Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

COVID-19 Vaccination

The meeting discussed the process of COVID-19 vaccination among the University students and staff. Over the past week, the percentage of vaccinated students over 18 years old who reported that they had the disease or had medical exemptions increased up to 33.58% across all faculties and institutes at the University. The percentage of the University staff who got vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 92.7 %.

Information on the students’ vaccination across the areas of study is summarised in the table below:

Area of study	Students with vaccination, disease certificates, medical exemption certificates (as of 29 November 2021)	Students with vaccination, disease certificates, medical exemption certificates (as of 03 December 2021)	Students with vaccination, disease certificates, medical exemption certificates (as of 10 December 2021)
Institute for Competition Development and Antimonopoly Regulation	75 %	91,67 %	91,67 %
Asian and African Studies	57,7 %	62,17 %	64,29 %
Institute of Chemistry	48,3 %	54,68 %	57,78 %
Physical Training (bachelor’s programme)	45,2 %	52,38 %	57,14 %
Biology	44,8 %	47,13 %	49,93 %
Medicine	38,4 %	45,7 %	48,63 %
Institute for Cognitive Studies	44,4 %	41,18 %	47,06 %
Mathematics and Computer Science	36,9 %	43,06 %	45,24 %
Physics	35,5 %	39,87 %	43,97 %
Institute of Pedagogy	28,8 %	40,95 %	42,86 %
Institute of Earth Sciences	37,1 %	39,11 %	40,86 %
Philology	32,8 %	34,71 %	39,1 %
Mathematics and Mechanics	31,5 %	33,33 %	36,64 %
Liberal Arts and Sciences	31,5 %	33,73 %	36,64 %
Institute of Philosophy	30,8 %	33,44 %	35,76 %
Medical College	26,8 %	30,36 %	35,71 %
Psychology	31,1 %	33,47 %	35,35 %
nstitute of History	31,5 %	33,33 %	35,02 %
Control Processes	26,8 %	31,9 %	34,15 %
International Relations	26,6 %	30,16 %	32,76 %
Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	15,3 %	21,12 %	30,6 %
Management	23,6 %	25,2 %	28,55 %
Sociology	23,1 %	24,15 %	27,02 %
Political Science	21,5 %	22,51 %	25,55 %
Law	21,8 %	23,94 %	25,4 %
Economics	17,7 %	18,89 %	20,75 %
Arts	14,5 %	16,4 %	18,73 %
School of Journalism and Mass Communication	15,2 %	16,09 %	16,53 %
Physical Education (non-university level higher education, excluding out-of-age students)	5,7 %	12,45 %	16,12 %
Total	27,9 %	30,89 %	33,58 %

As Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, said, the percentage of vaccinated students was gradually increasing. Over the past week, there was an increase of 2.68% (from 30.89 to 33.58%). From the beginning of the next semester, it is planned to deliver on-campus classes in groups where the percentage of vaccinated students is more than 40%. In this regard, today, only 11 student groups are allowed to attend on-campus classes. The percentage of vaccinated students in eight more student groups is also approaching 40%.

Marina Lavrikova added that students were regularly informed about the importance of getting vaccinated. Additionally, there is a need to inform students about vaccination through the student’s Personal Account. On 10 December, students were again informed about the need to enter data on vaccination in their personal account (my.spbu.ru). The students were reminded of the video, which explained how to submit information about vaccination or a medical exemption through the Personal Account of the University students.

Marina Lavrikova also reported that, in accordance with the extended agreement with the North-West Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, in December 2021, another 144 international students got vaccinated, and the University paid for vaccination. These students agreed to get vaccinated with the Sputnik Light vaccine.

The information on vaccination among the academic staff at the institutes and faculties is presented in the table.

Subdivision	Total number of staff (full and part-time)	Vaccinated	Antibodies	Medical exemption	Percentage as of 17 December 2021
Academic Gymnasium	83	59	6	8	88 %
Faculty of Biology	336	289	28	8	96,4 %
Military Training Centre	32	29	3	0	100 %
Faculty of Asian and African Studies	150	116	19	11	96,7 %
School of Journalism and Mass Communication	112	86	16	10	100 %
Graduate School of Management	81	61	8	5	91,4 %
Institute of Earth Sciences	246	226	15	5	100 %
Institute of History	141	122	11	8	100 %
Institute for Cognitive Studies	20	16	3	1	100 %
Institute of Pedagogy	7	6	1	0	100 %
Institute for Competition Development and Antimonopoly Regulation	9	6	3	0	100 %
Institute of Philosophy	143	119	13	9	98,6 %
Institute of Chemistry	219	191	19	9	100 %
Department of Physical Training and Sports	54	40	4	10	100 %
College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology	78	53	12	5	83,3 %
Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty	280	219	22	2	86,7 %
Medical College	22	18	3	1	100 %
Faculty of Medicine	326	243	24	8	83,7 %
Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes	184	143	26	9	96,6 %
Faculty of Foreign Languages	298	197	32	18	81,9 %
Faculty of Arts	104	86	9	4	95,2 %
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science	175	134	8	1	78,3 %
School of International Relations	119	83	16	15	95 %
Faculty of Political Science	44	29	9	1	88,6 %
Faculty of Psychology	132	105	18	8	99,2 %
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences	89	68	5	0	82 %
Faculty of Sociology	94	71	7	4	86,2 %
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	90	54	17	2	81,1 %
Faculty of Physics	454	402	39	10	99,3 %
Faculty of Philology	474	327	58	25	84,6 %
Faculty of Economics	157	126	14	10	95,5 %
Faculty of Law	136	106	22	7	99,3 %
Total	4889	3830	490	214	92 %

According to Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, all academic and research divisions reached the established value (80%) of the vaccination rate. Ten divisions reached the indicator 100%.

The heads of academic and research divisions were instructed to continue explanatory work on the importance of vaccination among staff and students.

Measures on protecting the University students from the spread of the coronavirus infection

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector, said that on 11 December, the University staff received information about a coronavirus infected student, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), who lived in Hall of Residence № 8 (15/1 Khalturina Street, Peterhof).

The University staff promptly identified those living in the Hall of Residence who had been in contact with the student. They were accommodated on the specially equipped premises in the Hall of Residence to avoid contact with other students and prevent further spread of the infection. Disinfection of rooms and shared areas was organised. There was PCR testing. 29 students from those who had been in contact with the student had a positive PCR test result. They were accepted to a temporary hospital for coronavirus infected patients at Lenexpo.

 

On 15 December, in accordance with the Order of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), the following measures were adopted: On measures to protect St Petersburg University students from the spread of coronavirus infection; On organising the work on implementing the compliance orders by Rospotrebnadzor in St Petersburg; and On organising the work on implementing the compliance orders of the South-Western Regional Office of Rospotrebnadzor in St Petersburg.

In relation to the identified cases of infection and following the recommendations of the Rospotrebnadzor, measures will be adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection among students.

Current issues with organising the teaching and learning process

Over the past week, the Virtual Reception received 30 enquiries on various subjects addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, including 16 enquiries in relation to educational and methodological issues. Twenty three enquiries were registered in the catalogue of student enquiries.

At the meeting, Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, said that the enquiries varied in topics. Among the enquiries were: the procedure of taking decisions on the transfer to St Petersburg University and reinstatement in the University ; the possibility of issuing a certificate on the period of studies at St Petersburg University by using a student’s Personal Account; using the online invigilation system to supervise students at exams and fail/pass tests (Why does St Petersburg University use the online invigilation system?; Will the online invigilation system be improved?; On the efficiency of using the online invigilation system; On resitting using the online invigilation system; On the use of the online invigilation system during tests and examinations; On the online invigilation system during the interim assessments); the format of the teaching and learning process; the possibilities of getting academic leave; issuing certificates ; the procedure of receiving information on vaccination; and confirming accreditation of the academic programmes to name just a few. Students in some areas of study submitted enquiries relating to the format of interim assessment.

It was previously reported at the Rector’s meetings that from the beginning of the new semester, on-campus classes would only be delivered in groups where the percentage of the vaccinated academic staff exceeded 80% and the percentage of vaccinated students reached 40% (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 30 November 2021 and dated 06 December 2021). A student submitted an enquiry to the Virtual Reception with a request to clarify this information and specify how it would be implemented, including types of classes (streaming lectures/classes in a group) it would affect and whether unvaccinated academic staff and students would be admitted to classes.

The student is explained that in accordance with Order № 7991/1 dated 13 August 2021 ’On the format of classes in the 2021/22 academic year’ due to the difficult epidemic situation in the spring semester of the 2021/22 academic year, it is planned to maintain a mixed format of the teaching and learning process, with on-campus classes and classes delivered by using information and communication technologies. At the same time, it is planned that any on-campus classes will be allowed only in the groups where more than 80% of academic staff and more than 40% of students will be vaccinated from the beginning of the new semester. In other cases, the teaching and learning process will be organised using information and communication technologies.

The timetable of classes and up-to-date information on the format of the teaching and learning process will be published in the Electronic Timetable no later than three calendar days before the start of the new semester (according to Clause 2.2.3 of the Academic Regulations for bachelor’s programmes, specialist’s programmes, master’s programmes and programmes of middle level professional education at St Petersburg University).

Marina Lavrikova also said that, according to Resolution № 3 of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor for the city of St Petersburg ’On the vaccination against the novel coronavirus disease in St Petersburg for certain groups of citizens according to epidemic indications’ dated 10 December 2021, those working in the field of education are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. According to this document, the University students over 18 years old must also get vaccinated if they are sent to do internships and have classes outside the structural divisions of universities.

Over the past week, several enquiries were submitted by students who received the mark ’failed’ in connection with the detection of violations during the interim assessments by the online invigilation system. The students reported that the negative status in the system was due to the microphone being turned off, although when checking before starting the test, the system did not show this error and the number of points scored met the required threshold for passing the test. The enquiries were sent to the administration of the OpenEdu Platform and the provider of services for monitoring the control tests with personal identification (invigilation) Examus (Electronic Platforms LLC) to clarify the reasons for the error. The answers to these enquiries will be published in the University Virtual Reception, and students will be informed.

According to information from the heads of most academic and research divisions, the teaching and learning process is organised according to the timetable. Over the past week, some heads did not meet with representatives of student councils, yet many academic and research divisions held meetings with student councils.

During the meetings of the Director of the Institute of Philosophy and the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology with representatives of student councils, the questions were raised about the dining area that was temporarily closed and what measures could be taken to improve the dining facilities for students. Olga Gogleva, Head of the University’s Office for Dining and Food Services said that the dining area was not working permanently due to the fact that the number of students who attend on-campus classes was not constant. She stressed that enquiries in relation to catering should be sent to: food@spbu.ru. All enquiries received by the Administrative Staff are answered in due course and manner.

The current issues of organising the teaching and learning process were discussed during the meetings with the representatives of student councils at the Institute of History, the Institute of Philosophy, the Faculty of Philology, and the Faculty of Physics.

At the meetings between the heads and student councils at the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Sociology, the Faculty of Psychology, the School of International Relations, the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Asian and African Studies, and the Institute of Philosophy, they discussed measures to encourage students to get vaccinated. The students were reminded that from the beginning of the new semester, on-campus classes would be allowed only in those groups where more than 80% of academic staff and 40% of students would be vaccinated. Also, students were again told about the need to timely report about vaccination via the student’s Personal Account. Some students were interested in whether the authenticity of vaccination information was verified. They were explained that the authenticity of all certificates was confirmed, and the submission of invalid medical certificates had serious consequences, including criminal liability.

The Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities reported that on 1 December, she held a meeting with the heads of academic and research divisions to discuss the preparation for the interim assessment including issues on conducting interim tests by using the online invigilation system. Based on the results of the meeting, the heads of the divisions were instructed to discuss issues on this topic with student councils and invite Vladimir Starostenko, Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development, to settle and clarify disputes. The Director of the Centre is ready to give all explanations on the topic and tell in detail how the online invigilation system works, why it is needed, and how the system helps to minimise the possibility of cribbing or violating the rules of conducting tests (’There should be real knowledge behind each mark in the diploma’: how the online invigilation system works and why it is needed).

The Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University held a meeting with the Student Council last week. Mr Starostenko, Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development, explained to the law students the organisation of passing tests and exams and told them that the rules of conducting tests and exams were the same for online and on-campus formats. All the questions raised about the implementation of the procedure for passing exams using the online invigilation system were clarified. Detailed answers on this topic are published regularly in the Virtual Reception. It was noted that it was forbidden to crib during tests and exams online or on-campus. However, the academic staff normally act as invigilators combining invigilation functions with the functions of the examiner or delegating these functions to any of their assistants. When the online invigilation system is used, discipline and compliance with procedural rules are monitored by the programme and a specially trained invigilator. Not all students understood this: among all questions, there were those that were removed after explanations about the operation of the system and the role of the invigilator. At the meeting, law students asked questions about the objectivity of the checking process using the online invigilation system and taking into account the degree of influence of external factors when passing tests and exams (for example, noise, the presence of animals). This question was caused solely by a misunderstanding of the process. The students were explained that the final result of checking compliance with the test procedure in the online invigilation system is not set by the programme but an invigilator who comprehensively evaluated the behaviour of the tested person based on the information provided by the programme and his/her own verification (On resitting using the online invigilation system).

Law students were invited to improve the online invigilation system in collaboration with the Centre of E-Learning Development. Concrete proposals have already been received: for example, to revise the limit on the time of looking away and to increase it from five seconds to seven seconds. Students’ proposals may form the basis for decisions adopted by St Petersburg University and for the proposals of the University to standardise the rules for monitoring the tests at the international level within the framework of the Global MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) Alliance.

Explanations on this topic at meetings with students were also given by the deputy deans of the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Asian and African Studies.

The Dean of the School of International Relations received a question about the possibility for students to access video recordings of results of tests that were carried out by using the online invigilation system in case of disputes. The answer to this question has already been published in the Virtual Reception.

Also, during the meeting of the Dean of the School of International Relations with representatives of the Student Council, fourth-year students raised the question of unethical behaviour of one of the members of academic staff, who made sexist remarks. The Dean promised to conduct explanatory work with the member of academic staff and also suggested that the students should submit an enquiry to the University Ethics Committee.

The students asked the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology to organise the test and resitting of online courses in the classrooms of the University in the presence of observers. The answer to a similar question has already been given earlier (Why does St Petersburg University use an online invigilation system?). The Dean was also invited to hold a meeting with the Student Council of the Faculty of Psychology with the Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development.

Marina Lavrikova reminded all heads of academic and research divisions that there was an opportunity to discuss issues in relation to using the online invigilation system for the procedure for passing tests at the next meetings with student councils and invite the Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development. Directors of institutes and deans of faculties were instructed to provide information on the time of such meetings.

Initiatives to improve the online invigilation system for tests and examinations

The members of the Global Alliance for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), with St Petersburg University being the only representative from Russia, held a meeting on 2 December (Global MOOC Alliance partners map prospects for development and plans for the future).

Upon the request of the Rector, the meeting was attended by Vladimir Starostenko, Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development of St Petersburg University. In his speech, he urged his foreign colleagues to jointly develop international quality standards for online courses to be applied further by the Alliance partners and raised the issue of improving and standardising the rules for monitoring assessments using online invigilation systems at the international level. Given the relevance of this issue to the standardisation of rules, it was proposed to consolidate the experience of universities and founding partners of the Alliance, taking into account the practices of different countries and various international and national online platforms for the use of online invigilation system during tests and examinations. Following the meeting, the proposal was included in the work plan of the Alliance for 2022.

Vladimir Starostenko also spoke at the 12th Microsoft Forum for Higher Education ‘Practical Application of Innovative Technologies in Higher Education’, which was attended by representatives of leading Russian universities. In his report, he once again raised the issue of developing international standards for online invigilation.

At the Rector’s meeting, Vladimir Starostenko, Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development of St Petersburg University, reminded that the University currently uses the online invigilation system ‘Examus’ to monitor the process of examinations for online courses. The process consists of two stages of monitoring: the first stage is performed by an automatic invigilator, and then the recording is reviewed by Examus invigilators who have special expertise in profiling and can objectively assess the process of examination (‘Every grade on a diploma should be based on real knowledge’: how the online invigilation system works and why it is needed).

The report at the Microsoft Forum identified the challenges facing tecnology companies as well as educational organisations: the need to develop technologies and services used to test students’ knowledge and to develop a unified methodology for assessing examination procedures using an online invigilation system.

The professional community is concerned about academic honesty, because any malpractice, especially when it comes to assessing knowledge, discredits the very idea of both on-campus and online learning. Online invigilation systems, according to Vladimir Starostenko, are designed to reduce cheating and other procedural violations to the minimum. The widespread use of such systems in the long term will greatly improve the level of education as such verification will ensure that tests and exams are completed honestly.

Monitoring the international experience has revealed that many countries have professional associations that promote the ideology of academic honesty among students and teachers. For example, there is the International Centre for Academic Integrity (ICAI) that was established in 1992, and the European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI) that has been working since 2017. These organisations conduct monitoring, surveys, and research. Kazakhstan has also established the Academic Integrity League, which aims to improve the quality of education by promoting and implementing the universal principles of academic integrity among university teachers and students involved in the work of the league.

However, the academic community in the Russian Federation has not yet been formalised under the umbrella of a single professional association.

Vladimir Starostenko noted that St Petersburg University has always set high standards for its staff and graduates, putting openness and objectivity at the heart of its work, and invited the academic staff and students to spearhead relevant initiatives and promote ideas and principles of academic integrity in the professional community.

The creation of a collegiate body similar to the ‘Academic Integrity League’ to popularise these ideas among the leading universities would help to develop special rules, and standards for on-campus and online tests and examinations. Vladimir Starostenko proposed to invite the student councils of St Petersburg University and other higher education institutions, as well as teachers, methodologists, and specialists in developing online courses, in participating in the activities of such a collegiate body. Vladimir Starostenko also suggested that this initiative be submitted to the Council of Rectors of the universities of the Northwestern Federal District or the Association of Leading Universities of Russia (ALU) for consideration.

The Directors, Deans, Vice-Rectors, and Rector of St Petersburg University have ardently supported the initiative. Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University, said that diligent students had repeatedly complained that they sometimes received the same grades as unscrupulous students (they resented the unfairness of grading tests and examinations). Professor Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies at St Petersburg University, said that university teachers could sometimes grade students differently and, therefore, a unified approach to assessment criteria was necessary. Besides, such levelling approach discourages those students who study well.

Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, reminded that this request came from bona fide students a long time ago: in 2020, students in Mathematics had asked to increase the use of online invigilation systems when administering tests and examinations. Marina Lavrikova quoted an excerpt from that letter: ’I don’t know if you are aware of the fact that one of the most difficult disciplines of the entire study programme at the Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty is the equations of mathematical physics. Every year, a large number of students would have to take an extra exam and even be expelled because of poor performance in this discipline. I was among the few students who passed the test on the first try, which confirmed our status of academic excellence. This year, when all the exams were taken remotely because of the virus, the number of students who failed the exams went down drastically. As excellent students, we are convinced that this is because other students simply found a way to cheat on a test or exam, as the online invigilation system has not been used. I request that the universal and mandatory use of online invigilation systems be introduced for all tests and examinations at St Petersburg University. Otherwise, all the efforts of bona fide students may simply be devalued’ (On the use of the online invigilation system during examinations).

Marina Lavrikova also noted the dissemination of false information about the high rate of expulsions after taking examinations involving the online invigilation system. She explained that in reality during the last interim assessment only 13 students (0.12% of the total number of evaluations amounting to 10,829) had failed after the third attempt because of violations committed during the final test, which was registered by the online invigilation system and confirmed during the invigilator’s review. Information about this was published in the Virtual Reception (How many students are expelled due to the online invigilation?).

Following the discussion, it was decided that St Petersburg University would address the Association of Leading Universities, the Council of Rectors of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, and the Council of Rectors of the Northwestern Federal District with a proposal to hold a round table with representatives of Rosobrnadzor and educational authorities on the topic of improving the quality of tests and examinations and ensuring the fairness of the assessment. St Petersburg University will also take the initiative to create a community that will promote the principles of academic integrity in administering tests and examinations, since any abuses, especially in the assessment of acquired knowledge, reduce the quality of education.

Procedure for the interim and final assessment using the online invigilation system on the University premises

The University has received requests from students asking for the opportunity to take examinations for online courses on the premises of St Petersburg University. The University has therefore initiated a process to approve the application procedure for the students.

Svetlana Begeza, Senior Deputy Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, informed that the University has more than 200 computer laboratories and multimedia classrooms, each equipped with at least one workstation with a webcam; about 215 workstations in computer laboratories and library reading rooms equipped with monoblocks or computers with webcams; and about 45 additional webcams that can be used to organise workstations in computer labs or distributed to students. Technical support for the interim assessment using the online invigilation system, computer maintenance, and other technical support will be provided by the staff of the University Information Technology Service, subject to prior approved requests.

Such applications shall be prepared by the staff of the Academic Affairs Department following requests from students, which must be submitted at least four days before the date of the test.

Svetlana Begeza noted that rules of interim assessment using the online invigilation system are obligatory for students to observe, irrespective of the place where they take the examinations — at home, in the Hall of Residence, or on the University premises. Students must comply with the rules of the online invigilation system and bear responsibility for it. The University shall ensure technical opportunity to use the premises and equipment.

The meeting participants noted that the availability of more than 200 places equipped for tests using an online invigilation system does not mean that several students may simultaneously take the test in the same classroom. Only one student at a time will be able to take a test using the online invigilation system in each class (otherwise the invigilator shall alert to extraneous noise in the classroom and, therefore, it is necessary to eliminate this interfering factor). Students will be provided with the addresses of the computer labs at the University and will be able to choose from them.

Directors and deans have been instructed to hold meetings with student councils, to explain the procedure for the interim and final assessment using the online invigilation system on the University premises, and to submit proposals on its regulations.

Results of the competitions held by the Russian Society Znanie (Knowledge)

On 2 June 2021 at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, St Petersburg University and Russian Society Znanie signed a cooperation agreement. From September to December, St Petersburg University took part in the major events of the Russian Society Znanie: the marathon ’New Knowledge’ (series of meetings in St Petersburg schools ’Share Your Knowledge’, September 1-3) and the project ’Smart Weeks’ (Lecture Hall of the Russian Society Znanie: St Petersburg University on how buying behaviour has changed during the pandemic, 24 September); University students and academic staff were invited to speak on the ’PRO Future’ forum (Arkhangelsk, 25-26 November). The University was also represented in two key competitions organised by the Russian Society Znanie — the League of Lecturers contest and the Znanie Award 2021.

The first season of the ’League of Lecturers’ contest took place from September to November. The large-scale competition attracted more than 2,500 applications from all over Russia. One hundred applicants made it to the finals, and then 50 winners were selected from various universities and organisations: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPHI), the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Southern Federal University, the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, The Graduate School of Public Management (GSPM) of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Novosibirsk State Technical University, Saratov State University, Moscow Pedagogical State University, The National Research University ‘Belgorod State University’, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, North-Caucasus Federal University, and St Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics to name just a few.

Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, informed that the University was represented by two winners (Students and teachers of St Petersburg University are among the winners of the first season of the League of Lecturers contest): Nikolai Andreev, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of German Philology at St Petersburg University; and Iulia Iankina, a second-year master’s student in the Linguistic Fundamentals of Editing and Criticism programme. The lectures by Nikolai Andreev and Iulia Iankina focused on the future profession of a translator and the methodology of language selection when writing texts.

The awards ceremony was held on 1 December. The winners were greeted by Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Society ‘Znanie’. The winners earned the title of ‘Znanie’ lecturer and the opportunity to deliver regular speeches at the best venues in the country as part of the society’s activities, as well as a grant for education and development of their educational activities. Applications for the next competition season are accepted until 23 January 2022.

On 7 December, Anton Sheikin, Assistant Professor in the Department of High Energy and Elementary Particles Physics at St Petersburg University, was a winner in the category for the Teacher/Educator of the Year for a series of popular science lectures that he delivered in different cities of Russia. The award for educational activities was presented by Dmitry Livanov, Rector of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and Doctor of Physics and Mathematics (St Petersburg University physicist Anton Sheikin receives Znanie Society Award for Educators).

More than 3,000 applications from 80 regions of the country were submitted in 15 thematic areas. The award winners, who were highly commended by the expert committee and honorary jury, as well as by the audience, included 11 educators from different areas of public activity (including representatives from Lomonosov Moscow State University and St Petersburg University), 14 educational projects (’Boiling Point Network’, ’Big Break competition for schoolchildren, ’Worldskills Russia’ junior movement, ’Clean Arctic’ project, and the documentary film ’The Fall of the Empire. The Russian Lesson’ to name just a few.) and ’Yandex’ - the winning company. The participants of the meeting congratulated the winners of the competitions.

Marina Lavrikova added that cooperation between St Petersburg University and the Russian Society ’Znanie’ has been expanding. The University plans to host some events of the Society ’Znanie’ and involve teachers and students as lecturers in various projects, participate in forums, online marathons, and contests of the Society ’Znanie’. Faculty members wishing to participate in events held within the cooperation framework between St Petersburg University and the Society ’Znanie’ may send enquiries to: spbu.znanie@spbu.ru.

Information on students of St Petersburg University, recipients of the scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation

The discussion at the Rector’s meeting held on 8 June 2021 concerned the participation of students and doctoral students of the University in the competitive selection of applicants for the scholarship of the Government of the Russian Federation. Thirty-four undergraduate and 20 postgraduate candidates from St Petersburg University submitted their documents for the competition. It was noted that despite the annual notification of students about the competition and the transfer to an electronic application format, the number of applicants for the scholarship decreased by 37% for undergraduate students and by 16% for doctoral students compared to the 2020/21 academic year.

Aleksandr Babich, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Admissions, informed of the analytical study that was conducted to determine the number of potential candidates for the scholarship of the Government of the Russian Federation, which showed the following.

A total of 3,390 students of the University were eligible to apply for the Russian Federation Government scholarship for the academic year 2021/22, taking into account their course and current academic performance. In reality, only 54 students submitted relevant applications

At the same time, 608 people from these 3,390 students requested welfare support in the spring term of 2021, of which 569 people received it. The average amount of welfare support is 8,600 roubles

In this regard, Aleksandr Babich once again noted that many students and doctoral students expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of financial support, and the regular and increased state academic scholarships. However, most undergraduate and postgraduate students who have the opportunity to participate in competitions for scholarships do not even try to take part in them.

Information on personal scholarship amounts

Russian Presidential Scholarship	Students	2,200 roubles per month
	doctoral students	4,500 roubles per month
Russian Government Scholarship	students	1,440 roubles per month (higher education), 840 roubles per month (vocational education)
	doctoral students	3600 roubles per month
Russian Presidential Scholarship in the priority fields	students	7000 roubles per month
	doctoral students	14000 roubles per month
Russian Government Scholarship in the priority fields	students	5000 roubles per month
	doctoral students	10000 roubles per month
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Scholarship	students	1500 roubles per month
Yegor Gaidar Scholarship	students	1500 roubles per month
Dmitry Likhachov Scholarship	students	5000 roubles per month
Anatoly Sobchak Scholarship	students	5000 roubles per month
Vladimir Tumanov Scholarship	students	2000 roubles per month
Andrei Voznesensky Scholarship	students	1500 roubles per month
Personal/notable scholarships of the Government of St Petersburg include the following:
Personal/notable scholarships of the Government of St Petersburg to students	students	2,000 roubles per month (higher education) 1,600 roubles per month (vocational education)
Galina Starovoitova Scholarship	students	2000 roubles per month
Compatriots’ scholarship of the Government of St Petersburg for students from the Baltic states	students	2000 roubles per month
Scholarship of the Government of St Petersburg for orphaned and disadvantaged children, deprived of parental care	students	2000 roubles per month
Andrey Petrov Scholarship	students	2000 roubles per month
Daniil Granin Scholarship for students in linguistics and literary studies	students	2000 roubles per month
Zhores Alferov Scholarship in physics	students	2000 roubles per month
Personal scholarship in information technologies	students	5000 roubles per month
Personal scholarship in physics	students	5000 roubles per month
Personal scholarship in mathematics	students	5000 roubles per month
Personal scholarship in chemistry	students	5000 roubles per month
Personal scholarship in the Russian language	students	5000 roubles per month

Establishment of the Department of Technology of High Performance Materials and Articles

Saint Petersburg University has issued an order to establish the Department of Technology of High Performance Materials and Articles at the Institute of Chemistry. The Department shall be headed by Professor Mikhail Podviaznikov, Doctor of Engineering, Deputy Director General of the Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation, and Director General of the Obukhov State Plant. The creation of this department raises hopes for strengthening scientific ties between the University and the Obukhov State Plant, bringing new challenges which require solutions through the efforts of the University team, and implementing the results and achievements in the real sector of the economy.

Publication activity of academic staff

Measures to increase publication activity were discussed at the Rector’s meeting in July 2021. It was noted that the modern state policy in the field of science and education implies continuous enhancement of the presence of Russian scientists in the global information space, including by increasing the number and quality of indexed scientific publications in the global scientometric databases Scopus / Web of Science Core Collection (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 26 July 2021, dated 19 July 2021).

Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, noted that the University solves this problem by, among other things, establishing publication requirements for candidates for positions of research and teaching staff during competitive procedures, as well as by including appropriate publication obligations in the employment contracts. The gradual introduction of publication requirements, given the difference in the initial position of the teams, has led to heterogeneous wording, both in terms of competition requirements and in the content of employment contracts.

It has therefore been decided to use a single framework for employment obligations regarding publications starting in 2022:

publish at least N scientific publications indexed in WoS CC / RSCI / Scopus during the term of the contract

publish at least N scientific publications indexed in WoS CC / RSCI / Scopus in relevant journals annually

publish at least N scientific publications in a foreign language in relevant journals

publish at least N scientific monographs in a foreign language

The level of journals will be determined based on the proposals submitted by the deans and directors.

Based on the minimum qualification requirements for competitive procedures, Vladimir Eremeev informed of the plans to harmonise the obligations in employment contracts with academic staff over the next two years. This means that the obligations in employment contracts will also change quantitatively and qualitatively.

Furthermore, Order № 11427/1 ‘On regulations governing the payment of bonuses for publication activity to the academic staff of St Petersburg University’ is currently under review and is to be amended in 2022 to rank publications according to their citation rate to increase the significance of this indicator.

Meetings with the public, meetings of heads of the academic and research subdivisions with heads of departments, representatives of student councils and trade unions

The discussion again focused on the need to hold regular meetings with the heads of departments, student councils and trade unions in the faculties and institutes, as well as the issue of keeping accurate minutes of such meetings. This issue has been addressed several times at the Rector’s meetings (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 25 October 2021). However, not all heads of the academic and research subdivisions gave it proper attention. Following the last reminder of the importance of these meetings in October, the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, the Dean of the Faculty of Philology, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the Director of the Institute of History have followed these instructions closely. The Director of the Institute of Earth Sciences, the Dean of the Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty and the Dean of the Faculty of Economics have also been commended for their work in this direction.

At the same time, Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, noted that even though the majority of the academic and research subdivisions hold meetings with the student councils, they do not pay enough attention to discussing the problems with the trade union representatives. For example, there have been no meetings between the trade unions and the members of the Faculties of Foreign Languages, Arts, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty of Law in the last two months. There have been no meetings or minutes of such meetings with the heads of departments and the deans of the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical technologies does not hold these meetings at all, and the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science has held only one meeting (with students) in the last two months. Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, remarked that such meetings may have been held, but they had not been minuted. He reminded that the minutes are necessary not for a tick-box, but, above all, to enable anyone to analyse the published materials. This analysis provides heads of subdivisions and university members with essential and timely information for prompt decision-making (including managerial decisions), responding promptly to emerging problems, and taking appropriate measures to solve them. The accessibility of the minutes of the meetings and the agenda of the issues discussed, which are openly published on the website of St Petersburg University, emphasises the unity and transparency of the University. Unfortunately, there have been situations where ill-considered promises or comments made by heads of academic departments at meetings with citizens, staff members and students have had negative consequences for the entire University.

As an example, Vladimir Eremeev reminded of the situation with the ill-considered statement regarding the volunteers made by the First Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics. The situation was promptly resolved by Professor Otar Margania, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, who had read the minutes of the meeting. Appropriate measures were taken, which resolved the conflict and allowed the faculty member to be retained in the team (Is it true that the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Economics called volunteers ’squalid’?)

Vladimir Eremeev reminded that the staff of the Department for documentation procedures (including keeping minutes or audio recordings of all meetings) should be responsible for the information and documentation support of the heads of the academic and research subdivisions of the Organisation Division of the Rector. It is their professional skills and abilities that determine both the accuracy and promptness of the processing of documents and the efficiency of assistance to the head of the subdivision in organising his/her work.

The need for continuity in supporting the activities of the managers necessitates the rotation of staff within the unit, especially during periods of leave and temporary incapacity for work. Given that the number of staff in the department carrying out such work generally corresponds to the number of heads of the academic and research subdivisions, the option of moving staff within the department to support the activities of the heads of subdivisions seems to be the most appropriate.

At the end of September, a transfer of staff from this department was organised between the School of International Relations and the Faculty of Political Science of St Petersburg University. Despite the deans’ concerns, the feedback on the staff’s performance at the end of the two months was entirely positive. Moreover, each of the deans solicited extra bonuses for the staff. The participants of the meeting (Leon Petrosian, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes, Anatoly Puyu, Director of the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Ivan Uralov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and others) were positive about such transfers of staff in the Organisation Division.

Based on this positive experience, the administration of the Organisation Division has decided to continue the progressive rotation of staff in other academic subdivisions with plans to implement this work by July 2022.

The ’Development Area’ and the innovative science and technology centre the ’Neva Delta’

Nikita Yaveyn, Chief Architect of the Area Development area of St Petersburg University Development and Head of the Architectural bureau ‘Studio 44’, spoke at the Rector’s meeting. He presented a video about the project, which had previously been presented to the St Petersburg University Board of Trustees (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 30 November 2021). From the very beginning of the project, at the stage of drafting technical assignments, the University invited feedback from staff and students (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 14 October 2019, 21 October 2019, 28 October 2019). More than 1,000 comments were received, and more than 80% of them have been incorporated.

Nikita Yaveyn stressed that the designers started with traditional space organisation schemes, but as a result of interaction with the heads of the University’s academic and research subdivisions and services, they had come up with a decision to create open frameworks. Virtually all buildings and facilities in the Area of St Petersburg University Development can be transformed, growing sideways and upwards to meet the changing and expanding needs of the university’s students and staff.

Nikita Yaveyn answered questions from the meeting participants in full detail and explained the functional features of the buildings and facilities, tailored to the needs and demands of the members of the various University teams.

Ivan Uralov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and others, inquired how the new facilities would respond to the northern weather (snow, rain, cold), how convenient the communication between the buildings would be, what internal transport and buildings for the humanities would look like. Nikita Yaveyn explained that the development area would have two main avenues and several side streets, each building would be different in design depending on its functionality and purpose, all laboratories and academic buildings would be connected by covered passages, pedestrian zones, bicycle paths, and electric transportation facilities would be provided as well.

Housing will be done in phases, taking into account the opinions of the teaching and research staff of the subdivisions. The development area will host laboratory buildings for 14,000 students and academic buildings for 16,000 students. The historic buildings of the University will continue to serve as university premises, which has also been taken into account in the planning of future work.

Irina Balova, Director of the Institute of Chemistry, then asked about the capacity of the halls of residence (considering that the first residents to move in will be the members of the natural sciences subdivisions from Peterhof). Nikita Yaveyn replied that the development area is expected to house about 30,000 students and guests (in halls of residence and hotels), and 500 more students of the Academic Gymnasium. The halls of residence will be built together with the laboratories and academic facilities. The first students to be settled there will be the students of those institutes and faculties that will be the first to start work.

Petr Iablonskii, Vice-Rector for Medical Care, asked about the special premises, the underground space, and access roads for transporting medical equipment and materials. Nikita Yaveyn explained that the clinic would be built as a public-private partnership project. A reserve land plot of 15 hectares in the north of the development area will be used to build a medical clinic, a cryogenic centre, and a vivarium. The development area (apart from the pedestrian zones) will have a special ’loading street’ that will provide access for freight transport to each building and the service lifts.

Leon Petrosian, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes, voiced concerns that the large sloped roofs of the buildings are not functional in winter (they can accumulate snow and ice). Nikita Yaveyn explained that these buildings (whose roofs face south) will be using special technology, tested at Skolkovo, for heating. The snow will not accumulate, but constantly melt and trickle down.

Igor Tikhonovich, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, asked about the construction of a greenhouse for genetic experiments and the provision of clean air for biological laboratories. Nikita Yaveyn explained that greenhouses had not been planned at the first stage of the project, but there are spare areas of about 10 hectares to build greenhouses and experimental fields. Architects and engineers at Studio 44 have experience in ensuring clean air, and they designed buildings for the Almazov National Medical Research Centre. The architects will do the same for each of the buildings following the technical specifications for each facility.

Professor Robert Evarestov asked why the development area envisaged a library building for storing only 3.8 million items. Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector, explained that this figure was calculated as a result of an analysis of the current demand for the library collection and was agreed with the directors of the institutes and deans of the faculties. Part of the library collection will remain in the Twelve Colleges building and in the branch departments in other historic buildings, where the University’s educational and research activities will continue. In addition, it also considers the requirements for book collection necessary for the accreditation of the University. Nikita Yaveyn added that the architects had been discussing this figure with the university staff for a year, and it had been changed more than once. Should the library require more space, the books may be stored in reserve facilities.

Abdulla Daudov, Director of the Institute of History, asked about the landscaping of the development area. Nikita Yaveyn gave an overview and showed on the major plan areas of landscaping: a park, a botanical garden, exhibition greenhouses, courtyards in the academic area, and a nearby city park of 30 hectares. He also noted that the area would have shrubs and lawns along the roads, and trees in the courtyards to name just a few.

Nikita Yaveyn also spoke about the infrastructure and transport schemes and spacial solutions, considering the specific requirements of the development area.