History of St. Petersburg Christian University
This university was started in 1990 towards the end of the communist era.
History of SPbCU’s Exchange Program
In the early 1990’s there was a great world-wide interest in what God was doing in Russia. Many organizations and individuals were drawn to participate in the enormous changes He was bringing about. One of them was Bethel College Indiana, which offered to enter into a mutually beneficial relationship with SPCU.
This was put into motion and the first group of 5 students from Bethel College, along with one of their professors, Dr La Verne Blowers and his wife, arrived in St Petersburg in August 1995. Thereaftersmaller contingents of students came from Bethel most years (and after that first time they came without a Bethel professor).
The first 10 years were times of deepening experience. Dreams of expanding this program to allow students from other colleges to take advantage of the opportunities of having a Semester Abroad in Russia with SPbCU began surfacing in 2005 and advertising was increased. More concrete steps were taken under Dr Alexander Negrov’s leadership in 2008 and 2009 with the establishment of an International Program department within the university. Efforts to explore possibilities of partnership with other colleges and universities bore fruit when Briercrest College of Canada sent 6 students for the fall of 2009. They were joined by 1 student from Bethel College Indiana, to make up the largest group of exchange students at SPbCU thus far.
We are now open to accepting individual international students who are currently enrolled in any other college or university.
