Sign Up  |  Login

02.02.2012
How the News is Reported in Russia, January 2012

01.02.2012
Russia's Top Five Movies, January, 2012

31.01.2012
Nashe Radio Top Five, January, 2012

31.01.2012
MTV Russia Top Five, January, 2012

12.12.2011
SRAS Holds "Living and Working in Russia-2011" Seminar

11.12.2011
Genevieve Gunow Receives $200 Jury Award

08.12.2011
Scholarships Available!

03.06.2011
Call for Papers: Vestnik!

Find Us on Facebook
SRAS RESUME

SRAS Resume

The School of Russian and Asian Studies (SRAS) is a team of consultants and advisers dedicated to education and educational opportunities in Russia and Eurasia. They have studied within the Russian educational system and have worked closely with institutions for several years to identify programs of interest and value to international students. Contact us at: The School of Russian and Asian Studies, 117 Marva Oaks Drive, Woodside, CA 94062. 

 
What Educators
Say About Us

A professor led tour to Siberia!
Students on a
faculty-led tour in Siberia.
 
What Students
Say About Us

SRAS students tour St. Petersburg
Above: Students on our walking tour of St. Pete!
  Financial Aid to Study Russian in Russia

Our Story

In 1990, we began working with Moscow State University to further develop and promote several of their study abroad programs. We expanded soon after, developing and promoting programs across Eurasia that maximize what the institution and location can offer students of a wide range of subjects.

Our often-exclusive curriculums are designed with Western credit transfer requirements in mind. Our partner institutions administer the programs, providing classrooms and teachers. SRAS provides those services that international students need but these institutions can't or historically haven't provided. These now include local orientation, insurance, visa support, 24-hour in-country support, preparing documentation for credit transfer, cultural programs, travel options, and arranging internships – to name a few.

We consolidated our efforts into what is now known as SRAS in 1996, forming a US-based organization and an extensive website to facilitate a range of not-for-profit activities. These now include free online study resources (such as The Library), online language resources (such as our Mini-Lesson series), a newsletter, a journal devoted to student research, and grants – to name a few.

SRAS is proud to be one of a growing number of small businesses world-wide that are driven not by profit, but ideology. We are focused on effectively encouraging the study of Russia and those states formerly a part of the Soviet Union. This vast stretch of the globe is resource rich, politically strategic, and poorly understood in the West. We believe that encouraging a better understanding among the next generation of diplomats, business persons, UN and NGO employees, academics, and voters is of vital interest to us at home and in the global interest.

In its long-term growth plans, SRAS will expand its services related to professor-led tours and in assisting academics traveling to perform research. Innovative new area studies programs will be launched in Ukraine and Central Asia. We are also working on a line of educational tours for those interested in learning more about the landscape, history, and peoples of Eurasia.

Our Team

The School of Russian and Asian Studies is an international team. Each of us has personally studied within the Russian educational system and traveled within Eurasia, giving us first-hand knowledge of this specific geographic area. We've built relationships and a network of contacts that help our students not only with academic programs, but also to travel, seek jobs, pursue hobbies, and more – and not only while abroad, but long after the program ends. We at SRAS are here to help you realize the goals you set for yourself.

Renee Stillings traveling in Khiva, Uzbekistan  

Renee Stillings, Director
Renee first visited the Soviet Union in 1990 to study at MGU after graduating from Boston University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. After working at a technical translation company in Boston, she returned to Moscow in 1992 for permanent residence until 1998. During that time she worked in the Russian financial markets and finally founded The School of Russian and Asian Studies as well as co-founded Alinga Consulting Group. She has traveled extensively in and continues to travel to Russia, Central Asia, and the Baltic countries. She is a board member of the US-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England and active in several Russia-oriented business and academic organizations.

Josh Wilson in the woods of rural Pereslavl, Russia.  

Josh Wilson, Asst. Director and General Editor
Josh first came to Russia in 2003 as an SRAS student after earning an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University. He has lived in Russia ever since. After working as an English teacher, writer, and translator, Josh was hired by SRAS to assist in developing several new initiatives. Josh now manages the SRAS website, assists in program development and leads our Translation Abroad Program. He is also the editor of the SRAS newsletter, primary author of The Library, and editor-in-chief for Vestnik: The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies. In addition, he serves as Communications Consultant to Alinga Consulting Group, and General Editor for the US-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England.

Lisa Horner rides horseback in Kyrgyzstan.  

Lisa Horner, Program Development, Student Relations
Lisa, to the perplexity of her German-rooted family, graduated from Reed College with a B.A. in Russian Literature. After attending SRAS's Translation Abroad Program, she went on to accept positions with SRAS and  Alinga Consulting Group. Lisa was promoted within SRAS and is leading our student and university relations efforts, helping to develop new programs and partnerships, and to ensure that student feedback is collected and used to help improve our programs. She studied previously at Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg and is an avid fan of badminton.

Andrei Nesterov braving St. Petersburg in winter.
 

Andrei Nesterov, Writer, Moscow Student Coordinator
Andrei Nesterov has reported on political and social issues for the Russian press as well as American outlets such as Russian Life, Worldpress.org, and Triangle Free Press. He has travelled Russia extensively and penned many stories on the "real Russia" which lies beyond the capital and major cities. Andrei graduated from Ural State University (journalism) and Irkutsk State Linguistic University (English). He studied public policy and journalism at Duke University on a Muskie Fellowship and went on to study TESOL and teach Russian at West Virginia University. He is currently working on an MA from St. Petersburg State in International Relations. Andrei contributes news, feature stories, and language resources to the SRAS site, and is an overall linguistics and research resource. He additionally helps coordinate activities for our students in Moscow.

Elena Varshavskaya in front of the Arno River in Italy  

Elena Varshavskaya, Advisor, Program Oversight
Elena holds a Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Art at the State Academy of Art in Moscow. Having worked for the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg as a researcher and lecturer for over two decades, Elena moved to the US where she now teaches art history at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Eastern Connecticut State University. Her course offerings embrace European, Russian and Asian art with the emphasis on the early 20th century Russian art and Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. A published author and an exhibition curator, at SRAS Elena organizes and teaches the program Art in Russia hosted by the Hermitage each summer.

Iraida Yatsyk on Olkhon Island, Lake Baikal.   Iraida Yatsyk, Irkutsk Student Coordinator
Iraida graduated from Irkutsk State Linguistic University in 2006 with a degree in teaching foreign languages (English and French). She is also a certified tour guide and teaches Russian as a foreign language. She works with foreign students in the International Relations Office of Irkutsk State Linguistic University and coordinates SRAS student services in Irkutsk and the surrounding area. Iraida is widely traveled and is very enthusiastic about music and literature. Iraida is coordinating SRAS student services in Irkutsk.
Natalia Zhukova on the Brooklyn Bridge.   Natalia Zhukova, Vladivostok Student Coordinator
Natalia Zhukova graduated from Ussuryisk State Pedagogical Institute with a degree in teaching foreign languages (English and French). She worked for seven years managing the International Visitors Department for the Free Economic Zone of  Nakhodka, not far from Vladivostok. She then worked for three years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vladivostok before joining  Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service (VGUES) in 2001. She is currently  a Deputy Head of International Relations there. A Fulbright alumnus, she participated in the RIEA program at Columbia University and Oregon State University. She loves to travel and often does so in her role with VGUES as well as for pleasure. Natalia coordinates SRAS student services in Vladivostok.
  
Kendje Aitikeeva at work in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  

Kendje Aitikeeva, Advisor, Bishkek Coordinator
Kendje holds an MA in Linguistics from Kyrgyz Humanitarian University and a BA in Teaching English from Kyrgyz English College. She is also a certified teacher of Russian as a Foreign Language. She has traveled extensively, including to the United States, and enjoys meeting people participating in cross-cultural projects. Kendje co-founded and has served as the director of the London School of Bishkek since 1998 and has been involved in education in the former Soviet Union since 1986. She now serves as an advisor to SRAS on Central Asia and oversees and manages our Central Asian programs.

Alina-Bogomolova  

Alina Bogomolova, Novosibirsk Student Coordinator
Alina graduated from Novosibirsk State University in 2006 with a degree in Russian Language and Literature. She works with foreign students in the International Relations Office of Novosibirsk State University.

She is responsible for coordinating Russian as a Foreign Language courses and cultural events at NSU and exchange programs between NSU and foreign partner universities. She is one of the coordinators of student programs between NSU and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). She is very enthusiastic about her work, because it’s not just a job, but also cross-cultural communication with people from all over the world.

Memberships

SRAS and its team are actively involved with organizations dedicated to the study of Eurasia and its languages. We are also members and participants in various organizations dedicated to promoting cultural and business ties between Russia and the West.

AATSEEL Logo  

AATSEEL: American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages exists to advance the study and promote the teaching of Slavic and East European languages, literatures, and cultures on all educational levels

ASEEES Logo  

ASEEES: The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), a nonprofit, non-political, scholarly society, is the leading private organization in the world dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about the former Soviet Union (including Eurasia) and Eastern and Central Europe. ASEEES, known as the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies until 2010, supports teaching, research, and publication relating to the peoples and territories within this area.

USRCCNE  

USRCCNE: The U.S.-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England, Inc. (USRCCNE) is a non-profit business organization for companies and professional individuals involved with economic activity in Russia and the other republics of the former Soviet Union.

CESSlogo   The Central Eurasian Studies Society's purpose is to promote high standards of research and teaching, and to foster communication among scholars through meetings and publications.  The Society works to facilitate interaction among senior, established scholars, junior scholars, graduate students, and independent scholars in North America and throughout the world. 
   

SRAS Director, Renee Stillings, is also a co-founder and partner of Alinga Consulting Group, a Moscow-based company active in the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia and the Association of European Businesses.


 

An education that includes
study abroad not only opens doors to careers,
it opens minds
and worlds of possibility.

This quote is taken from a speech given by Senator Richard Durbin on the floor of the Senate, as he urged other members to pass S. Res. 308, declaring 2006 "The Year of Study Abroad." SRAS believes in Senator Durbin's words and thinks every year should be a "Year of Study Abroad."





2011-08-10 - What SRAS Students Say

2010-02-01 - What Educators Say

2010-02-01 - What Folks Say about our Newsletter

2010-02-01 - What Folks Say About Our Calendar

2006-06-01 - SRAS Student Interviews Database

2006-02-03 - Vladimir R. Legoida - CV

2006-02-03 - Yuri Dubinin - CV

2006-02-03 - Varshavskaya, Elena

2005-08-30 - Where SRAS Students Come From