OPEN WORLD BRINGS RUSSIAN
ACADEMIC LEADERS TO CARTHAGE, TX 

Russian Team to Discuss Educational Development with U.S. Counterparts 

Carthage, TX – On July 10-18, 2003, Panola College will host an Open World delegation of Russian academic leaders.  Four Russian professionals – three of whom are directors of schools and colleges – will have an opportunity to examine the American system of education in Carthage through the U.S. Congress–sponsored Open World Program.  Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center located at the Library of Congress, Open World brings emerging Russian leaders to the U.S. to exchange views with their American counterparts and to experience American democratic and economic institutions at the local level. 

The visiting delegates are Tatyana Golovtsova, deputy principal of a municipal secondary school in Ivanovo (a city located 200 miles south-east of Moscow); Tatyana Ryabchenko, director of Nevinnomyssk Vocational School of Law and Economics (Nevinnomyssk is a town in Stavropol Krai in Southern Russia); Nina Tamarskaya, director of Kaliningrad College for Social and Pedagogical Studies (Kaliningrad is a Baltic Sea port in Russia’s westernmost region); and Semen Yarin, director of Tomsk Business College (Tomsk is a city in central Siberia).  Larisa Budnikova will accompany the group as a facilitator. 

The Open World Program has brought more than 6,000 participants from all 89 Russian regions to 50 U.S. states.  Texas is one of the top three states welcoming Open World visitors.  Since the Program’s inception in 1999, Texas communities have hosted 432 Russian delegates.  

While in Carthage, the Russian group will have an opportunity to exchange ideas through professional programs and meetings with academic and local leaders of the community. Panola County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a breakfast reception for the delegation on July 11^th.  Local leaders participating in this project include: Dr. Greg Powell, President, Dr. Lillian Cook, Dean of Instruction and Mrs. Ann Morris, Director of Distance Learning from Panola College; Hon. David Anderson, Panola County Judge; Mrs. Tommie Ritter Smith, President, Panola County Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Frank Thornton, Vice-President, Lon Morris College; Chief A. J. Key, City of Longview Chief of Police; Mr. Rickey Childers, Longview City Manager; Mrs. Reba Allison, Superintendent, Carthage ISD; Dr. Dana Marable, Superintendent and Dr. Jennifer Scott, Assistant Superintendent from Longview ISD; and officers from LeTourneau University—Mrs. Marila Palmer, Vice President for Executive Affairs & Planning, Dr. Robert Hudson, Vice President for Graduate & Professional Studies, Mrs. Linda Fitzhugh, Vice President for Enrollment Services, and Dr. Bill McDowell, Vice President for Business & Administration. 

Panola College has arranged programming events, meals, local transportation and cultural activities. Home stays with local residents will enable the delegates to experience American family life.  Friends and supporters of Panola College, including Dr. & Mrs. Greg Powell, Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Morris, Mr. & Mrs. Bob Baker, and Mrs. Beth Anderson, have opened their hearts and homes and committed to serve as host families for the delegation.  

Open World -- the only exchange program housed in the U.S. legislative branch – aims to build mutual understanding between the United States and the Russian Federation and works with Russia’s leaders as they implement democratic and economic reforms. Delegates range from State Duma deputies to small-town mayors, from innovative nonprofit directors to experienced journalists, and from political party activists to regional administrators.  Education reform is only one of the many themes of the Open World Program, which include the rule of law, health care, federalism, the environment, and youth issues. 

The Open World Leadership Center has awarded a grant to the Academy for Educational Development (AED) to administer this visit and similar exchanges.  AED specializes in education, research, training, policy analysis, and innovative program design and management.  American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS is handling the trip’s logistics. 

For more information on Open World, please contact Katya Sedova at 202-466-6210 or visit http://www.openworld.gov.  For details on the visit of Russian education leaders to Carthage, please contact Zeny at 903-693-2005.