Smolny College- A Joint Venture Between Bard College and St. Petersburg University
Nomination submitted by: Susan H. Gillespie Vice President, Director, Institute for International Liberal Education (IILE)
Program Overview Smolny College is Russia’s first liberal arts college, a joint venture between Bard College and St. Petersburg State University. The venture is an undergraduate dual degree program, and Smolny College’s graduates, who are predominantly Russian, earn a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Bard College and a parallel B.A. in Arts and Humanities from Smolny College of St. Petersburg State University. Smolny currently enrolls 460 undergraduate students and a small number of Master’s degree students. The first dual B.A. degrees were awarded in June 2004, in St. Petersburg. Smolny is at the forefront of reform in Russian higher education, with Smolny administrators leading Russia’s current entry into the Bologna Process. Use of the credit system and new communications technologies and courseware for teaching have helped develop these skills for leadership, and Smolny has already inspired more than six other programs in Russian universities and higher technical schools.
The members of the selection panel for this year’s awards include the following leaders in international education:
Stephen DunnettVice Provost for International Education, State University of New York at Buffalo
Uliana GabaraPresident, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) and Dean of International Education, University of Richmond
Ulrich GrothusDirector, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) New York
Brian WhalenPresident, The Forum on Education Abroad