State University Higher School of Economics

It looks like, even considering my slow wireless connection here in St. Petersburg, that I should be able to post some pictures - so I'm going to try and do it while I can. I had two fantastic days full of meetings at the State University Higher School of Economics - the students were fantastic, and the faculty and administrators could not have been more supportive. The top picture is of my friend Eketerina "Katya" Talalakina, who I met in Barcelona this summer. After my presentation she came up and said she wanted to set something up with her university, and she wasn't kidding - by fall we had already run our first Global Module, which she did a fantastic job on, and by spring semester the school may end up being our third biggest partner. The second picture is of Katya's TA Karina, who drove me around on Monday and Tuesday, and braved the Moscow traffic without blinking an eye - sort of reminded me of how my little sister Beth drives in Chicago. The third picture is of the chair Irina Vladimirovna Yakusheva, who has thrown her support behind the project. At the end of our last meeting this is Irina giving me a series of gifts: a certificate, a Russian doll, a calendar, etched glasses with the university's logo and some other university-themed presents. I was really moved - it was incredibly nice of them - and I feel very good about the partnership.