The University of Mississippi offers a full set of language courses in Russian, culminating in an undergraduate minor. A minor in Russian is particularly attractive when combined with a major in one of the abovementioned fields. (A minor in International Studies is also available.) The Russian program at Ole Miss has gained national academic acclaim and continues to expand. Approximately 100 students now participate in the four levels of Russian instruction that are available. That number is expected to continue to rise during this decade.
A direct exchange program between the University of Mississippi and Moscow State University, the premier institution of higher education in Russia, was ititiated in the spring of 1992, and another exchange program, with the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, also of Moscow, began in 1994. To date, students in the program also have participated in language- study programs in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nalchik and Tallinn (Estonia). The University of Mississippi Russian program maintains academic affiliations with Moscow State University, the University of St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory, the Moscow Mining Institute, the Kabardino-Balkarian University (Nalchik, Russia), the Vladivostok State Pedagogical College, Kishinev State University of Moldova, and the Intensive Language Training Laboratory of Tallinn, Estonia.