Author and Economist Power Couple Set to Host Campus Talks

Lance Rogoff, an author and TV producer, will discuss her award-winning book "Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022) with Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College students and faculty at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Honors College.

"I am so looking forward to meeting Ole Miss students and sharing thoughts and ideas about Russia, global culture, challenges facing our world today and, of course, the Muppets and 'Sesame Street,'" she said.

Lance Rogoff filed groundbreaking reports as an American journalist in Russia and was executive producer of "Ulitsa Sezam" ("Sesame Street") as the show launched in the country following collapse of the communist Soviet Union.

"Muppets in Moscow" details the extremely delicate boundaries she and her team faced as they launched the iconic American children's educational program in a strikingly different cultural environment.

"The timing appeared perfect to bring 'Sesame Street' to Russia," Lance Rogoff said.

"The Muppets were envisioned as ideal ambassadors encouraging Western values like tolerance, inclusivity and freedom of expression."

Despite moments of terror and diplomatic pushback, "Ulitsa Sezam" opened new educational doors for the Russian people and the book offers lessons relevant in today's climate, Lance Rogoff said.

"In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 'Muppets in Moscow' offers a fresh perspective of the Russian people and their culture that is crucial to understanding Russia's complicated relationship with the West today," she said. 

Kenneth Rogoff is the Maurits C. Boas Chair of International Economics at Harvard University and a chess grand master. He will host a discussion on government debt and the economic consequences on Sept. 26 at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.

The Honors College and the School of Business Administration invite students, employees and the public to hear Rogoff's economic insight at 4 p.m. as he makes his first-ever visit to Oxford.

"In the era of ultra-low interest rates, both parties came to believe that they could run giant deficits with little consequence, and some leading economists agreed," said Rogoff, former chief at the International Monetary Fund.

"Now that long-term interest rates have normalized, suddenly the debt has gotten a lot more expensive to service, fiscal policy is patently unsustainable and there is no real plan for dealing with it, now or in the future."

Bruce Levingston, the Lester Glenn Fant Chair and the Chancellor's Honors College Artist-in-Residence, invited the Rogoffs to the university after befriending the couple years ago.

"Ken and Natasha Rogoff are two of the most brilliant and gifted people in the country," he said. "It is an immense honor to have them as guests at Ole Miss and a rare opportunity for our students, faculty and the Oxford community to hear and interact with these distinguished leaders of their field.

"Natasha Rogoff's incredible experience bringing 'Sesame Street' to Russia following the fall of the Iron Curtain will help students learn how it is possible to bridge differences in our cultures and forge important alliances that allow for creative, peaceful dialogue and a deeper understanding of our common humanity."

Lance Rogoff will sign copies of her book at Square Books in Oxford at 2 p.m. Sept. 26.

Top: Popular characters on 'Ulitsa Sezam' include (from left) Businka, Zeliboba and Kubik. Author and producer Natasha Lance Rogoff will discuss the obstacles she faced as she took the popular American educational program 'Sesame Street' to Russia during the 1990s on Sept. 25 at the University of Mississippi. Submitted photo