Who will eventually become the rector of the Russian State Pedagogical University? What does the rector with many children want to change at the pedagogical university? Fundamental Library named after Empress Maria Feodorovna

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In March 2016, Pedagogical University named after. Herzen had to choose a new rector. The current head of the university, Valery Solomin, who came to this position five years ago, decided to leave - in the summer he will turn 65. In December 2015, the start of the election procedure was announced. The “inheritance” falls to Solomin’s successor quite well.

Today, the Herzen State Pedagogical University includes 21 faculties, 89 areas of training for doctoral students and graduate students, 3 branches: in Vyborg, Volkhov and Dagestan. The material and technical base of the university (excluding branches) consists of 67 buildings with a total area of ​​145 thousand square meters. m. There are 18 land plots with a total area of ​​57 hectares in permanent use. It has its own dispensary, health center, printing house, and student dormitories within the city. Every year the RSPU receives almost a billion rubles as a subsidy from the federal budget, and the same amount from other sources. More than 20 thousand undergraduate and graduate students study in full-time, part-time and evening departments.

As the president of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.N. told Fontanka. Herzen Gennady Bordovsky, the university nominated three candidates for the post of rector: the first vice-rector of the university Sergei Goncharov, vice-rector for international cooperation Dmitry Boykov and vice-rector for academic affairs Vitaly Kantor.

“They are all of different ages, different experiences, but have the necessary qualifications, honorary titles and academic degrees. They have been associated with the university for many years,” noted Bordovsky. Also, a self-nominated candidate, chairman of the committee of general and vocational education of the Leningrad region, Sergei Tarasov, announced to participate in the election of the rector.

After being eliminated from the Ministry of Education, the candidates began their election campaign. Both Tarasov and Kantor presented their university development programs to the team. Kantor argued that the Russian State Pedagogical University is on the right path of development, and he intends to support this path; Tarasov’s program is built on the opposite statement - the alma mater of pedagogy must be raised from its knees. Among the problems of the university, Tarasov lists, for example, university applicants positioning themselves as less successful than applicants to classical universities, reducing the attractiveness of the university, and underestimating the importance of humanitarian training.

As the university president Bordovsky says, meetings with the teaching staff were friendly, communication was constructive: “No one had any complaints. Everyone went to meetings and discussed. Kantor, of course, has a vision of the problems of the university as a whole and more from the inside. Tarasov actively positioned himself as a person with close ties to the ministry and spoke about support from the department.”

In early March, the university sent papers to the Ministry of Education and Science with a proposal to agree on the election date for March 31, but received no response. “We have repeatedly asked them to speed up the appointment of the election date, but there was no response. Unexpectedly, on March 30, before the conference, Tarasov brought a statement withdrawing his candidacy. And this automatically means that the election campaign will have to be held again,” Bordovsky said.

Tarasov did not explain his “desertion” either to the staff or to the rector of the university. He was unable to do this in a conversation with Fontanka: “You know, in accordance with the regulations, any candidate has the right to withdraw from the elections at any time. I will not comment on what my motives were. In any case, the university will not be left without leadership, I don’t see any tragedy, they will appoint an acting director, and then there will be elections again.”

This is precisely the purpose of the acting appointment. - the RGPU sees the tragedy. Since the elections have been disrupted, the Ministry of Education, after the current rector Solomin’s contract expires, can appoint an acting one at its own discretion and for an indefinite period.

“By withdrawing his candidacy, Tarasov was deliberately aiming to disrupt the elections. He could have communicated his reluctance to participate in the elections to the conference in another way. Now, a person who comes from outside can remain in this position for a long time, will be able to fire whoever he wants, and thereby adjust the work collective to the result he wants in the elections,” says Alexander Kobrinsky, professor of the department of Russian literature, deputy of the Legislative Assembly.

“The team is in uncertainty. What happened means possible problems for the university,” Bordovsky added.

On March 31, the teaching staff, instead of the disrupted elective conference, voted to appeal to the Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov with a request to appoint Vitaly Kantor as acting. A similar appeal was supported in the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. Deputy, honorary professor of the Russian State Pedagogical University Alexey Vorontsov made a speech at the education commission on Monday, April 4: “The ministry behaves ambiguously, according to unofficial data, they will send us an outsider. I could even name someone who needs it, but the press is here.”

Unofficially, the rectors' community and the Legislative Assembly say that the disruption of the elections to the Russian State Pedagogical University is some kind of multi-move. Allegedly, its result should be the appointment as acting. rector Tarasov, and after that he should lead the university to merge with St. Petersburg State University. The authorship of this plan is attributed to the leadership of St. Petersburg State University.

It is worth noting that the idea of ​​such a merger itself is not new. It had been periodically raised before at various meetings in the relevant ministry. Back in 2008, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Education Viktor Bolotov voiced the idea of ​​the need to merge pedagogical universities with classical ones: “I would strictly note that maintaining the development of high-quality teacher education is not identical to the preservation and development of pedagogical universities. There are, firstly, other levels of education, pedagogical colleges, IPK, and secondly, there are a lot of non-core universities in which the teacher education program is successfully implemented.”

Moreover, the trend in recent years has been the consolidation and unification of state universities with a similar focus. For example, at the end of 2012, the merger of FINEK, ENZHEKON and GUSE took place. Since the merger, universities have even gained several positions in university rankings (for example, according to the Expert RA rating, in 2012 ENGECON occupied 41st place in the top 100 of Russia, and in 2015 SPbSUE was already in 34th position) .

However, Fontanka’s interlocutors speak without enthusiasm about the idea of ​​merging the Russian State Pedagogical University and St. Petersburg State University and insist that the teaching staff should independently decide how to develop the university. Meanwhile, even Fontanka’s interlocutors themselves say that there are simply no documents about the alleged intentions of the merger. Advisor to the rector of St. Petersburg State University Nikolai Kropachev, Ivan Zasursky, also said that he sees no reason to assume that such discussions are underway: “The university has no problems either with buildings or with students. And Nikolai Mikhailovich (Rector of St. Petersburg State University - Ed.) is now fighting for quality, not quantity.”

Regional official Sergei Tarasov, who is tipped for the acting position, also did not support the conspiracy theory about the merger of universities: “I myself propose my candidacy for the acting position. I’m not going to, whether the Ministry of Education is going to nominate me, I don’t know - this needs to be clarified with them. As for unification, I had no such ideas. This is my home university, I had no such plans.”

It only remains to add that Herzen University is one of the last strongholds of university democracy in the country. The Ministry of Education has set a course for the transition to a system of vertical power in the field of education. Thus, elections to Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University have been abolished. A number of universities in St. Petersburg have been governed by acting rectors for several years now (for example, at the Stieglitz Academy and the Polar Academy); in other Russian higher educational institutions, their charters have been changed, transferring the authority to select management to the Ministry of Education (for example, at Moscow State Pedagogical University). In the Northern capital, rectors are still elected at the Forestry University, the University named after. Lesgafta, ITMO, Technological Institute, Agrarian and Mining Universities.

Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen (Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen) - one of the leading pedagogical universities in the Russian Federation. From January 1, 2015, the full official name is Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen". The only pedagogical university included in the “Top 100” universities in Russia according to the magazine “Expert” (45th place, 2015).

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  In the Orphanage, orphans were given not only food and shelter, but also a profession. Here the foundations of female pedagogical education were laid: classes were created for the training of governesses, mentors, teachers of music, languages, and kallistenia (physical education). In 1837, the classes were reorganized into the Orphan Institute, which received the name of Emperor Nicholas I in 1855. For girls from families of various ranks, the Alexandrinsky Orphan Institute was created, which in 1905 became the first women's vocational school to train nannies, milliners, and teachers for elementary schools of various ranks.

  In 1903, on the basis of commercial pedagogical courses, the Orphanage was established (since 1912 - the Imperial House). He trained subject teachers for gymnasiums. This institute became the country's first state higher education institution for women.

  Educational divisions

  Institutes

  • Institute of Physical Culture and Sports
  • Institute of Childhood
  • Institute of Music, Theater and Choreography
  • Institute of economics and management
  • University of the Foreign languages
  • Institute of Pedagogy
  • Institute of Psychology
  • Institute of Computer Science and Technology Education
  • Institute of Human Philosophy
  • Institute of Defectological Education and Rehabilitation (until September 1, 2016 - Faculty of Correctional Pedagogy)

  Faculties

  • Faculty of Life Safety
  • Faculty of Biology
  • Faculty of Fine Arts
  • Faculty of Mathematics
  • Faculty of Russian as a Foreign Language.
  • Faculty of History and Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Physics
  • Faculty of Philology
  • Faculty of Chemistry
  • Faculty of Law

  Non-academic units

  Museum of History of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A. I. Herzen

  The museum stores letters, postcards, drawings, photographs with autographs of famous scientists, writers, artists, composers, artists: V. M. Bekhterev, L. F. Lesgaft, I. I. Tolstoy, V. A. Dogel, P. F. Kaptereva, O. F. Berggolts, L. Dudina, E. A. Dolmatovsky, Yu. V. Tolubeev, L. I. Egorova and many others.

  The museum's collection contains more than 16,500 photographic materials. Among them are unique works by famous St. Petersburg artists and masters of photography K. K. Bulla, K. Stegeman, I. Otsup and others. There is no doubt the value of the collection, reflecting the exploits of the Herzenites in the rear and on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War: things, photo albums, diaries, combat awards, books with autographs, etc. Specialized sciences are presented in the exhibitions of the zoological and geological departments of the museum.

  Fundamental Library named after Empress Maria Feodorovna

  The fundamental library of the university is the oldest and largest university library in Russia. During its existence, the library has made a huge contribution to the research and teaching activities of the university.

  Architectural and landscape complex of the university

  The main territory of the university occupies most of the quarter, bounded by Nevsky Prospect, Kazanskaya Street, Gorokhovaya Street. and the embankment of the Moika River (postal address - embankment of the Moika River, 48).

  Currently, there are two entrances to the main territory - from Kazanskaya Street and from the embankment of the Moika River at the intersection with Gorokhovaya Street. Entry is via electronic passes.

  On Moika, 48, buildings of various eras (Baroque, early classicism, Empire, late classicism) are among the most mature monuments of the corresponding periods in the history of architecture. The architectural complex has an original picturesque appearance thanks to the free, asymmetrical arrangement of architectural structures, monuments, and park compositions. The complex of buildings occupied by Herzen University is included in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites under international protection.

  Separate faculties of Herzen University are located in other places in the city.

  Main building

  The main building of the university - the palace of K. G. Razumovsky - is located at Moika Embankment, 48 (architects A. F. Kokorinov, Wallen-Delamot). Since 1797, the palace housed the St. Petersburg Orphanage, since 1834 - the orphanage department (since 1837 - the Nikolaev Orphan Institute), since 1918 - the Pedagogical Institute (now the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen).

  The entire second floor of the building is pierced by a corridor, the walls of which are decorated with paintings dedicated to the past of the orphanage (mainly landscapes). The extensions of the corridor form three halls - Trustee's, Imperial and Rector's (from north to south). These halls contain portraits of people who played a significant role in the formation and development of the Orphanage, the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute, and Herzen University.

  Today the Razumovsky Palace, according to the university’s internal numbering, is building 5 (also known as the “main building”). Now the building houses the university administration and some services. Scientific conferences, congresses, and round tables are held in the main halls of the palace. The ceremony of presenting honorary diplomas to the best graduates takes place here every year.

  Between building 5 and Kazanskaya Street there is “Mama’s Garden”. Here, starting from the end of the 18th century, nannies and “mothers” walked with the young pupils of the Orphanage. When, after the revolution, all the buildings on the Moika were occupied by a higher educational institution, here, in Mamkin’s Garden, in a small two-story outbuilding, a children’s center (orphanage) functioned for several years. Later the children were transferred to another place, the outbuilding was empty. At the beginning of the 21st century, the dilapidated building was demolished and in its place in the garden a modern electrical substation was built, replicating the appearance of the outbuilding.

  On the side of Kazanskaya Street, the garden is limited by a lattice designed by A. N. Voronikhin and which is part of the ensemble of Kazanskaya Square.

  Other buildings on the Moika

  The neighboring building (Moika embankment, 52) is also a former building Petersburg Orphanage. Built at the beginning of the 19th century, acquired for the Orphanage in 1834. Rebuilt in 1943 according to the design of the architect P. S. Plavov. In front of the building in 1868, a bust of Ivan Ivanovich Betsky was installed - an enlarged copy made by the sculptor A. P. Lavretsky from the original by Ya. I. Zemelgak (1803).

  Other buildings in St. Petersburg

  In the western and eastern parts of Vasilyevsky Island there are, respectively, the music (Kakhovsky Lane near Baltiyskikh Yung Square) and philological faculties (1st line of V.O. not far from Tuchkov Bridge); the latter occupies the historical building of the Russian Academy of Philology, and the traditions of literature have not been interrupted within these walls almost since the beginning of the 19th century.

  The faculty where labor teachers (technology and entrepreneurship) are trained is located on Voznesensky Prospekt. The Institute of Northern Peoples and the Faculty of Life Safety are located in the Kirovsky District on Stachek Avenue, the Faculty of Physical Education is located on Ligovsky Avenue. The Institute of Childhood is located on Moskovsky Prospekt almost opposite the station. metro station "Frunzenskaya". Primary school teachers and preschool education workers are trained here.

  Monuments and other attractions

  • In 1868, a bronze bust of I. I. Betsky was unveiled in front of the current 1st building. The bust was copied (enlarged) by the sculptor N. A. Laveretsky from a marble bust by Ya. I. Zemelgak (1803).
  • In front of the main building on June 30, 1961, a monument to Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky was unveiled by sculptors V.V. Lishev and V.M. Yakovlev.
  • On the first floor of the main building there is a plaster bust of Alexander Ivanovich Herzen.
  • In the Fundamental Library. Empress Maria Feodorovna there is a plaster bust of the philanthropist.
  • Behind the main building, in Mamkin’s garden, there is a foundation stone for the future monument to the pelican, which in the early 2000s he promised to donate to the Russian State Pedagogical University. A. I. Herzen FC "Zenit".
  • In 2009, between the 20th building and the dispensary building, a monument to Confucius was unveiled - a gift to the university from the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in St. Petersburg. Consul General Erlong Tian and First Vice-Rector of Shanghai Foreign Studies University Jinhua Tian attended the ceremony. The Chinese Cultural Center is located in building 20 on the 1st floor.

  Agrobiological station

  Agrobiostation (ABS) of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A.I. Herzen is located in the village of Vyritsa, Gatchina district, Leningrad region, and is the educational, methodological and scientific base of the Faculty of Biology. Here, 1st-3rd year students undergo educational practice and conduct experiments on the topics of their final qualifying papers.

  ABS RSPU has been functioning since 1937 as a division of the Faculty of Biology to conduct educational field practices in biological, geographical and agricultural disciplines. At the agrobiological station, departments of field cultivation, vegetable growing, fruit and berry crops, animal husbandry (poultry, rabbits, bees), plant physiology, plant taxonomy, genetics, meteorology, local history, ornamental floriculture and tree and shrub species are organized and successfully implemented. Research is being conducted here on environmental monitoring of the Oredezh River, its tributaries and floodplain reservoirs.

  Geostation "Iron"

  Geostation “Zhelezo” is located in the town of Zhelezo, Luga district, Leningrad region. Here, students from the Faculty of Geography undergo internships in topography, meteorology, geomorphology, soil science, hydrology, landscape science, geobotany, zoogeography, etc. Students from the Faculty of Biology and Physical Culture of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.V. also come here for internships. A. I. Herzen.

  Extracurricular activities

  Student Scientific Society (SSS)

  The purpose of student scientific societies is the development of student scientific activity. Each faculty has its own student scientific society with an elected student chairman and a teacher curator. In large faculties, in addition to the general faculty SSS, there are SSS of individual departments. At the meetings of the SSC, both students and graduate students themselves, as well as invited recognized scientists, can make presentations; Within the framework of the SSS, presentations of scientific monographs and discussions are held. A student’s report often becomes part of his coursework, bachelor’s or master’s qualification work, submitted to the judgment of his colleagues.

  Since 2013, at the Faculty of Social Sciences, the ODRI (Society of Friends of Russian History - an association of graduates of the department of the same name who have an academic degree) has been holding a competition for the best student report within the framework of the SSS of the Department of Russian History.

  Student Palace of Culture

  The Student Palace of Culture is the center of all creative and cultural activities of the university. KFOR functions to support and encourage student creativity; improving the quality of existing and developing new forms of leisure for students; teaching students methods and forms of cultural events, preparing for extracurricular teaching activities.

  SDK offers university students a wide range of opportunities to unleash their creative potential, providing concert and rehearsal venues for this: the festive Column Hall, a concert hall located in building 20, a dance class in building 3.

  In addition, the University Open Day, thematic exhibitions, job fairs, international seminars, lectures, conferences, anniversary concerts of departments, intra-university KVN games and much more are annually held on the territory of the KFOR.

  Until September 2011, the Yuventa Theater was located on the basis of KFOR, which held the holidays on September 1, the “Freshman” and “Echo of Spring” festivals. The theater team also organized University Days and New Year trees for university employees. The theater staged plays and musicals, which were presented at international festivals and competitions. University students were trained in various areas: directing, acting, pop vocals, modern dance, film history. Every year in June, director's exams and tests were held, as well as open classes and master classes.

  Student media

  At Herzen University, a number of newspapers and magazines are published by students.

  "Life is calling!"

  Wall newspaper of the Faculty of Mathematics. Published without interruption since the 1960s. For a long time it was published twice a year - on New Year and March 8th. Since 2010, it began to be published monthly. The newspaper publishes articles about the life of the faculty, school practices, interviews with teachers and poems by students.

  "Twentieth Corps"

  Wall newspaper of the Faculty of Social Sciences, additionally printed in 10 copies. (distributed at departments of the faculty; one copy goes to the university museum). Published monthly since 2002.

  In 2007, a monographic study was published on the history of the Twentieth Corps newspaper.

  Since 2010, the results of the “Golden Pen of the Twentieth Corps” competition are summed up every year in December. The jury, consisting of professional journalists - graduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences, determines the best materials (in several categories) published in the newspaper during the year.

  "Herzen's Bell"

  A newspaper published by the student council of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A. I. Herzen. Founded in 2005. Published as a supplement to the official university newspaper “Pedagogical News”.

  "M" News

  Newspaper of the Institute of Music, Theater and Choreography. Much attention is paid to various aspects of creativity. The publication is published irregularly.

  College sports

  Football

  Each faculty of Herzen University has a football team. All of them are united into the Herzen Futsal Union. Every year the university hosts a number of tournaments.

  There are several women's futsal teams.

  Chess

  The Department of Physical Culture has a chess section, classes of which can be attended by students of any faculty.

  Regardless of this, at the Faculty of Information Technologies (2nd building, 2nd floor), there is a chessboard with pieces on a table in the corridor - here anyone can play at any time without asking.

  Table tennis

  At the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A. I. Herzen, on the basis of the university elite table tennis club and the Department of Physical Culture, a team was formed in 2012, taking part in the interuniversity championship.

  Orienteering

  A student of any faculty can sign up for orienteering. Every month on one Sunday, no matter what the weather conditions, students and their teachers go out of town and walk several kilometers along picturesque hiking trails.

  Sports "What? Where? When?

  In 2008, at the Faculty of Social Sciences, on the initiative of students, the intellectual games club “GolovoMoyka (48)” was created. The idea was supported by teachers and students from other faculties. In the same 2008, the Closed Championship of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A.I. Herzen, which later became traditional.

  Teams gather for training and participate in the city interuniversity championship in “What? Where? When?".

  Church of St. apostles Peter and Paul

  On the territory of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A.I. Herzen has an active church - the temple of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. It is located in building 20, in the former house church of the Imperial School for the Deaf and Mutes. During the 70 years of Soviet rule, the premises were used in various ways, mainly as a student theater. The premises were transferred to the needs of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1999, although the first service after a 70-year break was held back in 1997. It is noteworthy that this temple is one of the few places in St. Petersburg where Orthodox services are held with sign language interpretation. The church is located on the 3rd floor of the educational building, however, it has a special entrance and a separate staircase. In 2013, in the opening of a sealed window, on the wall behind the altar of the church, an image of the Savior was installed by the church community. It is a copy of the fresco by Archimandrite Zeno (Theodore) from Theodore Cathedral.

  St. Petersburg : Politekhnika-service, 2009. - pp. 16-20. - 126 s. RGPU named after A. I. Herzen -13-9.

  // Portal-Credo.Ru. - 03/23/2006.

  
  

  At the Russian State Pedagogical University (RGPU) named after Herzen, the procedure for electing a rector has stalled. The certification commission of the Ministry of Education has not yet approved the candidacy. O. University Rector Sergei Bogdanov, although a meeting on this issue took place three weeks ago. According to Kommersant-SPb interlocutors in the university environment, the rector of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), Nikolai Kropachev, under whose leadership he worked for six years as vice-rector, opposes Mr. Bogdanov’s approval.

  The procedure implies that candidates are allowed to participate in elections only with the approval of the Ministry of Education, which checks them for compliance with qualification requirements. The meeting of the certification commission took place on April 25, but the department has not yet made a decision on whether to allow candidates to participate in the elections (for the elections to take place, the Ministry of Education and Science must agree on the participation of at least two people). It is noteworthy that on the same day the certification commission considered the issue of electing the rector of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, and the decision to admit candidates was made on May 3. The change in leadership of the country’s two main pedagogical universities began simultaneously (see Kommersant on October 18, 2016), when officials from the Ministry of Education and Science made a policy statement: they said that teacher training “determines our national security” and promised to focus on “preserving and strengthening national-cultural and civil identity of the teacher’s personality.”

  The Public Relations Department of the Russian State Pedagogical University told Kommersant-SPb yesterday that they have not yet received an official decision from the certification commission. The Ministry of Education did not respond to Kommersant's request about the reasons for the delay in making a decision.

  At the same time, according to three interlocutors of Kommersant-SPb, the rector of St. Petersburg State University Nikolai Kropachev spoke out sharply against the approval of Mr. Bogdanov’s candidacy at the meeting of the certification commission. Four Kommersant-SPb sources in the university environment say that the relationship between Nikolai Kropachev and Sergei Bogdanov is “tense.”

  Sergei Bogdanov took charge of the Herzen State Pedagogical University in October last year. Before that, he served as vice-rector of St. Petersburg State University for six years, receiving a promotion after Nikolai Kropachev began to lead the university. However, two sources of Kommersant-SPb in the Russian State Pedagogical University and St. Petersburg State University claim that Mr. Bogdanov was always oriented more towards the ex-rector of St. Petersburg State University, and now the president of the university, Lyudmila Verbitskaya, than towards Nikolai Kropachev, and it was with her support that he received the post of acting. O. Rector of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. Herzen. During the rectorship of Lyudmila Verbitskaya, Sergei Bogdanov became dean of the philological department. Let us note that Ms. Verbitskaya, along with Mr. Kropachev, is a member of the certification commission of the Ministry of Education. She did not answer calls from Kommersant-SPb.

  Indirectly, information about the conflict between Nikolai Kropachev and Sergei Bogdanov is confirmed by the fact that in March of this year, messages about violations committed by Mr. Bogdanov during his work at the university began to appear on the St. Petersburg State University website, framed as responses to citizens’ requests to the virtual reception. At the same time, the name of Mr. Bogdanov, who left the university for six months, is listed on the starting page of the search on the St. Petersburg State University website among the “most frequent requests.”

  Moreover, on April 28, at the rector’s meeting of St. Petersburg State University, according to the website, it was decided to transfer to the police the materials of an internal audit concerning the work of Larisa Tsvetkova, the ex-vice rector of St. Petersburg State University, who followed Sergei Bogdanov to work at the Herzen State Pedagogical University. Mrs. Tsvetkova herself, in a conversation with Kommersant-SPb, called the accusations from the leadership of St. Petersburg State University “groundless” and did not rule out that they could be related to the situation surrounding the election of the rector of the pedagogical university.

  The press service of St. Petersburg State University officially confirmed that the university management handed over the investigation materials regarding the work of Sergei Bogdanov to the police. The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, where Kommersant-SPb approached for comments, asked for a time out and promised to respond later. Sergei Bogdanov told Kommersant-SPb that he had not received information about this from the police: “I don’t understand what we can talk about.” "The conflict with Nikolai Mikhailovich (Kropachev. — “Kommersant-SPb”) I did not have. When I left the university, he wished me success. Apparently something has changed,” he said.

  Note that Sergei Bogdanov was appointed... O. rector of the Russian State Pedagogical University after the previous leadership elections at the university failed: one of the two candidates withdrew his candidacy at the last moment (rector elections must be alternative). If now the certification commission of the Ministry of Education and Science does not admit at least two candidates to the elections, they will also not take place, and in this case, a new acting leader will most likely be appointed to the university. O. rector

  Maria Karpenko, Anna Pushkarskaya, Dmitry Marakulin

  30/11/2016

  The new rector (acting for now) of the Herzen Russian Pedagogical University, Sergei Bogdanov, has long mastered pedagogy in practice - he has six children. He has only been in his new position for a month, but he is already preparing a plan for reorganizing the university.

  
  

  N The new head of the Russian State Pedagogical University wants to unite in a single space with St. Petersburg State University (where he came from), increase the budget several times and open a kindergarten. On plans for the development of teacher education in St. Petersburg, the acting rector of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after. Herzen Sergei BOGDANOV told City 812.

  "I don't have to do any tasks"

  Your appointment as acting rector came as a surprise to many. Some say that the current rector of St. Petersburg State University, Nikolai Kropachev, is behind this. Others say that you are Lyudmila Verbitskaya’s man. How did it really happen?
  - I don’t know why my appointment was a surprise. It seems to me that I have been preparing for it all my life and it is not at all accidental. I devoted 44 years to the Great University - I was the dean of the philological faculty, the director of the university publishing house, and vice-rector. A significant part of my work was related to pedagogy. We have created a new generation of university textbooks in the field of modern Russian studies, a new school line on the Russian language, and implemented many other projects focused on the education system.

  I am connected with Lyudmila Alekseevna Verbitskaya by a huge number of years of joint work and things that we have done together. We have also known Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev for a long time; together we built St. Petersburg University at the time when Lyudmila Alekseevna was the rector. I worked on his team after he became the rector of St. Petersburg State University. We had common achievements, there were arguments and there were moments when we looked at things differently, but, nevertheless, this did not destroy our relationship.

  I don’t think that I can be called Nikolai Mikhailovich’s man. But Lyudmila Alekseevna cannot be called a person either. In the sense that I do not have to carry out any tasks regarding the management of the university, which, by the way, were not given to me by either Nikolai Mikhailovich or Lyudmila Alekseevna. I have respect for Nikolai Mikhailovich. And I have and will always treat Lyudmila Alekseevna with great respect and love. If we talk about whose person I am, I would prefer the formulation: I am a person of the Big University. I hope that now I will become a person at Herzen University. Now I'm creating my own team.

  - Will you take on the team those who already work at the university, or bring new ones?
  - Of course, new people will appear. Some come from Big University. This is fine. The main thing is that the reshuffles do not negatively affect the interests of the Big University or Herzen University. These universities are closely connected, and they should be in a single space - in the good sense of the word. By the way, I have been creating joint scientific and educational programs with many leading scientists of Herzen University since the late 80s of the last century.

  - So it is possible to merge RGPU with St. Petersburg State University?
  - I think that it is inappropriate. Nikolai Mikhailovich, the rector of St. Petersburg State University, has his own tasks, and there is no point in taking on additional responsibility. On the other hand, the city needs a university focused on the pedagogical sphere, which will become part of a single all-Russian educational space. What is included in this space? The Ministry of Education and Science, the Russian Academy of Education, leading universities - for example, Moscow State Pedagogical University and our university, then public professional associations and, finally, regional education authorities and leading universities in the regions. We must ensure the functioning of a single educational space - this is important for the existence of our country. Then resources will be used more efficiently, and the educational ideology will be common. We are now preparing a development program for Herzen University, which will become part of the all-Russian program for the development of teacher education as a whole.

  - Now there is no such single space?
  - No. Want a specific example? Do you know how many different Russian language textbooks are used in schools today? More than seventy! It is clear that you cannot get by with just one; there must be at least three or four lines of textbooks, each with its own specifics. But not seventy! This is a question for the expert community. A consensus must be reached on how many courses in the Russian language and which ones are needed in schools.

  "The budget is too small"

  - You’ve been in your new position for a month now. What did you manage to do during this time?
  - We have changed the configuration of the management structure at the level of vice-rectors. The post of vice-rector for education was reduced, but vice-rectors for legal affairs and economics appeared. In addition, I met with all the heads of the university’s structural divisions, and there are about thirty of them, and received proposals for the development of each of these structures. In the coming days I plan to hold meetings with teaching teams - everyone will be able to ask any questions. Based on the results of these meetings, within three to four weeks we plan to prepare a development program for Herzen University - with target indicators, with specific tasks in all areas. After approval by the ministry, we will implement it with the goal of creating a unified educational space, which I spoke about above.

  Simultaneously with your appointment, the rector of the Moscow Pedagogical University, Alexei Semenov, was fired. Are these links in the same chain? Are the appointments linked within a single educational space?
  - Maybe they are connected. But the question must be addressed to the leadership of the ministry. I know Semenov well - by the way, he called me. And the new proposed rector of the Moscow Pedagogical University also knows me. It is important that the country’s two leading pedagogical universities work together.

  - When will there be elections of the rector at the RSPU?
  - It depends on the founder - the Ministry of Education and Science. I am glad that there will be elections, and I hope they will take place in the not too distant future. I had a similar situation at St. Petersburg State University. Then, in 1997, I was acting for almost a year. Dean of the Faculty of Philology...

  - Is a year a lot or a little?
  - A year is normal, but you don’t have to wait that long. I think we need to focus on six months.

  - Do you set ambitious goals for yourself - for example, for RSPU to get into the top 100 best universities in the world?
  - Such ratings are part of our life. They need attention, but they are not the only measure of effectiveness. I believe that our university has every reason to become a leader in teacher education in Russia. But for now our budget is too small. We will work to ensure that it increases.

  - How will you increase the budget?
  - Of course, you need to earn money. But within the limits of its scientific and educational sector. For example, we need to increase the number of grants...

  - Will you demand from teachers that they get grants themselves?
  - As for the wording of the question, then, you know, the devil is in the details. Before you demand anything, you need to create the conditions. When I was the dean of the Faculty of Philology at St. Petersburg State University, students often sat on the windowsills in the corridors with their feet on the radiator. But I couldn’t stop them from doing this until I installed benches in the corridors. This is how we need to solve big problems - create conditions so that teachers can receive grants.

  In addition, our budget consists of subsidies that are allocated to fulfill the state task. I hope it will grow too. We expect to increase the number of places in master's programs. I really hope that we will build relationships with the regions in terms of training teachers with the qualifications they need. We plan to increase the number of foreign students, expand paid education, without reducing the quality of education.

  - RGPU occupies a lot of space in the city center. Are you planning to make money from rent?
  - From my point of view, the less space a university rents out, the better. We currently have 18 leases. I believe that some of them will definitely be terminated.

  “The salary of our teachers is 66 thousand”

  - How much exactly do you want to increase the university budget? And will wages rise as a result?
  - I will be happy to tell you how many times we have increased the budget when it works out. Any increase in the budget usually implies an increase in wages. One of the primary tasks is to create conditions so that employees can concentrate their efforts on their main work, without being distracted by additional earnings. According to the information I have, the average salary of RGPU teachers today is 66-67 thousand rubles per month. In general, this is less than at the Big University, where people receive 87-88 thousand. But we also have a division in Herzen, for example, where the average salary is 92 thousand rubles. Of course, this is the average temperature in the hospital: some receive one hundred thousand and above, while others receive 25-30 thousand per month. It is important that the difference between the first and second is no more than 4-5 times. And if it is, for example, 15 times, this threatens the emergence of a pre-revolutionary situation.

  They say that in Herzen there are salaries of 7 thousand rubles. This is how much a secretary or laboratory assistant of the department receives per month. Is this normal in your opinion?
  - This, of course, is not the money for which you can demand serious work. But I know how to make 130 laboratory assistants into 70, and at the same time their salaries will more than double. I have experience with such optimization.

  - How much, in your opinion, should an associate professor or professor earn?
  - It's difficult to answer. Let's say I have six children and a number of close people for whom I am responsible, in particular, financially. Another professor may have his own circumstances that are no less important and require attention. How to determine whether the offered salary is worthy? It’s very simple: see if people come to us, if they want to work for us. Thank God, so far there is no problem of colossal outflow of personnel at Herzen University.

  - How many times can the rector’s salary, in your opinion, be higher than the university average?
  - There are approved rules that determine the rector’s salary. Four times, it seems. I have never received a salary yet. I hope to receive it soon and compare.

  A school and kindergarten will appear at the university

  - You have worked at St. Petersburg State University all your life. What from there would you like to use at the Pedagogical University?
  - A lot of this. For example, based on the experience of the Big University, we are planning to open a virtual reception room, where anyone can ask a question via the Internet and receive an answer. We want to switch to effective contracts with employees. Such a contract details what the teacher must do during the period of the employment contract. For example, not just work as an assistant professor, but give lectures in English or French, prepare a monograph, submit a certain number of grant applications, make presentations twice at international conferences, and so on. The same contract stipulates the responsibility of the employer, who, if the task is completed, must pay a bonus, etc.

  It is necessary to develop pedagogically oriented master's programs - now we have less than three thousand masters. Strengthen the practical orientation of teaching. Our undergraduate education should be no worse than in the best classical universities. I really hope that both a kindergarten and a school will appear in the structure of our university. Our students will work there and introduce advanced pedagogical techniques. The heads of our departments have already approached me with proposals for creating such practice bases.

  - How did your children and loved ones react to your appointment? The workload has increased - is there enough time for everyone?
  - You have to work 12-14 hours. I started to see much less of everyone, but what to do? Those close to me are used to this: my workload has always been quite prohibitive. On the other hand, I hope that the opportunity to do something new will prolong the active phase of existence, and I will be able to give more to my loved ones. For me personally, this is a chance to build something necessary for everyone. Because I have always seen the main meaning of my activities in terms of the structure of collective existence.

  The fact that I am acting rector is the highest point of my career in the university system. But this is also a serious challenge. Our university is wonderful, with a rich history. More than 16 thousand students, the staff is very qualified. Of the 1,200 teachers, more than three hundred are doctors of science, and more than 800 are candidates of science. There are, of course, many problems - as in any large organization. They are especially important to solve now, when much attention is being paid to the Russian education system. Because it is she who must determine the future of Russia. My task is to make the university the leader of teacher education in the country .

  There were meetings at Herzen University, but they did not choose a rector. The disruption is associated with a possible merger of the university with the State University, and the idea of ​​the merger is attributed to Kropachev.

  Zamir Usmanov/Interpress

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  In March 2016, Pedagogical University named after. Herzen had to choose a new rector. The current head of the university, Valery Solomin, who came to this position five years ago, decided to leave - in the summer he will turn 65. In December 2015, the start of the election procedure was announced. The “inheritance” falls to Solomin’s successor quite well.

  Today, the Herzen State Pedagogical University includes 21 faculties, 89 areas of training for doctoral students and graduate students, 3 branches: in Vyborg, Volkhov and Dagestan. The material and technical base of the university (excluding branches) consists of 67 buildings with a total area of ​​145 thousand square meters. m. There are 18 land plots with a total area of ​​57 hectares in permanent use. It has its own dispensary, health center, printing house, and student dormitories within the city. Every year the RSPU receives almost a billion rubles as a subsidy from the federal budget, and the same amount from other sources. More than 20 thousand undergraduate and graduate students study in full-time, part-time and evening departments.

  As the president of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.N. told Fontanka. Herzen Gennady Bordovsky, the university nominated three candidates for the post of rector: the first vice-rector of the university Sergei Goncharov, vice-rector for international cooperation Dmitry Boykov and vice-rector for academic affairs Vitaly Kantor.

  “They are all of different ages, different experiences, but have the necessary qualifications, honorary titles and academic degrees. They have been associated with the university for many years,” noted Bordovsky. Also, a self-nominated candidate, chairman of the committee of general and vocational education of the Leningrad region, Sergei Tarasov, announced to participate in the election of the rector.

  After being eliminated from the Ministry of Education, the candidates began their election campaign. Both Tarasov and Kantor presented their university development programs to the team. Kantor argued that the Russian State Pedagogical University is on the right path of development, and he intends to support this path; Tarasov’s program is built on the opposite statement - the alma mater of pedagogy must be raised from its knees. Among the problems of the university, Tarasov lists, for example, university applicants positioning themselves as less successful than applicants to classical universities, reducing the attractiveness of the university, and underestimating the importance of humanitarian training.

  As the university president Bordovsky says, meetings with the teaching staff were friendly, communication was constructive: “No one had any complaints. Everyone went to meetings and discussed. Kantor, of course, has a vision of the problems of the university as a whole and more from the inside. Tarasov actively positioned himself as a person with close ties to the ministry and spoke about support from the department.”

  In early March, the university sent papers to the Ministry of Education and Science with a proposal to agree on the election date for March 31, but received no response. “We have repeatedly asked them to speed up the appointment of the election date, but there was no response. Unexpectedly, on March 30, before the conference, Tarasov brought a statement withdrawing his candidacy. And this automatically means that the election campaign will have to be held again,” Bordovsky said.

  Tarasov did not explain his “desertion” either to the staff or to the rector of the university. He was unable to do this in a conversation with Fontanka: “You know, in accordance with the regulations, any candidate has the right to withdraw from the elections at any time. I will not comment on what my motives were. In any case, the university will not be left without leadership, I don’t see any tragedy, they will appoint an acting director, and then there will be elections again.”

  This is precisely the purpose of the acting appointment. - the RGPU sees the tragedy. Since the elections have been disrupted, the Ministry of Education, after the current rector Solomin’s contract expires, can appoint an acting one at its own discretion and for an indefinite period.

  “By withdrawing his candidacy, Tarasov was deliberately aiming to disrupt the elections. He could have communicated his reluctance to participate in the elections to the conference in another way. Now, a person who comes from outside can remain in this position for a long time, will be able to fire whoever he wants, and thereby adjust the work collective to the result he wants in the elections,” says Alexander Kobrinsky, professor of the department of Russian literature, deputy of the Legislative Assembly.

  “The team is in uncertainty. What happened means possible problems for the university,” Bordovsky added.

  On March 31, the teaching staff, instead of the disrupted elective conference, voted to appeal to the Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov with a request to appoint Vitaly Kantor as acting. A similar appeal was supported in the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. Deputy, honorary professor of the Russian State Pedagogical University Alexey Vorontsov made a speech at the education commission on Monday, April 4: “The ministry behaves ambiguously, according to unofficial data, they will send us an outsider. I could even name someone who needs it, but the press is here.”

  Unofficially, the rectors' community and the Legislative Assembly say that the disruption of the elections to the Russian State Pedagogical University is some kind of multi-move. Allegedly, its result should be the appointment as acting. rector Tarasov, and after that he should lead the university to merge with St. Petersburg State University. The authorship of this plan is attributed to the leadership of St. Petersburg State University.

  It is worth noting that the idea of ​​such a merger itself is not new. It had been periodically raised before at various meetings in the relevant ministry. Back in 2008, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Education Viktor Bolotov voiced the idea of ​​the need to merge pedagogical universities with classical ones: “I would strictly note that maintaining the development of high-quality teacher education is not identical to the preservation and development of pedagogical universities. There are, firstly, other levels of education, pedagogical colleges, IPK, and secondly, there are a lot of non-core universities in which the teacher education program is successfully implemented.”

  Moreover, the trend in recent years has been the consolidation and unification of state universities with a similar focus. For example, at the end of 2012, the merger of FINEK, ENZHEKON and GUSE took place. Since the merger, universities have even gained several positions in university rankings (for example, according to the Expert RA rating, in 2012 ENGECON occupied 41st place in the top 100 of Russia, and in 2015 SPbSUE was already in 34th position) .

  However, Fontanka’s interlocutors speak without enthusiasm about the idea of ​​merging the Russian State Pedagogical University and St. Petersburg State University and insist that the teaching staff should independently decide how to develop the university. Meanwhile, even Fontanka’s interlocutors themselves say that there are simply no documents about the alleged intentions of the merger. Advisor to the rector of St. Petersburg State University Nikolai Kropachev, Ivan Zasursky, also said that he sees no reason to assume that such discussions are underway: “The university has no problems either with buildings or with students. And Nikolai Mikhailovich (Rector of St. Petersburg State University - Ed.) is now fighting for quality, not quantity.”

  Regional official Sergei Tarasov, who is tipped for the acting position, also did not support the conspiracy theory about the merger of universities: “I myself propose my candidacy for the acting position. I’m not going to, whether the Ministry of Education is going to nominate me, I don’t know - this needs to be clarified with them. As for unification, I had no such ideas. This is my home university, I had no such plans.”

  It only remains to add that Herzen University is one of the last strongholds of university democracy in the country. The Ministry of Education has set a course for the transition to a system of vertical power in the field of education. Thus, elections to Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University have been abolished. A number of universities in St. Petersburg have been governed by acting rectors for several years now (for example, at the Stieglitz Academy and the Polar Academy); in other Russian higher educational institutions, their charters have been changed, transferring the authority to select management to the Ministry of Education (for example, at Moscow State Pedagogical University). In the Northern capital, rectors are still elected at the Forestry University, the University named after. Lesgafta, ITMO, Technological Institute, Agrarian and Mining Universities.