MGIMO University Expands Cooperation with The Fletcher School
From April 10-14, 2017, a delegation from MGIMO consisting of Andrey Baykov, Vice President for Graduate and International Programs, and Alexander Vylegzhanin, Head of the Department of International Law, visited The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
The visit took place within the partnership program that was set up at the beginning of the current academic year, which comprises two video conferencing semester-long courses with the participation of students from both universities; research and internship opportunities for graduate students; two conferences during the 2017-2018 academic year dedicated to expert discussions on the current state and prospects of Russian-American relations; as well as joint scientific publications and thematic seminars on the international legal status of the Arctic, common spaces, as well as cyber and information security. Two internationally recognized experts, Professors Paul Berkman and Daniel Drezner, co-supervise the partnership program on the American side.
The new project complements the long-standing relationship between the two schools. MGIMO students participate annually in a global student forum held at The Fletcher School by the Tufts University Institute for Global Leadership. Moreover, during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years, former Director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, Professor Robert Legvold, conducted a video-linked course on Russian-American relations for Fletcher and MGIMO students.
During their visit to Boston, Professors Andrey Baykov and Alexander Vylegzhanin met with Admiral James Stavridis, Dean of The Fletcher School and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who expressed interest in creating a dual MA degree program in international relations and international law with MGIMO.
Along with formal negotiations with the leadership of The Fletcher School, Professors Baykov and Vylegzhanin gave online interviews. Professor Vylegzhanin delivered a lecture to students, and Professor Baykov participated in a roundtable discussion on Russia-U.S. relations with Professor Christopher Miller of Yale University, which gathered a large number of students and professors.
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy was founded in 1933 by Harvard and Tufts Universities and is one of the oldest academic centers in the United States dedicated to graduate studies in international affairs, diplomacy, and international law. According to the latest rating of the Foreign Policy magazine, The Fletcher School ranks sixth in the world in the list of the foremost programs on international relations.
This piece was translated and republished from the MGIMO website.