PSU and University of Oxford Sign the Memorandum of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding for a new 10-year period was officially signed by Rector Dr. Igor Makarikhin on behalf of PSU, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Easton on behalf of the University of Oxford. "Thanks to cooperation between our Universities, a Twin Cities link was established between Oxford and Perm. We have enjoyed a series of successful projects with our Oxford colleagues, including the annual seminar in Modern British Literature, and the Victorian Center, established at PSU. ” said the Rector.

The Memorandum opens opportunities for researchers in Russian literature, language and history. British PhD students will use Perm archives and libraries, as well as collaboration with local scholars, to work on their theses and publications. Perm remains an attraction for students studying arts, as well as mature artists and critics, for annual venues: it’s a home place for Serge Diaghilev, famous for Ballets Russes, and inspiration for Boris Pasternak, whose novel ‘Doctor Zhivago’ was partly influenced by his earlier stay in Perm and the Urals.

The initial contact between Oxford University and PSU happened in the late 1980s, shortly before the fall of the Iron Curtain, when Perm quit the status of a closed city. The academic link with PSU was built in the first place by Mrs Karen Hewitt and Dr. Boris Proskurnin. Mrs Karen Hewitt is a holder of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for establishing academic and cultural links with Russia, a major specialist in British literature, tutor at Oxford University, honorary professor at PSU, and active member of the Oxford-Perm Association. Professor Boris Proskurnin, PhD is a Dean of the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, listed among leading researchers of Victorian literature, and an initiator of international educational projects.