A conference on 16 December 2009 co-sponsored by the Kennan Institute, ISE-Center, and CASE (Centers for Advanced Studies and Education) began with opening remarks by Blair A. Ruble, Director, Kennan Institute and Andrei Kortunov, President, New Eurasia Foundation who both emphasized the need for universities to contribute to the revitalization of civil society in Russia. The co-organizers expressed their hope that the workshop, which shed light on other countries' and regions' experiences using universities to bring about structural change, would uncover new ideas for practical steps Russian universities.

The morning sessions focused on the role of universities in regional development in Russia. Vyacheslav Glazychev, Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, gave an overview of the Russian experience. Glazychev participated in a broad study of higher education in 62 regions of Russia, and his overall observation was that the "isolation of schools is fantastic." He found virtually no evidence of collaboration between institutes of higher education and stated that the academic elite accepts the fact that universities exist in isolation. He then made specific comments about a handful of cities: in Perm the humanities are very strong; Saratov and Rostov's universities are in total decay; Ekaterinburg's higher education is progressive; Kazan's and Samara's architectural schools that are superior to those in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

After Glazychev's overview, Mark S. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, provided commentary. He explained the substantial efforts by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the MacArthur Foundation to close the gap between research and education in Russia (through both the CASE and the Basic Research and Higher Education (BRHE) Programs). Despite all the improvements that were made, a lack of horizontal ties in Russia remains. While Russia has a union of rectors, it still does not have a union of universities. A network of professional associations is also crucial to Russia's development of its higher education community.

In the next panel, three Russian scholars presented case studies from their respective regions. Timur Gareev, Vice-Rector for Innovation and Development, Immanuel Kant State University, reviewed the challenges facing Russian education in the Kaliningrad region, which included the demographic problems that face the rest of the country, budget constraints, deterioration of campuses, paternalism, rent-seeking, inbreeding, and immobility. Gareev described his region's universities as being so focused on themselves that they are unable to be innovative. His university, Immanuel Kant State University, however, is growing faster than the other universities in the region and in 2007 had adopted specific priorities for innovation: information technology, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and bioecology. Innovation alone is not enough though, and Gareev also emphasized the need to make the campus the center of university life, something that is a real challenge in Russia.

Maxim Khomyakov, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Professor of Political Philosophy, and Urals CASE Director, Urals State University, then presented on higher education in the Urals region. Khomyakov noted that a common trend in the presentations thus far is the call for the Russian education system to be modernized. The best Russian students are now choosing to attend American and European universities. Included in the goal of improving Russian universities' quality, Khomyakov also highlighted the importance of initiating a public discussion in Russia on how universities should be part of their communities. For example, the national research universities (that were recently established) should play an important role in society. He gave some specific examples from his university such as a project that attempts to share science and art with the community, making it more accessible and less esoteric. One way the university is doing this is to provide a portal to scientific information through the university website. Khomyakov believes that Ekaterinburg could become a leader in a new trend of the role of universities if it recognizes its potential. Students in Ekaterinburg, according to Khomyakov, are very active and encouraged by the universities.

Moving farther east, Alexey Stukanov, Chairman, Committee for International Cooperation, Administration of Tomsk Region, gave an overview of Tomsk's history as a university town. In 1878, an Imperial University was established in Tomsk as the farthest Eastern university in the Empire, with the goal that it would be the "center of the society," according to Stukanov. Several years later, Prime Minister Witte even removed a battleship from the Empire's budget in order to fund a new university in Tomsk. Thus, for over a century, education has permeated the culture of Tomsk. Currently Tomsk is among the top four Russian cities in terms of internet use. Its population boasts 100 nationalities, 18 religions; Stukanov described it as a "very tolerant city" whose universities influence its liberal atmosphere. He also noted that the voting patterns in Tomsk are very different than in other places in Russia. Furthermore, there is lower out-migration from Tomsk than from other cities. In terms of innovation, Tomsk has 7 business-incubators and 13 centers for commercialization which have significantly contributed to building up Tomsk's knowledge-based industries. However, Tomsk universities know that they face new competitors in nearby cities Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk which are doing exciting new things. Stukanov commented that Tomsk's universities need to show what they can do in the future, and not rely on their past successes.

Mark S. Johnson again led the discussion after the panel ended and posed a question to the group: should Russia's universities strive to be egalitarian or elitist? What is the best path for Russia? In other words, would better results be gained if Russia's universities cooperated or competed? Hank V. Savitch commented that competition might be better for the Russian universities and that there are two stages that they need to focus on: first, institution-building, and second, outreach to industries. However, Savitch added that some universities have done quite well by cooperating, in particular the North Carolina Research Triangle which was able to increase the region's per capita income as a result of the project. Blair A. Ruble stated that there will always be a need for triage in Russia because of the multiple education systems and Russia's reliance on an overly bureaucratic system. In this way, all the "competitors" in Russia are tied to the same system, making it virtually impossible to compete, said Ruble.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to the role of universities in regional development in North America. David Perry, Director, Great Cities Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago gave an overview of the U.S. experience, with a specific focus on universities in Chicago. There has been a movement in the U.S. to view universities as urban "anchor institutions," Perry said, and universities are now the top employers in every urban area in the U.S. He outlined three significant changes in universities in the U.S. in recent years: first, the campus is much more than just a campus, it is often an urban space; second, university development is increasingly becoming "mixed-use" development, meshing academic with community use of space; and third, the campus plan has become the city plan.

Perry then gave specific examples of the cultural sea change he described: in Columbus, Ohio, where town-gown relations had grown particularly unfriendly, Ohio State University (OSU) recently established an intermediary foundation that used state funds to set up "Campus Partners," which are commercial developers. This became the largest affordable housing provider in the city and has benefited students and town residents alike. In Tacoma, Washington, which was a very depressed town, the university built a campus on the grounds of old, abandoned warehouses, revitalizing the city immensely. In Chicago, the city government created an "Education Corridor" in 1997 in what had been a "desolate hole in the middle of Chicago's downtown donut." More and more universities have moved their professional schools downtown to an area now known as "Loop U," referring to the downtown loop of Chicago's elevated train system. There are now 29 colleges or universities in the corridor, and Loop U is the largest "campus" in the Midwest. Perry argued that the city government drove the transformation, demonstrating that universities are not always the engines of urban development.

Kathryn Bryk Friedman, Deputy Director, University at Buffalo Regional Institute, presented a case study on higher education in Western New York. She remarked that there are significant similarities between the changes occurring in Russia and what is happening in upstate New York. Both places have witnessed a historic economic transition that included significant reductions in population. The city of Buffalo, for example, diminished from 700,000 to 280,000 people in the last few decades as it transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based (professional and business) economy. In this process, Buffalo came to have the 2nd most vacant units per 100 people in the United States. The University of Buffalo, Friedman stated, was faced with the challenge of helping lead its city to prosperity. As part of the State University of New York (SUNY) System, the University of Buffalo is restricted in the type of funding they are allowed to receive; in short, they are not permitted to use any private funds and must rely only on the dwindling amount the state government provides. The current president of the university is pushing to be freed from such rules however. Meanwhile, Friedman's Regional Institute attempts to bridge the academic and regional divide through ongoing research and policy analysis on the region, taking on specific project commissions, and encouraging civic engagement at public forums and symposiums. The Regional Institute has also emphasized the advantages of Western New York being a binational region, dubbing the Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo area the "Greater Golden Horseshoe" and identifying areas for cooperation that cut across the national border.

Hank V. Savitch, Professor, Urban & Public Affairs, University of Louisville, presented on the transformation of Louisville. He started with a brief history of failed attempts by various presidential administrations to obliterate poverty in American cities. It was only in the early 1990s that the Clinton administration began to ameliorate depressed conditions in U.S. cities, largely accomplished by increasing home ownership and encouraging education as a lifelong process. Savitch then outlined several of the lessons learned from West Louisville. First, Savitch noted, it was better to narrow objectives; especially with limited resources, it was better not to take on all of the problems. Second, he emphasized the importance of "organizational maintenance," explaining that most people in an organization become more preoccupied with maintaining the program, rather than the goals of the program. Third, Savitch recommended using triage to solve a city's problems, adding that "success breeds success" in a city's revitalization. Finally, Savitch cautioned that it is usually unclear whether a city or university's project is successful until 7-10 years after it it has begun.

Richard Stren, Professor Emeritus and Associate, Cities Centre, University of Toronto, gave an overview of higher education in Canada. Stren stated that there are 80 major public universities in Canada's ten provinces, and its universities are most comparable to those in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. The level of financial support per student, however, is much less than in the U.S. Furthermore, the private sector provides most of the funding for research in Canada. Stren then reviewed key literature on the "creative class," noting Richard Florida's books Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City? which describe a new class of people that relentlessly circle the globe to find the best place to live. Stren noted that Florida is the director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. Another Canadian university that has attracted the "creative class" is the University of Waterloo (in Ontario), the home of the famed Research in Motion (RIM) company that was founded by two Waterloo students who created the Blackberry.

Eugene P. Trani, President Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), gave the final presentation of the day and shared his thirty year plus experience as a university administrator. Trani described the transformation of both the city of Richmond and VCU from the 1980s when Richmond had the fifth highest murder rate in the U.S., to today when Richmond is blossoming and VCU has become a "big enterprise," in Trani's words. VCU in fact has become the largest enterprise in Richmond, with its medical school and hospital providing numerous jobs and substantial revenues. Trani gave an overview of a book he recently wrote that is scheduled to be published in February 2010. The Indispensable University provides case studies on innovative reforms undertaken by eleven universities chosen from regions around the world. Based on what he learned from the eleven case studies, Trani gave several recommendations for Russian institutes of higher education. First, Trani suggested Russian education reformers observe how China in particular has recognized the importance of universities for cities. Second, the universities have an opportunity to embrace the disastrous state of healthcare in Russia as a potential mission. Third, Trani discovered through his research that medical universities are less effective than medical schools within a larger university setting and thus recommended closing Russia's medical universities. Fourth, Trani recommended closing the Academy of Sciences. Finally, Trani suggested Russia reach out to its diaspora, noting in particular how millions of Russians living in Israel have developed Israel's technology and Russia should encourage them to return.


By Liz Malinkin
Blair Ruble, Director, Kennan Institute