News

On May 20, 2015, Dr Michael Minch, Professor of Philosophy at Utah Valley University, gave anopen lecture at HSE Nizhny Novgorod. A specialist with a unique combination of interests ranging from theological ethics to politics, Professor Minch serves as the director of the Peace and Justice programme at Utah Valley University. We recently spoke with him about his visit, his academic interests, his plans to further develop cooperation between Utah Valley University and HSE, and his general desire to advance student and faculty exchange programmes between Russia and the US.

The club Space Moscow will become a spaceship for one night to whisk HSE graduates away into the film fantasy world of Star Wars. Guests will greet one another with, ‘May the HSE be with you!’ assured that this is just the beginning and HSE is the launch pad for their journey into a new life.

On May 31 at the Muzeon Park of Arts, the Mayovka Youth Festival will be held by the Russian Union of Youth. Activities awaiting visitors include sports, cooking classes, design lessons and a number of other events. HSE will have two venues at the festival – one for dancing and the other for intellectual games.

Applications are open until 20 June for participation in the tourist trip along Karelia’s rivers, planned by the HSE’s Extreme Sports Club. The expedition is set for July 3-12. Even people who have never canoed before are welcome, as experienced instructors will explain everything you need to know, train you all, and — importantly — be right there alongside you.

There is not much time left before admissions open for HSE’s master’s programmes, and who is better suited to tell applicants about the programmes than students themselves? This is why the Higher School of Economics is proud to announce the HSE-MasterMind competition, which is meant to promote the school’s various master’s programmes. The competition is organised by the Student Support Centre.

Brazilian student Vicente Giakaglini Ferraro has been interested in Russia since childhood, when he started learning Russian on his own. He is now studying in the Higher School of Economics’ Applied Politics master’s programme. In an interview with the HSE News Service, Vicente discusses what drew him towards Russia, why he chose HSE, and why he is happy when it is cold.

HSE Open 2015, an international tournament, was held by the HSE Debating Society in March. Participants included a number of highly experienced Russian debaters as well as a large number of international teams from Turkey, the U.S., the Netherlands and Germany. The tournament created an opportunity for participants to broaden their horizons and overcome stereotypes. International judges proposed a range of motions on topics such as subsidizing divorce, racially segregated prisons, economic sanctions as a war crime, subsidies to poets, and the possibility of teaching religion at school. Read Square, an online student magazine, spoke with one of the judges, as well as a participant in the event.

All right, to think about the environment on April 22 is not that difficult, but how about doing something good for the planet? On April 22 and 23, Green HSE movement stands will be open in five HSE buildings: on Myasnitskaya, Shabolovka, Malaya Ordynka, Staraya Basmannaya, and Khitrovsky Pereulok. At each of these stands, you’ll be able to leave your old electronic devices (of any kind, from cell phones and their chargers, to mixers and printers), and get a tasty reward in exchange for them. Electronic devices will continue to be collected until April 24. 

On April 15, the finale of the student project 'Battle of the Businesses', a sort of educational platform for young businessmen, will take place. Over the course of six weeks, participants have been creating their own businesses under the supervision of accomplished entrepreneurs, and they saw their projects go from the idea stage to realization and profit.

HSE Buddies Network is making sure foreign students get plenty of cultural experience while in Russia. This spring they organised a trip to Kazan and introduced foreign students to Russian Orthodox Easter traditions.