The End of the Academic Year Approaches
SPbCU's spring semester of the modular residency "Bachelor of Christian Service" Program has been completed.
The students who came heard a series of lectures and took exams on "Christian Leadership and Management." SPbCU's Rector, Alexander Negrov and Vice-Rector Igor Savich prepared the course for this subject jointly. It should be noted that part of the material presented was tested on one of the largest bookstores in St Petersburg where special leadership seminars have been organized.
The spring session of the Master's program for 3rd year students was a concluding one. The Academic Dean, Alexei Dadochkin, together with Professor M.E. Karyakina gave the needed information for the writing of a dissertation. That work is now up to the future recipients of a Master's Degree. Each one is must now write and present a dissertation in such a way that it satisfies strict reviews not only by local scholars but also complies with the quality of work required by our colleagues in the Federal University of Wales.
It is through the University of Wales that grades are given, the appropriate degree is conferred, and a diploma is issued under their signature as the principal university.
Utilizing the remaining time, the students took advantage of the services of the SPbCU library, which, it must be said, is one of the best in St. Petersburg not only in the number of books available but also in the extent of their collection of theological texts.
The students who recently entered the SPbCU Master's Program were given an Official Welcoming Letter from the University of Wales and each was given a unique code for access to the on-line resources of the University of Wales Library.
Dr. Alexander Negrov provided a course on "The Bible, Culture and Ethics" for the first year Master's students. Students in the upper classes took the course "Exegesis of the New Testament" (Professor M.V. Karyakina), "Exegesis of the Old Testament" (Professor S.S. Kozin), and "Christianity after the Reformation" (Professor V. Schloenkin).
The meeting of the Examining Council is an important step in the education of Master's students and in the evaluation of the level of their knowledge. This year, besides the professors from SPbCU, representatives from the University of Wales participated in the Examining Council: Dr. Stuart Robertson, Dr. Earl Davis, and Professor D.P. Davis.
After an evaluation of the written dissertation, by a decision of the Examining Council, the Master of Theology with a Specialization in "Biblical Studies of the New Testament" was conferred on the following students: V.V. Chebotarev, V.V. Mollka, D.M. Rozett, and A.A. Belyayev.
A series of suggestions concerning possible improvements in the Master's work of SPbCU were also discussed. The Master's Program Council completed its work on April 22.
During the same month, Jim Yang, a great friend of our university, visited SPbCU. In his sermon, he used simple but clear life situations. This sermon was really an excellent example for our students.
On one of the last Fridays of April, the students were able to listen to a talk by another friend of our university, Stephen Fitzgerald. He is a senior pilot from a leading aviation company who regularly flies a Boing 747 across the ocean. A dedicated Christian, he shared his thoughts about faithfulness to Christ in various life situations. He had a lot to say, including telling about his experience when an engine caught fire while he was piloting a plane across the Atlantic Ocean.