Following chemotherapy and a seemingly long period of getting my strength back, I am once again putting my energy into the operation and development of THE AMERUS EXCHANGE, LTD. I look forward to bringing you up to date on our activities over the past year and a half. Although I was personally incapable of full participation, our organization continued to operate and make progress in its goal of creating exchanges of all sorts between Americans and Russians in the hope of improving mutual understanding.
Future blogs will feature news about our 2009 exchange in Kursk and Kurchatov as well as updates on the progress of our RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM: An Online Journal.
It is good to be back at work. I look forward to hearing from all our readers and Amerus Exchange members both old and new.
Sincerely,
Jack Mc Gurgan
Greetings Mr. Mc Gurgan,
I hope you are feeling better and that your strength returns to you quickly. I am a current graduate student at the School for International Training (SIT) studying international education. I am currently applying for the Boren Fellowship and as part of my research component I wish to explore the current curriculum in Russian secondary education in respect to United States history and culture. Having spent a year living in Moscow (as well as a year in Beijing and a 1.5yrs in Japan) I have a feel for the views and sentiments of Russians towards the United States. I want to use this data to develop better more comprehensive exchanges between our nations at the citizen level. I wish to establish more exchanges at the citizen level to strengthen their knowledge of the US and democratic principles. I am currently lacking in credible resources to make my research proposal to Boren. I am wondering if you might be able to shed some light on this topic for me and possibly some contacts and or sources I can pull from regarding current Russian Secondary curriculum for US History and culture? Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Christopher D. Fitch
SIT Graduate Institute
M.A. International Education Candidate
Greetings Mr. Christopher Fitch
I was excited to read your e-mail and learn of your interest in Russian education. THE AMERUS EXCHANGE, LTD publishes THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM: An Online Journal at http://www.rus-ameeduforum.com Its editor in chief is our AMERUS colleague, Professor Tatyana Vladimirovna Tsyrlina-Spady who is an expert in comparative education with specialties in Russian education and American education. Professor Tsyrlina-Spady has contacts in the education field all over the world. I am sending this reply to her as well as to you so that she will be able to become familiar with your request. If any one in our organization can be of assistance to you, it is she. I expect that she will be in contact with you directly.
Thank you for your interest in our work at THE AMERUS EXCHANGE and for your kind words about my health.
Sincerely,
Jack Mc Gurgan, President THE AMERUS EXCHANGE, LTD