Russian students and faculty from Perm State University are visiting campus and the region this week through the Mississippi Delta Immersion Experience.As Delta State University was filled with energy for the inaugural International Conference on the Blues earlier this week, a number of honored guests from Perm State University in Russia played an active role in the festivities.
Five Perm students and six faculty members arrived last week as part of the Mississippi Delta Immersion Experience program — developing yet another level of the international partnership between the Russian institution and Delta State.
Among those leading the way were Svetlana Polyakova and Elena Gritsenko, both faculty members in Perm State’s Department of English Language and Intercultural Communication. The two have maintained a relationship with Delta State President William N. LaForge since 2008 when he taught at Perm State as a visiting professor.
Polyakova and Gritsenko led a paper session at the conference about community and education titled “Using the Blues to Raise Cross-Cultural Awareness.” Additional Perm faculty aslo presented at the conference.
Gritsenko (left), LaForge and Polyakova.
“This was a real treat for us because we have never presented at anything like this before — we feel very lucky,” said Polyakova. “The quality of the conference was very high, and there was a great variety of talks to learn about the blues in an academic setting. Everything was so professional.”
Since arriving last week, the Russians have soaked in as much local culture as possible, attending the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival and other Bridging the Blues events, sharing communal meals, taking part in a regional tour and attending the upcoming Octoberfest schedule in Cleveland. Polyakova said the trip in its entirety has been a unique opportunity for the group.
“The door was opened to us to come to Cleveland and we have seized the day — seized the opportunity,” she said. “We have blues music to thank for this. The music has united all of us, Russians and Americans.”
The partnership between the universities has grown significantly since July with the announcement of a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State.
The grant, through the U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program, is titled “Rivers of Music — Rivers of Culture.” The funding has allowed both institutions to create exchange immersion programs in the U.S. and Russia.
To help foster greater contacts between Americans and Russians, the State Department launched the program in 2013. Grants up to $100,000 are provided to support collaboration, meetings, virtual interactions, exchanges and internships between American and Russian organizations.
The program will utilize music as the universal language, allowing students to explore the cultures, histories and heritages of the two countries.
In addition to the Mississippi Delta Immersion Experience, there are two other components specific to Rivers of Music — Rivers of Culture: 1) Telebridge Project-Music of Two Rivers, a series of webinars in the spring semester held for both universities; and 2) Permski Krai Immersion Experience, in which faculty and students from Delta State will travel to Perm in June of 2015 to participate in their festival season and provide a mini summer Delta Music Institute camp experience to Perm students.
LaForge returned to Perm State in 2010 as a Fulbright Fellow and has continued to network with Perm colleagues since taking office at Delta State in 2013.
“This grant and the opportunities for our students and faculty are great examples of how we can foster excellent academic exchanges with foreign university partners,” said LaForge. “It will allow students at both universities — 7,000 miles apart — to participate in common theme programming.
“This is a wonderful program that supports our international exchange program goals.”
Additional goals of the partnership include: develop and launch a lifelong learning web-based education course using the music of the American South and the Perm region for replication and dissemination among American and Russian universities and communities; promote future exchanges between the two universities; and facilitate improved peer-to-peer understanding of the two cultures.
Robin Boyles, director of the Office of Institutional Grants at Delta State, also expressed the significance of this State Department grant. She has been guiding the group around town and campus since its arrival.
“It has been a true honor to host our visitors and a learning experience for all involved,” said Boyles. “This grant allows us to provide opportunities for building cross-cultural awareness, knowledge and understanding of the music and cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta, the American South and the Perm region in Russia.”
Leaders of Delta States’ unique entertainment industry program, the Delta Music Institute, will play a principal role in developing Rivers of Music — Rivers of Culture. Project coordinator Charly Abraham will help spearhead yet another distinctive DMI platform.
“DMI students get so many opportunities for personal growth, and this is yet another unique program,” said Abraham. “It’s not everyday students have the chance to work with students and faculty from Russia, and visa versa for the Russians in the program. We really look forward to our students interacting both here and in Russia.”
Learn more about the U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program at http://moscow.usembassy.gov/us-russiadialogue.html. Find a recap of the International Conference on the Blues at https://www.deltastate.edu/blues.
