Undergraduate students and faculty in Slavic Studies attend conference in Zugdidi, Georgia

Four senior Russian majors — Aidan Dlugacz, Gabe Daubert, Veronika Miskowiec, and Logan Romanowski — and three Penn State faculty members — Yuliya Ladygina, Irina Mikaelian, and Catherine Wanner — attended the international conference and school Crisis of Democracy: Mutual Symmetrical Recognition Between States and Equal Distribution of Power, held September 13–20 at Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University in Georgia. The event was co-sponsored by Tbilisi State University and the University of Warsaw, Poland.

The four-day conference was followed by a two-day school for graduate and senior undergraduate students from the University of Warsaw and Penn State. The school was led by Professor Agnieszka Nogal (University of Warsaw) and the Penn State professors, resulting in two joint student presentations.

Our students and faculty were generously hosted by Zugdidi State University. Irina Mikaelian and Catherine Wanner received titles of Doctor Honoris Causa from this university in recognition of their contributions to collaboration between our universities.

Zugdidi is the capital of the Georgian province of Mingrelia, a strategic region located on the border with Abkhazia, a former autonomous republic of Georgia currently occupied by Russia. Our students had the opportunity to explore the city of Zugdidi, the Black Sea coast, and the adjacent mountainous region of Svaneti, as well as to engage extensively with local faculty and residents, many of whom still speak Russian.

We are grateful to Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University and its Rector, Teona Khupenia for their hospitality, as well as to the Penn State Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Office, which sponsored our students’ airfare.