Two Huntsman professors teach in
Russia
The students at North Ossetia State University probably didn’t expect a professor visiting from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in America to know much about Russia. Few had met a native English speaker. They were just delighted to have a chance to test out their ideas and English on the visiting professor. They didn’t know that Dwight Israelsen graduated from USU in 1969 with a degree in economics and a minor in Russian language. Dr. Israelsen ended up writing his dissertation on fiscal policy in Czarist Russia when he earned his doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has taught courses on the economic history of Russia, the political economy of the USSR and the economic transition of Russia and Eastern Europe. Chris Fawson, senior associate dean for academic and international affairs, made the trip with Israelsen. He said students appreciated the fact that Dr. Israelsen knew so much about Russia. “To have an American come over who loved and respected their culture was just an incredible experience for them,” Dr. Fawson said. Dr. Israelsen and Dr. Fawson were invited to be visiting professors for two weeks in late 2008 at North Ossetia State University. The school is located in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, part of the Russian Federation and located in the northern Caucasus region bordering Georgia. The rector of the university and the dean of the School of International Affairs, where students are taught in English, invited them to be guest lecturers. Dr. Fawson taught econometrics and economic theory. Dr. Israelsen taught international economics and the history of economic thought. “It’s a unique part of the world,” Dr. Fawson said of North Ossetia. “There’s not a lot of outside access because it’s a part of the world that has had a lot of political unrest.” t The two professors stopped in Moscow on the way home where they visited St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square.
14 UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
