I visited Russia in the summer of 2016. It was the year of the presidential election, and I often wonder which famous, rich American may have frequented Moscow as I was taking Russian classes, touring art museums, and living with a host family. Although my brain has flipped its switch back to Spanish and English after a lack of Russian practice, there are some Russian words I can never forget. There’s the first word I said to my host family once I was seated in their car with a week of Russian classes under my belt: “Что?” or “What?” There’s the sweet treat to which a summer festival was dedicated: “Мороженое” or “Ice Cream.” And there’s one of the staple buildings in Moscow: The “Университет” or “University.”
I saw Moscow State University multiple times over my six week trip, but I never asked too many questions about it. Only after I returned to the United States did I learn that МГУ was the leading university in Russia, a public research university founded in 1775, making it older than our own country. МГУ has a number of departments but continually finds itself ranked higher in the fields of mathematics and natural sciences. 13 Nobel Laureates hail МГУ as their alma mater as well as Mikhail Gorbachev of the famous President Ronald Reagan line “Tear down this wall!” Just as Dr. Bassett talked about the computer at IIT Kanpur, МГУ has Russia’s most powerful supercomputer to date.
МГУ has largely founded a spirit of innovation and passion for technology in Russia, producing many technically-oriented leaders since its inception. These students have gone on to aid Russia’s technologies in the space race, world wars, and more. During Russian crises in the 1990s, support for the university faltered, and an intellectual brain-drain occurred as graduates and students left to pursue their studies. As economic prospects upturned, МГУ secured funding from the state budget, providing more independence as money now bypassed the Ministry of Education. Now, МГУ is outputting more graduates than ever, and space technology remains a top priority of the country.
МГУ reminds me of NC State in some ways. NC State was created to educate NC students about “hard” sciences so they might give back to their community through agricultural innovations and scientific discoveries. NC State has largely expanded its disciplines, but the concept remains. We attend a land-grant research university rather than a liberal arts college. Are we sacrificing anything to get this experience? What is the benefit for us? What is the benefit to our communities? How would Wendell Berry feel about a school based on agricultural principles that has expanded to so much more? What parallels can we draw between our own institution and that of Russia?