Campus news at HSE University

In early June, Johnson Chun Shing Chow, a native of Hong Kong, arrived in Moscow to study Russian, complete an internship and learn more about Russian culture. Prior to arriving, he envisioned the city as the heart of Russia, filled with Soviet-era memories like the Kremlin, monuments and military museums. Although he had studied Russian culture and language for some time, his initial few weeks did prove to be an adjustment.

On July 8, amendments to Russian migration legislation regulating the registration of foreign citizens coming to the Russian Federation came into effect. They concern, in particular, HSE’s international employees and students. The most important change: you now must be registered at the place where you actually live.

The theme of this year’s HSE graduation party, which was held at Moscow’s Izvestia Hall, was ‘Bond’. Party-goers enjoyed espionage contests, British humor and, of course, plenty of music.

As the second-oldest HSE campus after Moscow, HSE Nizhny Novgorod has over 2,700 students, over 300 faculty members, and offers 9 BA programmes and 11 MA programmes, as well as several double-degree tracks. In addition to its educational activities and research, the university also serves as a forum for the city’s cultural life and carries out several projects aimed at ensuring the public good. Valery Zusman, Director of HSE campus in Nizhny Novgorod, talked to The HSE Look about the challenges and successes of global outreach projects at HSE Nizhny Novgorod and its proactive approach.

In June, an extraordinary Academic Council session, which attracted a broader range or HSE staff and students, discussed the key areas of the university’s development. The ideas expressed, as well as suggestions from faculties and campuses, will provide the basis for a new HSE development programme, which will be discussed at the university staff conference in autumn.

Isaac, a new robot at HSE, will automatically process publications by HSE staff and make the results of various competitive campaigns more predictable for each employee.

HSE University has maintained its leading position in the ranking compiled by the Russian Council for International Affairs. The ranking evaluated the websites of 65 Russian universities. HSE was awarded 104 points out of 108, increasing its position by 11 points on last year. HSE's closest rival ranked a further 17 points behind, which is a larger gap than previously.

The Iron Egg is awarded annually to the winners of a student vote for their contribution towards extracurricular life at the university. For the first time ever, this year’s awards ceremony took place in a new interactive format with students selecting not only the best student organisations, but also the best journalistic work by a university media source, as well as most active student.