Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

International activities 

The following events were recently held at St Petersburg University. 

Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain 

On 5 March, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in Barcelona in the Kingdom of Spain held an online lecture on the poetry of Alexander Blok. It was delivered by Nina Shcherbak, Associate Professor in the Department of English Philology and Cultural Linguistics of St Petersburg University. 

The Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Somalia in the Russian Federation visits St Petersburg University 

Warsame Abdullahi Haji Daud, Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Somalia in the Russian Federation, has visited St Petersburg University. As part of the visit, a meeting was held with Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for interaction between St Petersburg University and organisations in the Federal Republic of Somalia. 

Based on the results of the meeting, Nikolay Kropachev made a decision to organise the teaching of the Somali language at the University. From 2025, the Somali language will be taught to students specialising in Arabic philology. During the visit, Mr Warsame Abdullahi Haji Daud, Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Somalia in the Russian Federation, visited the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (G.O.R.K.I. Centre), where he met with its head — Karin Kneissl, Professor of St Petersburg University. 

Activities of the Korea-Russia Dialogue Forum 

On 6 March, a meeting was held in a videoconference format between the chairmen of the coordinating committees of the Korea−Russia Dialogue Forum, i.e. Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Mr Lee Kyu Hyung. During the meeting, the plan of events for the Korea−Russia Dialogue Forum for 2024 was discussed.

Higher education degree programmes with additional qualifications 

In order to increase the demand for graduates of St Petersburg University in the labour market, and to increase the competitiveness of the degree programmes offered by the University, 35 bachelor’s programmes and 39 master’s programmes with additional qualifications will be offered for the first time in 2024. Students will be awarded two (or more) diplomas of St Petersburg University: a higher education diploma and a professional retraining diploma. 

According to Mariya Solovyeva, Acting Vice-Rector for Teaching Methods, these programmes include: 

• bachelor’s programme 'Geography (with additional qualification "Geography Teacher")' = bachelor’s degree + Geography teacher 
• bachelor’s programme 'Tourism (with additional qualification "Manager of Hotel and Other Accommodation Facilities")' = bachelor’s degree + manager of hotel and other accommodation facilities 
• bachelor’s programme 'Physical Training and Sport (with additional qualification "Fitness Specialist (Fitness Instructor)")' = bachelor’s degree + fitness specialist (fitness instructor) 
• bachelor’s programme 'Arabic Philology (with additional qualification "Translator/Interpreter")' = bachelor’s degree + translator/interpreter; 
• bachelor’s programme 'History of China (with additional qualification "Translator/Interpreter")' = bachelor’s degree + translator/interpreter 
• master’s programme 'Creative Writing (with additional qualification "Teacher of additional education")' = master’s degree + teacher of additional education 
• master’s programme 'Linguistic Support for the Public Service (with additional qualifications "Teacher of additional education" / "Translator and Interpreter in the Field of Professional Communication")' = master’s degree + teacher of additional education + translator and interpreter in the field of professional communication 
• master’s programme 'Legal Protection of Economic Competition (with additional qualifications "Specialist in Procurement" / "Specialist in Competition Law")' = master’s degree + specialist in procurement + specialist in competition law 
• and others

The acquisition of additional competences and additional qualifications is included in the curriculum of the degree programme without increasing its workload and duration. The final assessment within the framework of the professional retraining programme is part of the state final assessment. 

Based on the results of successful completion of higher education programmes with additional qualifications, the graduate will receive two (or more) academic credentials documenting the award of the academic degree and additional qualification: 

• a higher education diploma, which specifies the qualification in accordance with the lists of specialities and fields of study of higher education — bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, and 
• professional retraining diploma(s) The qualification stated in the professional retraining diploma entitles the graduate to engage in certain professional activities, including occupying positions for which mandatory qualification requirements are defined in the order established by the legislation

The qualification stated in the professional retraining diploma entitles the graduate to engage in certain professional activities, including occupying positions for which mandatory qualification requirements are defined in the order established by the legislation.

Organisation of studying the Chinese language 

Starting from the spring semester of the current academic year, all students enrolled in bachelor’s, specialist’s and master’s programmes will have an opportunity to study the Chinese language in the format of online courses. According to Mariya Solovyeva, Acting Vice-Rector for Teaching Methods at St Petersburg University, the University’s online courses on the Chinese language (from 0 to B1) are included as elective disciplines in the academic programmes. 

• Chinese for beginners. Part 1 
• Chinese for beginners. Part 2 
• Chinese: five steps to success. Part 1 
• Chinese: five steps to success. Part 2 
• Chinese: five steps to success. Part 3 
• Chinese: five steps to success. Part 4 
• Chinese: five steps to success. Part 5 

St Petersburg University’s online courses are used in the teaching and learning process at all levels of higher education. Compared to the previous academic year, the number of online courses included in the teaching and learning process increased by 48%, i.e. from 65 to 98 online courses. 

According to Vladimir Starostenko, Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation and Information Security at St Petersburg University, St Petersburg University’s online courses on the Chinese language are one of the most popular online courses, with an audience of more than 150,000 people around the world. Due to the development of relations between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, in 2023 St Petersburg University began developing online courses in Business Chinese. The series includes two courses: "Business Chinese: Elementary" and "Business Chinese: Intermediate". During the courses, students will be introduced to the peculiarities of etiquette in the Chinese business environment, learn useful vocabulary, become familiar with specific grammar, and learn how to write a CV in Chinese and conduct official correspondence with Chinese partners. Two online courses on gōngbǐ, Chinese painting, have also been prepared: "Chinese Painting: Introduction" and "Chinese Painting: Workshop".

The scientific and practical conference "Updating social and humanitarian disciplines. Philosophy" 

St Petersburg University has held the scientific and practical conference "Updating social and humanitarian disciplines. Philosophy", where experts discussed a new concept of how to teach the discipline "Philosophy" at university. The conference brought together Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University; Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Andrey Polosin, Research Supervisor of the DNA of Russia project; Vladimir Kalinovsky, Head of the Support Methodological Centre at St Petersburg University; and Nikita Kuznetsov, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at St Petersburg University and a moderator of the conference. 

Philosophy and socio-humanitarian disciplines are essential for shaping the worldview of students, all experts unanimously agreed. In this regard, it is necessary to develop a unified concept how to teach these disciplines at university. To this end, Russia’s largest universities opened support methodological centres as part of the DNA of Russia national project. 

According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, the University has been one of 20 such support methodological centres. Its task at the first stage was to organise similar work on the implementation of the training module "Fundamentals of Russian Statehood", which the experts and teachers successfully completed. Subsequently, the task has emerged to rethink the teaching of philosophy, and the teaching of other humanities disciplines that all students study as part of their higher education programmes. Teachers must find a measure of what is necessary and sufficient in order to convey fundamental philosophical knowledge to students and provide them with an additional opportunity to study related topics as part of other courses. At the conference, St Petersburg University academic staff presented a new approach to teaching philosophy to students in non-philosophical degrees. 

Nikita Kuznetsov, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at St Petersburg University, noted that six years ago, philosophy teachers released an online philosophy course for students in non-philosophical degrees, which changed the very principle of teaching philosophy. In their concept of updating the course in Philosophy, based on the experience of developing the online course, the St Petersburg University experts departed from the usual disciplinary approach to teaching philosophy and offered students a new system of presenting material divided into thematic groups dealing with specific objects of philosophical enquiry: the world, truth, goodness, beauty, culture, man, society, and history. Students will be introduced to the central concepts, problems and approaches in the Western, Eastern and Russian philosophical traditions, study their conceptual apparatus, understand and assess their specifics, and discuss arising problems. 

Forming a system of knowledge, skills and competences, values and norms of behaviour associated with the awareness of belonging to Russian society, fostering a sense of patriotism and citizenship, and developing a spiritual, moral and cultural foundation to bring up a holistic, mature and fully developed personality who is able to assess historical paths of development of Russian culture should be underpinned by the concepts, ideas and approaches to the fundamental problems in philosophy, with opportunities to explore various philosophical traditions of the East, West and Russia. 

Professor Nikita Kuznetsov underlined that this approach enables students in non-philosophical degrees to develop a keen interest in philosophy as a personal questioning about the most essential concepts and problems of life. This contributes to solving the problem of forming a holistic worldview among students that corresponds to the current state of philosophy in the world. 

This approach enables us to fully comprehend the traditional spiritual and moral values set out in the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation ‘On approving fundamentals of state policy for preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values’ and therefore solves the problem of forming Russian values of civil identity among students, awareness of the country’s single cultural space, ideas about the unique manifestation in the spiritual, historical and cultural development of the multinational peoples of Russia. 

The plenary session was followed by a meeting of the working group to discuss specific blocks of issues relating to the presented concept.

 The discussion of this task continued at other conferences held within the framework of the DNA of Russia project at various venues. The stage of a broad public discussion is underway.

Organisation of the teaching and learning process 

Over the past week, ten enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. The majority of enquiries relate to preparation of various documents, and transfer to St Petersburg University. An analysis of the information on the organisation of the teaching and learning process provided by the heads of academic and research subdivisions has been carried out. Classes are held in due order according to the timetable. 

Over the past week, meetings were held with student activists: group heads, and representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few. They discussed issues with organising the teaching and learning process. The meetings were held at: the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Institute of History; the Institute of Medicine; the Institute of Philosophy; the Faculty of Biology; the Faculty of Foreign Languages; the School of International Relations; the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes; the Faculty of Sociology; the Faculty of Physics; the Faculty of Philology; and the College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology. 

Graduate employment 

By Order No 3069/1p of the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities dated 7 September 2023 the Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion of Student Employment was approved. The responsibility for the implementation of a significant part of the activities is also assigned to the heads of academic and research subdivisions and (or) heads of academic programmes. One of the areas of work included in the plan is monitoring the employment of St Petersburg University graduates. 

According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, a survey of graduates has been organised in order to assess the employment rates of the 2023 graduates. In October 2023, the survey was launched in the field of "Arts". In November-December 2023, it continued in the fields of "Asian and African Studies", "International Relations", "Philosophy", and "Chemistry". From January 2024, the survey has been conducted in all fields of study. 

A special questionnaire was developed by the staff of the Career Centre and the sociologists of St Petersburg University. By 1 March, a total of 1,095 responses had been received. More than half of the responses were received from those graduated in the following fields of study: "Arts" (93%), "Management" (67%), "Physics" (66%), "Foreign Languages" (56%), and "Cognitive Studies" (50%). The fields of study with the lowest number of responses were the following: "Applied Mathematics and Control Processes" (2%), "Dental Medicine" (2%), and "Liberal Arts and Sciences" (1%). There is no information on the following fields of study: "Political Science", "Nursing", "Physical Training and Sport", and "Law". The data on 1 March 2024 in the context of the academic and research subdivisions are presented in the table.

The main difficulty is the personal disinterest of graduates in staying in contact with the University, and their lack of involvement in relations with St Petersburg University after graduation. 

The heads of the academic and research subdivisions are instructed to intensify their work not only with graduates, but also with students. Marina Lavrikova stressed that it is important to understand that the key to successfully solving the problems of graduate employment is the development of sustainable relations with employers that are partners of St Petersburg University. 

The participants in the Rector’s meeting noted that the issue of personal interest of the graduates to stay in contact with the University requires further research. Obviously, it is related to the organisation of the teaching and learning process and depends on the relationship of the graduates with certain research supervisors, heads of departments, directors or deans. Monitoring the students’ assessment of the quality of learning at the University is a continuous process of gathering information that helps the heads of the academic and research subdivisions to make managerial decisions. 

Victory of St Petersburg University students in the final of the competitive selection of the project by the administration of the Governor of St Petersburg 

St Petersburg University students, i.e. Vladislav Maksimov, Polina Fedorova and Iuliia Evdakova, won the final of the competitive selection of the project organised by the administration of the Governor of St Petersburg. The University students will promote public service among students and young professionals and hold thematic events with the participation of the administration of the Northern Capital of Russia. 

Students from four universities in St Petersburg competed for the right to join the ambassador team. The contest consisted of two stages. At the first stage, students had to prepare a video presentation about themselves and their achievements. At the second stage the participants were invited to the Corporate University of the Administration of St Petersburg, where everyone had to present a project on a topic determined in advance during a draw. The finalists were evaluated by the jury, which included experts, representatives of district administrations, and committees of St Petersburg. 

During the training, the winners of the contest will attend a workshop on organising events, learn the basics of creating and promoting useful content on social media, and also get acquainted with the work of the Government of St Petersburg in practice.

St Petersburg University takes part in the 58th Moscow International Fair "Education and Career" 

On 9 to 10 March, St Petersburg University took part in the 58th Moscow International Fair "Education and Career". The fair was held with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, and the Moscow City Government. About 100 Russia’s universities took part in the fair. In the year of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, the oldest university in Russia, it presented a stand "The University as a space of opportunities: education, science, career". More than 15,000 people visited it. 

Visitors could receive advice on the degree and non-degree programmes and online courses of St Petersburg University; admissions rules at the University; and clinical approach to education and interaction between students and employers. During these days, the Sociological Clinic of Applied Research at St Petersburg University, the Mediation Centre at St Petersburg University, and the Clinic of Communication Projects at St Petersburg University held interactive and career guidance events. The St Petersburg University History Museum held a traditional quiz dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the University. 

As part of the direction "Science", the University showed the first 3D cast of the braincase of an ankylosaur, made in Russia. Ankylosaur is an herbivorous dinosaur that looks like a modern armadillo. According to the palaeontologists from St Petersburg University, ankylosaurs had a number of interesting abilities. For example, they heard low-frequency sounds and were able to cool their brains. Interestingly, the dinosaur’s brain was one and a half times smaller than that of modern animals of the same size. The researchers from St Petersburg University focused on palaeontological research projects conducted at the University and shared research findings in relation to the structure of the brain and blood vessels of the head of an ankylosaur, based on the study of uniquely preserved remains. 

The event dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University in the State Hermitage Museum 

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University, announced that invitations (free electronic tickets) to visit the Hermitage would be sent via the corporate email service to the University staff and students. This is a gift from Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University, to mark the anniversary of the University. 

The University staff and students who receive such tickets will have the opportunity to visit all the halls of the Hermitage on one of the next three days. Invitations will not be sent to everyone at once, but in parts, i.e. 3,000 people at a time.

A new public space for the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University: a square with a fountain complex 

St Petersburg University summed up the results of the architectural and artistic contest of design projects for the comprehensive improvement of the territory of the Vasileostrovsky campus of St Petersburg University. The work on creating a fountain composition was initiated by the Government of St Petersburg to mark the 300th anniversary of the University. 

The projects were developed by the University staff and students and representatives of the professional community, i.e. architects, artists, and designers. The contest task focused on the development of a fountain composition taking into account the utility networks, historical information and architectural and restoration assignments. 

Five teams reached the finals. Representatives of four teams are lecturers in creative specialities and master’s students majoring in design at St Petersburg University. 

The first team proposed the project "The path of development". "The water in the arches symbolises the flow of knowledge of each faculty, which pours into the pool of the fountain, i.e. a shared body of knowledge," said the participants. 

The second team compared the University with ‘The Möbius strip’ as an endless source of knowledge in which the education is based on mutual dialogue between students and professors. 

The authors of the third design project presented "The tree of knowledge", which is a semantic tree symbolising the first three "classes" of the Academic University, and the branches of the trees denote how many directions evolved from the three original "trunks". 

"The labyrinth" is the fourth design project. "It involves hedge paths leading to a fountain, emphasising the importance of the search for knowledge, with the fountain being their source," the authors commented. 

"The three centuries of St Petersburg University" took first place in the contest. Its authors are: Tatiana Laska, Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at St Petersburg University; Sergei Golubkov, Research Associate at St Petersburg University; and Mariia Gusinskaia, an architect. 

The authors decided to decorate the fountain with mosaic compositions that symbolise Science, Education, Art, and Traditions. The decorative style contains Baroque elements associated with the Twelve Collegia building. 

The fountain has a round stepped shape and is made of natural stone. Along the entire length of its outer circle, there is a mosaic inscription in Latin, i.e. lines of the Gaudeamus, the hymn of the University community. It is also possible to illuminate the fountain at night and provide musical accompaniment with works by composers who are graduates of the University. The fountain composition will be located at the address: 13b Universitetskaya Embankment, next to the building of the information centre of the Admissions Committee. 

The decision to build the fountain was made by Alexander Beglov, Governor of St Petersburg, a member of the Board of Trustees of St Petersburg University. It is a gift from the city to the University to mark the 300th anniversary. The courtyard and surrounding area will be decorated at the expense of the city (The Universantov Square will appear here); the fountain complex will be built at the expense of Inter RAO. The contest of the projects on landscaping the yard and installing a fountain complex is planned for the second half of 2024.