Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting | St Petersburg University

St Petersburg scientists developed new reagents

Chemists and biologists at St Petersburg University developed new reagents based on heterocyclic alkynes that enable fluorescent tags to be attached to biomolecules in a safe and reliable manner. The resulting substance will help to visualise processes in the cells and tissues of living organisms as well as study their dynamics in real-time mode. The results of their work are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The researchers use the technique allowing to ‘light up’ the molecules of interest, for example, proteins or DNA, with fluorescent colouring agents. This way, they become visible for screening systems when exposed to the light of a specific wavelength. Today, the SPAAC reactions are the most demanded and well-balanced. They can occur in living cells without causing any damage to them or being affected by living systems.

The researchers of St Petersburg University, headed by Irina Balova, Doctor of Chemistry, Director of the Institute of Chemistry, managed to synthesise fundamentally new reagents. They are distinguished by accessibility and balance between the reactive capacity in SPAAC and stability or tolerance to the environment and other agents (Scientists at St Petersburg University synthesise new reagents for attaching fluorescent dyes to living cell molecules).

At the Rector’s meeting, Irina Balova pointed out that the new reagents enable the researchers to examine molecular mechanisms of diseases and find effective methods of their treatment. Staff members of the Institute of Translational Biomedicine at St Petersburg University already proposed joint integration of the research results into practical activity. Igor Tikhonovich, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, said that biologists would also take an active part in this work. Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, already gave a task to Petr Iablonskii, Senior Vice-Rector for Medical Care, to contact other medical institutions in Russia with a proposal to integrate the new reagents in their practical work.

Irina Balova also praised the professionalism of the University press-service that rapidly prepared a newsletter and offered it for publication on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation and in mass media, which greatly contributed to spreading the information on the developments of the University scientists (mass media that published the news on the research include TASS.Science, and Scientific Russia to name just a few ).

Vaccination against COVID-19

The meeting participants once again discussed the process of vaccination against COVID-19. Over the past week, the number of vaccinated students who recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months or provided medical exemption certificates has slightly increased, showing a growth of 1.29 % (from 37.6 % to 38.89 %).

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

Area of study	Students with vaccination, past disease certificates, medical exemption certificates
Area of study	as of 24 December 2021,	as of 6 January 2022,	as of 14 January 2022,
Institute for Competition Development and Antimonopoly Regulation	91.67 %	91.67 %	91.67 %
Asian and African Studies	66.46 %	64.2 %	67.35 %
Institute of Chemistry	62.69 %	64.52 %	66.52 %
Physical Training (bachelor’s programme)	61.9 %	64.29 %	69.05 %
Biology	52.24 %	53.62 %	54.35 %
Medicine	51.15 %	51.48 %	51.86 %
Physics	50.88 %	52.17 %	52.97 %
Mathematics and Computer Science	47.42 %	48.58 %	49.76 %
Institute for Cognitive Studies	47.06 %	44.44 %	44.44 %
Philology	44.97 %	46.45 %	47.61 %
Institute of Pedagogy	44.34 %	45.54 %	46 %
Institute of Earth Sciences	42.99 %	43.73 %	45.87 %
Liberal Arts and Sciences	40.7 %	42.96 %	44.95 %
Mathematics and Mechanics	39.09 %	40.08 %	41.13 %
Psychology	38.87 %	40.21 %	41.46 %
Institute of History	38.64 %	39.41 %	40.47 %
Institute of Philosophy	38.54 %	39.93 %	41.13 %
Medical College	38.18 %	37.5 %	39.29 %
Control Processes	37.49 %	38.43 %	39.81 %
International Relations	35.43 %	35.94 %	36.8 %
Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	34.39 %	35.5 %	35.87 %
Management	31.13 %	32.23 %	34.11 %
Sociology	29.94 %	30.56 %	31.91 %
Political Science	29.07 %	30.52 %	31.96 %
Law	27.42 %	27.31 %	28.47 %
Economics	24.22 %	24.92 %	27.16 %
Arts	20.59 %	21.19 %	21.94 %
Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication	19.18 %	20.56 %	21.64 %
Physical Education (non-university level higher education, excluding out-of-age students)	17.95 %	19.07 %	21.21 %
Total	36.73 %	37.6 %	38.89 %
Growth	1.32 %	0.87 %	1.29 %

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

Subdivision	Total number of staff (full and part-time)	Vaccinated	Antibodies	Medical exemption	Percentage as of 14 January 2022
Academic Gymnasium	81	57	6	7	86.4 %
Faculty of Biology	326	277	20	6	92.9 %
Military Training Centre	34	29	3	2	100 %
Faculty of Asian and African Studies	150	125	11	10	97.3 %
Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication	119	89	13	10	94.1 %
Graduate School of Management	86	66	8	5	91.9 %
Institute of Earth Sciences	233	214	12	3	98.3 %
Institute of History	142	121	7	5	93.7 %
Institute for Cognitive Studies	14	12	1	1	100 %
Institute of Pedagogy	7	7	0	0	100 %
Institute for Competition Development and Antimonopoly Regulation	9	6	3	0	100 %
Institute of Philosophy	131	112	10	9	100 %
Institute of Chemistry	208	184	15	9	100 %
Department of Physical Training and Sports	53	41	5	7	100 %
College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology	78	59	8	7	94.9 %
Mathematics and Mechanics	329	254	24	4	85.7 %
Medical College	23	19	2	1	95.7 %
Faculty of Medicine	320	245	21	7	85.3 %
Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes	210	149	18	9	83.8 %
Faculty of Foreign Languages	299	208	29	19	85.6 %
Faculty of Arts	103	88	6	5	96.1 %
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science	117	93	3	1	82.9 %
School of International Relations	120	91	8	16	95.8 %
Faculty of Political Science	42	35	5	0	95.2 %
Faculty of Psychology	156	113	12	7	84.6 %
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences	88	68	4	0	81.8 %
Faculty of Sociology	91	69	6	5	87.9 %
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	90	54	17	2	81.1 %
Faculty of Physics	389	332	28	6	94.1 %
Faculty of Philology	455	352	44	23	92.1 %
Faculty of Economics	161	130	13	8	93.8 %
Faculty of Law	153	116	19	6	92.2 %
Total	4817	3815	381	200	91.3 %

As of 14 January, the percentage of vaccinated teachers in all academic and research subdivisions exceeded 80 % and in the majority of staff teams – 90 %. The overall number of the University employees vaccinated against COVID-19 exceeded 90 % in December. Currently, this number is 91.3 %.

However, a sufficient level of vaccination among teachers and staff should be reached to deliver on-campus classes in the new term. In the coming term, on-campus classes will be allowed only in those groups where the percentage of vaccinated teachers exceeds 80%, and the percentage of vaccinated students exceeds 40%. Currently, only 17 staff teams have reached these indicators so far. The remaining subdivisions, including those with the indicator exceeding 39 %, will deliver classes remotely. When the percentage of vaccinated students in the subdivision reaches 40 %, it will take from one to two weeks to develop a new timetable for on-campus classes.

At the Rector’s meeting, Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law, pointed out that the Student Council at the Faculty of Law published false information on their community webpage following the meeting with the Dean. Namely, it was published that even if the percentage of vaccinated students in a subdivision fails to reach 40 %, the classes will be delivered in a hybrid format. The rules of the social network do not permit editing the post, so commentaries with the correct information were added. However, the post had been viewed over 1,000 times by that time. After that, a new post with accurate information was published. The meeting participants underscored once again that the University students should be mindful about spreading the information about the University.

The heads of academic and research subdivisions have to continue explaining the need for vaccination to staff and students.

Current issues with organising the teaching and learning process

During the first working week in 2022, the Virtual Reception at St Petersburg University received 19 enquiries addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. There were 19 enquiries registered in the student enquiry register.

The enquiries covered various topics, including the following:

remote format of the winter interim assessment
clarifications of Order № 11399/1 dated 25 November 2021 ‘On the procedure of the interim assessment in the 2021/22 academic year’
the possibility of providing an academic leave
the possibility of receiving a diploma with honours from St Petersburg University
the refund in the case of expulsion, transfer and reinstatement in St Petersburg University
using the online invigilation system ‘Examus’ (the answers to these questions have been previously published): Why does St Petersburg University use an online invigilation system?; Will the online invigilation system be improved?; The efficiency of using the online invigilation system; On resitting an examination with the use of the online invigilation system; The use of the online invigilation system during tests and examinations; On invigilation during the interim assessments; How many students are expelled due to the online invigilation? Are the online invigilation rules the same at all universities?; On a failed examination or test with the use of the online invigilation system ; On the use of the online invigilation system during examinations )

The Virtual Reception at St Petersburg University received an enquiry on the refund in the case of expulsion for academic failure by a student enrolled for a government-funded place. Does this student have to reimburse the University for the period of studies (the scholarship or the cost of the academic term)? Do the same rules apply in the case of voluntary expulsion?

The response included the information on the process of allocating a state scholarship and terminating scholarship payments in the case of expulsion. It was also said that the scholarship payment terminates on the date of expulsion independent of the reason for such expulsion. At the same time, the previously paid scholarship amounts are not subject to return.

Additionally, it included the schedule of scholarship payments allocated by St Petersburg University that are paid before the fifth day of the month following the payment month. The links to Order № 1663 dated 27 December 2016 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and Provisions on the scholarship for students at St Petersburg University were included in the response.

Despite multiple clarifications and publication of information on the St Petersburg University portal, the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities once again received several enquiries from the students of History on the change of a hybrid format of the interim assessment to a remote format, including a collective enquiry from the students of one group (received on 10 January 2022). At the same time, as previously mentioned, Abdulla Daudov, Director of the Institute of History at St Petersburg University, held a meeting with the students on 29 December 2021. The Director of the Institute reminded the students that a hybrid format of classes had been established at St Petersburg University for the entire academic year of 2021/22 (Orders: Order № 7991/1 dated 13 August 2021 ‘On the format of academic classes in the 2021/22 academic year’, Order № 10732/1 dated 4 November 2021 ‘On the validity of Order № 7991/1 dated 13 August 2021 “On the format of academic classes in the 2021/22 academic year” starting 8 November 2021’, Order № 10733/1 dated 4 November 2021 ‘On the amendments to Order № 10732/1 dated 4 November 2021 “On the validity of Order № 7991/1 “On the format of academic classes in the 2021/22 academic year” dated 13 August 2021’ starting 8 November 2021, Order № 10734/1 dated 4 November 2021 ‘On introducing clarification to Order № 10732/1 dated 4 November 2021 “On the validity of Order № 7991/1 dated 13 August 2021 “On the format of academic classes in the 2021/22 academic year” starting 8 November 2021’).

The Director of the Institute clarified that the timetable of the interim assessment (from December 2021 to January 2022) was made taking into account the established rules, the specific nature of the teaching and learning process in the field of History and the timetable and health condition of the teaching staff at the Institute.

In this regard, the students were reminded once again about the need to consult with the official sources of St Petersburg University to learn about the format of classes and interim assessment: the University portal and the Minutes of the Rector's meetings. Besides, this information is regularly forwarded to the students’ corporate email addresses.

According to the heads of the majority of academic and research subdivisions, the winter interim assessment is conducted in due order following the timetable.

The dean of the School of International Relations reported about an enquiry from a student from Kazakhstan, who left Russia during the winter holidays and is currently concerned that she might not be able to come back or take the examinations with the use of information and communication technology due to the issues related to the Internet connection. The student enquired if she could have a personal timetable to take the examinations on different dates. The information on these issues has previously been published in the Virtual Reception of St Petersburg University (Information for the students currently located in Kazakhstan; Personal timetable of the interim assessment for the students currently located in Kazakhstan) and on the websites of the academic and research subdivisions.

The meetings with the representatives of the student councils were not held by some heads, while many subdivisions held such meetings.

At the meeting with the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biology, the Chairperson of the Student Council of the Faculty said that Vladimir Starostenko, Director of the Centre of E-Learning Development, sent a letter to the students of Biology clarifying the procedure of the interim assessment in online courses with the use of the online invigilation system (the ‘Examus’ platform). In this regard, there was no need to organise a separate meeting with Vladimir Starostenko anymore. According to the Chairperson of the Student Council at the Faculty of Biology, the students had no further questions on taking the tests with the use of the online invigilation system.

At the meetings with the heads of the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Sociology, the Institute of Philosophy, the School of International Relations, the need to continue raising awareness of vaccination and increasing the number of vaccinated students was discussed.

At the meeting with the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine with the Student Council representatives, the format of teaching and learning in the spring term was discussed. The Acting Dean clarified that on-campus classes would be permitted only in those staff teams where the percentage of vaccinated people will exceed 80% among academic staff and 40% among students.

At the meetings with the heads of the Faculty of Sociology, the Institute of Philosophy, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of International Relations, the issues of responsible attitude towards spreading the information on the students, colleagues, teachers and staff of St Petersburg University on social media was discussed. The Student Council representatives came to an understanding that the information published on social networks and mass media should be treated with caution. It was pointed out that everyone should remember about personal responsibility and understand that the spread of unverified, distorted and false information can cause serious damage to the University image as well as the reputation of the University staff and students.

At the meetings with the Student Council representatives, the heads of the Institute of History, the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Sociology, the Institute of Philosophy, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of International Relations discussed current issues with organising the teaching and learning process as well as current issues with conducting the interim assessment.

International, professional and public accreditations of the academic programmes at St Petersburg University

Conducting international and professional public accreditation of academic programmes is one of the main indicators of the independent quality assessment (expertise) and an important element of the quality control system in the sphere of education in general.

According to Elvira Zeletdinova, Vice-Rector for Academic Activities and Teaching Methods, international organisations recognised in the international educational space and acclaimed by the relevant professional areas at St Petersburg University were attracted to the independent assessment and quality control of the academic programmes in 2010–2020 to promote the academic programmes of St Petersburg University at the global educational market, attract international students and increase the demand in the University graduates at the international labour market. Since 2018, the indicator showing the number of academic programmes with international accreditation has been included in the list of target indicators of the St Petersburg University Development Programme. New forms and methods of accreditation are actively tested, for example, joint accreditation by Russian and international accreditation agencies, accreditation by mixed expert committees, accreditation by professional accreditation associations in a specific professional area.

The experience of interaction with accreditation organisations and the obtained recommendations on increasing the quality of accredited programmes enabled the University to use the criteria and principles of international quality standards, including the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), to develop an internal system of quality assessment indicators for the academic programmes at St Petersburg University as well as a system of management and monitoring of the quality of education (Appendix 1.1).

By the end of 2021, over 90 degree programmes at St Petersburg University had international accreditations by the leading European accreditation agencies; 3 academic and research subdivisions received international accreditations of institutional type: the Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Law and the Graduate School of Management with the three most prestigious institutional accreditations in the system of business education (‘triple crown’) (Appendix 1.2). 16 degree programmes also received professional and public accreditation during the same time period.

To compare, see below the statistics on the accreditation of the Russian universities as of the end of 2021 according to the data from open sources:

	International	Professional and public	Institutional (the university in general or the academic and research subdivisions)
St Petersburg University	90	16	5 (in 3 academic and research subdivisions)
The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)	45	-	-
Higher School of Economics	25	15	-
Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration	2	7	2 (in 1 academic and research subdivision)
Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University	30	30	-
ITMO University	5	5	-
Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia	preparation for international accreditation in 25 academic programmes	13	-

According to Elvira Zeletdinova, Lomonosov Moscow State University is only starting systematic work on conducting accreditations. Based on the available information, conducting international accreditations is one of the priorities at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Elvira Zeletdinova added that the essence and value of the professional and public accreditation are defined in Article 96 of the Law of the Russian Federation ‘On education in the Russian Federation’: professional and public accreditation admits the quality and level of the training of the graduates that meets the requirements of professional standards as well as the labour market to specialists, workers and officers of the relevant profile. The professional and public accreditation of the academic programmes by an organisation on the list created by the authorised federal body of executive authority is taken into consideration when forming the rankings of the academic programmes accredited by these organisations stating the university, where they are implemented. It is also taken into account in the procedures of distributing control numbers of students to be admitted to government-funded places.

In 2021, 6 academic programmes in two academic and research subdivisions at St Petersburg University successfully passed professional and public accreditation and received relevant certificates for a maximum period of validity: the Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication (the bachelor’s programmes in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations; the master’s programmes in Media Communication, International Journalism) and the Faculty of Economics (the bachelor’s programme in Business Informatics, the master's programme in Business Information Analysis) (Appendix 2).

The Plan for professional and public accreditations at St Petersburg University in 2022–2024 and the Plan for international accreditations in 2022-2023 have been developed to guide further activity based on the list of the high priority specialities and fields of training from the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of admission and admission quotas, and following the proposals by the heads of the academic and research subdivisions.

Currently, applications to conduct accreditations of academic programmes in 2022 have been sent. The requirements (task orders) to the participants of the competition for accrediting agencies have been prepared and approved.

The next stage is related to the activity of the working groups in accrediting each declared academic programme. In this regard, the deans and directors will be requested to suggest candidates for the working groups, whose members will receive all the required documentation from the accrediting organisations and attend briefing webinars. The staff of the Academic Programmes Division consult the working group members and coordinate interactions with the representatives of accreditation agencies. The heads of the academic and research subdivisions, chairpersons of the teaching methodology committees and the heads of the divisions and offices should provide all the necessary help and provide all the documents required for the accreditation procedure when contacted by the heads of the working groups. Besides, the heads of the academic and research subdivisions should supervise the attendance of the meetings and interviews by the research and academic staff, since they are a part of the accreditation procedure.

The participants of the Rector’s meeting discussed the issues of organising institutional accreditation of separate academic and research subdivisions and the University as a whole. Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies Tatiana Chernigovskaya asked about the algorithm of conducting accreditation of the academic programmes and institutional accreditation as well as about the possibility to take into account the results of the accreditation of the academic programmes at the Institute for Cognitive Studies performed during the time, when these programmes were a part of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Vice-Rector Elvira Zeletdinova answered the questions of the colleagues and promised to provide detailed information on the accreditation procedure for academic programmes and on the institutional accreditation within a week’s time.

Violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation, local regulation of St Petersburg University, employment agreements and other documents by students and staff at St Petersburg University

During October-December 2021, violations of the by-laws of St Petersburg University by 57 students were recorded (October – 30, November – 13, December – 14).

The following numbers of violations were recorded across the academic levels: secondary professional training – 19; bachelor’s and specialist’s programmes – 34; master’s programmes – 2; non-degree programmes – 2.

The following numbers of violations were recorded in the fields of study: Physical Education (a non-university level higher education) – 19, Psychology – 16, History – 3, Mathematics and Mechanics – 3, Applied Mathematics and Control Processes – 3, Chemistry – 3, Law – 3, Political Science – 2, Arts – 1, Geology – 1, Philology – 1, Philosophy – 1, Economics – 1.

Types of violations:

drinking high-alcohol and low-alcohol beverages, appearing in public under drug or alcohol intoxication – 9
disturbing at night time – 9
smoking indoors and on the premises of St Petersburg University – 4
violating the requirements to treat fixed and mobile assets in the halls of residence at St Petersburg University with care, keep personal and public living space clean and neat – 2
violating the rule of wearing masks – 15
voluntary relocation from one room to another in the halls of residence of St Petersburg University – 2
making noise at night, inviting third persons into the halls of residence, offering accommodation to third persons – 3
violating the requirements of the epidemiological regime and recommendations of the doctor; violating self-isolation regime – 4
taking third persons into the halls of residence, violating access control – 3
violating the requirements to be polite and respect the dignity of other people – 1
failing to pay for accommodation and utility services – 8

Following these violations, 36 students were informed of disciplinary measures (27 admonitions and nine reprimands).

Knowing that an order on his expulsion is being considered by the Student Council of St Petersburg University, a student submitted a request on voluntary expulsion and was expelled within the time frame determined by the law.

Sets of documents for the announcement of disciplinary measures have been prepared for 20 students. Currently, the documentation is being considered by the Student Council of St Petersburg University. Upon receiving the opinion of the Student Council of St Petersburg University, the orders on disciplinary action will be issued.

Besides, from 1 October 2021 to 13 January 2022, 43 students were imposed disciplinary action for violations committed before October 2021: 20 admonitions were announced, 14 reprimands were made, 9 students were expelled. Knowing that an order on their expulsion was being considered by the Student Council of St Petersburg University, two students submitted a request on voluntary expulsion and were expelled within the time frame determined by the law.

Aleksandr Babich, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Admissions, noted that during the period under consideration, the Student Council of St Petersburg University offered to lighten the disciplinary measures even in the cases of severe disciplinary violations. The Student Council considered the question on 33 enquiries for over a month and on 13 enquiries – for over two months.

Several examples were given. Being under alcoholic intoxication, a student of Law virtually ruined the room in a hall of residence. The Student Council of St Petersburg University was offered a disciplinary measure in the form of expulsion for this violation, but the Student Council proposed that the student should be issued a reprimand. Taking into account the opinion of the Student Council of St Petersburg University, the student was issued a reprimand. However, only one week later, the student committed a similar violation. The Student Council of St Petersburg University was offered once again to impose a disciplinary measure in the form of expulsion. The Student Council of St Petersburg University considered the enquiry in no more than 10 days. At the same time, the order cannot be issued without the opinion of the Student Council of St Petersburg University and will be considered illegal otherwise. The student submitted a request of voluntary expulsion. This request had to be considered within three workdays. The student was expelled following his request.

A student of Physics, who already had several disciplinary punishments in the course of his studies at the University, also caused damage to the property of students and the University while under alcoholic intoxication. Taking into account that this violation is not the first one of this particular student, the Student Council of St Petersburg University offered a disciplinary measure in the form of expulsion. The Student Council of St Petersburg University considered the enquiry in no more than 20 days. The student left the University voluntarily (transferred to a different university).

A student of History was held administratively liable by the police for violating public order and drinking alcohol in the territory of St Petersburg University. Taking into account the severity of the violation, the Student Council was offered a disciplinary measure in the form of expulsion. The Student Council of St Petersburg University considered the enquiry in less than 10 days. The student left the University voluntarily.

In this regard, the participants of the Rector’s meeting discussed the ways of preventing similar cases of evading responsibility by students. One of the offers was to take into account the priority of the reasons for expulsion. If the disciplinary measure of expulsion for violating public order was suggested first, then the second reason for expulsion (leaving voluntarily) should not be considered as a later one. It was also suggested that the issues of expulsion should be discussed at the meeting of the Student Council of the relevant subdivision rather than at the meeting of the Student Council of St Petersburg University to speed up the process. Besides, it was suggested that a specific time frame should be given for the Student Council to consider the draft of the order and voice their opinion.

Aleksandr Babich underscored that the students continue to submit enquiries, including the Virtual Reception of St Petersburg University that some students get together in groups, drink alcoholic beverages and make noise at night in the halls of residence, make other violations of internal regulations, disturb other students in taking rest or preparing for classes. The students, who are disturbed by the noise and illegal conduct of their neighbours, call the police. At the same time, the students, who are disturbed by the illegal conduct of other students, either turn to the University staff or to the law enforcement authorities. There is no information on the cases when such students turn to other students of St Petersburg University for help.

According to Aleksandr Babich, students should also work on protecting the rights and legal interests of students both as a preventive measure and as a contribution to stopping illegal conduct. Only joint work can contribute to the development of the University corporate culture that excludes illegal conduct and violation of rights and legal interests of the University staff and students.

Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies, enquired if these students have an idea of the standards of conduct. She suggested that a special academic discipline in communication ethics should be developed and introduced as an obligatory subject for all first-year students. The Rector reminded that St Petersburg University has the right to hold additional entrance tests, but does not do it. There is a possibility to organise such entrance tests in the form of an interview in a remote format similar to the practice at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Alla Shaboltas, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, emphasised that clear criteria for assessing applicants’ knowledge and skills should be developed in this case. Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies, and Abdulla Daudov, Director of the Institute of History, expressed readiness to hold additional entrance tests in a distant format. Directors and deans were requested to submit their proposals on this issue.

According to Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, 22 violations by the staff at St Petersburg University were recorded during the fourth quarter of 2021. By way of comparison, 25 violations were recorded during the similar period in 2020. Some violations are recurrent, for example, smoking on the premises of the University regularly discovered by the staff of the access control and security division. Based on the submitted acts, the violators were requested to provide explanations. Upon considering the explanations, admonitions were issued to Alla Shashkova, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philology, and Aleksandr Iakovlev, Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Asian and African Studies.

Reprimands for being absent at the working place without a reasonable excuse was issued to Ms Kalinina, Engineer of the Department for Technical Support of Academic Programmes, and Mr Rozhkov, Specialist on occupational safety of the Department for Occupational and Life Safety and Civil Defence.

Due to the violations of the anti-epidemic regime detected during regular inspections by the committees on mask regime observation, Irina Zaichuk, Teaching Methodology Specialist of the Academic Affairs Department, and Mr Lavrov, Assistant Professor of the Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty were punished.

The staff of the University Security Department drew a report that Mr Tribunskikh, Engineer of the Department for Technical Support of Academic Programmes, opened a service room with a copy of the original key. The examination revealed that Engineer Tribunskikh has no access to this room due to the absence of operational needs. He did not have to perform any work there. Taking into account all the circumstances, Mr Tribunskikh, Engineer of the Department for Technical Support of Academic Programmes, was issued an admonition.

Officials of St Petersburg University are also held liable for failing to perform their duties in a proper way. Claims to the results of work performed by Mikhail Kudilinsky, Vice-Rector for Economic Development, were mentioned in two orders. One of the orders contains an admonition to Dmitry Gryaznov, Acting Deputy Rector for Security.

The examination revealed that Ms Gavrikova, Individual Entrepreneur, took fixed assets (equipment) beyond the territory of St Petersburg University without proper inspection of the supporting documents. Following the investigation results, Mr Marunin, Shift Manager of the Second Guard Section, was issued an admonition.

Based on the spontaneous check of the operation of the fire safety department, it was found out that Nikolai Kukharuk, Head of the Fire Safety Department, failed to supervise the performance of obligatory fire safety training of staff in a due and timely manner. He was issued an admonition for that.

Upon receiving information from the Deputy Senior Vice-Rector for Event Management and Partner Relations that Ms Serova, Specialist of the Department for Event Management and Partner Relations, repeatedly failed to perform her job duties, an inspection was performed, and explanations were requested from the worker. Following the inspection, the information was confirmed and Specialist Mr Serova was issued an admonition.

Unfortunately, teachers of the University also occasionally violate work discipline. Thus, upon checking the information from a group of students, it was following the inspection, it was confirmed that Nadezhda Miliutenko, Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Russia from Ancient Times to the 20th Century, failed to deliver classes in two groups violating the established timetable. She explained that it was caused by technical issues with the Internet. However, in this case, she should warn the students and staff of the relevant Academic Office, which was not done.

Vladimir Eremeev underscored that any information on a possible violation from any source is considered and checked. Following the examination, a decision is made taking into account the severity of the violation, the circumstances and previous conduct of the workers and their attitude to work.

Using personal protection means on the premises of St Petersburg University

The committees on checking compliance with the requirements on the use of personal protection means by the students and staff at St Petersburg University continue their work at the University. According to Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources, only from 20 December to 30 December 2021, 266 inspections were conducted, and 20 violations of the mask regime were found. The committee members talked to the violators explaining the need to wear personal protection means.

During the autumn of 2020, 37 students and 16 workers were imposed disciplinary measures in the form of an admonition. Five episodes are still under investigation.

Currently, 20 committees covering all the academic and research subdivisions of the University operate at the University. The members of the committees were approved by Order № 7541/1 dated 31 August 2020 (with further changes and additions). Following the suggestions of the student councils of the academic and research subdivisions, students were included in the committees. At the same time, since the beginning of the academic year, student councils of the academic and research subdivisions provided no additional candidates to be included in the committees on checking compliance with the mask regime despite the need to attract students to this task. Once again, at the meeting of the Student Council of St Petersburg University on 10 December 2021, Aleksandr Babich, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Admissions, suggested that the Student Council members propose specific candidates to become members of the committees. However, no such proposals have been received from the student councils of the academic and research subdivisions so far.

Vladimir Eremeev noted that the analysis of reports by the heads of the committees shows that students took an active part in 100 % of inspections only in two committees; the number of students ranges from 20 to 50 % in four committees more; in the remaining committees students take virtually no part. Thus, for example, the committee on checking compliance with the mask regime at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes includes three students (the largest representation so far). However, despite all the requests from the head of the committee to take part in the inspection, the students did not respond.

The inspections on compliance with the mask regime are performed not only by the committees, but also following the requests of the staff and other persons. It was noted that if the Trade Union of the University employees, the Students’ Trade Union and the student councils start to perform such inspections themselves and provide the administration with the acts of the inspections on compliance with the mask regime, these documents will certainly be considered and relevant decisions will be taken.

St Petersburg University is the winner of Open online international student Olympiads in 2021

The students of St Petersburg University successfully participated in a number of prestigious intellectual competitions, receiving seven gold, five silver and six bronze awards. To express gratitude for active participation, the organising committee of the competition took the decision on conferring the University with an honorary title of the winner of the Open international student Internet Olympiads in 2021.

According to Aleksandr Babich, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Admissions, Vladimir Kasianov, Maksim Kim and Daria Maltseva received gold medals for victory in the final stage of the Olympiad in the History of Russia. Altana Bazarzhapova and Maria Maksimova were recognised as the best in the Olympiad in the Russian Language, while Elena Kochetkova and Iaroslav Shakarian – in Sociology.

The second degree diploma was given to Kseniia Krutko (the History of Russia); Ekaterina Kovalenko, Anastasiia Khizhun, Tatiana Samukova and Lev Cherpunov (the Russian Language). The third place was taken by Maksim Kim and Kseniia Krutko (Cultural Studies); Nina Romanova and Elizaveta Dolgintseva (the Russian Language); Anna Shapovalova (Sociology) and Anastasiia Prokofeva (Law).

Open international student Internet Olympiads have been held in educational institutions of the Russian Federation and other countries in a distant format since 2008. Over one hundred students from Belgium, Hungary, Georgia, Israel, China, Poland, Romania, Estonia and other countries take part in them. Students can take part in the Olympiads in 17 fields: Sociology, Ecology, Cultural Studies, Russian Language, History of Russia, Philosophy, Pedagogy, Law, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, Economics, Statistics, Theoretical Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Projective Geometry and Engineering Graphics. Intellectual competitions are held in two stages: at first, the participants solve problems as part of computer testing, while the final stage is held on the platform of the main universities (St Petersburg University has been one of them since 2010) with the online streaming on the Internet or in an online format with the use of the online invigilation system.

Previously, St Petersburg University was announced the winner of the Open international Internet Olympiads in 2016.

All-Russia conference in natural sciences and the humanities with international participation ‘Science at St Petersburg University – 2021’

On 28 December, the All-Russia conference in natural sciences and the humanities with international participation ‘Science at St Petersburg University – 2021’ took place.

To take part in the conference, 907 participants, including co-authors, submitted abstracts of their reports for the conference, including 332 people in natural and exact sciences and 575 people in social sciences and the humanities. Overall, 815 reports were presented, including 308 in the section of the natural and exact sciences and 506 in the section of social sciences and the humanities. 843 participants are affiliated with St Petersburg University. Registered participants include 40 international citizens. 47 participants have double affiliation: St Petersburg University and another institution in the Russian Federation (16 participants in the section of natural and exact sciences; 31 participants in the section of social sciences and the humanities).

During the conference, 10 plenary presentations were made.

In the section of natural and exact sciences:

Splines and wavelets (Yuri Demyanovich, Professor in the Department of Parallel Algorithms)
Reduction of the glaciers in Altai after the maximum point of the Little Ice Age (Dmitry Ganyushkin, Professor in the Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Design)
Metal-catalysed domino reactions for the synthesis of heterocyclical compounds with useful properties (Nikolai Rostovskii, Associate Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry)
Modern achievements in treating osteoporosis in elderly people (Sergei Mazurenko, Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine Propaedeutics)
Work principles of the brain systems providing for cognitive activity on the example of the mental lexicon problem (Maksim Kireev, Professor in the Institute for Cognitive Studies)

In the section of social sciences and the humanities:

Digital vigilantism in Russia: values, behavioural patterns and gender dimension (Anna Volkova, Professor in the Department of Political Governance)
Medicine in Leningrad during the Siege: inventions and discoveries (Vladimir Vasilik, Professor in the Department of the History of Slavic and Balkan Countries)
Digital transformation of the higher education system in Russia: tomorrow has arrived today (Ilia Vasilyev, Associate Professor in the Department of Theory and History of State and Law)
Assessment of the reader’s experience in cognitive studies (Daria Chernova, Senior Research Associate of the Institute for Cognitive Studies)
Observations on the reconstruction, repair and restoration of the interiors in the Museum of Vladimir Nabokov (Vladimir Torbik, Associate Professor in the Department of Restoration)

Upon completion of the plenary sessions, each section held meetings in the form of stand presentations and free discussion. 299 people took part in the sections, including the following: 115 people in the section of natural and exact sciences, 184 people in the section of social sciences and the humanities.

To create an electronic collection of presentations, the organising committee of the conference sent e-mails to the addresses of the conference participants with a request to provide conference materials to be further sent for expert assessment and included in the final collection of papers upon the results of the expert assessment. As of the morning of 14 January 2021, 117 materials out of 815 have been received for further publication in the collection of papers. Collection of the materials will continue till 20 January 2022.

Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research, noted that after publishing the reports in the conference materials, it would be possible to analyse if the requirements on testing the results of the research (creative) activity have been completed by the supervisors of doctoral students and the heads of master’s programmes in the national conference. Those conference participants, whose presentations will not be published in the collection of papers, will not be able to act as supervisors of doctoral and master’s students.

Following the discussion of the issues, it was decided that the next conference ‘Science at St Petersburg University – 2022’ will be held in autumn and will be dedicated to the University Teacher Day. The information on the next conference should be sent out at least one month in advance.

Meeting with the heads of the Russian Research Foundation grants supported following the results of the grant competition

At the Rector’s meeting on 6 December 2021, the results of St Petersburg University participation in the grant competition of the Russian Science Foundation were discussed. It was noted that the grant conditions of the Russian Science Foundation were changed significantly becoming stricter in the part of goals, on which the grant funding can be spent. There are a lot of entry-level staff, including assistants and even an engineer, among the grant winners at St Petersburg University. Then, a decision was made that the Vice-Rector for Research would organise a meeting with the competition participants (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 6 December 2021).

On 20 December 2021, a meeting with the directors of grants from the Russian Science Foundation took place following the results of the competition in 2021 to receive support in the priority direction of the Russian Science Foundation ‘Conducting basic scientific and exploratory research by small separate research teams’.

According to Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research, the meeting that lasted about three hours was attended by about 100 participants. Vadim Kukushkin, Member of the Expert Council on the Presidential Programme of the Russian Science Foundation, Coordinator of the ‘Chemistry’ direction, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at St Petersburg University, was invited to the meeting.

At the meeting, the participants were provided with the information on the structure of the office for coordinating and supervising grants and scientific awards of the Research Department that submits applications for grant competitions and supervises current grants. The information on the persons responsible for supervising projects of the Russian Science Foundation and on the location and working hours of the office was also provided. General information on the conditions of implementing grants, the procedure of signing agreements, the formation of staff teams and employment of the project executors, the allowed allocation of grant funds, the peculiarities of compensation for research publications and business trips from the grant funds as well as other information that can be useful to the grant holders was provided.

Professor Kukushkin took an active part in the discussion, pointing out a number of issues related to preparing and paying for the publications from the funds of the Russian Science Foundation. In particular, he commented on the position of the Russian Science Foundation on the peculiarities related to paying for the publications from the funds of the Russian Science Foundation, as well as on the impossibility of the Russian Science Foundation to accept the research articles as part of the reporting documentation if such articles were officially accepted for publication before the date of entering into the project agreement. These issues caused a heated discussion at the meeting.

Overall, over 50 questions were asked at the meeting. The majority of questions were related to the rules of using project funds as well as the issues of forming the teams of executors, concluding employment agreements and taking part in the conferences using the project funds.

Following the meeting results, the directors of the project were sent e-mails with the algorithm of actions of the director of the Russian Science Foundation project on organising project work, as well as the required samples of documents to form the research teams and allocate a room for project work and other administrative information.

Application for the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences is open

On 18 December 2021, the Russian Academy of Sciences published the information on their official website on launching the campaign on conferring the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2022 following the list of vacancies approved by Order № 185 of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated 7 December 2021.

The Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences is an honorary title conferred by the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences for scientific achievements at the national or international level and active participation in implementing the main tasks and functions of the Academy. The title was established in 2015. It is conferred to Russian scientists under 50 years old, who perform research and academic activity in various fields of knowledge, are doctors of sciences, and are not current members of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The right to suggest candidates for the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences is given to the members and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Academic Councils of research and (or) educational institutions of higher education. Candidates for the conferment of the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences can be suggested only in one section.

Candidates for the conferment of the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences have to do the following:

register on the website, fill in the questionnaire on the website, attach electronic copies of the required documents and click the ‘Submit’ button
send the documents in an envelope with the note ‘The Documents of a candidate for the conferment of the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ to the following address: Office 109, Zone B5, 32a Leninskii Prospect, Moscow 119991 (expedition)

The documents are accepted daily from 9 am to 4 pm except for weekends and holidays from 20 December 2021 through 31 January 2022. Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research, emphasised that the hard copy of the application should be submitted for registration in the Russian Academy of Sciences no later than 31 January 2022 independently on the day of shipment.

The list of documents required for participation in the competition is published on the website of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Since the members and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences have the right to suggest candidates for the title of the Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidates from St Petersburg University can be suggested only based on the recommendation of the members and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The application should include the following:

recommendation of the candidate with an explanation (including the motivational part about the candidate) signed by a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (a member or a corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
a copy of the employment record book approved in a due manner (a hard copy); it can be received from the specialists of the relevant human resources office
a list of research papers provided in a free form by the candidate with the candidate’s signature, preferably, in chronological order from the most recent to the oldest with continuous numbering; following the recommendations of the Russian Academy of Sciences: ‘It is also preferred that the list of research papers (in hard copy) is signed by the academic secretary (secretary of the Academic Council) and stamped with an official stamp of the organisation. The research papers include articles in reviewed scientific journals, monographs, study books and materials’; the printed copy of the research papers should be signed by academic secretaries of academic councils at the institutes/faculties of St Petersburg University

The answers to frequently asked questions are available here.

Preparation of the materials for the Russian Academy of Sciences: continuation

According to Article 7, Federal Law of the Russian Federation № 253-FZ dated 27 September 2013 ‘On the Russian Academy of Sciences...’, the Russian Academy of Sciences presents an annual report on the implementation of national research and technical policy in the country and on the most important achievements of Russian scientists to the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation. St Petersburg University provides the information on the most prominent achievements of the year for the Russian Academy of Sciences based on the proposals from the chairpersons of the relevant scientific committees.

The participants of the Rector’s meeting on 27 December considered the results of preparing the documentation to be sent to the Russian Academy of Sciences for the report to the President of the Russian Federation (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 27 December 2021). Following the meeting results and to check the work of the chairpersons of scientific committees, the Rector requested that Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research, should send the information requests to the chairpersons of scientific committees of 2021 to the addresses of directors and deans, while the following mails with similar requests should be forwarded not only to the representatives of scientific committees, but also to the directors and deans.

Based on the order of the Vice-Rector for Research, the Head of the Research Support Service sent letters with the required documentation to the addresses of the directors and deans on 27 December. The uploaded documentation shows when an administrative staff member sent requests to the chairpersons of scientific committees and staff of the academic and research subdivisions. Besides, every director and dean were sent the documentation with a report of the relevant chairperson of the scientific committee, including a screenshot.

Already on 28 December, directors and deans sent additional information on the most important research results by research teams of St Petersburg University to be included in the report of St Petersburg University for the Russian Academy of Sciences:

In the field of physiology and fundamental medicine – ‘Addition of Ramucirumab or Merestinib to First-Line Chemotherapy in Local or Metastatic Cancer of Biliary Tract Cancer: Randomised Double Blind Multicentre Study of Phase 2’ from Ivan Pchelin, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
in the field of cognitive science – ‘International Project in Studying Oculomotor Activity When Reading in Different Languages of the World’ and ‘Brain as a Semiotic System: Convergence of Neuroscience and the Humanities’ from Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies
in the field of social sciences – ‘Personalisation of Education under the Conditions of Digital Transformation of the Society’ from Elena Kazakova, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy

The provided documentation was included in the list of documents from St Petersburg University and sent to the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Unfortunately, the information on the most important scientific achievements made in 2021 by the specialists of the Department of Fundamental Problems of Medicine and Medical Technology from Iurii Shcherbuk, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies, was provided only on 30 December and only in the form of a list. A brief resume of the documentation covering every research project on the front page following the recommendations of the Russian Academy of Sciences was not provided. For this reason, this information was not forwarded to the address of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Work of the St Petersburg University Representative Offices in 2022

Despite the restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, it was possible to maintain the positive momentum in 2021 and organise more than 45 events as part of the activities of St Petersburg University representative offices abroad. More than 130 events were organised jointly with international partners during the operation period of the St Petersburg University representative offices in other countries.

Specifically, in order to develop bilateral relations, promote Russian higher education, science, culture and the Russian language abroad, the representative offices established in the Republic of Korea (Seoul), the People’s Republic of China (Harbin), Spain (Barcelona), Italy (Siena, Bologna), the Hellenic Republic (Thessaloniki), Turkey (Ankara) and Germany (Berlin) held public events; cultural activities with the participation of professors, students and graduates of St Petersburg University; career guidance activities aimed at attracting international students to study at St Petersburg University; teaching Russian as a foreign language (webinars, classes, Olympiads, test sessions); and scientific events with leading St Petersburg University scholars to name just a few.

Monitoring of international activities at St Petersburg University in 2021 demonstrated positive dynamics in the number of international students from the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, Italy, Spain and Turkey, who were trained in academic programmes of St Petersburg University. The timely switch to a distance learning of scientific, educational and cultural events allowed to attract a greater number of both Russian and international experts to participate in the events held as part of the activities of St Petersburg University representative offices. On average, 60-80 people participated in each event.

Sergey Andryushin, Deputy Rector for International Affairs, outlined the most significant events that took place as part of the representative office activities over the past year.

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in the People’s Republic of China

During the work of the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Harbin, established in 2018, a number of events were held. The activities included: scientific events with the invitation of leading scientists of St Petersburg University and Harbin Institute of Technology; public events aimed at promoting and popularising St Petersburg University’s scientific and educational activities; and career guidance events aimed at attracting international citizens to study at St Petersburg University to name just a few.

About 15 events jointly organised with Chinese partners took place at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Harbin Institute of Technology in 2021, the most notable among them were:

Establishment of a joint research centre of St Petersburg University and Harbin Institute of Technology on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies
Establishment of a joint research centre of St Petersburg University and Harbin Institute of Technology on Applied Mathematics
A conference on integration of production, education, research and their implementation under the auspices of St Petersburg University Representative Office at Harbin Institute of Technology with the participation of Heilongjiang Provincial Government
The second Chinese-Russian scientific and technical forum in the framework of the Russian-Chinese Year of Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
A series of informational sessions in the Chinese language to promote St Petersburg University academic programmes among Chinese applicants

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Italy

In September 2020, St Petersburg University officially opened a representative office for foreigners at the University of Siena (Italy). During the years 2020-2021, a number of activities were carried out, including: public events aimed at promoting and popularising the scientific and educational activities of St Petersburg University; and career guidance activities aimed at attracting foreign citizens to study at St Petersburg University to name just a few.

Within the framework of St Petersburg University Representative Office at the University for Foreigners of Siena, the agreements to implement academic mobility programmes for students and academic staff were concluded. A series of online webinars was held jointly with the Italian Institute of Culture in St Petersburg. It was entitled ‘Bridges 2021’ and dedicated to literature, cinema, art of Russia and Italy. Italian partners were involved in the annual International Summer and Winter School on translation and interpreting. Various events were held for Italian and Russian students in the area of career guidance.

Experts in the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language and Methods of its Teaching at St Petersburg University gave a detailed presentation on the methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language at St Petersburg University during the pandemic, on using online courses on Coursera, teachers shared their experience in the Russian Conversation Club at St Petersburg University and online meetings, introduced the Italian participants to the activities of the Methodological Club of St Petersburg University. Open lectures were also delivered by the directors of Russian and Italian language testing centres on testing in Italy and Russia.

The possibility of creating a double degree bachelor’s programme in ‘Theory of Translation and Cross-Linguistic Communication’ in Linguistics is being considered together with the representatives of Siena University in order to develop educational cooperation.

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain

The opening of the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain took place in April 2019. During the period of the representative office activity, a cycle of online lectures called ‘A Lecture Course on Cognitive Studies and Arts’ by the leading scholars of St Petersburg University can be noted.

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, declared 2020 the Year of Memory and Glory dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Spain hosted a number of events involving teachers, students and graduates of St Petersburg University: a seminar entitled ‘Memory of the war today’, a thematic video was created; an exhibition of St Petersburg University in Barcelona dedicated to saving the cultural heritage of Leningrad during the Siege was opened in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum.

The St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain, with the support of Anna Silyunas, Director of the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain and the House of Russia in Barcelona, held negotiations resulting in a signing ceremony with the Director of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium. The agreement involves developing joint research, educational and cultural projects; organising joint conferences, seminars, symposia, lectures, as well as inviting foreign professors, managers and specialists from national project offices (in tourism) to deliver lectures, master classes and practical training for St Petersburg University students; arranging internships for St Petersburg University students, scholarship support for the students nominated by St Petersburg University.

The online debate on ‘The Soft Power of the State: Cultural Diplomacy in Education’ took place in February 2021 as part of the international conference ‘Russia and Spain. Interaction of Two Great Cultures in the 21st Century’. The St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain will host monthly open lectures by St Petersburg University history scholars devoted to the history of Russia from October 2021.

In honour of the 200th birthday of the great Russian philosopher and writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, a full-time public lecture on the theme ‘The Image of Jesus Christ in the Philosophical Worldview of Fyodor Dostoevsky’ was delivered by Igor Evlampiev, Professor of the Institute of Philosophy at St Petersburg University.

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in the Republic of Korea

In May 2017, St Petersburg University established a representative office in Korea. The project is implemented on the basis of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. During the period of the Representative Office activity, public lectures of St Petersburg University professors were delivered in a full-time format. Every year with the support of the Representative Office of St Petersburg University All-Korean competition in the Russian language for the students of Korean universities is held. As part of the award ceremony, a video message from the Administration of St Petersburg University is broadcast, addressed to all participants and guests of the event; the winner of the contest receives a certificate for study in the non-degree programme in Russian as a Foreign Language at St Petersburg University.

In 2020 and 2021, with the support of the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Korea, the ceremonies of awarding prizes were held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the 75th anniversary of Korean Independence Day and the 200th birthday of Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The academic conference on ‘Modernisation of Korea in the Past and Present’ was held with the support and participation of Professor Kim Hyun Taek, Director of the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Korea.

In October 2021, within the framework of the World Congress on the Korean Language, a scientific conference entitled ‘The current situation with Korean language teaching in Russia’ was held. It was co-organised by the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Korea, with the participation of the representatives of the Department of the South-East and Korean Philology of St Petersburg University and South Korean experts. The presentations focused on the methodology of Korean language teaching, both from a historical perspective and in relation to the latest developments in this field.

In November 2021, the Seventh Russian-Korean Humanities Forum ‘A Bridge of Friendship’ on the theme ‘Opportunities of Public Diplomacy and Tasks of Russian-Korean Humanitarian Cooperation in the Post-Covid Era’ was held. It was co-organised by the Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Korea.

It was possible to attract more Russian and international participants to the event due to the use of remote technologies (practically all events were held online) with the information support of the St Petersburg University Representative Office activities. The approximate number of participants of one of the events was about 40-70 people.

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in the Hellenic Republic

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University was established at the Centre of the Russian Language and Culture ‘Russian Word’ (Thessaloniki) in 2019 in accordance with the signed agreement. In 2021, the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Greece carried out work in the following areas.

Conducting State Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL)

In 2021, more than 1,000 Greek citizens across the country took part in TORFL. Despite the restrictions imposed, this figure is increasing dynamically compared to previous years. The Greek test sessions of St Petersburg University in Thessaloniki are still the most significant Russian language testing events in Western Europe. The sessions take place 2-3 times a year in two cities (Thessaloniki and Ioannina) and attract at least 600 international citizens to take the test from more than 14 cities from all over Greece.

In addition, in 2021, it was possible to organise the ceremonial handing over the certificates of TORFL of the passed test sessions in person in compliance with all the necessary hygiene regulations. In total, more than 500 people attended the event. Conducting such awards arouses keen interest and has a positive impact on the motivation of international citizens to study Russian, introducing them to the possibility of studying or continuing their education at St Petersburg University.
Conducting an online history lecture course for Greek citizens.

The year 2021 was declared a cross-year of Russian and Greek history, in accordance with the international memorandum signed. A course of ten distance lectures dedicated to the joint pages from the history of the two countries was organised at the end of 2021 on the basis of the Representative Office. The meetings were held in two languages (Russian and English) and were attended by more than 120 people.
Active implementation of the inclusion principles in teaching

Training in Russian as a foreign language is provided on a regular basis in the Representative Office.During the pandemic, the emphasis on teaching is placed not only on digitalisation of the teaching and learning process, but also on the comprehensive provision of equal opportunities to learn the Russian language. For example, Catherine Lorentzou, a student who is blind, is currently studying at the Representative Office. Her arrival marked a significant effort to organise education from an inclusive perspective (an article on the website of St Petersburg University is devoted to this aspect of the office work).
Implementation of a non-degree programme in the field of translation and interpreting for Greek citizens

A group of foreigners was formed in 2021 to participate in St Petersburg University’s non-degree programme in the field of translation. The participants were 18 Greek citizens.
Supporting and attracting international applicants

St Petersburg University is committed to attracting and supporting Greek applicants wishing to become university students. Thus, in February 2021, the event ‘St Petersburg University Day in Greece’ was implemented, which attracted more than 250 participants from 16 cities interested in studying at the first university of Russia.

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Germany

The Representative Office of St Petersburg University in Germany was established on 22 December 2021. The project is based at the Freie Universität Berlin. The opening ceremony was held in an online format. Welcoming addresses during the ceremony were given by: Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University; Günter Ziegler, President of the Freie Universität Berlin; and Sergei Nechaev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Over 100 projects are carried out with the Freie Universität Berlin every year. An action plan has been drawn upon the proposal of the directors and deans. The plan is flexible and will be supplemented by the proposals of students, scientists, deans, directors, vice-rectors and German partners.

Thus, due to the use of distance technologies, expansion of information support of the activities of the St Petersburg University representative offices, it was possible to attract:

an increased number of both Russian and international experts to participate in the project, which facilitated the establishment and development of contacts between scientists for future prospective interaction, formation of possible directions for collaborative academic research
interest of major companies and foundations in cooperating with St Petersburg University and participating in cultural, scientific and educational projects at St Petersburg University (publishing an almanac, establishing a personalised scholarship, opening a Turkish Cabinet, and a Chinese Cabinet to name just a few.)
international students to study at St Petersburg University (organising on-campus and online career guidance events, presentations of academic programmes for international applicants, holding open information weekends; distributing information and promotional materials specific to these universities, organising participation of international students in summer and winter schools, arranging training and conducting tests for international citizens in Russian as a foreign language)

It was noted that the activities of St Petersburg University representative offices abroad have a positive impact on the development of international scientific, educational and cultural cooperation.

In order to more intensively promote and develop the St Petersburg University Representative Office projects abroad, Sergey Andryushin proposed to consider the possibility of:

organising the involvement of international media in the implementation of cultural, scientific and educational projects, holding public events aimed at promoting and popularising the scientific and educational activities of St Petersburg University
informing foreign partner universities about the events held in the representative office of the partner country in order to attract more participants to the event
carrying out more student events aimed at attracting international students to study at St Petersburg University (intramural and online career guidance events, presentations of academic programmes for international applicants, open information weekends, as well as mixed events with a career guidance component)
organising and holding meetings of alumni of St Petersburg University and other Russian universities residing in the countries where St Petersburg University has representative offices, for the purpose of involving them in the representative office operations
attracting sponsors who have business interests in the countries where St Petersburg University representative offices are located
other suggestions of university students and alumni

The heads of the academic divisions were instructed to send proposals regarding the organisation of the future work of St Petersburg University representative offices abroad to Sergey Andryushin.

Creating a barrier-free environment at St Petersburg University

At St Petersburg University, there are 426 objects of immovable assets recorded, including: 128 in the city of St Petersburg; 162 in the Petrodvortsovy District (including 4 in Pushkin); 136 on teaching centres in the Leningrad Region and other regions of Russia. Of these facilities, 74 are cultural heritage sites (federal, regional and identified).

The state programme ‘Accessible Environment’ and Order № 1309 ‘On approval of the Rules and regulations for ensuring accessibility of objects and services in education for people with special health needs’ issued by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation on 9 November 2015 require providing access to the premises and buildings for people with limited mobility.

In accordance with the regulations, these include:

persons with locomotor disability
persons with visual impairment and hearing-impaired persons
elderly people
temporarily disabled people
pregnant women
people with perambulators
pre-school children

The buildings and premises shall be equipped (adapted) to provide access for the following categories of people with limited mobility:

wheelchair persons (W)
persons with locomotor disabilities (L)
persons with visual impairment (V)
hearing-impaired persons (H)

The buildings and premises are classified by accessibility categories into:

accessible to everyone
accessible to everyone on a case-by-case basis (indicating the category of people with limited mobility)
accessible to everyone partially
accessible partially and on a case-by-case basis (indicating the category of people with limited mobility)
accessible on a provisional basis
temporarily inaccessible

The implementation of inclusive education of students with disabilities, the content of education and the conditions of training and education are determined by the adapted programme. If necessary, individual study plans and individual study timetables can be developed for students with disabilities, taking into account the features and educational needs of a particular student: the period of higher education can be increased, as well as various options for conducting studies. To support the learning process, the technological means of e-learning, online and distance learning systems, such as Blackboard, MS Teams, are used at St Petersburg University. The system allows such types of classes as lectures (provided in recordings), webinars, individual consultations, and testing to name just a few. to be conducted remotely. The educational websites are accessible to a wide range of learners, including those with disabilities, and all users of these systems can access them from anywhere in the world via the Internet without having to install additional software on their computers. These systems provide a combination of individual and collective forms of work in the learning process, are used to support full-time and distance learning, to carry out joint work, including research groups, collective discussion, group decision-making, to create a portfolio of individual users.

Continuous and interim assessments of persons with disabilities, if necessary, shall be organised, taking into account the peculiarities of psychophysical development and individual capabilities. In addition to the above-mentioned special conditions of study, a special procedure for mastering the discipline ‘Physical Training and Sport’ has been established: classes for the persons with impaired health and for the persons exempted from practical training are delivered according to a special methodology.

At the same time, the question of the possibility of implementing an academic programme entirely remotely (if the programme has not been specifically designed for this format) and developing an individual curriculum for a particular student with disabilities, taking into account his/her nosology and rehabilitation programme, arranging his/her integrated training, teaching and educational work can only be solved after appropriate preparatory work has been carried out on the basis of consultations with the specialists familiar with the specific features of the nosology in question.

Most of the existing buildings of St Petersburg University cannot be fully equipped for the accessibility of persons with disabilities. This is primarily due to the adaptability of historic heritage buildings.

In accordance with the urban planning legislation, it is mandatory to develop and implement accessibility measures for persons with disabilities when carrying out new construction, major renovations or adaptations of buildings.

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice Rector of St Petersburg University, emphasised: ‘The University consistently works on retrofitting the existing buildings in accordance with the Accessible Environment programme.’

These groups are within the scope of responsibilities of the relevant officials.

The University has issued the following by-laws:
- Order № 8082/1 dated 9 August 2017 with amendments № 5116/1 dated 29 May 2018; Order № 11222/1 ‘On creating a committee to examine the University’s objects in terms of ensuring an accessible environment for a group with limited mobility’ dated 16 November 2018
- Order № 8607/1 ‘On approval of the Rules and regulations for organising the teaching and learning process for people with disabilities and people with special health needs at the University’ dated 31 August 2018
The accessibility passports that described the actual condition of accessibility of the architectural zones for 77 University’s buildings for study purposes were developed, agreed, and approved
A plan of events to form a barrier-free environment at the University for three years (2020, 2021, and 2022) was developed. These events are divided into the following groups:
- human resourcing
- work with applicants with disabilities
- architectural accessibility of the buildings
- material and technical support in research and education
- adaptation of the academic programmes and material and technical resources for study purposes for people with disabilities
- total support of the teaching and learning process
The University approved a plan of retrofitting 77 buildings to make them more accessible for people with disabilities. Among them are 38 objects of cultural heritage
There are 18 parking places for people with disabilities on 11 University’s premises
During the preparation for the admissions campaign in 2019, the ground floor of nine buildings where the Admissions Offices were located were equipped with facilities to provide access for people with disabilities: surrounding areas; the entrances were marked with colour contrasting tape; entrance rings for assistance; and routes for moving on the ground floor
The entrances to 72 objects that were included in the licence for educational activity were equipped with the temporal entrance signs: ‘Call for assistance!’ with the phone number in each building. The doors were marked by the colour contrasting tape. Then the entrances were further equipped with the braille labels 'Button to call for assistance' and a ring for assistance
The entrances to two halls of residence were equipped with fixed ramps, stairlifts, and places (blocks) to live for seven students with locomotor disabilities:
- Hall of Residence № 3 located at 27 Solidarnosti Prospect – fixed ramp, 33.9 sq m ground floor living unit with three beds, kitchen and bathroom
- Hall of Residence № 8 located at 15 Khalturina Street - a stairlift, 26.9 sq m living block and 30.1sq m living block (two-bed units on the ground floor, equipped with special furniture and sanitary facilities with handrails)
Only one building out of 77 buildings can provide access for all types of people with disabilities (21-23-25 Tavricheskaya Street)
Four buildings are accessible to everyone (except for people with visual impairment) on a case-by-case basis: 109 Sankt-Peterburgskoe Shosse; 7A 22nd Line, Vasilyevsky Island; 20/1 Korablestroitelei Street (Simulation Centre); and 13B Universitetskaya Embankment (the building of the Admissions Office)
In order to implement the Accessible Environment programme in 2019, 2020 and 2021, additional funding in the amount of 336.6 million roubles has been requested from the Ministry of Education. Such earmarked funding has not been allocated so far
Nevertheless, centralised and extra budgetary funding for the period 2019-2020 has been used to purchase:
- nine portable wheelchair ramps (folding, attachable, rollable)
- a stairclimber
- three folding wheelchairs
- 72 sets of special braille labels 'Button to call for assistance' with the phone numbers
- sets of tactile indicators to equip the buildings (21-23-25 Tavricheskaya Street and 39 Radishchev Street)
- a sound system
- four electronic information lines
- two PCs were equipped with JAWS (a screen reader); one of the PCs was equipped with the braille display and braille printer

As Elena Chernova pointed out, despite the lack of earmarked funding and diversion of funds for anticoagulation activities, the work continued in 2021.

The tasks of the Committee for City Planning and Architecture of St Petersburg for the design of improvement elements (fixed ramps) for seven facilities of St Petersburg University were received. Technical Design Assignments were developed for these projects, and design estimates were calculated. For three buildings (1-3-9 Ulyanovskaya Street, Peterhof, St Petersburg) design and estimate works for the repair of building facades with the installation of fixed ramps have been carried out since 2021
The entrance to Hall of Residence № 1 located at 20 Korablestroitelei Street has been retrofitted with an attached ramp, Hall of Residence № 3 – with a fixed ramp. One living block in Hall of Residence № 1 has been allocated for the accommodation of a wheelchair user
The research building (17f Botanicheskaia Street, Peterhof, St Petersburg) has been adapted for full access of people with limited mobility. An information sign with the telephone number of the ‘Call for assistance’ service is placed in front of the main entrance staircase. The entrance is equipped with a lifting platform for people with disabilities and tactile tiles for persons with visual impairment. The door is marked with yellow signage. There are two lifts to access the floors: a passenger lift and a passenger-cargo lift. An enlarged toilet room for wheelchair users is available on the ground floor. An internal fenced parking space of 20 handicap spots has been allocated and marked for people with limited mobility

Various tactile products have been purchased to equip disabled people inside buildings: five ramps (telescopic, rolling, single-section and relay platform), a mechanical wheelchair and a mobile full-track lift.

It was highlighted that most University’s buildings could not be adapted to be fully accessible for people with disabilities. Implementing the Accessible Environment programme is only possible in the St Petersburg University Development Area.

Changes in human resources

Personnel decisions have been announced at the meeting. Dmitrii Mikhailov, who had previously worked as Deputy Chief Engineer, was appointed as the Chief Engineer – Deputy Vice-Rector from 12 January 2022.

From the same date, Roman Seigarov, at his request, was released from the position of Chief Engineer, which he had been performing for the last months, and appointed as the Senior Deputy Chief Engineer.