A full-time U.S. resident director oversees the academic and cultural program; assists participants in academic, administrative, and personal matters; and serves as a liaison between university faculty, administrators, host families, and participants. American Councils resident directors stay in close contact with the Washington office, carry cell phones, and can be reached twenty-four hours per day. A full-time home-stay coordinator places American Councils students with Russian host families and assists participants with host-family issues. American Councils offices, employing more than 300 expatriates and host-country nationals in 34 offices throughout the former Soviet Union, provide additional overseas support. The staff of our Moscow office, as well as resident directors leading American Councils programs at Moscow International University and Moscow State University, will also be available to participants in the Contemporary Russia program.