Seventy one Azeri students participated in the competition.  The first nine highest ranking students were selected and admitted as transient students to study at the College of Business Administration at Georgia State University in Atlanta from May 1995 to October 1996.

Each student registered for three courses each quarter.  The students attended classes during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.  Two of the top students were rewarded and offered a chance to take additional courses during the Summer 96 Quarter.  The students took courses in a number of areas including  Accounting, Finance, Economics, International Business, Law and Ethics, Real Estate, Insurance, Management, Personnel and Industrial Relations,  Organizational Behavior, Computer Information Systems, Statistics, and Decision Sciences.
 
The academic goals of the project were fully realized.  The students took an average of 9.22 courses (46.1 credit Hours)-2.5% increase in goal.  They achieved average GPAs 3.25 (graduate) and 2.57 (undergraduate)- 8.3% and 28.5% increase in goals respectively.

While studying at Georgia State University, they also visited CNN, Georgia mountains, Stone Mountain Park, Six Flags, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  Some students even traveled to Washington D.C., New York, Houston.  They also celebrated the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year Holidays with American families.  Several of the host  families were very supportive of the students. They invited the students to their homes and took them to various cultural events in Atlanta.

The students took part in the Summer 96 Olympics activities in Atlanta, including translating for all the Russian speaking teams, translating at press conferences for the Russian Team, translating for athletes at the Drug Control Center, translating for medical services. They also served as guides in instructing the athletes on such activities as using calling cards, shopping, eating out, etc. The students also served the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee and the Olympic Teams from Azerbaijan.  The activities were widely publicized both in the United States and Azerbaijan.  Reporters from the Atlanta Constitution visited and interviewed the students in class and in their apartments.  One page article with several photographs was published in the Atlanta Constitution.  The title was ?Learning the American Ways- Azerbaijani students to apply knowledge back home.?  The article stated that the students were learning American business and culture at Georgia State University and that they had competed for the opportunity to be selected for the Presidents? Student Exchange Program.  The article described the interviews with the students regarding the situation in Azerbaijan, life in Atlanta, and the future.

The USIA funding was $124,880 of which $122,000 was spent on this project. This amounts to $13,555 cost per participant to the USIA. The per-participant cost per month is $1,435 (seven students for 9 months and two for 11 months). Given the large number of courses taken by each student, this amounts to $1,470 cost to USIA per college course for educating an exchange student in the United States. The amount $1470 includes all the expenses including tuition, transportation, housing, food, and extracurricular activities, and administration of the project. It is unfortunate that Congress did not continue the funding for the very cost effective Presidents? 1000-1000 Student Exchange Program.

3D- Cultural Enrichment Activities

1-  The following are some of the student activities in Atlanta and vicinity:
*   Several sight seeing trips to places such as north Georgia mountains, Stone Mountain Park, Six Flags, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
*   Celebration of the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year Holidays with American families.
*   Participation in the week-long International Student Spring Festival. The students built an impressive interactive exhibit for Azerbaijan. At least one students was always on duty in the exhibit. The students also participated in the fashion show, food tasting, and talent show.  Miss Dagmara Kafarova played Azerbaijani folk songs and Classical music on the piano in the Concert Hall.
*   Participation in various sports and music activities on-campus.
*   Visits to various business establishments such as CNN.
*   Participation in an event arranged by Dr. Brian Schott to learn an American traditional dance (clogging). The dance was held in a barn and sponsored by a local club.  The students really enjoyed participating in this event.

2-   Novruz, the Azerbaijani New Year, is on the first day of Spring (March 21st) which falls in the period of Spring vacation at Georgia State University. The students were allowed to travel to one of the following cities for one week and celebrate the New Year. Their activities outside Atlanta during the spring vacation are described below:

*     Visit to Washington, D.C.  to see historical sites  and the US Government in action. The students visited the Capitol Building, The White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the house where Lincoln died, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial, FBI building, the National Aquarium, West Potomac Park, The National Mall, Old Post Office, the Museum of Natural History, National gallery of Arts, the Hieshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Smithsonian Castle Building, The National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of American History, Alexandria, George mason University.

 During the Washington trip two of the students visited Mr. Kevin Spensley, the Program Officer at USIA. I am grateful to Mr. Spensley for his excellent support of the program.

*    Visit to New York by some of the students to see the UN and the Wall Street. The students visited the Twin Towers, Broadway, UN, Azerbaijan Mission to UN, Rockefeller Center, The Statue of Liberty, The Wall Street, NY Stock Exchange, American stock Exchange, General Motors Building, Metropolitan Museum of Arts, World Trade Center

*     Visit to Houston Texas by one of the students. The student visited NASA/Johnson Space Center, American Funeral Service museum, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Museum of fine Arts, Texas medical Center, Holocaust Museum of Houston, Brown and Root Co.,  Houston Aeros vs. Indianapolis Ices Hockey Game, Novruz Festival (New Year), Fishing on Maner Lake, Sam Houston Race Park, Houston auto Show.
 

3-The students were encouraged to take trips during their quarter breaks. Several students took the opportunity to travel to Florida and visit the Disney World in Orlando.

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