Consul General of Switzerland visited SPbU
Consul General of Switzerland Michel Faillettaz visited St Petersburg University to discuss the possibilities to hold a Russian-Swiss conference.
The conference may be scheduled for the end of March – early April as a round-table discussion or expert meeting with a lecture delivered by the Ambassador of Switzerland to the students, said Deputy Rector for International Affairs Sergey Andrushechkin. He also recommended to form a working group which would comprise experts from SPbU and the Consulate General. The conference will give the Ambassador a chance to talk with experts and students, said the Consul General. The expert round-table discussions conferences with SPbU is now a well-established tradition that should be preserved, he added.
They also discussed university collaboration between SPbU and Switzerland. February 1 was an opening day for admissions for international students, said the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic, Extra-Curricular Affairs and Methodological Support Ekaterina Babeluk.
— We have the right to give 300 state scholarships for international applicants. To be enrolled, they can apply via SPbU website without having to come to Russia, - said Ekaterina Babeluk. — Each year we accept 10-15 exchange Swiss students who come here for a semester, and if some of them were awarded a scholarship of the Russian Federation, it would be a particular pleasure for us. Fluency in Russian is not compulsory to study at SPbU as we offer 15 master’s programmes taught in foreign languages. This year, the University has opened a bachelor’s programme in Russian Studies taught in English and Russian with a particular focus on Russian culture and history. For those who are not able to study full-time at SPbU we offer on-line courses, including “Russian Language as a Foreign Language”.