Between the American Distance Education Consortium (USA)
and the Consortium of Moscow Agrarian Universities in Distance Education (Russian Federation)

Based on previous agreements between the Department of Personnel Policy and Education of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MOAF RF), USDA/ARS, ADEC and selected land- grant universities, and taking into account the will to strengthen friendship and promote cooperation between the organizations in education and training, the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) and the Consortium of Moscow Agrarian Universities in Distance Education (CMAU) agree to enter into a collaboration building upon past actions and accomplishments. The Chairman of the ADEC Board of Directors and its President and Chief Operating Officer traveled to Moscow to explore the use of electronic media in distance education. The President and representatives of ADEC member institutions participated in an international distance education workshop held in Moscow in September 1999. ADEC member institutions have conducted workshops, provided training and technical assistance in Russia, as well as hosting exchange visits for faculty and students in the U.S. and Russia.

Agreement Partners

Seven Moscow based agricultural universities have formed a distance education consortium. ADEC will establish a comparable entity including a core group of U.S. land-grant universities, which have experience of working with the Russian partners, to cooperate with CMAU.

Issues to be Addressed

• distance education policy
• development of appropriate databases
• governance and coordination
• curriculum development
• digital libraries, metadata, electronic journals
• tuition policies
• credit transfer
• emerging technologies
• research and educational effectiveness in distance education

Initial Activities

To identify needs and discuss action plans. ADEC will host a group of three CMAU representatives for one week in the fall of 2001. Specific activities agreed upon at the time of this meeting anticipated to be held at ADEC headquarters will become part of this MOU.
All signatories of this agreement will apply for and seek funding, from appropriate sources, to implement the intent of this agreement.

As distance education collaborations increase, this agreement can be supplemented with more specific and detailed agreements between the universities (academies, institutes) of the two countries as mutually agreed upon.

This agreement becomes effective upon being signed by authorized representatives of both countries. This agreement will be for a period of 3 years through June 30, 2004 and will be reviewed as the above activities are nearing completion to determine whether or not the agreement should be extended and expanded.

The document is signed in Moscow on June15, 2001 on two copies in English and Russian.