Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

Academician Georgii Tolstoi awarded the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, 2nd class

St Petersburg University has held a ceremony to award the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, 2nd class, to Georgii Tolstoi, Professor Emeritus of St Petersburg University, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and one of Russia’s most renowned lawyers. The Order was signed in September 2022 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Order was awarded on the eve of Georgii Tolstoy’s 95th anniversary − for great merits in research, pedagogy, education and for many years of conscientious work. Having received a state award, Georgii Tolstoy became a full cavalier of the Order for Merit to the Fatherland.

On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, the award was presented to the Professor Emeritus by Alexander Beglov, Governor of St Petersburg and Member of the Board of Trustees of St Petersburg University. The Academician was also congratulated by: Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation; and Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Additionally, Alexander Bastrykin presented Georgii Tolstoi with the departmental award of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation "For High Public Spirit". Mr Bastrykin noted that Professor Tolstoi has always been not only a great scholar, but also a great citizen of his country and his city (The Governor of St Petersburg and Head of the Investigative Committee present Academician Tolstoi with the Order for Merit to the Fatherland).

About St Petersburg professors who are recipients of the Justitia Legal Award

The annual Justitia Legal Award ceremony has been held in St Petersburg. The honouring of lawyers recognised by the professional community was traditionally timed to coincide with Lawyer’s Day. The Justitia Award is a mark of distinction for lawyers in St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. It was established by the interregional branch of the Association of Lawyers of Russia. It is the only organisation in the country that covers two constituent entities: St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

In the main nomination "For many years of work and personal contribution to strengthening the rule of law, training of highly professional lawyers, public activity, protection of rights and freedoms of citizens", the award was given to Andrei Bushev, Associate Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at St Petersburg University, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Aleksei Dolzhikov, Associate Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law at St Petersburg University, was the winner in the Academic Credentials category.

The Justitia award in the Major Contribution to Legal Education of Citizens category went to Aleksei Makarov, a graduate of St Petersburg University, a member of the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ecology and Nature Management and a member of the Standing Committee on Urban Planning and Creation of Comfortable Urban Environment (St Petersburg University academics recognised as the best lawyers in the city).

Also, during the ceremony, Viktor Vinetskii, Senior Deputy Prosecutor of St Petersburg, presented the lawyers with certificates of appreciation "For assistance in performing the tasks entrusted to the Prosecutor’s Office". They were awarded to: Sergei Olennikov, Head of the Department of Criminal Law at St Petersburg University; and Oleg Skvortsov, Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at St Petersburg University.

Meeting of the Advisory Board of the Graduate School of Management of St Petersburg University

The Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU) meets the year of its 30th anniversary with great achievements and ambitious plans. On 16 December, the Advisory Board of GSOM SPbU summed up the results of the outgoing year and approved the Business School’s development priorities for the near future.

Sergei Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport, Chairman of the Advisory Board of GSOM SPbU, noted that the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University today is a world-class Russian business school. Notwithstanding the current geopolitical situation, GSOM SPbU continues to improve its positions in the Financial Times international rankings. This proves the highest quality of education offered by the Business School.

Sergei Ivanov mentioned the outstanding results of efforts and investments in the creation of an up-to-date digital learning environment as the most notable achievement of GSOM SPbU. Mikhailovskaya Dacha University campus offers unique learning conditions for the new generation of future Russian leaders. Sergei Ivanov emphasised that implementation of such large-scale projects became possible thanks to the support from the Federal Government, trustees and the Business School’s partner companies.

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pointed out that the Mendeleev regional development support programme run by St Petersburg University gives opportunities to develop the initiatives suggested by GSOM SPbU staff. He also spoke about digital education solutions that are actively applied by the University and specifically by the Graduate School of Management.

‘We see how online technologies flourish, and this has become possible thanks to many years of experience gained by the University. We started to implement projects related to students’ digital portfolio and digital footprint back in 2016-2017. Before Russian content was blocked in March 2022, St Petersburg University was on its way to become the first university in Europe and was among the top three universities in the world by number of online courses on Coursera. It also became the first Russian university to present its courses on XuetangX, China’s largest online platform. I am sure that the basis created by the University in this field and the correct choice of educational product development vector made by GSOM SPbU will help to promote both the Business School’s and the University’s brands’, Nikolay Kropachev said.

Summing up the results of 2022, the trustees of GSOM SPbU noted significant progress in the implementation of the Business School’s development strategy. VTB Bank has supported the creation of an up-to-date digital learning environment and equipment of halls of residence at the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University. In 2023, new sports facilities will appear at Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus (30 years of changing the world for the better: GSOM SPbU Advisory Board approves the primary areas of the Business School’s development for the anniversary year).

When discussing GSOM SPbU’s position in international rankings, the Rector’s meeting noted the need to adjust the criteria of the Three University Missions ranking and industry rankings. In particular, they talked about the employment rate and the level of graduates’ salaries to name just a few.

Organisation of the teaching and learning process

Over the past week, 19 enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. The majority of enquiries relate to: preparation of various documents on studies; the procedures for granting an academic leave; and organising the acquisition of academic programmes by international students with the use of ICT.

An analysis of the information on the organisation of the teaching and learning process provided by the heads of academic and research subdivisions has been carried out. Classes are held according to the timetable in due order. As of 23 December 2022, the information was not sent by Elena Kazakova, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy; and Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies.

The heads of academic and research subdivisions continue to hold meetings with student activists: group heads, and representatives of student councils and student scientific societies to name just a few. Over the past week, meetings on the organisation of the teaching and learning process were held with the heads of: the Institute of History; the Institute of Philosophy; the Institute of Chemistry; the Faculty of Foreign Languages; the Faculty of Arts; the School of International Relations; the Faculty of Sociology; the Faculty of Physics; the Faculty of Philology; the Faculty of Economics; and the College of Physical Training and Sports, Economics and Technology (the minutes of the meeting were not formalised and not submitted for publication).

The work of the committees to check compliance with the timetable of classes and interim assessments is underway. Over the past week, one case of violations was identified. The act of detected violation has been submitted for revision to Vladimir Eremeev, Vice-Rector for Human Resources.

New section of the Admissions Committee on the St Petersburg University website

As part of the St Petersburg University Strategic Plan 2021–2030 and in order to improve the quality of informing Russian and foreign applicants on the issues related to admissions to the degree programmes and doctoral programmes for the training of scientific and pedagogical staff, the University has developed a new section of the Admissions Committee on the St Petersburg University website.

According to Aleksandr Babich, Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions, the updated section is built on the new platform that provides additional opportunities for publishing information about: admission procedures; data on intellectual contests; information about career guidance events; and online consultations on the degree programmes and doctoral programmes for the training of scientific and pedagogical staff.

The new section of the Admissions Committee is currently being tested. Aleksandr Babich asked the meeting participants to study the interface of the section by 31 January. If there are proposals to improve the quality of how the section works, the participants in the meeting are advised to fill out the appropriate feedback form.

He also drew attention to the fact that during the testing period of the new section of the Admissions Committee (before the section was put into commercial operation), the only official source of information on admission to the academic programmes and doctoral programmes for the training of scientific and pedagogical staff at St Petersburg University was the section abiturient.spbu.ru of the Admissions Committee on the St Petersburg University website.

Results of the student contest of biographical articles about famous graduates of St Petersburg University

St Petersburg University has announced the winners and prize-takers of the student contest of the articles dedicated to outstanding University graduates who were engaged in research or teaching. This contest of biographical articles is to mark the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University.

The contestants had to write a biographical article about any historical person from the list that had been formed on the proposals submitted by the directors of institutes and deans of faculties. The contestants could also choose a candidate on their own. They were recommended to pay particular attention to the famous University graduates about whom there were no articles on the Internet. St Petersburg University students of all levels and in all areas of study were invited to participate, regardless of the form and basis of education. The period of receiving the articles lasted almost half a year. Both individual authors and groups of authors could submit their articles.

Fedor Ilin, a law student, is the winner of the contest. He prepared an article about Alexander Friedmann, Director of the Main Geophysical Observatory, the author of the theory of the expanding universe, and the founder of modern cosmology. In 1922, the scientist proposed a non-stationary solution to Einstein’s equation. Albert Einstein initially accepted it negatively, but eventually admitted that the Russian mathematician had been right.

Second place was awarded to St Petersburg University biologists Elena Efremova and Kseniia Kuznetsova. They prepared an article about Yuri Filipchenko, the author of the oldest Russian university’s course in genetics and Russian textbooks on genetics. The third place was taken by Ilia Shevchenko and Ekaterina Siuzeva who are students in the academic programme "Journalism". Their article focused on the historian of journalism and literary critic Valentina Berezina, the author of a number research papers and textbooks on the history of Russian journalism (The results of the contest of biographical articles about famous University graduates summed up).

Provision of financial support to certain categories of students

At the Rector’s meeting on 24 October, it was announced that, on behalf of the Rector, the University started to accept applications for financial assistance to St Petersburg University students whose parents (guardians, trustees, legal representatives) are: called up for military service in accordance with Executive Order № 647 "On declaring partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation" of the President of the Russian Federation dated 21 September 2022; military personnel, employees of federal executive authorities and federal state bodies, in which the federal law provides for military service; employees of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation who take (have taken) part in the special military operation on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, and Ukraine; and employees of the penitentiary system of the Russian Federation who perform (have performed) the tasks in the indicated territories during the period of the special military operation.

A special fund was formed to pay the financial assistance. Information about the possibility of submitting applications is published on the section Extracurricular Activities on the St Petersburg University website.

Financial assistance has been provided to 16 students, regardless of the basis of education.

Research by St Petersburg University scholars is included in the list of the main events of 2022 in Russian science according to RIA Novosti

Like all our country, Russian scholars have been working under the hard conditions of unlawful restrictions imposed on Russia. The Russian research and development sector is recognised as a priority area to ensure the country’s technological sovereignty in key areas. Of significant importance are the results that can be practically implemented in various fields (Main events of 2022 in Russian science).

Among the main events of 2022 in Russian science according to RIA Novosti is a project of researchers from St Petersburg University. The project is supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation. The Principal Investigator of the project is Dmitrii Bolotin, Professor in the Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at St Petersburg University. For the first time, scientists compared the activity of various organic catalysts of the latest generation and even discovered important factors to further increase activity of organic catalysts (Catch up and overtake: St Petersburg University scientists find a way to make "weak" catalysts more active).

The chemists found a key factor influencing the activity of cationic organic catalysts that are compounds to ensure cleaner chemical production of drugs, for example. The results obtained by the University scientists will help to "tune" the structure and properties of such catalysts more precisely. This, in turn, will expand the scope of their application.

Round table on transport reform in St Petersburg

The University has held a round table to discuss the transport reform in St Petersburg. During the discussion, representatives of the scientific and expert community and representatives of the public sector considered: the prerequisites of the reform; socio-economic consequences of the reform; and legal problems and ways to solve them.

The round table on transport reform was a continuation of the extensive discussion that had been held in February at St Petersburg University, said Anastasia Yarmosh, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership at St Petersburg University. The round table also focused on the city reforms as a whole. The experts considered problems in the sphere of housing and communal services; transport; and building and construction. They also discussed the possible ways to solve them and future prospects. The next step was the appeal by partners to the University who were interested in the development of transport reform.

So far, St Petersburg University has been engaged in expert activities for ten years. Every year, the University prepares about 2,000 interdisciplinary expert evaluation reports in various areas. The University researchers in the field of law, sociology, and economics considered the transport reform in the historical perspective. They also studied its socio-economic consequences and possible improvements in terms of logistics. St Petersburg University experts, who analysed the results, identified six key assessment parameters. Among them are: safety; convenience of the route network; renewal of the vehicles; ease of payment and convenient rates; information services; and the inclusiveness of ground transport. As a result, the city transport reform scored 99 points out of 120 (Transport reform discussed at St Petersburg University).

International activities

According to Vice-Rector for International Affairs Sergey Andryushin, the following events were held last week.

Visit of the St Petersburg University delegation to Cairo

On 6 to 10 December, the St Petersburg University delegation visited Cairo (the Arab Republic of Egypt) for the second time (St Petersburg University branch in Cairo to help reduce the shortage of medical personnel in the region). The delegation included: Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs; Aleksandr Babich, Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions; Piotr Yablonsky, Vice-Rector for Medical Activities; Bella Gataeva, Senior Deputy Head of the Department for Control of Academic Activities; Ivan Pchelin, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine; Igor Gerasimov, Professor in the Department of History of the Middle East Countries; Ivan Karnaukhov, Head of the Department for Coordination of Experimental and Clinical Research at the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University; and Nataliia Sokolovich, Head of the Department of Dentistry.

The host party was the Modern Group of Companies that is a partner of St Petersburg University. The purpose of the visit was to ensure joint work on the creation of the branch of St Petersburg University in Cairo. During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to inspect instruments that would be used to develop the branch and hold consultations with representatives of the Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI University) belonging to the Modern Group of Companies to discuss the implementation of five academic programmes of St Petersburg University. Among them are: general medicine; nursing; dental medicine; pharmacy; and physical therapy.

Mr Waleed Mohammad Nabil Daabas, General Director of the Modern Group of Companies, informed the representatives of St Petersburg University that the renovation of the building for the branch of St Petersburg University was in its final stage. In the near future, the Modern Group of Companies is planning to purchase two more buildings in the centre of Cairo. One of the branch’s buildings is planned to be located next to one of the largest hospitals in the Egyptian capital, which should become one of the clinical bases of the future branch of St Petersburg University. The Modern Group of Companies signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Population of the Arab Republic of Egypt on engaging other medical organisations as clinical bases of the St Petersburg University’s branch.

The Ho Chi Minh Institute at St Petersburg University was awarded the Order of Friendship

The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the Russian Federation informed St Petersburg University about the decision to award the staff of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St Petersburg University with the Order of Friendship. It was one of the results of the decade of implementation of the project "Honouring President Ho Chi Minh, Hero of National Liberation, Figure of World Culture". The Order of Friendship is awarded for great merits in providing fraternal assistance to the people of Vietnam in various areas of public, industrial, social, cultural, research, and other areas.

Scholarship of Mehmet Ferhan Yorulmaz, former Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in St Petersburg

On 9 December, Order № 13188/1 was issued on a scholarship of Mehmet Ferhan Yorulmaz, former Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in St Petersburg. The scholarship for students of St Petersburg University (10,000 roubles per month) will be awarded based on the results of a competitive selection process. The project is implemented with the support of the Rönesans Construction company.

Visit of St Petersburg University students to Minsk

On 9 to 11 December, St Petersburg University students in international relations visited the Republic of Belarus. The delegation was headed by Nikolai Parfenok, Deputy Dean for Youth Policy at the School of International Relations.

During the visit, Boris Gryzlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Belarus, held a briefing with the students. During the briefing, they discussed issues related to the interaction of the two countries and the specifics of the work of diplomatic representatives. At Belarusian State University, the students met with the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Senko and the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Japan Sergei Rakhmanov. The business programme featured a presentation of the student start-ups and social projects. The programme was opened by Oleg Lesheniuk, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at Belarusian State University. The students of Belarusian State University expressed their desire to continue communication at St Petersburg University in 2023 (Visit of students of St Petersburg University to Minsk).

Visit of the delegation of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam to St Petersburg University

On 12 December, Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, and Vladimir Kolotov, Head of the Department of History of the Far East Countries and Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St Petersburg University, met with the Vietnamese delegation headed by Nguyen Hung Son, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. A wide range of issues of cooperation was discussed. Among them were: the participation of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam in the work of research centres at St Petersburg University; and the implementation of research projects on international relations in the current conditions.

Online lecture on post-colonial English literature

On 15 December, the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain held an online lecture by Nina Shcherbak, Associate Professor in the Department of English Philology and Cultural Linguistics at St Petersburg University. The lecture focused on the traditions and development of post-colonial English literature (Associate Professor Nina Shcherbak: Postcolonial culture is about the revival of life and traditional values).

Agreement between St Petersburg University and the Bukovka Russian Language Centre (Great Britain)

St Petersburg University signed a cooperation agreement with the Bukovka Russian Language Centre (Great Britain). The text of the agreement is published on the St Petersburg University portal in the list of Partner Universities in the International Cooperation section.

Online lecture on auteur cinema

On 19 December, the St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain held an online lecture (Auteur cinema today: Alexander Sokurov’s Faust) by Liubov Bugaeva, Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Literature at St Petersburg University. The lecture "Auteur cinema today: Alexander Sokurov’s Faust" is part of the new cycle "About cinema from Russia: talking about cinematography".

Visiting Professor Programme

St Petersburg University is implementing the Visiting Professor Programme. The programme is set to attract international lecturers to give lectures at the University as part of the degree programmes. The total number of invited international lecturers to teach in the spring semester of 2022/2023 academic year is 27 people. Compared to the previous academic year, the number of participants in the programme has doubled.

The programme is also set to invite the diplomatic representatives to St Petersburg University to give open lectures. For example, from November 2022 to March 2023, there is a course in the discipline "Game theory insights into Israel foreign policy" which is delivered by Uri Resnick, Consul General of the State of Israel in St Petersburg.

Twice a year, requests are sent to the heads of the academic and research subdivisions at St Petersburg University about the need for inviting international lecturers. The next invitation request for the 2023/2024 academic year will be sent in mid-February 2023.

New version of the Rules of stay in the Russian Federation of foreign citizens and stateless persons studying at St Petersburg University

On 22 December, Order № 14134/1 approved a new version of the Rules of stay in the Russian Federation of foreign citizens studying at St Petersburg University. The rules describe the algorithm of actions aimed to ensure compliance with the migration legislation of the Russian Federation by foreign citizens who have arrived to study at St Petersburg University.

Dmitry Gryaznov, Vice-Rector for Security at St Petersburg University, said that in accordance with Federal Law № 115-FZ "On the legal position of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation" dated 25 July 2022, foreign students are required to undergo the procedure of mandatory state fingerprint registration, photography, and a medical examination. Responsibility for compliance with these standards lies with a foreign citizen who has arrived in the Russian Federation to study for a period of more than 90 days. The relevant issue was previously discussed at the Rector’s meeting. The information was published on the St Petersburg University website (for example: On the procedure for the entry of international students into the Russian Federation). The information was brought to the attention of international students.

Online lecture for students of Donetsk National University

On 12 December, there was an online lecture "The process of intercultural communication in literary translation from the Oriental language: a case study of modern Turkish literature". It was held for lecturers and students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Donetsk National University. It was delivered by Apollinariia Avrutina, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Turkish Studies and Russia-Türkiye Relations at St Petersburg University, a well-known translator, and a scholar in Turkish studies. The Turkish language is not taught at Donetsk National University, but the culturological focus of the lecture attracted the attention to oriental studies of even a non-specialised audience. The lecture brought together more than 60 people. Among them were: from senior school pupils who have a translation workshop at the Department of Foreign Literature to master’s students who have a special course in literary translation. Apolinariia Avrutina presented a selection of translations of contemporary Turkish literature into Russian to Donetsk National University. The books are already on their way to Donetsk.

Cultural events at St Petersburg University from 19 December to 30 December

Elena Lebedkina, Head of the Main Department for Exhibitions, Museum, Library and Publishing Activities, presented a digest of the cultural events that were held from 19 December to 30 December.

The 7th season of the Open City project

On 19 December, the Hermitage Museum ended the 7th season of the Open City project. In 2022, St Petersburg University has held 65 events as part of this project.

10th lecture of the series "The corridor of the Collegia of Peter the Great"

On 20 December, the St Petersburg University History Museum opened online access to the 10th lecture in the series "The corridor of the Collegia of Peter the Great". Nina Zherve, a historian at the History Museum, presented a short story about outstanding University staff, students, and graduates.

"Magic boom". An exhibition of Natalia Tarasova and Tatiana Tarasova

From 22 December, the Vladimir Nabokov Museum at St Petersburg University has held an exhibition "Magic Boom" of artists-jewellers Nataliia Tarasova and Tatiana Tarasova.

Exhibition "How the New Year and Christmas were celebrated at the beginning of the 20th century"

On 25 December, the M Gorky Scientific Library opened an exhibition "How New Year and Christmas were celebrated at the beginning of the 20th Century. Through the pages of pre-revolutionary magazines".

Lecture "Angelina Jolie, Australopithecus afarensis, and volcanoes of East Africa"

On 27 December, the Mineralogical Museum at St Petersburg University held a lecture "Angelina Jolie, Australopithecus afarensis, and the volcanoes of East Africa". It was delivered by Anatolii Zaitsev, Professor in the Department of Mineralogy, Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy. The lecture focused on the research that geologists and anthropologists were conducting in the northern part of Tanzania.

Find of students and postgraduate students in the geological expedition

The collection of the Mineralogical Museum at St Petersburg University has been replenished with the needle-shaped aegirine. This is a find by the group of students and postgraduate students during the geological expedition on the Kola Peninsula in 2022. Learn more about what other exhibits can be seen in the Mineralogical Museum and how to visit it on the St Petersburg University website.

Exhibition "Vik. Rhymed days"

The Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art at St Petersburg University presented a final exhibition of painting "Vik. Rhymed days". Visitors to the exhibition can listen to the poems of Viacheslav Zabelin in the audio guide.

"Paleontological Christmas tree"

The "Paleontological Christmas tree" for people with disabilities was held in the Vyborgsky District of St Petersburg. The holiday was in the format of the quest and was held by Irina Bugrova, Associate Professor in the Department of Sedimentary Geology at St Petersburg University. Two teams competed to decorate two Christmas trees with figurines of extinct animals that had lived in different geological periods.

Exhibition "Vendobionts — ancient multicellular organisms"

On 30 December, the online exhibition "Vendobionts — ancient multicellular organisms" was opened at the Paleontology Museum at St Petersburg University.

Publications in scholarly journals on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University

At the Rector’s meetings held on 10 March 2021; 27 June 2022; and 5 September 2022, the issue of organising publications in scholarly journals about the achievements of the University staff in relevant subject areas was discussed in relation to preparation for the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University.

As of 5 December, the St Petersburg University Pure system has two works:

• article "Activities of the departments of Russian as a foreign language at Leningrad / St Petersburg University: to the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University)" by Leonid Moskovkin in the "The world of the Russian word journal" (2022, № 1, pp. 73–81)
• article "On the history of the formation of the Russian public relations school of theoretical analysis formation. To the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University" by Elena Bykova, Dmitrii Gavra, Vera Achkasova in the journal "Russian school of public relations" (2022, № 26, pp. 54–79).

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University, asked academic staff to enter information about relevant publications in 2022 into the Pure system. She also advised to provide information on plans for the preparation of works dedicated to the anniversary of the University in 2023.

Charity event "Christmas wish tree"

St Petersburg University once again has joined the Russia-wide charity event "Christmas wish tree". The event is part of the project "Dream with me" since 2018. The University staff, students, and alumni can grant the New Year’s wishes of those who need kindness and attention. The charity event "Christmas wish tree" is an opportunity to grant wishes of children with disabilities who live in low-income families or left without parental care. It is also an opportunity to grant wishes of children or the elderly who are in a life-threatening state of health.

This year, gifts will be collected for children aged 3 to 17 from among refugees and internally displaced persons. The gifts will also be collected for those living in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Zaporozhye Region, the Kherson Region and children of military personnel and mobilised persons participating in the special military operation.

In order to congratulate children, the University staff, students, and alumni can submit an application until 16 January. The application should feature the number of employees who want to take part in the event and the total amount that they are ready to donate (The University staff and students are invited to take part in the "Christmas wish tree").

Some performance indicators of St Petersburg University in the Economics area of study

The participants in the Rector’s meetings continued to discuss the results of the comparative analysis of individual indicators of the educational activities of St Petersburg University and other universities. They discussed the data in the area of "Biology" (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting held on 31 October 2022) and "Chemistry" (Minutes of the Rector’s meeting held on 5 December 2022 ). Tite Akhobadze, Deputy Senior Vice-Rector — Head of the Office of Budgeting and Analysis, presented data in the area of "Economics". He analysed the dynamics of various indicators of academic programmes of St Petersburg University (bachelor’s and master’s programmes) in comparison with data from similar programmes of other universities. Among them are: St Petersburg State University of Economics; Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University; Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; and National Research University Higher School of Economics (Presentation).

In 2014-2021, the growth in the number of students studying economics in some universities is higher than at St Petersburg University. Many of them have found their niches in the market of educational services. The task was set to find such a niche for St Petersburg University programmes and to demonstrate their success for applicants. Criteria were proposed for evaluating academic programmes. Among them are: the average and minimum scores of the Unified State Exams of applicants; employment in the area of study and the level of wages of graduates; and the human resources potential of the academic staff.

Other programmes of the University were also discussed. In response to the Rector’s proposal to the heads of academic and research subdivisions, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Sergei Belov, said that he is ready to present an analysis of academic programmes in the area of "Law". The analysis was prepared by a team of lawyers. The meeting participants also discussed methods for analysing the success of academic programmes. Among them are: surveys of senior students; meaningful changes in academic disciplines; and campaigning among bachelor’s students to name just a few.