The Location - The city of Kemerovo was founded in 1830; it is situated in the central Siberia on the Tom River near the foothills of the Kuznetsk Alatau Mountains. It is recognized as one of the most important industrial cities in Russia with highly developed chemical, coal mining and metals industries. Kemerovo is the capital of the Kuzbass region and has grown to a population of over 500,000 residents. It is the political, educational and cultural center of the Kemerovo region. A number of Higher Educational and Research Institutions are located there. The Drama Theater, Operetta House, circus, and Philharmonic offer a variety of entertainment. The city has history museums, art galleries and public libraries.

The University
Kemerovo State University (KemSU) was established in 1974 on the basis of the Pedagogical Institute. It houses about 22,000 students enrolled at 12 faculties which offer degrees in 43 majors: chemistry, physics, biology, economics, law, history, political science, applied mathematics, Russian philology, modern languages and others. KemSU was the first university in Russia to establish a multi-level Center for Continuing Education which embraces educational and research institutions of different types (kindergartens to Professional Development Schools) all over the region, the total number of learners reaching 50,000.

The international profile of the University is constantly developing. It has long-term relationships with partner schools in Belgium, Germany, France, the USA, China, Turkey, and Mongolia. Various forms of collaboration also exist with Great Britain, Spain, Bulgaria, and Tunisia. KemSU is actively involved in a wide range of joint international academic and research programs.

Academics Lock Haven University exchange students take a set program that includes the study of the Russian language (elementary to advanced levels). Students with an advanced level in Russian, however, may arrange to register for classes offered by several departments. Students enroll in 15 semester hours of coursework, divided as follows: Russian Language 6 credits Russian History 3 credits Russian Culture and Arts 3 credits Russian/Siberian Economy 3 credits