Chronicle
of Higher Education: The Far Eastern Federal University is
part of Russia's $20 billion investment in revitalizing the
area around Vladivostok, in the far eastern part of the
country. The university, which is the result of a merger of
several smaller universities in the area, formally opens next
year, although some classes are currently being held on the
older campuses. The plan is to have a student population of
30â000, almost double the total number of
students formerly enrolled at the merged universities. Areas of
specialization will include Asian languages, marine biology,
nanotechnology, and energy-conservation technology, and classes
will be taught in both Russian and English. However, the
university is drawing criticism in several areas. According to
Alexander Molochov, the dean of the physics department, the
university is lacking a strong academic staff, and recruitment
is difficult. Other critics point to the inhospitable weather
on the island where the campus has been built, the lack of
freshwater supplies, the current lack of laboratory facilities,
the corruption present in the campus construction process, and
the overall remoteness of the area.
