November, 22-23, 2013, Ogarev Mordovia State University, Saransk hosted a Foreign Students’ Culture Festival “Ogarev Colours” (“Ogarevsky Kolorit”).

The aim of the Festival was to elicit cultural potential of foreign students studying in Russian universities, to discuss issues concerning their education and social adaptation.

The participants of the Culture Festival were the students studying in three regions of Russia: Penza (Penza State University), Yoshkar-Ola (Mari State University), Saransk (Mordovia State University). Penza State University was represented by Sergei Ivanchin, Head of Students Affairs Department, Svetlana Dogadina, Coordinator of Students Affairs Department, and foreign students of the Institute of International Cooperation, Penza State University.

The opening of the Festival was attended by Rector of Mordovia State University S.M.Vdovin and Minister for National Policy of the Republic of Mordovia A.M.Chushkin.

The program of the Festival included work-shops in folk art: making African national hats; teaching lezghinka and belly dancing; mehendi; cooking; a work-shop from the teacher of the Chinese language. The exhibition in the University lounge demonstrated the cultures of different countries and attracted attention of the students and guests of the University.

During the roundtable discussion “I want to study in Russia” the representatives from different universities of the Russian Federation presented various models of working with foreign students, discussed the main problems and their possible solutions and arranged about further cooperation. Nowadays Penza State University is the leader in admission of foreign students among the three universities and has a positive practice in working with foreign students.

Organizing such festivals for foreign students allows them to be more active in social activity of the University, to find new friends of different nationalities and to promote the Russian language as the language of international communication.