Hudson-Neva's program of short-term (i.e. 10-14 days) educational seminars was created to addess the needs of a broad panorama of professional people, who need to see "how it works" on this side of the world. We have developed programs in more than ten different areas, ranging from vocational and higher education to the delivery of medical services. As example, these include:

• The Theory and Practice of Real Estate Sales in America
• Financial Practices and Institutions in the United States
• Trade Unionism as Service and Profession
• New Directions in Information Industries
• The Practice of Agriculture as Industry
• Small Business in America
• Retail Management
• American Advertising and Marketing
• Food Service and Fast Food Management
• Medical Services and Their Financing
• Current Law Enforcement Practices
• Techniques and Practices in American Construction
• Survival Strategies in the Theatrical Professions
• Highway Management

In the last several years more than ten such groups, accounting for almost 200 people, attended our offerings.

Among these, we were able to host two groups of medical professionals (three of whom were commissioners of health), who were interested in seeing the relationship of medical service delivery at different levels and the financing of the same. Hudson-Neva brought them into direct contact with hospital fiscal offices and medical insurance companies. Important insights were gained and valuable contacts were made.

There were also four groups of vocational educators (teachers and administrators) who came to see how Americans trained people for the world of work. This is a particularly important concern in this period of economic transition. Retraining displaced workers is critical for the success of any free market economy.

Finally, we hosted a group of construction professionals, who needed to see some of our new and efficient building technologies, potential models for the transformation of a state-planned system to one that is directed by private companies after determining consumer needs.

All of our programs are self funded. The participants, sometime themselves, sometimes through their institutional budgets, paid the costs without (American) public or private subsidies. We have kept costs (excluding air transport) to $650 per person for a typical 10-day program for the 1987-88 program year. This includes inland transport, program, hotel, board (fourteen meals per week, excluding a continental breakfast), some local travel and cultural activities. Required medical and accident insurance increases the cost by a modest $35 for a two week period. We have found that this is affordable for our constituency.

Since the ten and fourteen day periods usually involve as many as two weekends, we have arranged for optional supplemental group travel to

• Boston (one day),
• New York City (two days)
• Upstate New York including Niagara Falls (two days)
• Washington-Philadelphia-Baltimore (three days)
• New England (two days)

For those groups which are uninterested in the options, the weekends are otherwise occupied with visits to local destinations, such as Lake Placid and Saratoga (N.Y.) or Bennington and Manchester (Vermont).

Since the seminars are delivered to already organized groups, Hudson-Neva absorbs the costs (excluding transatlantic air travel) of leaders of groups of twelve (12) or more.

The Exchange is particularly interested in expanding its work by identifiying other partners in other locations throughout Eastern Europe and the NIS and welcomes offers of help to that end.