Endicott Professor Awarded Fulbright-Hays Scholarship

Beverly, MA --Robert C. Anderson, Assistant Professor of Interior Design in the School of Art and Design at Endicott College, in Beverly, MA, has recently been awarded a summer 2007 Scholarship for the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program.  This Scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

The program is from five to six weeks in length, and will take place in the countries of Poland and Russia, and is titled: "Building Towards Tomorrow: Developing an Educationally Strong Population."   Robert's focus for the seminar will be on history, art, and architectural education in Poland and Russia.  He will address issues pertaining to cultural perceptions and differences outside of the typical Western scope of education in art and architecture.

Background --Robert C. Anderson, of West Roxbury, MA and originally from Brooklyn, NY, received an M.A. from the Architectural Association of London, a B. Arch. from the Boston Architectural Center, and a B.F.A. from Massachusetts College of Art.  He is a trained designer and watercolorist, an historian of architecture, interior design, and art, has a strong affinity for the landscape and history of New England, England, Ireland, and Scandinavia, and has traveled extensively throughout Western Europe.  Robert is presently a full-time faculty member at Endicott College, where he teaches Architectural History and Interior Design.  For the past four years, he has led a group of Endicott students on trips to Ireland and Britain.  Additionally, Robert volunteers as a docent for Boston By Foot, leads guided tours through Historic New England's Walter Gropius House, in Lincoln, MA, has previously taught at the Boston Architectural Center, Mount Ida College, and Salem State College, and has also taught art and woodworking at the Greater Boston Aid to the Blind.  He occasionally takes on the design of small residential projects, which he uses to ground his teaching.

DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM

Country: Poland and Russia
Seminar Title: Building Toward Tomorrow: Developing an Educationally Strong Population
Tentative Dates: 5-6 weeks between June 20 and August 3, 2007

Russia Segment

The Russian portion of the seminar will start in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation and the center of Russian history and culture for nearly 900 years.  The Moscow program will include lectures on current political developments, literature, education, history, and culture by American and Russian experts.  Cultural enrichment excursions are planned to world famous sites (the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basilís Cathedral, the Tretyakov Gallery, and Gorky Park) as well lesser known significant places such as the Holy Trinity Monastery, Novodevichy Convent, and restored estates around the city.  Cultural performances will be arranged as the schedule permits.

Focusing on education, the seminar will visit various institutions at different levels.  These will include: a high school specializing in English language instruction; Moscow State University, the country's premier institution for higher education; and universities dedicated to scientific education, teacher training, and professional development.  The group will have meetings with high-level officials at the Ministry of Education and Science and the Russian State Duma.

The seminar will then travel to St. Petersburg, the old imperial capital of Russia and the city still often referred to as the "second capital."  Built under orders of Peter the Great at the beginning of the eighteenth century, St. Petersburg was the center of the Russian empire for 200 years and continues to be the cultural leader of Russia today. Home to famous Russian writers and poets like Dostoevsky and Pushkin and the birthplace of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the city plays an important role in Russian national identity through cultural landmarks (the Hermitage, Russian Museum, and Mariinsky [Kirov] Theater) and important educational institutions.  The seminar will examine the role of culture in educating global citizens.  The group will visit former imperial estates located on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, including the renown golden fountains at Peterhof and the Catherine Palace in Pushkin.

Poland Segment

The Polish phase of the seminar will start in Krakow, the former capital city of Poland and a major cultural and academic center. The Krakow program will consist of a series of lectures on current political events, Polish literature and language, Polish-Jewish relations, education, foreign and home policy, history and culture, and the Holocaust (followed by a visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps). The cultural enrichment component will include visits to the 642 year old Jagiellonian University (the second oldest university in Central and Eastern Europe,) the Royal Castle of Wawel, the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, as well as site trips to the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow and a visit to Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains with exposure to Polish folk dances and music and old customs and traditions.

Wroclaw is located in Lower Silesia, the southwestern part of Poland. It is the fastest developing region in Poland with great human potential and excellent administration. We plan meetings with municipal authorities, including the city mayor and local management executives. One of the highlights in Wroclaw will be a visit to the 300 year old University of Wroclaw and a meeting with the University Rector. We will also visit one of the local high schools as well as a newly opened American Center in the heart of the old town, a place of meetings, presentations and exhibitions.

The academic program in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, will include lectures by renowned professors on the political system, social affairs, gender related issues, civic society, reform of education, Polish culture and globalization. Polish politicians and high ranking government workers will deliver presentations on the Polish economy, domestic and foreign policy and education policies during visits to the Ministries of Economy, Education, Labor and Social Affairs, and Foreign Affairs. Special visits will include the Parliament, Warsaw Stock Exchange, and the Institute of International Affairs as well as secondary and primary schools.

We plan one day at Warsaw University, where the campus visit will include meetings with the University Rector and the faculty. Internationalization of the university through cooperation under Socrates Erasmus programs and prospects for EU - U.S. academic projects will be discussed. At the Center of Eastern Studies the participants will be updated on the research of Polish support for the emerging democracies in the region.

At the College of Europe, the seminar participants will meet faculty and administration representatives and will learn how students from the Central and Eastern European regions specialize in European Studies, Law, and Economics in order to qualify for positions in European Union administration.

The cultural enrichment program in Warsaw will include an evening at an old Polish manor house, owned by a well known actor and art collector; a visit to the Wilanow Palace, the Polish kings' summer residence; Zelazowa Wola, Chopin's birthplace; and a concert by the Warsaw Chamber Opera.