Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting | St Petersburg University

Alumni Day of St Petersburg University (Leningrad State University)

On 10 September, Alumni Day of St Petersburg University (Leningrad State University) took place in the Twelve Collegia building. The celebration brought alumni from different graduation years together on one platform. They could also join their teachers and course mates online.

The event was opened by Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Greetings were sent by Anatoly Karpov, a member of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and multiple world chess champion.

The programme included business and popular science parts: sessions, master classes, scientific debates, stand-up, exhibitions, excursions, and other events. Throughout the day, there were guided tours of the University’s museums and the Botanical Garden for the University graduates, students and staff (Graduates return to the University).

The participants in the Rector’s meeting discussed the challenge of getting graduates more involved in the life of the University. It was mentioned that more than 1,900 representatives of organisations that are employers for the University graduates are members of more than 200 councils of academic programmes of St Petersburg University. More than 1,700 people are members of state assessment committees of the University. Representatives of employers are also included in all programme committees of scientific conferences. The directors and deans were instructed to submit proposals to intensify the work with graduates.

Innovative creative space of St Petersburg University "Mendeleev" opened

On Alumni Day of St Petersburg University, a unique communication platform for scholars, students and entrepreneurs − the Mendeleev Conference Centre was opened at St Petersburg University by: Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Stanislav Kazarin, Vice-Governor of St Petersburg; and Kirill Borisov, Acting Director of the Department of State Science and Technology Policy of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The Conference Centre, located in the building at 1 Nevsky Prospect, has stunning views of Palace Square and the Hermitage from all the rooms of the centre. The event was also attended by: Andrey Maksimov, Chairman of the St Petersburg Committee on Science and Higher Education; heads of academic and research departments at St Petersburg University; and partners and friends of the University (Innovative creative space of St Petersburg University "Mendeleev" opened in St Petersburg).

The new centre at St Petersburg University will be used to develop cooperation with Russian and foreign partners, including projects with the University’s technology partners and research organisations, as well as for interdisciplinary research and events: workshops; strategy sessions; hackathons; and conferences. The Rector of St Petersburg University spoke about the experience of the University in organising cooperation with major universities and enterprises located in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. For example, in 2020, St Petersburg University launched the Mendeleev regional development support programme, which now brings together more than 48 higher education institutions in the country. Such initiatives facilitate the University’s interaction with government agencies and organisations from various sectors of the economy.

As part of Alumni Day of St Petersburg University, a discussion entitled "International Science and Technology Partnership: Turning East" was held at the St Petersburg University Mendeleev Conference Centre. It was attended by: Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Research of St Petersburg University; Raul Gainetdinov, Director of the Institute of Translational Biomedicine at St Petersburg University; and Iuliia Dmitrieva, Senior Manager of the Project Office for Education Development and International Cooperation at Rosatom State Corporation. A guided tour was also organised for the participants in the event. During the tour, the staff of the Dmitri Mendeleev Museum and Archives of St Petersburg University told the guests about the research activities of the scientist and his life at the University.

The Korean Cabinet opened at St Petersburg University

On 6 September, an official ceremony of opening the Korean Cabinet was held at St Petersburg University. The event was attended by: Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Byun Chul Hwan, Consul General of the Republic of Korea; and professors and students of St Petersburg University. The project was supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Russian Federation, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in St Petersburg and the Korea Foundation. In his welcoming remarks, the Consul General thanked the University administration and staff for their long-standing cooperation aimed at the comprehensive development of Russia-Korea relations (The Korean Cabinet opened at St Petersburg University).

The design of the Korean Cabinet was developed under the supervision of Associate Professor Evgeniia Petrashen by students from the University’s Environmental Design academic programme. The Korean Cabinet is available to all University students and staff and can be used for group classes, meetings and other activities.

Organisation of Russian language courses in foreign countries by St Petersburg University

On 14 September, St Petersburg University is launching its Russian language courses in South Africa. The first 50 students will start learning Russian from scratch. More than 500 applications have already been submitted for enrolling in the courses.

According to Dmitry Ptyushkin, Director of the Language Testing Centre, similar courses will be launched within a month in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Mongolia, the Republic of Indonesia, and the Republic of Nicaragua. They will considerably expand the geography of the project countries, as previously St Petersburg University carried out such activities only in Greece and the Republic of Zimbabwe.

The exhibition "30th anniversary of St Petersburg University participation in the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN" opened

The exhibition "30th anniversary of St Petersburg University participation in the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN" has been opened at the University. The visitors were introduced to the photographic materials illustrating the history of the project. They also learned about the main areas of collaboration of the Laboratory of Ultra-High Energy Physics at St Petersburg University.

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is one of the experimental detectors at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Its purpose is to study the quark-gluon plasma, i.e. a special state of the matter in which the Universe was in the first microsecond after the Big Bang. The project was developed in 1992. Sixteen years later, the detector was launched.

The ALICE collaboration includes researchers from 172 institutes around the world, including research teams from 12 Russian universities, including St Petersburg University. The group of the University is mainly represented by a new generation of physicists who are about 35 years old.

At the end of the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Associate Professor Grigory Feofilov, Head of the Laboratory of Ultra-High Energy and Elementary Particle Physics at St Petersburg University, offered a tour for visitors where he talked about the history of the detector and its features. He also shared plans for working on the experiment for the nearest future (ALICE in Wonderland: St Petersburg University scientists talk about their work at CERN).

Evgenii Sverdlov’s exhibition at the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art at St Petersburg University

Evgenii Sverdlov is a well-known Russian-Israeli artist, Associate Professor in the Department of Film and TV Artist Skills of St Petersburg University and Head of the workshop of animators. On 15 September, his personal exhibition will be opened in the museum exhibition hall at 11 Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. Evgenii Sverdlov is a graduate of the Graphic Department of the Repin St Petersburg Academy of Arts and a member of the Russian Union of Artists. His paintings are in the collections of contemporary art museums in St Petersburg (Russia) and Herzliya (Israel), and in private collections in Austria, the USA, Mexico, Great Britain and other countries throughout the world.

The exhibition will include a series of works based on the principle of icons and referring to the major Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The main image of the project is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, interpreted by the artist in the light of events in the world. All the works in the exhibition are the artist’s response to the course of history: you can see references to the events of the 20th century and those of recent years. The focal point of the project is on the unity of the past and future of humankind and the fate of the whole world.

Theatre festival at the Alexandrinsky Theatre for students and staff of St Petersburg University

From 9 September to 2 October, the Alexandrinsky Theatre Festival takes place in St Petersburg. The festival presents the art of national theatres and introduces iconic productions by masters of the contemporary stage. The programme also includes meet-the-artist sessions, workshops and other events.

Tickets for all performances can be paid for with the Pushkin Card. Additionally, the Alexandrinsky Theatre is giving the University students and staff a 30% discount in September for some performances. A special promo code and details of the offer can be found in the group of St Petersburg University on the VKontakte website.

Cooperation agreement between St Petersburg University and the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences

On 5 September, a cooperation agreement was signed between St Petersburg University and the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The agreement designates the Department of Archaeology at the Institute of History of St Petersburg University as the industrial chair of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The conclusion of the agreement is an important step to make cooperation between the University and its longstanding academic partner more effective.

According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities, the agreement aims to: improve approaches to training experts; develop new and update existing academic programmes; improve the level of research activities; and staff the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences with graduates of relevant programmes at St Petersburg University.

The Institute is one of the major employers in the field of archaeology in St Petersburg. The majority of its staff are graduates of academic programmes that have been prepared with the direct participation of the academics from the Department of Archaeology at St Petersburg University. The staff of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences will now be involved in conducting classes with the University’s students.

Marina Lavrikova noted that the agreement provides St Petersburg University students with access to the library and other information resources of the Institute, and scientific and testing, research and auxiliary equipment of the Institute. The Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences also provides for a system of rewards for students in field-specific programmes of St Petersburg University who excel in their studies and research.

Awarding scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation to undergraduate and postgraduate students

The issue of participation of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University in the competition for scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation in the 2021/2022 academic year was discussed at the Rector’s meetings held on 8 June 2021 and 13 December 2021. At that time, 34 students and 20 doctoral students applied for the competition from St Petersburg University. Following the results of the competitive selection carried out by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, 29 students and 18 doctoral students were awarded a scholarship.

According to Aleksandr Babich, Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions, in the spring semester of 2022, St Petersburg University held the selection of candidates for the scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation for the 2022/2023 academic year. In May, the University sent documents to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for 32 students and 26 doctoral students. The most active students were in Physics (6 candidates), Chemistry (5 candidates), International Relations (4 candidates) and Economics (4 candidates). The most active doctoral students were in Physics (8 candidates), Biology (3 candidates), Mathematics (3 candidates) and Chemistry (3 candidates).

Candidates among students (32)

Physics − 6

Chemistry − 5

Economics − 4

International Relations − 4

Biology − 2

Earth Sciences − 2

Applied Mathematics and Control Processes — 2

Philosophy − 2

Arts − 1

History − 1

Mathematics and Mechanics — 1

Management − 1

Philology − 1

Candidates among doctoral students (26)

Physics − 8

Biology − 3

Mathematics and Mechanics − 3

Chemistry − 3

Earth Sciences − 2

Journalism − 1

Medicine − 1

Political Science − 1

Philology − 1

Philosophy − 1

Economics − 1

Law − 1

Following the results of the competitive selection of applicants for scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation in the 2022/2023 academic year by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, 27 students (out of 32) and 20 doctoral students (out of 26) from St Petersburg University were awarded a scholarship. The number of scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation received by the University students has not changed compared to the 2021/2022 academic year and amounts to 47 scholarships. Thus, there has been no significant increase in the number of applicants and recipients of a scholarship this year.

Once again we have to state that many undergraduate and postgraduate students pay attention to the size of both regular and increased academic scholarships. Most undergraduate and postgraduate students who have the opportunity to compete for personal scholarships do not therefore even try to participate in such contests. Aleksandr Babich reminded that last year’s analysis showed that 3,390 students of the University had been eligible to compete for the Russian Government scholarship for the 2021/2022 academic year, taking into account their year of study and current academic performance.

In this regard, Aleksandr Babich asked the directors of the institutes and the deans of the faculties to:

organise the work of lecturers in the academic and research subdivisions to motivate students to participate in scholarship competitions; and personally participate in the nomination of talented students for scholarship competitions
discuss the issue at meetings with student activists (group heads, representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few); involve scientific committees in their work
provide for the inclusion in the contracts of employment of the directors of the institutes and the deans of the faculties of the responsibility for organising work related to the nomination of students of the University for scholarships of the Government of the Russian Federation

For reference: In the 2022/2023 academic year, 32 students and 26 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 27 and 20 scholarships respectively. In the 2021/2022 academic year, 34 students and 20 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 29 and 18 scholarships respectively. In the 2020/2021 academic year, 54 students and 24 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 11 and 12 scholarships respectively. In the 2019/2020 academic year, 52 students and 32 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 20 and 15 scholarships respectively. In the 2018/2019 academic year, 48 students and 33 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 18 and 10 scholarships respectively. In the 2017/2018 academic year, 34 students and 22 doctoral students submitted their applications, resulting in 18 and 7 scholarships respectively.

Interaction between St Petersburg University and the Sirius Educational Centre in the relevant areas of science (linguistics, cognitive sciences)

St Petersburg University has been cooperating with the Sirius Educational Centre since 2017. Among the main areas of cooperation are: development and implementation of academic programmes for schoolchildren; development and implementation of non-degree professional programmes for teachers; participation in the preparation and implementation of the programme "Big Challenges"; internships for students and teachers; organisation of joint events (including scientific and practical conferences); popularisation of science and art; and advising specialists of the Sirius Educational Centre on the current needs of developing educational space.

Scientific and technological project-based academic programme "Big Challenges"

Every year since 2017, St Petersburg University has been managing projects within the area of science "Cognitive Studies". In 2017–2018, the head of the area of science was Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies at St Petersburg University. The expert in teaching methods was Elena Riekhakainen, Associate Professor in the Department of General Linguistics named after Lyudmila Verbitskaya. Since 2019, St Petersburg University has been acting as regional experts of the Big Challenges competition in the field of Cognitive Studies in St Petersburg. Based on the results of projects prepared within the framework of the Big Challenges programme, reports were made at Russian and international conferences (includ ing in collaboration with schoolchildren) and articles indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index, Scopus, and the Web of Science were published.

Organisation and implementation of the academic programme "Linguistics"

Since 2018, the programme has been directed by Elena Riekhakainen (Academic programme "Linguistics"). Most of the research projects of schoolchildren that are supervised by St Petersburg University staff are related to scientific topics developed at St Petersburg University. They are supported by grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Russian Science Foundation, and St Petersburg University. The results of the work are presented at specialised conferences and are reflected in publications indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index. St Petersburg University undergraduate and postgraduate students are also involved in the implementation of the programme. They act as project assistants or teachers of seminars on solving linguistic problems. The programme is scheduled for 1 to 24 October 2022.

Distance programme "Lessons of the Present"

Since 2017, schoolchildren have been getting acquainted with the basics of conducting linguistic and psycholinguistic experiments with the key issues of psycholinguistics (Programme "Lessons of the Present"). The scientific head of the cycles is Tatiana Chernigovskaya. The authors of the tasks are Elena Riekhakainen and Vladislav Zubov. The cycle "Lessons of real speech perception" is scheduled for December 2022.

Programme "Sirius. Summer: Start Your Project", 2021

The project ‘What is in my voice for you: a psycholinguistic study of the naturalness of oral speech’ is implemented by St Petersburg University staff and students (Programme "Sirius. Summer: Start your project").

Programme "Creative Writing"

Lectures, seminars; classes in linguistics and the Russian language (Programme "Creative Writing").

"Cognitive Studies" and "Linguistics" in the regional offices of the Sirius Educational Centre

Since 2020, the regional offices of the Sirius Educational Centre in St Petersburg, the Moscow Region, the Kemerovo Region, and the Sakhalin Region have been conducting short-term specialised programmes in linguistics and/or cognitive studies.

Several projects prepared by schoolchildren under the guidance of students and staff of St Petersburg University as part of the programme in cognitive studies at the State Budgetary Educational Institution "Academy of Talents of St Petersburg" became the winners of the All-Russia contest of scientific and technological projects "Big Challenges".

Since September 2021, the programme ‘Cognitive Studies’ has been implemented at the State Budgetary Institution of Education ‘Centre "Intellect"’. The ‘Centre "Intellect"’ is the regional representative office of the Sirius Educational Centre in the Leningrad Region. The scientific advisor of the programme is Tatiana Chernigovskaya. The head of the programme is Elena Riekhakainen. The programme has four modules: "Linguistics"; "Psychology"; "Neurophysiology"; and "Artificial Intelligence". They introduce students to the areas and methodology of cognitive studies.

Today, a new area is being actively developed as part of the area "Pedagogy of Talents". It is mainly concerned with non-degree programmes, non-degree professional programmes with their gradual transformation into master’s programmes.

With the participation of lecturers from the Institute of Pedagogy, a programme for potential teachers of mathematics was implemented. The work is currently underway to create a joint master’s programme.

Organisation of the work of teaching methodology committees and scientific committees

St Petersburg University is consistently expanding opportunities for the participation of representatives of public authorities and organisations from various sectors of the economy in implementing academic programmes and developing the University’s research policy.

As Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership Anastasia Yarmosh said, Order № 75/1 "On new editions of the Fundamentals of organising the work of teaching methodology committees and scientific committees" dated 17 January 2014 stipulates the possibility of including representatives of employers or scholars who are not employees of St Petersburg University, but did not regulate the share of such persons in the staff. Order № 9216/1 dated 24 September 2018 stipulates the requirement to include at least two external experts from among representatives of third-party scientific and educational organisations and employer organisations in the scientific committees. Order № 9105/1 dated 30 August 2022 introduced a new rule for the formation of the composition of the committee, i.e. at least 50% of its members must be external experts.

Despite the fact that the maximum number of external experts was not limited, the committees formed on the basis of the proposals of the heads of academic and research subdivisions had a low share of external experts. In 2020-2021, only 17.85% of the members of the teaching methodology committees were representatives of employers. In 2021-2022 this figure was 17.3%. The teaching methodology committees for the enlarged groups of specialities and areas of study 39.00.00 "Sociology and Social Work" has the share of employers that equals 46%. The teaching methodology commissions for the consolidated groups of specialities and fields of study 03.00.00 "Physics and Astronomy" has the share of employers that equals 33%. The teaching methodology committees for the consolidated groups of specialities and fields of study 14.00.00 "Nuclear Energy and Technologies" has the share of employers that equals 33%. The teaching methodology committees for the consolidated groups of specialities and fields of study 28.00.00 "Nanotechnologies and Nanomaterials" has the share of employers that equals 36%.

A similar situation is observed in terms of forming scientific committees. Since 2014, the average share of external experts across the University has not exceeded 20.1%. The exceptions are scientific committees in the field of biological sciences, political sciences, pedagogical sciences, management, and art. The average share of external experts was more than 30.1%. In the scientific committee in the field of art, the share of third-party representatives in the committee has not been below 60% since 2019.

The state programmes and federal projects aimed at training qualified specialists whose competencies must meet the challenges of the market stipulate the need for direct participation of the expert community in updating academic programmes and setting research objectives. The federal initiatives aimed at integrating science and business also stipulate the need for direct participation of the expert community in updating academic programmes and setting research objectives is regularly emphasised. An open dialogue between educational and scientific organisations and representatives of enterprises is important.

In order to expand the opportunities for the participation of representatives of public authorities and organisations from various sectors of the economy, draft orders have been prepared on amending the by-law regulating their work in the teaching methodology committees and scientific committees. Representatives of organisations that are partners of the University are included in the teaching methodology committees and scientific committees in the declarative order. Representatives of organisations that do not have the appropriate status may become members of the teaching methodology committees and scientific committees on the basis of the decision of the Vice-Rector for Teaching Methods and Vice-Rector for Research, respectively. A draft of a similar order has also been prepared in relation to the councils of academic programmes.

Organisation of the teaching and learning process

Over the past week, the Virtual Reception received ten enquiries addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. Additionally, 31 enquiries were registered in the student enquiry register. Among the enquiries submitted were those concerning non-degree academic programmes at St Petersburg University and transferring international students to government-funded places at St Petersburg University to name just a few.

As Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities Marina Lavrikova said, the analysis of information on organisation of the teaching and learning process that was presented by the heads of academic and research subdivisions was carried out. Most of the issues (ensuring students’ access to information systems and electronic databases and providing access to computer classes for lecturers to implement disciplines using information and communication technologies to name just a few) have been resolved as usual. As of 12 September 2022, the information has not been sent by the Director of the Institute of History and the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science.

The heads of academic and research subdivisions continue to hold meetings with student activists (group heads, representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few) to mark the start of the new academic year. Over the past week, meetings were held at: the Faculty of Asian and African Studies (the minutes of the meeting have not been formalised and not submitted for publication); the Institute of Chemistry; the Faculty of Foreign Languages; the School of International Relations; the Faculty of Political Science; the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes; the Faculty of Physics; the Faculty of Philology; the Faculty of Law (minutes of the meeting are not formalised and not submitted for publication); the College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology (minutes of the meeting are not formalised and not submitted for publication); and the Medical College (minutes of the meeting are not formalised and not submitted for publication). Heads of academic and research subdivisions draw students’ attention to the need to timely inform the University officials about problems, since this communication is the key to their timely resolution.

Measures taken by the University in connection with the violation by students of the Accommodation Regulations in halls of residence

Every year, before the start of the academic year, the St Petersburg University halls of residence prepare their residential premises for first-year students. Repair work is carried out; the sanitary and electrical equipment is checked for operability; the premises are equipped with household equipment; general cleaning; and sanitary and anti-epidemic measures to name just a few are carried out. In 2022, about 5,600 places were prepared for accommodating students of the University.

As Aleksandr Babich, Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions, said, at the end of the academic year, about 2,500 graduates had to leave their living premises in connection with the completion of their studies at St Petersburg University and the expiration of the residential tenancy agreement in the halls of residence. According to Paragraph 3.1.10 of the tenancy agreement, upon termination or expiration of the agreement, the tenant is obliged to leave and hand over to the University in good condition the living premises, inventory and equipment located in it no later than seven days. Statistical data on violation of the terms of leaving the halls of residence (from 5 to 15 days) by students in academic and research subdivisions are presented in the table below:

Academic and research subdivisions	Number of graduates who violated the deadlines for leaving residential premises in the halls of residence
Faculty of Philology	42
Faculty of Philology	42
Graduate School of Management	32
Graduate School of Management	32
Institute of Earth Sciences	20
Institute of Earth Sciences	20
Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes	15
Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes	15
School of Journalism and Mass Communication	14
Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty	14
School of Journalism and Mass Communication	14
Mathematics and Mechanics Faculty	14
Faculty of Law	12
Faculty of Economics	12
Faculty of Medicine	12
Faculty of Law	12
Faculty of Economics	12
Faculty of Medicine	12
College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology	11
Preparatory Course (for International Citizens)	11
College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology	11
Preparatory Course (for International Citizens)	11
School of International Relations	9
Faculty of Psychology	7
Faculty of Biology	7
Faculty of Psychology	7
Faculty of Biology	7
Institute of History	6
Institute of History	6
Institute of Philosophy	5
Medical College	5
Faculty of Arts	5
Institute of Philosophy	5
Medical College	5
Faculty of Arts	5
Faculty of Physics	4
Faculty of Political Science	4
Faculty of Asian and African Studies	4
Institute of Chemistry	4
Faculty of Sociology	4
Faculty of Physics	4
Faculty of Political Science	4
Faculty of Asian and African Studies	4
Institute of Chemistry	4
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	2
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences	2
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Medical Technologies	2
Faculty of Foreign Languages	1
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science	1
Faculty of Foreign Languages	1
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science	1
Total	265

Aleksandr Babich noted that such actions of graduates led to the impossibility of timely preparation of places for accommodating the first-year students. In this regard, a decision was made to include information about the relevant violations in the portfolio of graduates. The graduate portfolio is available for future employers. You can get acquainted with it by using the QR code included in the academic credentials of graduates of the University (What information St Petersburg University academic credentials provide). Information about the decision taken was sent to the partner companies of St Petersburg University.

Refusal to satisfy the claims for recognition of the expulsion order as illegal

At the previous Rector’s meeting held on 5 September 2022, the violation of public order committed by students at the beginning of the previous academic year (on the night of 18 to 19 September) was discussed. Previously, this issue was also considered at the Rector’s meetings held on 20 September 2021; 4 October 2021; 1 November 2021; 8 November 2021; and 30 November 2021.

Violation of public order led to the detention of seven students of the University by law enforcement officers and bringing them to administrative responsibility for committing the offense. Six students were expelled from the University, one student was reprimanded. Some expelled students tried to challenge the expulsion in court. On 9 September 2022, the court refused to satisfy such claims.

Choosing a corporate identity for the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University

In preparation for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, the process of choosing the corporate identity for the relevant events was completed.

As Senior Vice-Rector Elena Chernova said, after discussion by the members of the working group on choosing concepts for creating the corporate identity for the anniversary, eight projects prepared by four design teams were considered as part of:

public voting (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting dated 11 May 2022)
jury voting, which involved a comprehensive assessment of concepts according to specified criteria jury voting aimed at choosing the winner from the projects selected based on the results of the first two stages

The members of the working group on choosing the concepts for creating the corporate identity for the anniversary of St Petersburg University decided that three finalist projects prepared by the teams of the Department of Design at St Petersburg University, the Department of Public Relations at St Petersburg University, and the Deza design studio should be sent for revision. The designers had to present the concepts in a single format: logo and corporate colours; options for applying to various media (large, medium, and small forms); and animated visualisation / video business card of the project.

The finalised projects were discussed at a meeting of the working group on the selection of corporate identity concepts on 2 September 2022. The projects were presented for consideration to the heads of academic and research subdivisions, Vice-Rectors, and heads of the departments and offices. Voting took place on the Cryptoveche service platform. The votes were distributed as follows:

1st place − a project of the team of the Department of Public Relations at St Petersburg University
2nd place − a project of the team of the Department of Design at St Petersburg University
3rd place − a project by the Deza studio

The materials of the winning project can be found here: images, video.

Quest for first-year students

According to Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions Aleksandr Babich, on the night of 17 to 18 September 2022, at the initiative of senior students, a quest will be organised for junior students living in the halls of residence in Peterhof. This academic year, more than 2,000 students have been accommodated in these halls of residence for the first time. It is important for them to start communication with others and show themselves. The quest will be organised in the assembly halls and sports halls that are outside the complex of the halls of residence not to interfere with those students who want to relax. In May and September 2023, student festivals are planned to be held in Peterhof.

Changes in human resources

Aleksandr Khurshudian, who works as the head of the Admissions Directorate, has been appointed Deputy Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions.