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First Year Annual Report
Mitchell A. Orenstein
Maxwell School/Moscow State University Partnership Program
December 8, 2000
This report is a comprehensive review of my work in Moscow in Fall 2000, the state of the program, and prospects for the future. I will again focus on the five areas of my activity: faculty exchange, student exchange, course teaching, internet library resources, and publicity, and then provide some summary comments.
Faculty Exchange. The central part of this partnership program is a faculty exchange, intended to facilitate curriculum development at Moscow State University School of Public Administration (MSU SPA). Over the next three semesters, we will have eight MSU SPA faculty visit the Maxwell School, working on curriculum development projects, in addition to the school's chief computer/technology person. This last visit is crucial to implementing the
distance education component, an important part of this project, which is not under my competency, but that of Matt Bonham.
Selecting Visitors. During the course of my stay at Moscow State University, we identified and selected most of the individuals whom we would like to visit, from among a pool of 14-15 candidates. In cooperation with Jeff Straussman and Matt Bonham, I drafted a memorandum outlining the roles that MSU SPA faculty will play at the Maxwell School. This became the model for their individual visit proposals. Task definitions were further specified in discussions with Dean Surin of MSU SPA, basically in line with our thinking. We have selected visitors who meet a variety of criteria: excellent English language skills, concentration in core PA areas as understood by the Maxwell School, ability to promote changes to the teaching program upon return to MSU SPA, and potential for personal and professional development. Maxwell Sponsors. We have also begun the process of matching MSU SPA faculty to Maxwell School sponsors. During the first semester, Spring 2001, Matt Bonham will play a primary role, working intensively with two visitors on distance learning programs at MSU SPA. Jeff Straussman will work closely with another MSU SPA faculty member who will play a leading role in developing a case study program at MSU SPA - a key part of our strategy for curriculum development. In the future, we hope to reach out to a broader community of people at Maxwell, to involve them in sponsorship of MSU SPA faculty as well. Progress Summary. We have made excellent progress in the area of faculty exchange this semester, and this aspect of the program will prove to be a real success. Already, the prospect of these faculty visits has raised spirits at MSU SPA, raised awareness of the program, and created a positive atmosphere for further cooperation. Future Prospects and Challenges. One issue for the future is for the Maxwell School to make positive use of these visits to serve its own objectives, in developing case studies in international public administration and filling Maxwell course needs. Several MSU SPA faculty are capable of teaching full courses in English at Maxwell, and this exchange could prove exceptionally useful in expanding Maxwell's course offerings in Russian politics, public administration, environmental issues, women's issues, and other areas.
We need to continue to make progress in finding ways to serve MSU SPA. We have already shifted focus slightly from the original grant proposal, from a sole focus on improving course syllabi towards an emphasis on building new capacities at MSU SPA. There are major differences between Russian and American approaches to public administration education. Our approach has already evolved in the direction of promoting active learning techniques and problem solving skills, rather than just introducing new texts into existing courses. MSU SPA are enthusiastic about adopting and adapting active learning strategies, and as we focus more on changing teaching methods, rather than course content alone, we will have to focus on new areas of activity, such as building a case study program at MSU SPA, developing the MSU SPA internet, and developing course delivery/support on-line in Moscow, as well as in distance education.
Student Exchange. The student exchange should be a great benefit to the Maxwell School. First, we get the immediate benefit of funded students, paid for mostly by the State Department. Second, I believe that MSU SPA will provide many top quality students to the Maxwell School, who will stay involved in Maxwell programs over the long term, and become a valuable alumni network in the future, taking positions in top international organizations and Russian public and private sectors. The quality of these students is very high. The student exchange will prove to significantly enrich the Maxwell School's international environment and profile in the future.
Course Teaching. In addition to facilitating exchange between the two schools, I have been teaching my own course at MSU SPA, a version of Jeremy Shiffman's "Public Administration and Democracy." Since one of the key purposes of the program was to introduce the case study method of teaching in Russia, I taught by the case method, and had remarkable success in this regard, both enriching my own teaching repertoire, and creating a major splash at MSU SPA.
Impact of a New Model. Students responded very favorably to my course, at least the ones who stuck it out. Class size started at around 25 and shrank to 15. This reflected mainly the fact that most students work, and that it was an optional class, and more demanding in terms of day-to-day work than others, though significantly down from a normal Maxwell graduate course. I assigned approximately 20-30 pages of reading in English each week, usually one short article and a case study. This was considered a lot. However, the students responded extremely favorably to the active learning methods that are normal to the Maxwell School. Vice-deans and faculty members sat in on various sessions and also responded favorably. I think they realized very quickly the benefits of active learning techniques such as class projects in place of exams, requiring reading and short writing exercises, and the case study method of instruction. I also introduced the concept of field trips, taking my students on a field examination of a new recycling program in Moscow. This was the first time that they had been out of the classroom in several years of instruction, and it made a major impression.
I am impressed that in a meeting at the end of November 2000, the head of instruction expressed keen interest in developing a case study program at MSU SPA, and starting to renovate teaching styles in the faculty. Dean Surin is also fully committed to developing case studies as a method of instruction. Since curriculum development is rather centralized at MSU SPA, this is a good indication that we will make real progress in this area. In short, I think that my course this semester provided a good experience for 15 motivated students. But its broader impact was demonstrating the desirability of Maxwell active learning methods in the Moscow State University context.
Teaching Application Procedures. I have also been teaching an optional weekly seminar on applying to graduate school in the United States. I found that the knowledge among students of graduate school application processes was extremely low - this partly accounts for the fact that so few MSU students apply to study abroad. I have been teaching the basics, how to write application essays, how to take the GRE, letters of recommendation, the application form, etc. Also, the final class projects for my course have involved the students writing three guides: a guide to MPA studies in the US, a guide to MBA studies in the US (actually already written), and a guide to bachelors and masters programs in public and private management in Europe. These guides are being prepared in electronic form, and designed and posted on the SPA Web site. I would encourage interested parties to take a look. These will provide a major resource for expanding student knowledge of US application procedures, and an example of active participation in instruction.
Internet Library Development. My pet project at MSU SPA has been to develop an internet library at the school. We have some funds for library resources in the grant, which we had intended to spend on English-language public administration books. But my assessment of the MSU SPA library was that a) the library had absolutely no English-language works; b) the library had no space for the establishment of an English-language collection; c) the library had no reading room, and its collection was therefore largely inaccessible to users; d) most students do their research on the Internet. Therefore, I proposed to Dean Surin that we use the resources instead to develop an Internet library. He heartily agreed, and has taken great interest in this project, appointing a faculty member to head the internet library initiative, organizing a consortium of social science faculties at MSU to subscribe together to internet library resources, and participating heavily in the planning of the library. The program has also expanded to include development of the MSU SPA "intranet" of local instructional resources.
Current Progress. During my time at MSU SPA, we have subscribed to Columbia International Affairs Online, and begun a survey of available Russian and English language internet resources. We anticipate a subscription to Project Muse in the near future, and possibly also to JSTOR. Building an internet library at MSU SPA has proven revolutionary, because for the first time, students and faculty will have access to contemporary public administration resources in English, that provide much quicker and more focused searches than is usual on the general internet. The school will also purchase critical Russian public administration resources, including contemporary law libraries and popular journal subscriptions. In addition, MSU SPA is planning an aggressive effort to get its course syllabi, textbooks, and other instructional materials on-line.
Importance and Prospects for the Future. Whereas most US universities now have a vast amount of information on-line, this is a pioneer project in Russia and could have enormous implications for the organization of study throughout the country. It also provides a very visible and quantifiable set of results from our partnership that will be useful for program evaluation. The project has been greeted enthusiastically from students, faculty and administrators at MSU SPA, and is a good example of how we can leverage a small amount of money into serious structural and developmental change at the university.
Introducing the Work Study Concept. I also introduced the idea of "work study" to Russia. Because MSU SPA is strapped for faculty and staff resources, I proposed that we assign (from my class) and hire students to design the library web site. MSU SPA faculty members were 1) surprised that we could entrust students with such tasks and 2) interested in the US practice of paying students for such work, a practice heretofore unknown in Russia. Now, it seems that the Dean agrees with it, and the computing director has assembled a whole staff of student web designers. This will be very important for speeding up progress in web-based learning.
Publicity. Publicity is an important part of any project, and I have always taken an interest in working with journalists. I have attempted while in Moscow to get some coverage of our program in the local press and US trade publications. These efforts have borne some modest fruits: 1) Our partnership program is expected be featured in the March or April 2001 issue of Foreign Service Journal. I have seen drafts of the article, and it provides a mostly favorable, though also partly critical perspective on the program. 2) I wrote a letter to the editor of the Moscow Times, the main English-language paper in Moscow, that they have published it.
All in all, a good start. In my experience, coverage tends to spiral, as journalists tend to read the papers and pick up things already covered by their colleagues. And we can move this process along with the cooperation of our PR people, but we'll have to see if this story takes or not. I may also continue writing articles about the program in various opinion journals and trade publications in the US. It's too early yet to tell if we end up on the front cover of the New York Times Magazine or not.
Summary. This is the state of the project as I leave it in December 2000. In summary, I can say confidently that the partnership program has started on the right foot. We have created something out of nothing, generated a positive attitude on both sides of the Atlantic, and charted a positive trajectory for further developments over the next year-and-a-half. The project is pumping along. An increasing circle of people are seeing its benefits, and developing an interest in being involved. Moscow State faculty are excited about the prospect of visiting Syracuse, administrators are ready to adopt new teaching methods, and people in Moscow are assessing the benefits Maxwell can offer in a favorable light. The Maxwell School is gearing up for the influx of Russian partners starting next semester, and I think that a similar process of growing appreciation for the program will begin to unfold in Syracuse in the near future, as its concrete benefits are revealed.
BUILDING PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION EDUCATION AT THE
UNIVERSITY LEVEL IN RUSSIA
First Year Annual Report
Project Summary
In May 2000, Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Moscow State University's School of Public Administration entered into an agreement to work on a two-year program, Building Public Administration Education at the University Level in Russia. Moscow State University (MSU) recently developed the School of Public Administration (SPA) within its Faculty of Humanities with a mission of providing high quality public administration and public policy education to current and future Russian public officials. The Program goal is to create a high quality public administration and public policy education program at MSU that meets the highest international standards and educates the next generation of Russia's leaders. It will also further The Maxwell School's knowledge about the evolution of public administration and policy in transition countries through teaching experience at MSU and through collaborative research projects with Russian faculty. To this end the Program has several specific components:
2000-2001: Achievements
Maxwell Faculty Visits to Moscow State
Professor Jeffrey D. Straussman, Chair of Public Administration and Associate Dean of The Maxwell School, has traveled to MSU twice. In July 2000 he visited MSU to discuss the program objectives and details and arrange the first group of MSU faculty visits to the Maxwell School. In May 2001 he visited MSU to teach a seminar to faculty and students on case teaching methodology. Part of this visit was used to plan faculty visits for 2001-02.
In May 2001 Professor Bonham traveled to Moscow to help Professor Olga Molchanova and Mr. Vladimir Smirnov implement their distance education offerings (see details below). In addition Professor Bonham consulted with faculty and staff at regional universities in Russia about the implementation of these courses and the low bandwidth speed problem.
Professor Mitchell Orenstein, Professor in the Political Science Department, spent Fall Semester 2000 teaching at MSU. His visit had several purposes:
Moscow State Faculty Visits to Maxwell
Professor Ludmila Minaeva is a Lecturer at SPA and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages for Masters Programs. She spent three months in Syracuse. Professor Minaeva came to The Maxwell School with two goals:
Based on her observations of teaching methods and her work with Jeffrey Straussman, she developed a new course, Political Communication (see syllabus in Appendix B). She has also written a case study (see Appendix C) based on the Kursk submarine accident last year in Russia. Professor Minaeva observed that there were few cases, even those dealing with international issues, that dealt exclusively with Russian issues. Russian case studies would be more useful at MSU, in her opinion.
This case study was the basis for a Teacher Training Seminar she taught in May 2001 in conjunction with Professor Straussman. The seminar exposed MSU instructors to the case study method. Matt Bonham will also use the case study in a class he will teach at Maxwell fall of 2001. Professor Minaeva expected that a seminar based around a Russian case would stimulate faculty to develop their own case studies. While she was at Maxwell, Professor Minaeva wrote a manual in Russian on how to write cases-how to collect information, how to present them, goals of the case study method, and how to evaluate them for use.
Professor Olga Molchanova and Mr. Vladimir Smirnov came in January for one month to work with Professor Matt Bonham at The Maxwell School on distance learning. Professor Molchanova is a scholar and educator in the field of Innovation and Strategic Management. She teaches courses at MSU in Strategic, Innovation, and Educational Management and is Deputy Director of Agency Intellectual Resources. Mr. Smirnov is a specialist in the field of computer science and is responsible for SPA's computer network development. He also teaches courses on information technologies in management for graduate and post-graduate students.
Professor Molchanova and Mr. Smirnov participated in two of Professor Bonham's workshops at SU, Global Policy Advocacy and Videoconferencing for Global Governance. During these workshops they learned how to prepare MS PowerPoint presentations, markup Web pages, use HTML editors like MSFrontpage, organize a Web site, and how to plan and conduct videoconferences over ISDN and the Internet. They also learned how to conduct desktop videoconferences, capture video, and use Adobe Premiere to edit digital video. On the final day of the workshops they presented their websites and participated in videoconferences. While they were in Syracuse, they also met with The Maxwell School's Information and Computing Technology group and Syracuse University Computing and Media Services staff members, who are involved in training faculty in techniques for distance education.
A primary goal of Professor Molchanova and Mr. Smirnov's visit was to create distance learning courses. With the skills acquired in the workshops they developed two courses. The courses will require two weeks of on-site instruction and approximately eleven weeks of on-line instruction. They will be based on Course Sites that will provide lectures, required assignments, and opportunities for interaction with the instructor and other students. The Course Sites will feature forums for group projects, hyperlinks to Web resources, additional assignments, and instructions for logging into the course chat room for live text chats with the instructor and other class members. Professor Molchanova plans to offer Innovation Management in Fall 2001 and Professor N. S. Grigorieva will offer Management of NGO Services in Spring 2002. Professors Bonham and Molchanova and Mr. Smirnov collaborated on a website housed at The Maxwell School to test the courses. In addition, they developed a model website for distance courses which can be adapted by any MSU instructors.