Post-Soviet lectures push Peace Corps

By Brad Fischer

Published Feb. 13, 2007

The MU International Center will sponsor the Post-Soviet Region Lecture Series, a four-part series about former Soviet Union states. Each of the lectures will focus on a different country of the former Soviet Union. All the lectures will take place at noon on their respective days in Memorial Union.

The speakers are all former Peace Corps volunteers who worked in the nations they are speaking about.

MU spokeswoman Katherine Kostiuk and her husband Damian will speak about Uzbekistan at the first lecture. The Kostiuks were volunteers in Uzbekistan from 2003 to 2005.

Hans Ibold will discuss Kyrgyzstan on Feb. 20, and Lindsey Smith will speak about Armenia on Feb. 27.

The final lecture will be held March 7 when Chris Willis will speak about Russia.

International Center Director James Scott said events such as the lecture series are important to furthering the goals of the center and the university.

"Chancellor Deaton often says, 'If MU is to be a great university, it must become an international university,'" Scott said. "Our goal is to support real campus conversations that address global issues."

Scott said the lecture series is designed to help people learn about cultures they might never experience first hand.

The events are held in conjunction with the Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Association.

Kostiuk said the series also coincides with Peace Corps Week 2007, which runs Feb. 26-March 4.

Kostiuk said one of the missions of the Peace Corps is to educate Americans about other countries after returning from their volunteer post.

Russian Professor Nicole Monnier said she is encouraging her students to attend the lectures. She said she is fascinated by how much the region has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Monnier said she finds it interesting to analyze how much international influence the remaining nations have.

"Why should Russia still stay on the map while these other nations have fallen off the American radar screen?" she asked.