Naturally, my idea of ​​what a university education should be like has changed over the years. But there are basic principles that I consistently defend and try to implement. For example, back in the late 1990s, I proposed not to look for low-quality dissertations among those already defended, since this would not change the reasons for their appearance, but to introduce our own university academic degrees. Then each university, with its own name and reputation, will be responsible for the level of each dissertation. Now this right has already been granted by law to two leading universities in the country, and over time, I hope, it will become a general norm.

At the same time, it was clear that each educational institution needed to introduce its own higher education diploma and delegate strong universities the right to work according to their own educational standards. In 2008, St. Petersburg State University and Moscow State University acquired the right to work according to their own educational standards, and in 2009 - to issue their own diplomas.

Our own educational standards allow us to make full use of the university’s powerful potential, increase the share of professional disciplines, and bring the quality of graduates’ training closer to the requirements that employers will present to them in the future.

Is the invitation to the university of well-known practitioners (such as Valery Gergiev) also explained by the logic “the graduate must meet the market requirements”?

Of course, but not only that. Each of these cases has its own logic and its own purpose. Thus, Valery Gergiev, a great maestro, a strong leader and a person who understands what education should be, headed the newly created Faculty of Arts. But Andrey Kostin became the director of the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg State University, when we were already on the verge of getting into the top world rankings in this field (for example, the Financial Times ranking) and receiving institutional accreditation. And what did Kostin do? He has adapted additional educational programs in the field of management to the needs of the modern market. As a result, the university began to earn ten times more on additional management programs!

Another of our “star deans” is Mikhail Kovalchuk. When starting our cooperation with him, we agreed very pragmatically: we need to develop nuclear physics, but we at St. Petersburg State University do not have space to install the appropriate equipment, so we conduct classes at the Kurchatov Institute. This is how we solve our problems, and Mikhail Valentinovich, as the head of the institute, contributes to the training of highly qualified personnel - future physicists. By the way, the same is the case with Kostin: while other organizations invest huge amounts of money in creating their own structures, which are beautifully called “corporate universities,” VTB successfully solves its problems on the basis of our university.

This year, for the first time, the State Certification Commissions (SAC) of St. Petersburg State University, which evaluate graduates’ theses, included only employers. Was this experiment justified?

Employers in certification commissions are independent experts who are critical and interested in what is happening at the university. According to existing rules, commissions must consist of at least half employers, and experience shows that deans often select candidates based on the principle of loyalty. Therefore, in 2016, after a discussion with directors of institutes and deans of faculties, we decided to form commissions entirely from employers - it’s probably impossible to recruit so many loyal commission members.

After the defenses, meetings were held with members of the State Attestation Committee; we heard a lot of constructive criticism both about our educational process and about our standards. There were questions from employers: “Why did you include this in the standard? Why isn’t this here?” And this is a very valuable experience not only for us! After we included employers in the commissions, many of them finally understood: if we send them our educational standard for consideration, we are not expecting blind approval, but constructive criticism. Thanks to this experiment, the university was able to show itself to employers, and they understood how they could influence the training of specialists.

In my opinion, the main result is that the final certification procedure has become more transparent, employers have seen our problems and achievements and are now ready to actively and consciously be involved in university life.

In addition to its own educational standards, St Petersburg University now has the right to award its own academic degrees. Recently, you, together with the rector of Moscow State University, advocated for the extension of the transition phase, within the framework of which defenses under the Higher Attestation Commission procedure can still be carried out. Why should it be extended and what other universities do you think could be given the right to award their own degrees?

Indeed, at the first stage of the implementation of this innovation, academic degrees at the university can be defended both according to its own procedure and according to the Higher Attestation Commission procedure. And we believe that the transition period needs to be extended: after all, a whole six months after the reform were spent preparing for this work. The first defense at St. Petersburg State University took place on January 17, 2017, and by September work on improving this technology will not yet be completed. Now, on behalf of the Prime Minister, the issue of amending the law and extending the experiment is being considered.

As for other universities, in my opinion, only those who have the practice of conducting their own defenses can obtain the right to award degrees without the participation of the Higher Attestation Commission. After all, even today any university in the country can award its own academic degrees, but they will not be recognized in our country as state ones. St. Petersburg State University, for example, has been conducting its own defenses since 2013, and over these few years we have had 13 defenses of dissertations for the degree of candidate of science from St. Petersburg State University in mathematics, biology, physics and geology.

In addition, it is necessary that defenses at the university take place absolutely openly. Our university has very strict rules: the dissertation must be completed in Russian and English, and the dissertation council must include Russian and foreign specialists. The council is formed for each defense, and it includes scientists specializing specifically in the field of the dissertation being defended. We don’t want to turn the defense into a corporate party, so we broadcast all dissertation council meetings online, and publish all materials in the public domain.

Finally, the most important condition for granting a university the right to award its own degrees is its involvement in world science. The university should have enough scientists who are invited to take part in dissertation defenses in the leading universities of the world, who have scientific publications in highly ranked journals, who are invited to key scientific conferences with keynote presentations, that is, people with name, authority and serious experience.

You have changed the system of concluding contracts with employees: previously all employment contracts were five-year, but now their terms are differentiated. What is the reason for this decision?

The modern labor market places increasingly stringent demands on specialists, which means that the requirements on those who train them - that is, on university teachers - should also increase. We are deeply convinced that there can be no “equalization” in working conditions (and this, I note, not only the terms of contracts, but also wages). Everyone is different, and they all contribute differently to the life of the university. This means that both the duration of the contract and the salary must be determined individually. Now at St. Petersburg State University there are different contracts - from one-year to unlimited. And pay attention - there are no longer any universities in Russia that have open-ended contracts that we conclude with scientists who have special achievements.

We offer to conclude an indefinite employment contract for those scientific and pedagogical workers who have shown high results in their activities for a long time. Moreover, performance indicators are analyzed depending on the field of knowledge - it is impossible to approach the work of a philologist and chemist, lawyer and geographer with one yardstick.

We first thought about the possibility of concluding such contracts back in 2015, and we assumed that this would apply only to professors. But after public discussion, it was decided to offer indefinite contracts to associate professors if they have high achievements in their field of knowledge.

Upon expiration of the contract, employees undergo a competition. The criteria for evaluating their work are quite formal: the number of scientific articles, participation in grants. Are the conditions for participation in the competition any different for employees who prefer to engage in science and not teach, and for those who, on the contrary, choose pedagogy?

Yes, now we have three groups of positions: researcher, practical teacher and teacher engaged in educational and scientific work. The requirements for competition participants for these categories of positions are different.

For example, practicing teachers are not subject to requirements for scientific publications, and research assistants are not required to have a teaching load. For the third category, the ratio of scientific and teaching work varies depending on the status of the position and the needs of the university. This system, in my opinion, is quite effective.

You are often called a reformer who has radically restructured the work of the university and strives to “restore order.” Are you really setting this goal for yourself?

The main task that, in my opinion, needs to be solved is not to restore order, but to restore the unity of the university. At some point, St. Petersburg State University actually disintegrated into a mass of faculties, laboratories, centers and centers, the leaders of which regarded the property and money of the university as their own, and therefore sought to isolate themselves. There were illegal hotels and restaurants, candy and furniture factories in the university buildings; there was no accounting or control. Not to mention the fact that this practically led to the loss of one of the main university advantages - interdisciplinarity.

There were achievements, but they did not work for the entire university. Back in 1996, lawyers created the first electronic library in Russia, but students and teachers of other fields could not even get there. And there was probably the best hostel in Russia, where, again, only lawyers were accommodated. We made a decision: it will be the property of the entire university. The same is with the Science Park, the equipment of which is now available to all university students without exception.

But this is not so much about the structuring of property, but about intellectual unification: the essence of modern science and education is interdisciplinarity, and this approach implies cooperation, not divisions. The strength of the university lies in its unity. Over the past three years, we have created 16 interdisciplinary programs, which have no analogues on the Russian educational services market today. Naturally, they arouse increased interest among applicants. Among them, for example, is the undergraduate educational program “Jurisprudence (with in-depth study of the Chinese language and Chinese law).” It has become the most popular among applicants this year! Only a single university has such opportunities.

Today, the rector of St. Petersburg State University is not an elected, but an appointed position. How does this affect university management?

Despite the fact that I am appointed to a position and not elected, I am completely dependent on the academic council in all academic matters, and any teacher in these same matters is absolutely independent of me. In addition, many processes that in other universities are determined by the will of the elected rector are regulated by clear rules in our country. For example, any teacher, at his own request, can become a member of the educational and methodological commission, any doctor of science can join the council of the Higher Attestation Commission in his specialty. The right of self-nomination to the Academic Council of St. Petersburg State University, as well as a host of other rights that do not exist in other universities in Russia, are provided.

If you focus only on the appointment of the rector, but do not talk about the conditions created at the university, then everything will look completely different from what it really is. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the university has created and operates rules that give university employees complete academic freedom.

After nine years of leading the university, has your attitude towards the institution of electing the rector changed?

Let me start with the fact that in 2008, the appointment of the rector was a tool for solving certain problems. Then, behind every sauna and hotel illegally located in a university building, there was a manager - a person who had the rector’s power of attorney to dispose of the property. And what do you think, would these people choose as rector someone who says that instead of their successful business there will be educational space?

We used the appointment of the rector to make many unpopular, but absolutely necessary decisions, many of which, by the way, limited the rights of management. The rector and vice-rector, for example, no longer have the right to dispose of funds at their own discretion - now everything is distributed on a competitive basis.

If the position of rector had been elective then, the reforms and development of the university would have stopped quite quickly - how many votes would I have received in the next elections? But now we can hold elections. Over these nine years the university has changed and the university is now governed by rules that are considered positive by most staff. True, now the position of rector has become much less attractive: he does not give anything to anyone, has nothing, does not distribute anything.

One of the most important tasks of the rector is to ensure the creation and compliance with rules. St Petersburg University staff have different opinions, and support is not always absolute. But have you ever met teams in which there is only one point of view on all issues? I haven't encountered anything like this.

The oldest university in the republic, the Komi State Pedagogical Institute, turns 75 in February 2007. Today we met with the rector of the university Valeryan Isakov.

The institute will soon turn 75 years old. What goals does the university set for itself today?

On the eve of the 75th anniversary, we are doing quite a lot of work to understand the role of the pedagogical institute in the vocational education system of the Komi Republic. We strive to improve the quality of training of specialists for the education sector. This is our main task.

Please tell us what the institute looks like today? Who trains future teachers?

The Pedagogical Institute has a long history. Of course, many people work here who have devoted almost their entire lives to this university. The average age of our teacher is 47-48 years. More than 57% have a candidate or doctorate degree. We have about 20 percent young specialists. In my opinion, this is a very good indicator, because in central universities the teachers are much older. I would say that our teaching staff is a mixture of youth and experience. One of the priority areas of our activity is the modernization of the material and technical base. Repair work is underway, we are purchasing new computer and audiovisual equipment, and introducing new pedagogical technologies, in particular information technologies, into the educational process.

A significant event of this year was the opening of the Information and Educational Center “Russian Museum: Virtual Branch”. With the help of his programs, we educate students, future teachers, and give them good cultural and humanistic training.

Today there is a lot of talk about innovation. What work is being done at your institute in this direction?

Here it must be said right away that teacher education has always been innovative in its essence. Recently, serious changes have been taking place in schools: the basic curriculum is undergoing changes, new teaching methods and technologies are appearing, new textbooks are being created based on them, and schoolchildren are studying additional disciplines. Therefore, a pedagogical university must respond quickly to such changes, but we try to do this proactively. In this regard, we strongly support business trips of our teachers to other universities, where there are already new products, in order to study their experience. Our cooperation with pedagogical universities in the North-West is particularly close.

Is the Komi Pedagogical Institute included in the Association of Pedagogical Universities of the North-West?

It doesn't just come in. This Association was created on the initiative of the rectors of three pedagogical universities: Komi Pedagogical Institute, Murmansk and Karelian Pedagogical Universities. This event took place in 2005 with the full support of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after Herzen. In addition, we are going to open a scientific center of the North-Western branch of the Russian Academy of Education at the pedagogical institute. For our students, this can serve to improve the quality of their training.

It is no secret that not all graduates of pedagogical institutes get jobs in schools. In your opinion, why do they study here?

Not everyone goes to school, but the majority go to education and upbringing. Why study with us? You know, I myself ask this question to those who do not want to be a teacher when I conduct preliminary employment. Many answer me that it is important for them to first receive training from us, since a pedagogical university provides unique knowledge and skills that no other university can provide. For example, you study mathematics at our institute. Firstly, you get to know the subject, its essence. Secondly, learn to present it, teach others, since you know the teaching methodology. Thirdly, you learn to communicate and analyze people’s actions, and often even understand misunderstandings that are incomprehensible at first glance, because our students not only get acquainted with pedagogy and personality psychology, but thoroughly study them. During teaching practice, you learn to behave in front of an audience, because a teacher is an artist who constantly plays different roles. In addition, you acquire organizational and leadership skills. Agree, such comprehensive training is very important for a dynamically changing labor market. A graduate of a pedagogical university can better assess where and with whom it would be best for him to work. It is also the foundation for further scientific, career and even personal development.

How do you assess the priority national project “Education”?

The national project has stirred up interest in teaching. Society began to understand the importance of the teacher, his role in the preparation of applicants and future specialists. It is also gratifying that out of 77 republican teachers who received Presidential grants, 34 are graduates of our pedagogical institute.

Please tell us about your recent trip to Karelia and Finland.

At first, as a member of the Presidium, I participated in a meeting of the educational and methodological association of pedagogical universities in Russia (by area). It was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Karelian Pedagogical University and was held at this university. Colleagues shared their experiences on the topic “Information and communication technologies in teacher education.”

Then we arrived in Finland to hold joint conferences. They discussed issues such as innovations in education, tasks and problems of teacher education. We learned from the experience of our Finnish colleagues; it was possible to compare what we are doing with what is being done in Finland. After all, the Finnish education system is one of the best in Europe.

However, my main task was to establish relationships with universities in Finland. Currently, an agreement is being prepared with one of the institutes of this country on environmental education for schoolchildren in our republic. In addition, an agreement was reached to send specialists from our institute to Karelia and Finland to identify specific areas of cooperation. The trip is planned for January-February next year.

What are the university's plans for the future?

Currently, work is underway to increase the prestige of the institute. In this regard, we plan to transform it into a pedagogical academy. Presumably it will take two to three years to prepare. We were already close to achieving our goal, but last year the demands on the academy sharply increased. Therefore, now we need to improve our performance in order to correspond to the status of the academy. As for students, they will receive the same specialties; only the status of the university will increase.

Last year we opened a new specialty in graduate school, and next year two more will appear. The range of specialties for those entering the institute will soon expand. “Speech therapy” and “Life safety” will be added to them. Why these? Unfortunately, now there are quite a lot of people who have various speech disorders. The security problem is also becoming acute. It is necessary to prepare schoolchildren for life in the current conditions, but there are practically no teachers in this discipline.

Interviewed by Valentina Goncharova.

Acting Rector of Altai State Technical University Andrey Markov on accreditation, salaries, goals and the possible status of a flagship university

A year without a leader. In May 2016, the rector of the Altai State Technical University was fired. From that moment on, the position remained vacant. They wanted to appoint the head of the polytechnic before the start of the school year, but the Ministry of Education did not approve the candidates.

But on August 1, 2017, a meeting was held between the Minister of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva and the head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology of Altai State Technical University Andrey Markov. Already on August 16, Andrei Mikhailovich began his duties as acting rector of the university.

Andrei Markov spoke about the vector of development of the technical university, the upcoming election of the rector, the difficulties of the work, the tasks set and the conversation with the Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science in a live broadcast on Echo of Moscow in Barnaul.

Interviewed by Tatyana Gladkova.

Andrey Mikhailovich, since May last year, the position of rector of the Altai Technical University has remained vacant. In what condition did you get the university?

Indeed, on August 16, I took up my duties as acting rector of the Polytechnic. Previously, Professor Andrey Maksimenko served as acting professor. The ministry decided that it was necessary to make a rotation. Our university is such a colossus, excuse me, that it is quite difficult to stop. Or even impossible.

Our admissions campaign went very well. We have practically filled the budget places. And the day before, at the meeting of the admissions committee, we had already enrolled the children who were going to extra-budgetary forms of education, and those who were enrolled in the master's program.

- What are the primary tasks facing the university today?

First of all, you need to complete the set. We do not yet have enrollment in the correspondence faculty. Today we pay special attention to him. We are also preparing for September 1st. Ten thousand of our students will return to classrooms. As soon as we start the school year, we will continue it. Another important task is to create a flagship university. I will go to the ministry, talk, look and evaluate the prospects. Of course, we will participate in the competition. And I hope for the help of our region and our State Duma deputies from the Altai Territory. Working connections have been established with them, which we will use.

- What will the status of a flagship university give to a “polytechnic”?

Initially, this was the allocation of additional funds. This is, of course, very good. But this is not the most important thing. The money allocated there is not that big. And, as far as I know, our colleagues, Altai Classical University, have not received additional funds. But the important fact here is that it is a regional flagship university. This will give us the opportunity to participate in programs that will raise funds. First of all, these are programs of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and so on.

This is the prestige of the university. We need to legally establish what really is.

- But when creating flagship universities, the number of universities should be reduced...

There was a tendency for a regional flagship university to be created, for example, through a merger. But here we need to understand what is more important for the region: there will be one large university or several strong ones. I think a few strong ones are better. And that's okay too. If there are two such universities, then we will have enough space.

- It’s no secret that your candidacy was supported by the Governor of the Altai Territory, Alexander Karlin.

We had a meeting with Alexander Bogdanovich when I was elected to the post of executive director of the Union of Industrialists of the Altai Territory. I have been in this position for four months. At the same time, I remain at Altai State Technical University as head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology.

I can only assume that my candidacy was recommended for the reason that I have been involved in relations with enterprises for quite a long time.

Almost all industrial enterprises in the region are familiar to me. I also know all the directors, I know the problems of the enterprises. And enterprises know the problems of the university. I think that knowledge of the life of the university (for three years I worked as vice-rector, for three years as dean of the faculty) and knowledge of industry determined the decision to support my candidacy as acting rector of the university.

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Moreover, the topic of supporting mechanical engineering and entrepreneurship is one of the priorities in our region today.

Indeed, it is so. It is believed that the Altai region is only an agricultural region. But this is also the region of agricultural engineering, the region of chemical production, precision engineering, and biopharmaceuticals. That is, the entire range of specialties that the university has is what our region needs. The Technical University did not become a flagship university. This is a big strategic loss for us.

- But there will be another chance next year.

Yes, there will be a chance. Here is de jure and de facto. De facto, we are the regional flagship university. We are a source of personnel for the Altai Territory. We respect Altai State University. I always believe that we should go together, because it is working in tandem that will make it possible to solve very important problems for the entire region and the Siberian Federal District as a whole. And only in unity is our strength.

- Andrey Mikhailovich, how was the meeting with the Minister of Education and Science of Russia?

Indeed, on August 1 I met with Olga Yuryevna Vasilyeva. I can say that this person knows very well the problems of higher education in the country, the problems of the country, and this is a person truly at the state level. The meeting did not last that long, about 20 minutes. We talked about the current state of the university. And, most importantly, not so much about what is happening now, but about the prospects that should be expected from the university. We agreed on the understanding that the development of a technical university should be closely connected with enterprises. This is the topic of basic departments, the topic of the board of trustees, the topic of joint research with enterprises and other universities.

- Are there many enterprises with which Polytechnic cooperates?

Yes, almost all enterprises in the region are ready to accept our students. Of course, gone are the days when 100 people were easily allocated to practice. But then the enterprises were large, then there was a different type of production. Now the trends in the development of industry and technology have changed. Now the equipment is completely different. No automatic lines. There are machines with numerical control that allow you to quickly adjust.

So there is no need for 100 students per enterprise. The distribution for practice is quite targeted. We must pay tribute to the heads of enterprises; they began to understand: without their participation, a good specialist will not turn out. It will only work out when they, for their part, set goals. But here we must again understand that it is impossible to produce specialists only at the request of an enterprise. The company has an order now, and the university will graduate students in five years. The university has the task of forecasting; the university must know where development will go. That is, even now, when recruiting students, we must clearly know what will happen in two years, in four, in ten years.

The university is a generator of ideas and an engine of progress.

A year ago, there were a number of violations related to the insufficient rate of increase in teachers' salaries, as well as the delay in obtaining state accreditation. This was the reason for the rector's dismissal. Do these problems exist today?

We are implementing the roadmap. As far as I remember, in 2016 the average salary at a university should be at least 150% in the region. We meet this indicator by more than (165%). This year there is every opportunity to achieve the target of 175%. I don’t see any big difficulties here.

Another thing is that, according to the same roadmap, it is necessary to ensure the ratio of the number of teachers and students. This ratio is in the direction of decreasing the number of teachers. And these are valuable personnel. Here you need to understand where to use these frames. On the other hand, teachers are freed up to conduct scientific research. We will definitely not fall short in terms of salaries, just as we will meet the indicator of the number of students per teacher.

Regarding accreditation. We have passed accreditation. The fact is that the procedure this time did not go so smoothly. This path has now been passed. I think there is no longer any danger. Our task is to accredit those areas that were deprived of it. For example, a master's degree in economics. It is very important for us. I think everything will work out. I don't know about tourism, it was a loss for us. We really trained good specialists.

- And as for tourism, will you return this direction?

Let us resolve the issue with the economy, and then touch on tourism.

- Many people believe that there is no longer any intrigue about who will become rector.

The word "intrigue" does not fit here. This is a serious undertaking. The rector assumes obligations to the team. The team entrusts itself into the hands of the leader.

One of the topics that was touched upon in the conversation with Minister Olga Vasilyeva was that the university has been without a director for a year. It is very bad when there is no permanent leader. That is, it turns out that there is some uncertainty. It is necessary to decide when these elections will take place. And the intrigue, if you can call it intrigue... Nothing has been decided. There is an election procedure, and of course it will be followed. We hope that a letter will soon arrive from the Ministry of Education saying: “Start the election procedure.”

The election procedure is prescribed by law. A special commission is created and candidates for the post of rector are nominated. Then they are considered by the academic council. Again, people come forward for a reason. There are certain requirements for them - in terms of experience, qualifications, education, additional education. Candidates are then selected by the Ministry of Education. They have their own requirements for candidates. And then those recommended by the ministry participate in the elections. So nothing is predetermined.

You said: “It’s bad that the university worked for a year without a director.” Today is not the easiest time for the university. Do you already have a vision of how Polytech will develop? Moreover, you noted that the task is precisely this: to predict what will happen in two, four and ten years?

I will say that even now the university has an interim acting rector. I am not the same person who has already taken office. But whoever is in this position must understand that the development of the university is impossible (I have already said this more than once) without the development of the region.

We have a strategic program for the development of the region. I think that a strategic development program for the university will be adopted in the near future. It will be submitted for public consideration. We will approve the program with the board of trustees and begin its implementation. Our main task is to train good specialists. It’s impossible to do without personnel.

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We need to determine what personnel are needed. Second: science and innovation. We need scientific products that we can bring to our businesses. What they really need. The third direction is international activity.

Another point: our faculties, strange as it may sound, are not always interested in the final result. We recruited a lot of students. Why did you collect it? To gain experience or to develop your units? This also needs to be dealt with. Faculties must become more independent. There must be responsibility for the money they earn and the money they can spend. And here you need to understand that the university is allocated money and this money is considerable. But how to use them rationally? This money should bring in new money. Here I am already speaking from the point of view of industry, if we consider our university as an enterprise.

- International activities are a separate issue. Who does the university cooperate with today?

I believe that Altai State Technical University is an international university. Here the direction is this: more than 600 foreign students study at our university. This is a lot. Also, our students under the double degree program study in other countries. Such cooperation is taking place with China. There have already been several releases.

True, not all of these students will remain in Russia. But that's not so bad either. They will still come back. This is our prestige, let’s even say, our investment. The same applies to foreign students who come to us.

It is necessary to expand the boundaries. And we will do this. Our ties with European countries have not been interrupted. Our cheesemakers and winemakers went to Europe to study. I think we will continue to work in this direction. We have something to show the Europeans, we have something to learn from them. Europe is wonderful. But we are still closer to the east. Several years ago, a council of rectors of Greater Altai was created. And work in this direction continues.

Today I would highlight three main points in the development of the university: studies, international activities and science. These are the three pillars on which training rests.

The 2010 admission campaign to Russian universities was marked by the redistribution of budget places between humanitarian and technical specialties in favor of the latter. This change in priorities is explained by the shortage of engineers and technicians in the country and the needs of modernization proclaimed by the President of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev, says the rector of the Moscow Aviation Institute (GTU), Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor A. N. Gerashchenko.

- Anatoly Nikolaevich, how was the admissions campaign at MAI?

This year, the admissions committee received more than 13,000 applications from applicants, which corresponds to a competition of approximately five people per place. This confirms that from year to year MAI is in stable demand among potential students. Some difference is that there are more applications submitted from nonresident applicants. This year there are about 40 percent. The nonresident guys are very strong, despite the fact that the average level of applicants has dropped. It was a great pity to let promising children leave from the outback - so this year we managed to increase the number of places in the dormitories and accept more out-of-town students than usual.

MAI announced that it had closed all budget places, but on the website of the admissions committee there was an announcement on August 25 that enrollment was continuing for the faculties of aviation technology, engines and aerospace. What does it mean?

It turned out that some of the guys whom we had already enrolled came to us to pick up documents. At the same time, there remained a reserve of those wishing to become MAI students. Therefore, we expelled some, enrolled others - there was some replacement of students in the three faculties. But we have no shortage.
We have one of the largest enrollments in Moscow: 2,500 people in the first year. In addition, we have 4 branches - in Khimki, Zhukovsky, Akhtubinsk and Baikonur. The Ministry of Education and Science this year increased our recruitment by 150 people: the country needs technicians. And, despite the increase in the admission target numbers, we have fully filled the budget places allocated to the university.
We are doing a lot of work to ensure recruitment. We participate in educational exhibitions and work with schools. Finding new schools for targeted training of children at MAI is difficult. And physics is now taught in schools at an insufficiently high level. Teachers often discourage high school students from taking the Unified State Exam in this subject, so as not to spoil their performance indicators. The same applies to computer science and mathematics. So we have to delegate our teachers to schools to teach lessons. However, all the schools with which we have been cooperating for a long time, and MAI has more than 30 basic schools, do not even think about abandoning us.

- Are MAI graduates in demand?

In the Council of Rectors of Moscow and the Moscow Region, I head the working group on student employment and I know that not a single May student is on the labor exchange. There are sociologists, economists and other humanists there. Our graduates are in demand not only by enterprises in the aerospace industry, but also in other areas of the economy, as well as in the field of management. The demand for MAI graduates was monitored at 381 aerospace enterprises. He showed that more than 10,000 of our graduates work at these enterprises, most of whom graduated from MAI in the last 10 years. We have a MAI Alumni Club, which helped us raise funds to celebrate the 80th anniversary of MAI. And the holiday was a great success! First, in March, a gala concert was held for graduates and employees of the institute at the MAI Palace of Culture, in which pop stars took part. In May, we organized a holiday for young people - today's students and future MAI applicants. The "MAY Takeoff" festival took place at the Tushino airfield. The festival included exciting sporting events, presentations of faculties, exhibitions of industry partner enterprises and an excellent concert in which rock stars took part: Sergey Galanin, Garik Sukachev, the Splin group and others.
MAI provides fundamental education. Moreover, during your studies you can receive two higher education degrees! From the third year, in parallel with the main technical specialty, you can obtain a second specialty for a fee at other faculties of the Moscow Aviation Institute. Those wishing to improve their status in the labor market have a unique opportunity to study a technical foreign language in depth at our Institute of Foreign Languages. In addition, at the MAI Institute of Foreign Languages, pilots and air traffic controllers improve their foreign language skills with the issuance of certificates from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In May of this year, we received a diploma from a dispatcher who prevented a collision of two planes - a lot was written about this in the press at that time. Our 4th-5th year students with knowledge of the language are in great demand at enterprises: MiG, GosNIIAS, Sukhoi Design Bureau and many others.

- The wages are low there...

Not everywhere. In March, a 2009 MAI graduate spoke at our celebration - he is already the head of a department with a salary of 50 thousand rubles. at OJSC Sukhoi Company. How did he do it? I worked there since my second year.
Now we have agreements with 380 enterprises of the military-industrial complex, where graduates go to work. Of our 53 specialties, 23 are defense, and young people with our diplomas are always welcome there. By the way, as a result of monitoring partner enterprises, we found out that 189 of them are headed by MAI graduates. These are directors of enterprises, general and chief designers, heads of large divisions.

- Tell us, what other activities are carried out at MAI?

In 2009, MAI became a national research university. This means that the university will carry out scientific research and continuous training of specialists in the end-to-end design of all systems of aviation, rocket and space technology. We are working today to create a unified educational environment “university - research centers - industry enterprises.” During the learning process, students will actively participate in research work and gain practical skills for their future profession. For this purpose, the university has created centers for the collective use of equipment, resource and scientific and educational centers. We have our own design bureaus, including student ones. MAI is the only university in the world that produces certified small aircraft (for agricultural purposes). We designed and manufactured 300 such devices at the 30th aircraft plant, which were sold to 18 countries around the world. The price of such a car is comparable to the price of a jeep.
The institute has to earn its own funds to ensure its own livelihoods, since our university receives only a third of its funds from the state budget. Therefore, we actively make money from science - we participate in tenders and targeted programs of the Ministry of Education and Science. Income also comes from training more than 1,100 foreign students, whom we prepare for other countries where Russia sells its equipment. Of course, we also train Russian citizens on a contractual basis - some study at the expense of family funds, others are paid for by enterprises.
Recently, the task of introducing distance learning has become a priority. A hardware and software complex for video training has been developed and used in the learning process, multimedia classes for distance learning have been created, where classes are held for students from Moscow schools in preparation for their admission to the Moscow Aviation Institute. In addition, it is planned to organize video training for young people with disabilities.

- So, engineering professions are in value again?

I believe that the prestige of higher technical education will invariably grow - the country needs specialist engineers. And our institute will take an active part in this. Mayov's education has stood the test of time. And the future generation of Mayovites will undoubtedly participate in building up Russia’s scientific potential on the path of its development as a high-tech and innovative power.

Interviewed by Polina Yudina,

In an interview with RIA Novosti, he spoke about how one of the leading engineering universities in Russia will be transformed.

‒ The TPU Academic Council recently decided to restructure the university. Petr Savelyevich, what caused the need for radical changes?

- First of all, I would not like the changes taking place at the university today to be perceived only as a “mechanical” replacement of one structure with another. Restructuring is not an end in itself, but a tool for a fairly deep transformation of the university.

We are talking about a new content of educational activities, a change in the very paradigm of engineering education. This applies to all levels of the current system of training qualified engineering personnel - bachelor's, master's, and postgraduate degrees. Each of these levels must be modernized in accordance with the requirements of the time.

‒ Rather, these are not problems, but limitations: in order to prepare a sufficiently good specialist for the real sector of the economy in four years, universities are forced to “save” on such basic disciplines for engineering education as mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, as well as social and humanitarian disciplines block.

Meanwhile, a highly qualified engineer of the 21st century is a multi-specialist, capable of quickly responding to new technological challenges, possessing deep knowledge and erudition in a wide range of disciplines. He must be able to work with large volumes of information, analyze this information, connect various disciplines and areas of activity to solve complex technical problems.

By the way, one of the translations of the French word “engineer” is “to ponder.” It is no coincidence that before the revolution, an engineer was a universal specialist, ready for almost any type of activity - he was prepared for this by a system of fundamental theoretical training.

‒ How do you see the process of preparing bachelors?

We concentrate the implementation of this program in one structure - the School of Basic Engineering Training, consisting of seven departments (mathematics and computer science, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, general technical disciplines, foreign languages, Russian language and physical education).

If we formulate the main task of this School very briefly, it is “preparing a well-educated person of the future” as much as possible in two years.

- Isn’t it a great luxury to devote two out of four years to basic training?

- Not from four, but from six or more (plus master’s and postgraduate studies). The facts are as follows: the vast majority of TPU bachelor's graduates want to continue their studies at the master's level. This corresponds to our aspirations to transform into a university of predominantly master's and postgraduate type. TPU, as one of the leading engineering universities in Russia, has the experience, personnel, and material resources for training the engineering elite.

The average Unified State Exam score of 2017 applicants was 78.3 - this is the best result among non-metropolitan technical universities. The system of elite technical education (ETE) has been operating at the university since 2004: 10-15 percent of first-year students, in parallel with the main educational programs, receive additional knowledge and skills that help them become leaders in the engineering profession. We are ready to extend the IT system to the entire university.

A bachelor's degree at TPU is only the first step in training engineers of the new generation. It takes two years for a future highly qualified specialist to lay the foundation; in the 3rd and 4th years he has the opportunity to study according to his personal educational trajectory.

We conventionally call this stage “special bachelor’s degree.” In addition to studying special disciplines in the direction that the student chose upon entering the university, in the “special bachelor’s degree” he must independently choose up to two disciplines per semester from other areas of training. Relatively speaking, a nuclear physicist will additionally take a course in materials science, an oil worker will take a course in energy engineering, etc. Each of them has their own unique competencies and additional advantages in their portfolio for a potential employer.

‒ What will the educational structure of the renewed university look like in general?

‒ On the basis of the current seven scientific and educational institutes and a number of educational departments, six Engineering schools are being created: nuclear technology, non-destructive testing and safety, information technology and robotics, natural resources, energy, and new production technologies.

Plus the School of Basic Engineering Training and the School of Engineering Entrepreneurship. In Engineering schools, in order to create an interdisciplinary environment, larger structures - departments - have been created instead of departments.

In a certain sense, this is an experiment, the task of which is to break down the existing “partitions” within the areas of training, to expand the possibilities of intersections, complementarities, and joint scientific and pedagogical creativity of teachers.

‒ Do the priority scientific directions at TPU remain the same?

- The share of science in the activities of our university has always been high. Suffice it to say that in terms of the total volume of R&D performed (over 2 billion rubles), TPU is in second place among universities in the country. We could have calmed down by continuing in the same spirit, but the practice of participating in Project 5-100 forced us to reconsider our scientific priorities.

An objective assessment (publications, citations, dissertation defenses, results of subject ratings of international rating agencies, etc.) showed that our best achievements are concentrated in two main areas. This analysis prompted the creation of two Research Schools at TPU - the School of Physics of High-Energy Processes and the School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies. Their main task is to conduct breakthrough scientific work and train researchers - candidates of science.

Transitional structures are also provided - named Scientific and Educational Centers in Engineering Schools, which over time should develop into independent Research Schools or merge into existing ones.

‒ Why personalized ones?

- They bear the names of outstanding polytechnic scientists: chemist Kizhner, physicist Weinberg, power engineer Butakov.

In these centers, we concentrate material and financial resources on the most promising research areas, where scientific breakthroughs can be made.

Moreover, we unite the best personnel, reducing their teaching load by half and making the main indicator of performance not even the number of publications and their citations, but the successful preparation of candidates of sciences, that is, nurturing a new generation of researchers.

‒ TPU has been participating in Project 5-100 for the fifth year. The total volume of subsidies received under this program amounted to 3,151 million rubles. Is there a result?

‒ The goal of today’s transformation of the university is to significantly improve the quality of our scientific and educational activities, bringing it to the level of the world’s best examples. This is what Project 5-100 aims us at. The vector is the same.

But the state program to support the country’s leading universities also has a more specific goal - by 2020, at least five Russian universities will be included in the top 100 world university rankings. We are clearly aware that the changes we have planned will not give a momentary, immediate return; their positivity will appear beyond the 2020 line.

Participation in Project 5-100 reinforces our intentions to change for the better: on the one hand, we receive support from the state in this movement, and on the other hand, we constantly feel increased demands on our work. There is a special demand from the Project participants. In my opinion, Project 5-100 is an excellent tool for realizing the ambitions of someone who wants to achieve more than they currently have.

As for the effectiveness of TPU’s participation in Project 5-100, the indicator here can be the dynamics of our advancement in world university rankings. Since 2013, in the Times Higher Education ranking, Tomsk Polytechnic University has gone from position zero to a place in the group 301-350, this is the third indicator among Russian universities after Moscow State University and MIPT. We are ranked 386th in the QS World University Rankings.

It is especially important for us that we have recently made significant progress in subject rankings. In 2017, TPU was included for the first time in the ARWU (Shanghai University Rankings) subject ranking in the field of Mechanical Engineering, and in the QS and THE subject rankings in the field of Engineering Sciences and Technologies, and in the latter we took a position close to the top 100 leading universities world, and among Russian universities we are in second place after Moscow State University.

‒ What problems are brewing in Russian engineering education? Where is a revision of educational paradigms required?

‒ We are still massively training engineers of yesterday who do not meet the needs of the new economy. There is no such thing as an “engineer in general.” Today we need engineers of different types: linear process engineers, built into a specific technological chain and responsible for the smooth functioning of production at the site or workshop level. We need development engineers, design engineers, and research engineers. We need systems engineers who are involved in creating complex technical systems and solving multidimensional engineering problems. We need engineers-entrepreneurs who know how to manage a high-tech business.

Is there anything similar in the diplomas of graduates of technical universities? No. Our technical universities mainly graduate narrow specialists trained in their narrow field, beyond the boundaries of which they, like a fish thrown ashore, can only gulp for air.

I am convinced of the need to differentiate the training system for Russian engineers. I believe that the state should give leading technical universities the task of training mainly highly qualified engineers. Such universities should be required to train a new generation of engineers. To extend these requirements to everyone means to engage in self-deception.