Prof. Boris Penkov, Teaching Russian as Fulbright Visitor, Praises DePauw Students and "Warm and Supportive" Community

December 19, 2006

December 19, 2006, Greencastle, Ind. - "Russia's Boris Penkov, currently teaching Russian at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, said he is impressed by students' drive and self-discipline," notes an article distributed today by the U.S. Department of State. The story details a meeting of the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, including Penkov, who hail from 37 countries.

"American students work really hard, willing to memorize 500 vocabulary words a week," says Penkov, who is a part-time assistant professor of modern languages (Russian) at DePauw. He adds, "The university and local community have been so warm and supportive in helping me adapt to the American way of life." The professor hopes to return the favor someday "by helping Fulbrighters who are coming to Russia, or by sharing this warmth with my students [in Russia] and giving them a better understanding of American culture."

Lauren Monsen writes, "The teachers, all recent university graduates themselves, were participants in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) program, which allows them to spend a year at a U.S. college or university helping to teach 21 languages -- including Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Korean, Bahasa Indonesia (a modified form of Malay), Russian, German and Swahili -- to American students. They also serve as cultural ambassadors to students and host communities."

Read the complete text by clicking here.

Over Fall Break, Professor Penkov and eight students traveled to the Gulf Coast to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. Learn more in this previous story.

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