European University at Saint Petersburg
Encyclopedia
The European University at St. Petersburg , sometimes referred to as EUSP, is a non-state graduate university located in St.Petersburg, Russia
. It was founded in 1994. Today the University is widely recognised as one of the leading academic institutions in humanities and social sciences in Russia.
The main language of instruction at the University is Russian. However, the Department of Political Science and Sociology (ranked top 3 in Eastern Europe and the best in Russia in 2002) runs a unique programme in Russian and Eurasian studies (IMARES
) for graduates of Western universities, which is delivered in English. It attracts students from all over Europe and North America. In addition the University offers a number of smaller international programmes with instruction in English, ranging from a "semester abroad" curriculum, summer schools to Russian language courses.
As a graduate university EUSP primarily trains PhD
candidates and those pursuing an MA
degree.
The University runs two curricula - one is targeted at Russian-speaking students, while the other one is taught in English.
The MA programme taught in Russian covers studies in Economics
, Ethnology
, History
, History of Arts
, and Political Science
and Sociology
. The MA diplomas of the Department of Political Science and Sociology are issued in association with the University of Helsinki
.
The international programmes run by the University and taught in English include
. The building is situated in the centre of St.Petersburg near the Neva river at 3 Gagarinskaya street. It accommodates all the university and departmental offices, study rooms, auditoria, the computing centre and the library, as well as the university publishing house.
Also the University has a dormitory for students coming from outside of St.Petersburg. It is located at 21 Zhukovskogo street, in the historical centre of the city.
was already in the twilight.
At that time several people in the academic circles of St.Petersburg discussed the idea of a new, independent and free university, that would fill the gaps of the traditional Russian system of tuition in the social sciences and humanities. Such a university was also deemed to reverse the brain drain
, a phenomenon that hit hard the Russian academia in the late Soviet - early post-Soviet period.
The suggestion of the name "European" belongs to Leo Klejn, professor of Archeology at St.Petersburg State University
, and a member of the group of enthusiasts who prompted the foundation of EUSP. At the end of the 1980s Russian and American politicians, statesmen and academicians would moot a foundation of the American University in Moscow
that would receive support from American companies and private individuals. Leo Klejn thought that as soon as American funds had already been tapped into by Moscow, its historical rival St.Petersburg, popularly known as Russia's "window on Europe", should establish a "European University". That aspiration would bring together the best academic and financial resources from Russia and Western Europe.
At the beginning of the 1990s the concept of European University had taken a concrete form with active participation of Anatoly Sobchak
, the first Mayor of St.Petersburg, Boris Firsov, then the President of the St.Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences
, and many other bright intellectuals prominent in cultural and academic life of the city. Since then the major events in the history of EUSP have been as follows.
On 28 November 1994, the University was registered with state authorities in St.Petersburg. The Charter of the University and its Foundation Convention were formally agreed upon and produced.
In spring 1995 an agreement was reached between the University and the municipal authorities on allocation of funds from the city budget towards rental costs of the university building in 3 Gagarinskaya street (then Furmanova st.) and its maintenance.
In autumn 1995 EUSP started its first educational programme, the so-called open graduate courses, which was not leading to a degree. In December of the same year, under the HESP programme of Soros Foundation
the University received funds to establish a computing room and the library.
In January 1996, the governing bodies of HESP
, the Ford Foundation
, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation decided to grant funds to EUSP towards opening the main academic programme. It started later that year, in September, when four departments - Economics
, Ethnology
, History
, Political Science
and Sociology
- were licensed to admit students on the main academic course for the first time.
In September 1997, the new Department of History of Arts started its programme of open graduate courses. First educational and research centres affiliated with the University were established. The Department of Political Science and Sociology admitted first students on the international programme in Russian studies (IMARS
) taught in English.
In September 2000, the first admission of students to the main academic programme at the Department of History of Arts took place.
In August 2002, the University was formally registered in Russia as an institute of additional professional education.
In July 2004, the University was officially accredited by the Russian Federal Body for Control over the Higher Professional Education. Since that moment EUSP has been granted the right to issue its graduates with diplomas recognised by the Russian State and bearing the state symbols of the Russian Federation.
In July 2006, EUSP obtained a state license to confer doctorate degrees.
May 2007: the European University became the first institution of higher education in St.Petersburg and only the second in Russia to set up an endowment fund, following changes in Russian legislation.
In winter-spring 2008, the University was living through the tumultuous "case of fire safety rules violation", which was deemed to be an example of political pressure exerted on academic freedom in Russia. The situation was broadly covered both in Russian and Western media.
towards a project aimed at improvement of the monitoring of election
s in Russia
. That provoked a harsh criticism of the activities of the University by the Russian government. After a reported threat from a government official, the EC-funded project was closed by the University on 31 January 2008.
Shortly after, however, following a fire safety inspection, the European University was closed down by a ruling of a St. Petersburg court for the six week period from 7 February 2008 until 21 March 2008, drawing protests by students, staff as well as the wider Russian and international academic community. Finally, compliance with fire regulations was deemed sufficient by the court, and the University resumed classes on 24 March 2008. Students were able to finish their term on time. Since then the University has remained open and has continued its academic work as usual.
Spring events of 2008 were covered in the film Pugovka (a button in Russian
) produced by Iliya Utekhin, a professor of anthropology at EUSP. The film has been shown in St.Petersburg and then in Berlin
in 2011, during a third European meeting of EUSP alumni
.
Today, EUSP maintains a good relationship with different levels of government and administration, as evidenced among other things by a visit and meeting of the Russian Minister for Education and Science Andrei Fursenko
with the faculty and students at EUSP on 4 June 2009 and by the address by deputy governor of St.Petersburg Mikhail Oseevsky
at the opening of the academic year ceremony on 7 September 2009. At a similar ceremony on 5 September 2011 the faculty and students of EUSP were greeted by the deputy chairman of the St.Petersburg Committee for Science and Higher School Alexander Matveev.
Since the foundation of the University the following Rectors have been at the helm:
of St.Petersburg, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation
, the International Higher Education Support Program (HESP, Open Society Institute
and Soros Foundations Network), TACIS/TEMPUS
, INTAS, the Spencer Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation
, the German ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius and Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (РФФИ) and the Russian Foundation for Humanities (РГНФ).
Following enactment of the Russian Federal Law on endowments of non-commercial organisations, EUSP had been third in Russia and first in St.Petersburg to register its endowment fund on 7 May 2007. Currently the University conducts a fundraising campaign to attract donations from corporations, and wealthy individuals to promote its educational cause, support research programmes, and its infrastructure.
The university library contains some 50,000 registered volumes that are available on an open access basis. Notwithstanding its boutique size by international standards the library is arguably the best collection in St.Petersburg of books in social studies and humanities published in English. It has also become one of the best specialised libraries in Russia.
In addition to volumes of books and journals the library provides easy access to network resources, publications on optical discs, audio and video tapes, as well as full-text digital databases in Russian and foreign languages such as EBSCO, JSTOR
, Science Direct, archives of the World Bank
, Cambridge University Press
, Oxford University Press
, the American Council of Learned Societies
(ACLS) History E-Book Project, and many others.
Students of the European University can also tap into the resources of the National Library of Russia, the oldest public library in the country located in St.Petersburg. Its main building is just some 30 min walk from the EUSP building across the historical city centre. The National Library contains more than 35 million volumes in Russian and foreign languages, including more than 15 million books, some 13.1 million journals and 617,000 yearly newspaper subscriptions. The access to its resources requires, however, a separate registration with the National Library.
Books, as opposed to working papers, etc., have been published by the EUPress since 2000, and by now more than 90 editions in social sciences and humanities have seen the light. The topical orientation of the books published is aimed both at scientific community and at a wider public interested in modern social research. Since December 2009 the EUPress has operated an Internet bookshop.
, Yale
, CERGE-EI
in Prague, University of Chicago
, European University Institute
(Florence, Italy), Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
(Cologne, Germany) are just a few of the renowned international schools to have accepted EUSP graduates. Other alumni followed on with a career in the Russian government, international companies and organisations such as the World Bank
, the United Nations
Secretariat New York
, the US Department of State and the European Commission
.
Since its first graduation cohort left the university premises, an informal nexus of alumni has been in operation. The advance of the IMARS
programme in Russian studies implied that the nexus has also been international.
In autumn 2008 the European chapter of the alumni association was formally established as charitable association "European University at St. Petersburg Alumni (Europe) e.V.
" in London
, UK. The inaugural meeting of its founders and board took place on 15 November 2008 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The association is an institutional and legal framework for Europe-based alumni to complement the existing international alumni network. It was registered under German law to be able to collect income tax exempt donations from at least 14 European countries (Germany
, UK, France
, Switzerland
, Netherlands
, Ireland
, Poland
, Belgium
, Italy
, Luxembourg
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, Slovakia
, Hungary
; via the Transnational Giving Europe network) for EUSP and its members. This association is open to all alumni based in Europe (not only the European Union
) as well as other supporting members and is a vehicle of representing alumni vis-à-vis EUSP, donors and the public, for civil society grassroots activity and for the democratic formulation of positions. It also strives to improve the informal alumni network and derive benefits for members, including the organisation of alumni activities.
In the spring of 2009 EUSP Alumni Europe e.V. launched its own travel grant programme for students of the European University at St. Petersburg, which has been running continually ever since courtesy of generous donations from alumni and supporters in Europe, Russia and the US.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It was founded in 1994. Today the University is widely recognised as one of the leading academic institutions in humanities and social sciences in Russia.
The main language of instruction at the University is Russian. However, the Department of Political Science and Sociology (ranked top 3 in Eastern Europe and the best in Russia in 2002) runs a unique programme in Russian and Eurasian studies (IMARES
IMARES
The International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
) for graduates of Western universities, which is delivered in English. It attracts students from all over Europe and North America. In addition the University offers a number of smaller international programmes with instruction in English, ranging from a "semester abroad" curriculum, summer schools to Russian language courses.
Programme and Fellowship
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
candidates and those pursuing an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree.
The University runs two curricula - one is targeted at Russian-speaking students, while the other one is taught in English.
The MA programme taught in Russian covers studies in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, History of Arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, and Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. The MA diplomas of the Department of Political Science and Sociology are issued in association with the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
.
The international programmes run by the University and taught in English include
- International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies (IMARESIMARESThe International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
), а one-year advanced programme for students holding BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
or equivalent - Certificate of study, one or two semesters, not leading to a degree; offering the same choice of credit courses as IMARESIMARESThe International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
but without a requirement to complete an MA thesis - Semester abroad: an undergraduate module in Russian politics, history, and culture
- Research affiliation, an option for those who want to pursue their research agenda, interact with EUSP professors and use EUSP facilities
- Russian for researchers: up to one semester of Russian for undergraduates, graduate students and young professionals whose work is related to academic research and analysis
- Summer School in Russian Studies, an intensive teaching module that includes Russian language, history, politics, and culture
Campus
Since its foundation the University has occupied the 18th century Small Marble Palace also known as the Mansion of Count A.G.Kushelev-Bezborodko, a senator during the reign of Russian Emperor Nicholas INicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. The building is situated in the centre of St.Petersburg near the Neva river at 3 Gagarinskaya street. It accommodates all the university and departmental offices, study rooms, auditoria, the computing centre and the library, as well as the university publishing house.
Also the University has a dormitory for students coming from outside of St.Petersburg. It is located at 21 Zhukovskogo street, in the historical centre of the city.
History
The idea of a university breaking the mold of the usual state higher educational system in Russia was born at the end of the 1980s. That was a period of democratic revival and romantic inspiration in the country, when the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was already in the twilight.
At that time several people in the academic circles of St.Petersburg discussed the idea of a new, independent and free university, that would fill the gaps of the traditional Russian system of tuition in the social sciences and humanities. Such a university was also deemed to reverse the brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
, a phenomenon that hit hard the Russian academia in the late Soviet - early post-Soviet period.
The suggestion of the name "European" belongs to Leo Klejn, professor of Archeology at St.Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
, and a member of the group of enthusiasts who prompted the foundation of EUSP. At the end of the 1980s Russian and American politicians, statesmen and academicians would moot a foundation of the American University in Moscow
International University in Moscow
International University in Moscow - was established in 1991 by Mikhail Gorbachev and President George H. W. Bush, and was the first private university in Russia....
that would receive support from American companies and private individuals. Leo Klejn thought that as soon as American funds had already been tapped into by Moscow, its historical rival St.Petersburg, popularly known as Russia's "window on Europe", should establish a "European University". That aspiration would bring together the best academic and financial resources from Russia and Western Europe.
At the beginning of the 1990s the concept of European University had taken a concrete form with active participation of Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak was a Russian politician, a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev....
, the first Mayor of St.Petersburg, Boris Firsov, then the President of the St.Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
, and many other bright intellectuals prominent in cultural and academic life of the city. Since then the major events in the history of EUSP have been as follows.
On 28 November 1994, the University was registered with state authorities in St.Petersburg. The Charter of the University and its Foundation Convention were formally agreed upon and produced.
In spring 1995 an agreement was reached between the University and the municipal authorities on allocation of funds from the city budget towards rental costs of the university building in 3 Gagarinskaya street (then Furmanova st.) and its maintenance.
In autumn 1995 EUSP started its first educational programme, the so-called open graduate courses, which was not leading to a degree. In December of the same year, under the HESP programme of Soros Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
the University received funds to establish a computing room and the library.
In January 1996, the governing bodies of HESP
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation decided to grant funds to EUSP towards opening the main academic programme. It started later that year, in September, when four departments - Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
- were licensed to admit students on the main academic course for the first time.
In September 1997, the new Department of History of Arts started its programme of open graduate courses. First educational and research centres affiliated with the University were established. The Department of Political Science and Sociology admitted first students on the international programme in Russian studies (IMARS
IMARES
The International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
) taught in English.
In September 2000, the first admission of students to the main academic programme at the Department of History of Arts took place.
In August 2002, the University was formally registered in Russia as an institute of additional professional education.
In July 2004, the University was officially accredited by the Russian Federal Body for Control over the Higher Professional Education. Since that moment EUSP has been granted the right to issue its graduates with diplomas recognised by the Russian State and bearing the state symbols of the Russian Federation.
In July 2006, EUSP obtained a state license to confer doctorate degrees.
May 2007: the European University became the first institution of higher education in St.Petersburg and only the second in Russia to set up an endowment fund, following changes in Russian legislation.
In winter-spring 2008, the University was living through the tumultuous "case of fire safety rules violation", which was deemed to be an example of political pressure exerted on academic freedom in Russia. The situation was broadly covered both in Russian and Western media.
Political Pressure & Temporary Closure in February/March 2008
In 2007 the University received a € 700,000 grant from the European CommissionEuropean Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
towards a project aimed at improvement of the monitoring of election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. That provoked a harsh criticism of the activities of the University by the Russian government. After a reported threat from a government official, the EC-funded project was closed by the University on 31 January 2008.
Shortly after, however, following a fire safety inspection, the European University was closed down by a ruling of a St. Petersburg court for the six week period from 7 February 2008 until 21 March 2008, drawing protests by students, staff as well as the wider Russian and international academic community. Finally, compliance with fire regulations was deemed sufficient by the court, and the University resumed classes on 24 March 2008. Students were able to finish their term on time. Since then the University has remained open and has continued its academic work as usual.
Spring events of 2008 were covered in the film Pugovka (a button in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) produced by Iliya Utekhin, a professor of anthropology at EUSP. The film has been shown in St.Petersburg and then in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 2011, during a third European meeting of EUSP alumni
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
.
Today, EUSP maintains a good relationship with different levels of government and administration, as evidenced among other things by a visit and meeting of the Russian Minister for Education and Science Andrei Fursenko
Andrei Fursenko
Andrei Aleksandrovich Fursenko is a Russian politician, scientist and businessman. Currently he is the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.-Family and education:...
with the faculty and students at EUSP on 4 June 2009 and by the address by deputy governor of St.Petersburg Mikhail Oseevsky
Mikhail Oseevsky
Mikhail Eduardovich Oseevsky is a Russian politician, a member of United Russia party. He is the current Vice-governor of Saint Petersburg and the Minister of Finance in the Saint Petersburg City Administration since he was appointed in 2003 by then-governor, Valentina Matvienko. since 2010, he is...
at the opening of the academic year ceremony on 7 September 2009. At a similar ceremony on 5 September 2011 the faculty and students of EUSP were greeted by the deputy chairman of the St.Petersburg Committee for Science and Higher School Alexander Matveev.
Administration and Organisation
A faculty of 50 professors and lecturers serve as of academic year 2007-2008, with 180 students, 30 of whom come from outside of Russia.Governing bodies
The European University is effectively governed by three boards, one of which is the University Administration headed by Rector (President), the second is the Academic Council, and the third one is the Board of Trustees. The Rector of European University is the day-to-day administrator of the institution; (s)he is elected for a three-year term by the Academic Council; the ballot is approved by the Board of Trustees.Since the foundation of the University the following Rectors have been at the helm:
- 1995 – 2003: Dr. Boris Firsov, a well-known sociologist and the central figure in the foundation of EUSP
- 2003 – 2009: Dr. Nikolai Vakhtin, professor in sociolinguistics, a co-author of the initial "Concept of EUSP", held two terms as Rector
- June 2009 – present: Dr. Oleg Kharkhordin, the first Rector with a Western PhD (Political Science, University of California, Berkley), and a former Vice-Rector for Development under whose auspices the University started setting up its endowment
Departments
European University has five departments:- Department of AnthropologyAnthropologyAnthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
(before 2008 - Department of EthnologyEthnologyEthnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
) - Department of HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- Department of Art HistoryArt historyArt history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
- Department of Political SciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity... - Department of EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
Research and Training Centers
- Archival Training Centre
- Center for Environmental and Technological History
- Center for European Studies
- Center for Field Ethnological Research
- Computing Centre
- Gender Studies
- Interdepartmental Center «Res publica»
- Interdepartmental Center «Petersburg Judaica»
- International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies (IMARESIMARESThe International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
) - Language Centre
- Oral History Center
- The program "Executive Master of Philosophy"
- The program "Promoting Social Studies of Education in Russia"
Endowment and Fundraising
Since foundation the activity of the university has been supported inter alia by financial donations from the Municipal Government and DumaDuma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
of St.Petersburg, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the International Higher Education Support Program (HESP, Open Society Institute
Open Society Institute
The Open Society Institute , renamed in 2011 to Open Society Foundations, is a private operating and grantmaking foundation started by George Soros, aimed to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform...
and Soros Foundations Network), TACIS/TEMPUS
TEMPUS
The TEMPUS programme encourages institutions in the EU Member States and partner countries to engage in structured cooperation through the establishment of "consortia". The "consortia" implement Joint European Projects with a clear set of objectives. Such projects may receive financial aid for...
, INTAS, the Spencer Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...
, the German ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius and Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (РФФИ) and the Russian Foundation for Humanities (РГНФ).
Following enactment of the Russian Federal Law on endowments of non-commercial organisations, EUSP had been third in Russia and first in St.Petersburg to register its endowment fund on 7 May 2007. Currently the University conducts a fundraising campaign to attract donations from corporations, and wealthy individuals to promote its educational cause, support research programmes, and its infrastructure.
Library
In addition to volumes of books and journals the library provides easy access to network resources, publications on optical discs, audio and video tapes, as well as full-text digital databases in Russian and foreign languages such as EBSCO, JSTOR
JSTOR
JSTOR is an online system for archiving academic journals, founded in 1995. It provides its member institutions full-text searches of digitized back issues of several hundred well-known journals, dating back to 1665 in the case of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society...
, Science Direct, archives of the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
(ACLS) History E-Book Project, and many others.
Students of the European University can also tap into the resources of the National Library of Russia, the oldest public library in the country located in St.Petersburg. Its main building is just some 30 min walk from the EUSP building across the historical city centre. The National Library contains more than 35 million volumes in Russian and foreign languages, including more than 15 million books, some 13.1 million journals and 617,000 yearly newspaper subscriptions. The access to its resources requires, however, a separate registration with the National Library.
EU Press
Since foundation EUSP has had its own publishing house, the EUPress, a remarkable fact distinguishing the University among its Russian peers. The house primarily supports scientific activity of the University, by publishing the most progressive pieces of research produced by university faculty and students. However, the publishing house also accepts manuscripts from authors not formally affiliated with EUSP.Books, as opposed to working papers, etc., have been published by the EUPress since 2000, and by now more than 90 editions in social sciences and humanities have seen the light. The topical orientation of the books published is aimed both at scientific community and at a wider public interested in modern social research. Since December 2009 the EUPress has operated an Internet bookshop.
Alumni
Despite being a young university EUSP has already produced a number of exceptional graduates. Some of them continued to work in academia, pursuing further studies, conducting research and teaching in Russian, European and American institutions. Oxford, HarvardHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, CERGE-EI
CERGE-EI
CERGE-EI is an academic institution that provides an American-style PhD program in economics, a US-chartered Master of Arts program in Applied Economics , and the UPCES study abroad program. CERGE-EI also conducts research in theoretical and policy-related economics...
in Prague, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, European University Institute
European University Institute
The European University Institute ' in Florence is an international postgraduate and post-doctoral teaching and research institute established by European Union member states to contribute to cultural and scientific development in the social sciences, in a European perspective...
(Florence, Italy), Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies is a German social-science research institute within the Max Planck Society located in Cologne. Established in 1985, it was initially headed by sociologist Renate Mayntz , followed by political scientist Fritz W...
(Cologne, Germany) are just a few of the renowned international schools to have accepted EUSP graduates. Other alumni followed on with a career in the Russian government, international companies and organisations such as the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Secretariat New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the US Department of State and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
.
Since its first graduation cohort left the university premises, an informal nexus of alumni has been in operation. The advance of the IMARS
IMARES
The International MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies isan advanced graduate programme at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, for students who already hold a B.A. degree or its equivalent...
programme in Russian studies implied that the nexus has also been international.
In autumn 2008 the European chapter of the alumni association was formally established as charitable association "European University at St. Petersburg Alumni (Europe) e.V.
Eingetragener Verein
Eingetragener Verein is a legal status for a registered voluntary association in Germany and Austria. While any group may be called a Verein, registration as eingetragener Verein holds many legal benefits because a registered association may legally function as a corporate body rather than just...
" in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. The inaugural meeting of its founders and board took place on 15 November 2008 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The association is an institutional and legal framework for Europe-based alumni to complement the existing international alumni network. It was registered under German law to be able to collect income tax exempt donations from at least 14 European countries (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, UK, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
; via the Transnational Giving Europe network) for EUSP and its members. This association is open to all alumni based in Europe (not only the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
) as well as other supporting members and is a vehicle of representing alumni vis-à-vis EUSP, donors and the public, for civil society grassroots activity and for the democratic formulation of positions. It also strives to improve the informal alumni network and derive benefits for members, including the organisation of alumni activities.
In the spring of 2009 EUSP Alumni Europe e.V. launched its own travel grant programme for students of the European University at St. Petersburg, which has been running continually ever since courtesy of generous donations from alumni and supporters in Europe, Russia and the US.