As described by one of the original ICEF team members, Oleg Zamkov, ICEF Deputy Director and Academic Head of HSE and University of London Double Degree Programme in Economics, the success of ICEF was in choosing the right moment for the start and finding the right people, both academics and administrators. It would also be unimaginable without the advice and support from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), especially Richard Layard, who helped design several key elements of the curriculum for double degree programme, Richard Jackmanand Amos Witztum who made a significant contribution to ICEF idea implementation.
With HSE turning 25 this year, The HSE Look will be telling more about HSE’s outstanding projects, and in its 33rd issue we are focusing on International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF), which is perhaps best known for its successful double degree Bachelor’s programme with the University of London. In addition to the interview with ICEF Director, Sergey Yakovlev, in which he speaks about ICEF history, achievements and future plans, the readers will also learn about ICEF team, its study programmes, research, special opportunities for talented students, as well as about the extracurricular work with students and international cooperation.
International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF) was created at HSE in 1997 with the academic support of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), with the aim to provide students with up-to-date and world-class education in economics and finance. This year ICEF turns 20 years, and ICEF Director Sergey Yakovlev talked to The HSE Look about the milestones of ICEF development, its contribution to HSE as a whole and plans for the future.
Today, ICEF is proud to be academic home to over 20 international researchers with PhD degrees in economics, finance and social sciences, representing different countries and continents: Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Ukraine, Argentina, Australia, and India. ICEF faculty members share their stories of joining the team for The HSE Look readers.
In addition to the already intense studies, ICEF offers students a chance to gain even deeper knowledge of Economics and Finance. ICEF faculty members tell about ICEF Academia - a special programme aimed at students who excel at their studies and who want to acquire additional skills and knowledge.
Initially focused primarily on teaching, ICEF has been purposefully and consistently building a research community within its team since the start of international recruitment of PhD researchers in 2005. ICEF has a very vibrant research seminar, several research groups, and two laboratories. Alexis Belianin, ICEF Assistant Professor and Head of the Laboratory for Experimental and Behavioural Economics, and Carsten Sprenger, ICEF Assistant Professor, Head of the International Laboratory of Financial Economics, told The HSE Look readers about the achievements and plans of ICEF team in research.
ICEF is known not only for its study programmes, but also for its rich extracurricular activities, including career services, the involvement of alumni, and social outreach. Sergey Konyshev, Head of the Academic Support Department, and Polina Beloborodova, ICEF Career Centre manager, told The HSE Look how and what students learn through the informal curriculum.
ICEF has a strong relationship with the London School of Economics and University of London, but this is not the only international option available for ICEF students. Anastasia Telitsina, Head of ICEF International and Administrative Department, told The HSE Look about special features of cooperation with LSE as well as about academic mobility opportunities.
HSE’s Faculty of Law is a partner of the Fulbright Scholar Programme and each year has the opportunity to host a Distinguished Chair in Sustainable Development. David Wirth, a Professor who teaches and supervises research at Boston College Law School, arrived at HSE in this capacity in September 2016 and spent the past academic year in Moscow. He has talked to HSE News Service about his impressions.
