advice about exchange program in Moscow

[Judith E. Kalb]

Dear colleagues,
I would be immensely grateful for any advice you may be able to offer.  I
have recently begun a job at the University of South Carolina, and my
department is extremely interested in establishing an exchange program
between USC and the Moscow State Linguistics University.  I have a couple
of concerns.  First, have any of you had exchanges with Moscow State
Linguistics University, and, if so, what kind of experiences have you (and
your students) had (i.e. academics, housing)? Second, what do you think
about an exchange to Moscow, as opposed to a smaller and perhaps safer
city? Finally, given the current political and economic upheaval (though
obviously none of us can predict what is going to happen there), would it
make more sense to stay out of Moscow?
My email address is KalbJ at garnet.cla.sc.edu, and I'd really appreciate your
help!
Thanks so much,
Judith Kalb
Dr. Judith E. Kalb
Assistant Professor of Russian
Department of Germanic, Slavic, and Oriental Langs. and Lits.
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
phone: (803) 777-9615
e-mail: KalbJ at garnet.cla.sc.edu