Spring Arbor University welcomes students and faculty from Russia for the inaugural Russian-American Symposium on Teaching and Learning Civic Engagement. This event takes place Nov. 9-12, on Spring Arbor University’s main campus and at Michindoh Conference Center. The community is welcome to attend the complimentary sessions.

Faculty members from Nizhny Novgorod, a Russian state university, and Spring Arbor University will be presenting papers about civic engagement.

The symposium will open with a welcome address by Spring Arbor University’s James Coe, Gainey School of Business dean, and Naomi Larsen, School of Arts and Sciences dean. The day will then include two sessions of presentations, the first at Michindoh Conference Center and the second in the Poling Center for Global Learning and Leadership on the campus of Spring Arbor University. Three more sessions will follow with a closing ceremony scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12.

According to Coe, when the government in Russia changed, so did many traditional teaching areas. One area in which Russian faculty and students alike know very little is volunteering and working to improve social issues in their communities. “Several Spring Arbor professors began to discuss this topic and decided that a mutual sharing of ideas would benefit both universities—our faculties and, ultimately, our students,” says Coe, who has had close ties with faculty at Nizhny Novgorod for several years.

Globalizing the University
This symposium marks another international initiative at Spring Arbor University. In October of 2008, Charles Webb, SAU president, announced in his inaugural address his plan to continue the globalization of Spring Arbor University. This symposium is just one more example of the University’s follow-through to Webb’s plan.

“The entire SAU community benefits each time we have international visitors to our campus,” says Coe. “Tuesday evening, students can interact with the Russian visitors at the Poling Center to learn more about their culture and education system.”

Last month, Spring Arbor University also signed a five-year agreement to continue the academic exchange relationship with Wuhan University of Technology, which began in 2002. For more information about the Russian-American Symposium, contact Coe at james.coe@arbor.edu or Larsen at naomi.larsen@arbor.edu.


Here is the schedule

Russian-American Symposium schedule Monday, November 9, 2009
Michindoh
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome Address
James Coe, Dean Gainey School of Business
Naomi Larsen, Dean Arts & Sciences
9:30 – 12:00 “Socially Responsible Business-Education in Russian Universities in Present Conditions”
Viacheslav Yasenef, Dean, Faculty of Finance and Konstantin Katasonov, Student of Finance
“Constructing Civic Engagement Models of Learning in an Undergraduate Management Course”
James Coe, Dean Gainey School of Business
Moderator: Randall Lewis

Poling Lobby
1:30 – 2:30 Greetings
Dr. Charles Webb, President, Spring Arbor University
2:30 – 5:00 “Incorporating Principles of Responsible Management in Insurance Education”
Sergey Krasikov, Head of Insurance Department

“Teaching Social Responsibility and Civil Engagement through SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)”
K. Caleb Chan, Professor, Gainey School of Business

“Forming Corporate Social Responsibility Culture in Russia” Nikolay Poltakov, Head of Tax Department
Moderator: Vilma Vallillee
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Poling Lobby
9:00 – 11:30 “Social Responsibility Education: Focusing on Students of the Customs Department”
Leonid Shornikov, Head of Customs Department
“Cost Efficiency of Corporate Social Responsibility Education”
Liudmila Sukhodoeva, Head of Commerce Department
“Social Responsibility in the Diamond Industry”
Randall Lewis, professor of business and Vilma Vallillee, assistant professor of finance
“Developing Quality of Social Responsibility Education in Banking Management”
Galina Gospodarchuk, Deputy Head of Banks & Banking Department and Alexander Ivanov, Student of Finance
Moderator: Allen Knight
2:00 – 5:00 “Russian and Foreign Practice of Corporative Social Responsibility”
Yury Trifonov, Dean, Economics
“Service Learning Pedagogy for Developing Social Responsibility”
Naomi Larsen, Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
“Social Responsibility of Business: Innovative Technologies in Business Education”
Vladimir Blonin, Dean, Social Sciences and Adrian Bekarev, Professor, General Sociology & Social Work
“Problems of Social Responsibility in the Education System in Branches of Nizhniy Novgorod State University”
Vladimir Grishagin, Vice-Rector, University Branches Management
Vladimir Shvetsov, Vice-Rector, Information Technologies & Pre-University Studies
Moderator: James Coe

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Michindoh
8:00 – 11:30 “Fostering Responsible Management Courses at HEIs: US – Russian perspectives”
Ilya Kuftyrev, Director of International Office; Assoc, Professor of Economics
“New Social Work Accreditation Guidelines and Civic Responsibility”
Patricia Bailey, Director of Social Work Program
“Social Responsibility as a Stratification Indicator in Small & Medium Business Activities”
Alexander Ushakov, Rector’s Adviser in International Affairs
Moderator: Naomi Larsen
11:30 – 12:00 Closing Ceremony