by our partners from Austria, Latvia and Lithuania at the start of the international FlexWBL project. For us, it has been important to get feedback from our industrial partners and partner universities all over Russia,”

Natalya Dobrynina shared.

The Photonics-2021 exhibition took place in Moscow from 30 March to 2 April. The exhibition presented all the trends of modern market in lasers and optoelectronics. The international FlexWBL project is aimed at developing an innovative, practice-oriented training system, with an emphasis on the labor market and interaction with enterprises from different sectors of the economy.

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