Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov joins the Advisory Board for St Petersburg University’s Graduate School of Management
At the invitation of Sergey Ivanov, Chairman of the Advisory Board for St Petersburg University’s Graduate School of Management (GSOM SPbU) and the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport, Valery Falkov, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, has become a member of the GSOM Advisory Board.
‘I am glad that Valery Falkov has joined us. The Minister’s participation in the life of the business school not only enhances its prestige, but also makes it possible to bring the knowledge of the University’s graduates even closer to the real needs of Russian science and economics. At the same time, the academic programmes at the Graduate School of Management deserve to be recognised by the Ministry of Education: as of this year, our St Petersburg school now stands firmly in line with the leading business schools of the world,’ noted Mr Ivanov. ‘This has been confirmed by the receipt of three prestigious international accreditations. The Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University now serves as a growth driver for all business education in Russia and is ready to share its experience.’
In 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed that a world-class Russian business school should be established to train leaders capable of meeting global management challenges.
The Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University has been progressing towards this goal ever since. In 2008, it received accreditation from AMBA (the Association of MBAs); in 2012, it gained the approval of EQUIS (the European Quality Improvement System); and in November of this year, it was awarded a third certificate of accreditation – by AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Taken together, these three accreditations are informally called the ‘triple crown’. According to the statistics, only one out of 100 business schools in the world is afforded such an honour.
‘The world is changing before our very eyes, and education is changing with it. Some may be intimidated by new trends and challenges, but St Petersburg University turns them into a resource for growth. This involves a lot of work, and it would not be possible without the members of the GSOM Advisory Board,’ observed St Petersburg University Rector Nikolay Kropachev. ‘Each of their biographies is a story of hard work and well-deserved success. Today, Valery Falkov has become one of their number. There is no doubt that he will contribute extensively to the Graduate School of Management, and the business school, in turn, will give him new reasons to be proud of Russian education today.’