HSE Alumni Place Bench Next to University Building

On October 10, a bench donated to the city by alumni of the Higher School of Economics was placed near the building at 22 Myasnitskaya Ulitsa. Graduates collected the money for the bench's installation in just one week. The bench's installation was also an occasion to discuss how students and alumni can participate in the city's development.

Joining the discussion was HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov, Director for Student and Alumni Affairs Tatyana Dubova, Prefect of the Central Administrative Area of Moscow Viktor Fuer, and Elena Pakhomova, head of the Basmanny District where HSE is located.

Kuzminov spoke about existing university projects to improve the quality of the urban environment, including the ‘University Open to the City’ lecture series, open electives, guided tours for students who start in the fall, collection of electronic devices for recycling, and bake sale fundraisers.

Sergey Skripnikov, a graduate from the class of 2006 and Deputy Director (Communications) at Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), took part in the project to install the bench, saying, ‘I don’t want to ask for anything; I want to know how we can be of assistance to the university next door’.

Kuzminov noted that such a project speaks to the formation of a single hub in the city centre, a breeding ground for the development of education and business. According to the rector, the only thing that's required for the emergence of mutually beneficial relations between two organizations is for them to tell each other about themselves. Ideas and opportunities for students and online business owners will join together and quickly lead to the creation of long-term projects.