Russian Interns Coming to Region Under Federal Grant

Dr. David O. Carpenter, chairman of the Albany-Tula Alliance, has announced receipt of a follow-on contract award for $56,700 from the Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) program of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This award will defray the basic expenses of interns from Tula, Russia who will travel to the Capital Region to learn from and contribute to the work of local industrial companies. "We have hosted more than twenty interns over the past five years," said Dr. Carpenter, "and we are now delighted to be able to continue this valuable and enjoyable work."

The Albany-Tula Alliance is a sister-city organization that promotes cultural, educational, economic and social interaction between the people of the Capital Region and the people of the Tula Region 100 miles south of Moscow.  Congressman Michael McNulty is honorary chair of the Alliance, and has supported its activities since it was formed in 1991 by former chair Charlotte Buchanan and the mayors of both cities.

The SABIT program provides business training in the U.S.A. for applicants from all parts of the former Soviet republics. By exposing aspiring business-people and entrepreneurs to the successful management practices of U.S. companies, and Tula-Albany Committee to the spirit of enterprise in our economy, the program trains them to help bring Tula, Russia about the difficult transitions that now challenge their domestic economies.

"This award will bear fruit out of all proportion to its modest size," said Congressman McNulty. "There is no Marshall Plan to aid in the economic rebuilding of the former Soviet republics. Private organizations like our Alliance, with a minimal assist from government, are immersing each intern in the realities of private enterprise. Hundreds of American companies and communities are steadily doing this work, and the combined efforts of the returning interns will help these countries to rebuild sound economies."

Albany-Tula: A Capital Region Alliance, Inc.

An all-volunteer IRC 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt corporation in New York's Capital Region, formed to develop long-term partnerships with Tula, Russia University at Albany + School of Public Health + One University Place, B242 + Rensselaer, NY 12144 + Tel: 518-525-2660 + Fax: 518-525-2665 Alliance website: