HSE Day: Celebration for the University and the City
For the fourth time HSE held a celebration for the city and the university community to mark the start of the academic year. Thousands of people joined the celebration on September 9, and HSE Day had something to offer for all audiences. Traditionally all the events started in the afternoon, at 2 p.m., with the exception of the “parental meeting” which began at midday: Vice Rector Sergey Roshchin and Director of the Degree Programs Department Anna Korovko were talking with parents of current and prospective students about studying at HSE and its specifics. Held in Gorky Park, the celebration attracted many guests; they could spend the day browsing various tents and places where HSE faculties and student organizations were presenting the opportunities they offer, playing table tennis and football – or going to networking events. HSE is proud to present its diversity and to offer an opportunity for its international students and faculty to join the celebration regardless of their knowledge of Russian. Student organizations held workshops and competitions which allowed visitors to speak the languages of the CIS countries and learn more about their cultures, and the Office of Internationalization organized two English-speaking places – HSE Open Talks lectures and a Russian Tearoom.
The idea of the Russian Tearoom is to bring out the knowledge about Russian culture which HSE’s international students and faculty possess through trivia games and to let the visitors try traditional pastry and tea. There were several “tracks” for the game itself, including an advanced level for Russian-speaking visitors. All the guests were also encouraged to write “HSE Wishes” for their fellow students and for the university itself.
HSE Open Talks builds upon the university’s tradition of public lectures, only in English – it is the second time they were held at HSE Day. Unlike last year, the talks were only half an hour long, which gave an opportunity to attract more speakers and to provide the audience with short and vibrant insights into various topics. Despite the occasional rain, both the audience and the speakers persevered. Emiliano Catonini from International College of Economics and Finance, Matteo Feurra, Michael Rochlitz, Lodhi Iftikhar, and Tim Jaekelfrom the Faculty of Social Sciences, Yuval Weber from the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairsengaged the students into lively discussions about (ir)rationality in economics, neuroscience, the role of China in global politics, innovations in public administration semi-legal markets in North Korea and the effects of public discourse on conversations with expats.