Minutes of the Rector’s meeting

The New Year’s ball for students of the D.K. Faddeev Academic Gymnasium at St Petersburg University

St Petersburg University held the traditional New Year’s ball for students at the D.K. Faddeev Academic Gymnasium at St Petersburg University. The event symbolises the onset of winter holidays. It brought together schoolchildren, their parents and teachers in the Twelve Collegia building.

The majestic assembly hall of the University was transformed for this special day: it shone under the light of crystal chandeliers, becoming the venue for the ball that transported everyone to the atmosphere of past eras. Schoolchildren, having abandoned modern clothes, turned into elegant ladies and gentlemen. Young ladies in evening dresses and young men in formal suits demonstrated their dancing skills to the musical accompaniment of the evening, where the waltz was replaced by the polka, and the horse branle gave way to more fiery dances.

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, recalled that the hall preserves the memory of significant historical events. In January 2000, Vladimir Putin, a graduate of St Petersburg University, was presented with the gown of an honorary member of the Academic Council of the Faculty of Law at the University. Speaking at the ceremony, Vladimir Putin announced that he would run for the post of President of the Russian Federation in the upcoming elections.

In 2019, during the official meeting between President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping was solemnly presented with the gown of an honorary doctor of St Petersburg University.

In his address to the students, Nikolay Kropachev emphasised that education is the basis for the formation of a successful person and a responsible citizen, and that the learning process should be enjoyable.

The festive atmosphere enabled the students to take a break from their studies and feel the joy of the upcoming holidays. Pleasant moments of communication with friends and cheerful dancing helped relieve the stress that had accumulated during the period of preparation for exams and reminded them that time spent together always brings ease. Although the event was quite formal, everything went a little differently. Children will be children and the event turned out spontaneous and fun.

Apart from graceful waltzes and other dances, the New Year’s ball was memorable for the performance of St Petersburg University’s ensemble of early music Musica Universalis under the artistic direction of Aleksandr Kiskachi. The musicians performed the "Dance of the Furies" from the ballet "Don Juan" by Christoph Gluck.

The guests of the festive event were involved in a fascinating interactive game. They looked for pages from a mysterious book of spells, solved riddles of an evil wizard, answered questions to disenchant the Dinosaur, and danced the "Waltz of Friendship".

At the end of the event, all young participants were presented with books from the St Petersburg University Publishing House with autographs of teachers and writers. The topics of the materials cover successful learning technologies, specialised knowledge and research methods that are important for future specialists. The Rector of the University emphasised that these books would not only enrich the children’s knowledge, but would also become a source of inspiration for their further development.

At the Rector’s meeting, Ekaterina Zaugolnikova, Director of the D.K. Faddeev Academic Gymnasium at St Petersburg University, reported that more than 320 Gymnasium students took part in the ball, and more than 60 couples danced. In her opinion, there had never been such a beautiful ball.

The festive Christmas service in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

A festive Christmas service was held in the newly consecrated Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, located at St Petersburg University. The service was attended by Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University; Elena Chernova, Academic Secretary of St Petersburg University, Deputy Chairperson of the Academic Council; Dmitry Shmonin, Director of the Institute of Theology at St Petersburg University; directors and deans, academics and students of the University. Residents of St Petersburg were also invited to share the joy of common prayer.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was founded in 1837 during the reconstruction of the Twelve Collegia building to meet the needs of the University. Emperor Nicholas I of Russia ordered that it be named in honour of the patron saints of St Petersburg, the Apostles Peter and Paul. On 29 June, the church was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop Nathanael of Pskov and Livonia. The new academic year of 1837/1838 began at the University with a solemn prayer service, and subsequently they were held before the beginning of each academic year, on church and state holidays, on memorable historical dates, and on professorial anniversaries. A prayer service was also held annually on 8 February, the day of the solemn events marking the founding of the University.

Archpriest Pyotr Mukhin, Dean of the churches in the universities of the St Petersburg diocese, Senior Priest of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, congratulated the University staff and students on the holiday of Christmas. "On this solemn day, we are witnessing a great event: the return of God’s grace to our University church. I wish you love, creation, peace and that the Lord may come into your hearts," the Senior Priest wished.

Timescale of the transition to a new system of higher education

On 12 May 2023, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order No 343 "On certain issues of improving the higher education system". According to Marina Lavrikova, Acting Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, in accordance with this Executive Order, a pilot project to change the system of higher professional education is being carried out from the 2023/2024 to 2025/2026 academic years. The reform of the higher education system implies a transition to a three-tier system: two levels of higher education (the basic level is from four to six years and specialised level is from one to three years) and one level is professional (aspirantura programmes). Six universities are participating in the pilot project: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Moscow Aviation Institute, National University of Science and Technology MISIS, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Saint Petersburg Mining University, and National Research Tomsk State University. The pilot project involves basic higher education, specialised higher education in master’s programmes and professional education in aspirantura programmes. The terms of study in each academic programme of the corresponding level of higher education within the framework of the project are established based on the results of the discussion.

Discussions are currently underway at various levels regarding the changes that will be necessary to transition to the new higher education system following the completion of the experiment in 2026.

It is planned that from 1 September 2026, Russian universities will follow the updated system of higher education, by which time the Ministry of Science and Higher Education will prepare and approve the relevant regulatory legal acts. The Ministry specifies that students studying under the current academic programmes will be able to complete the programme to which they were admitted.

Organisation of the teaching and learning process

Over the past week, seven enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University. The majority of the enquiries relate to preparation of various documents. The winter interim assessment is held in due order according to the timetable.

At the meeting, attention was once again drawn to the inadmissibility of students submitting fake medical certificates. Each document at the University is checked. Students who submit fake medical certificates to the academic office are expelled without the right to reinstatement to St Petersburg University. Information about the fact of submitting a fake certificate is transferred to law enforcement agencies.

Results of the third season of the mentoring programme

St Petersburg University hosted the ceremonial closing of the current season of the St Petersburg University mentoring programme. Sixty mentees reached the final. For more than two months, the students worked on professional development, building strong business connections and constructing a career path.

The model of informal learning and communication through a partnership dialogue between mentors and students is implemented by St Petersburg University for those who want to improve the skills needed in the labour market, find their strengths, and formulate specific steps in the process of building a career in various fields. This was reported by Mariia Edinova, Head of the Alumni Office at St Petersburg University. She mentioned the positive results that were achieved during the third season of the programme.

Graduates, now professionals in their spheres, lend a helping hand to students, showing them what paths are open to them after graduating the University. Participants expanded their knowledge of management processes by taking part in two webinars on mentoring and clarifying questions that arose at the initial stage.

The programme also included a business etiquette game aimed at developing soft skills. An important aspect of the programme was the introduction of new formats of interaction between mentors and mentees. For example, the mentor office methodology was used. In the traditional sense, a mentor office is an organisation of interaction between mentees and potential employers and conducting excursions to introduce students to the work environment and company representatives.

Some mentors were also able to provide consulting support not only to their mentees, but also to other programme participants, expressing their willingness to share their experience with those who wished. Philipp Chistyakov, a graduate of St Petersburg University, Deputy Director of the IFL Consulting Group, organised a film training, where the participants acquired the skill of teamwork and creative thinking. The mentor noted that film training allows not only to escape from the daily routine, but also to analyse various scenario situations. It also contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of group work and decision-making.

As part of the ceremonial closing of the current season of the St Petersburg University mentoring programme, the winners of special nominations were announced. They made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of the programme. The diploma "Mentoring Guru" was awarded to five mentors, each of whom took part in three seasons of the programme, including Nataliia Aksenova, Chief Expert of the Legal and Corporate Work Department at TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom; Oleg Galaev, leading DevOps engineer at Beeline; Polina Vanevskaia, a research analyst at Vkontakte; Mariia Tageeva, a mentor; and Yana Chigina, Head of the Distributor Relations Department at Geropharm. The experts demonstrated a high level of involvement and dedication to mentoring, helping their mentees build a professional path.

Diplomas were also awarded in the nomination "Mentoring Ambassador". Kseniia Belousova, Operations Director of the GlowByte; Irina Remneva, Financial Director of the company "Neskuchnye finansy" ("Noboring finance"); and Philipp Chistyakov, Director of the company "Lider peremen" were awarded for their efforts in creating an active community and promoting mentoring among the University’s staff, students and graduates.

Cultural events during January

Elena Lebedkina, Head of Exhibitions, Museums, Libraries and Publications Department at St Petersburg University, presented a digest of the University’s cultural events during January.

Exhibition "The 230^th anniversary of Alexander Griboyedov (1795—1829)"

On 10 January, the University opened an online exhibition "The 230^th anniversary of Alexander Griboyedov (1795—1829)". It features rare publications from the collections of the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University.

Open Day of the University Museums

On 13 January, the Open Day of the University Museums is to take place. It is set to mark the birthday of the St Petersburg University museums, i.e. 13 January 1945. The Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art has prepared a special programme, i.e. art‑mediation for the exhibition "Mythology of a mask".

Online exhibition for the 160^th anniversary of Vladimir Mendeleev "Naval officer. Photographer. Engineer"

On 14 January, the online exhibition dedicated to the 160^th anniversary of Vladimir Mendeleev "Naval Officer. Photographer. Engineer" is open. It focuses on the life of Dmitri Mendeleev’s eldest son, Vladimir Mendeleev.

Opening of the exhibition "A look at Russian culture. Valentin Serov: on his 160^th anniversary (1865—1911)"

On 17 January, the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University opens the illustrative exhibition "A look at Russian culture. Valentin Serov: on his 160^th anniversary (1865–1911)". The exhibition is set to mark the anniversary of the outstanding artist.

Presentation of the catalogue "St Petersburg University artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries"

At 5pm on 17 January, the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art presents the catalogue "St Petersburg University artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries". The same catalogue is to be presented at the Dom Universitetskoi Knigi (University Book House) at 5pm on 23 January. The catalogue features materials from the exhibition dedicated to the 300^th anniversary of St Petersburg University.

Online exhibition "Glass photographic plates of Vsevolod Diakonov (1898-1942). Museum of the Academy of Arts"

On 20 January, the online exhibition "Glass photographic plates of Vsevolod Diakonov (1898-1942). Museum of the Academy of Arts" is open. The third part of the exhibition will continue to introduce the collection of glass photo plates of Vsevolod Diakonov. The photo plates have preserved the rarest shots. They capture the interiors and individual exhibits of the Museum of the Academy of Arts in St Petersburg.

Opening of the exhibition "A world of Chekhov’s heroes. The 165^th anniversary of Anton Chekhov (1860—1904)"

On 22 January, the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University opens the exhibition "A world of Chekhov’s heroes. The 165^th anniversary of Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)". It is based on books about the life and creative path of the writer.

Opening of the exhibition "On the 81^st anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi Siege"

On 24 January, the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University opens the exhibition "On the 81^st anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi Siege". On 27 January, the M Gorky Scientific Library opens the online exhibition "The University academics in besieged Leningrad".

Online exhibition "Karl Baumgart: on his 145^th anniversary"

On 24 January, the online exhibition "Karl Baumgart: on his 145^th anniversary" is open. Karl Baumgart was a teacher, physicist, Professor of the Faculty of Physics at Leningrad State University.

Contest for schoolchildren and students "Winning in force"

In January and February, schoolchildren and students at the Museum of the History of Physics and Mathematics at St Petersburg University will be able to take part in the contest "Winning in force". Participants are invited to recall as many inventions (e.g. devices, mechanisms) as possible, which increase the applied force (or other force characteristic).