‘This is an Excellent Opportunity to Establish Educational Ties in Russia’
On November 10, HSE University welcomed Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Russia. The ambassador met with HSE University Vice Rector Victoria Panova to discuss ways of expanding educational cooperation between the two countries.
Hans Dannenberg Castellanos stressed that it is especially important at the moment to establish strong ties between the two countries. He noted that senior secondary school students in the Dominican Republic think about Russia when considering where to obtain a higher education, and that many students would like to study at HSE University. He added that students who have already studied in Russia want to return to continue their education.
‘Despite the current external restrictions, we can cooperate with HSE University in several areas,’ said the Dominican ambassador. ‘We realise that this is an excellent opportunity to establish educational ties in Russia.’ He also expressed his willingness to promote the development of cooperation between other Latin American countries and HSE University.
Victoria Panova told the guests about the university. ‘HSE University is a multidisciplinary research university that offers a wide range of fields of knowledge. The university’s campuses in four Russian cities are home to more than 50,000 students—including more than 5,500 foreign ones—and around 7,000 lecturers and researchers,’ the vice rector explained. ‘We are among the top 1% of the best universities in the world. HSE University is also the only Russian university to appear in the top 100 ranking of the best young universities.’
After the meeting, Hans Dannenberg Castellanos gave a lecture in Spanish to students of HSE University. He spoke about the Dominican Republic, its culture and traditions. He also noted that in recent years, his country has seen active growth in its economy and that the development of cooperation will benefit both states.
Today, HSE University is a centre of Ibero-American studies in Russia. The Bachelor’s in World Economy offered by the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs includes a course on ‘The Economy and Politics of Spain and Latin American Countries’, and the university regularly hosts the international conference ‘Ibero-America and Russia: Diplomacy and Diplomats’. The conference, which was held in May 2022, drew keen interest from representatives of the embassies of Latin American countries, including those of the Dominican Republic.