The Russian Studies program will not be cancelled by the university. After a period of deliberation, the university has decided to keep Russian classes and grow the program in future semesters.

“We won. Thanks for your support of Russian language and culture at SMU. We had two difficult months. All Russian classes will be offered this fall as usual,” Tatiana Zimakova, chair of Russian Studies, said on her Facebook Tuesday.Zimakova, a Russian language lecturer, discussed her future plans for the program.

“I would like to have SMU in Moscow summer, a new course – Russian for Business, internship course and a trip to Russia in collaboration with human rights department,” Zimakova said.

Katherine Ladner, a minor in Russian area studies, stressed the importance of Russian studies to the university’s curriculum.

“I am so happy to hear that SMU is no longer planning to cancel the Russian area studies program. If our school wants to continue to be a competitive institution, we need to have a diverse curriculum and the Russian department will help with that goal,” Ladner said.

Three Russian studies courses will be offered in Fall 2013.