ANNUAL REPORT FSFEI HE “VORONEZH STATE UNIVERSITY” 2016 Rector’s Address 3 University Administration 11 University Strategic Development 35 Education 61 Research, Innovations, and Informatisation 113 Economics and contract service 197 International Activities 233 Student Affairs and Social Development 249 Facilities Operations and Construction 273 Military Education at VSU 297 VSU Regional Scientific Library 305 “Galichya Gora” Nature Reserve 313 VSU’s Centre for Information Policy 319 Subject Index 328 Voronezh VSU Publishing House 2017 RECTOR’S ADDRESS RECTOR’S ADDRESS For the many thousand employees of our university and all the higher educational institutions of the country in general, 2016 was a year of hard work aimed at consolidating achievements and continuing the selected “lines of development” in all the areas of the university’s multifaceted activities, which include education, research, innovation, training, raising cultural awareness, and international relations. We have experienced the full burden of the economic crisis that the country is going through. For us, it resulted in a lack of financing of certain activities; additionally, we have had to put a number of programmes on the back burner D.A. Endovitsky, and optimize the organizational structure of university Rector of Voronezh management, including the educational support personnel State University and managerial staff. Naturally, this is always a painful process. Yet, not only did we come out of it, but we were also able to advance, enrich our experience of overcoming difficulties, interacting and collaborating with governmental organizations, NGOs, and business entities. Here is where our staff demonstrated true civic patriotism, coming out of a desire and readiness to act for the love of the country, and the university in particular, as well as contributing to their strength and development. I am convinced that this patriotic approach will continue to unite us all, helping us to overcome difficulties and keep moving forward. In 2016, we strengthened our leadership position in the educational, scientific, and cultural community of the Central Black Earth Region. I consider this fact to be our joint achievement, but it still requires further effort from the whole of the university’s organizational structure. In addition to what has been mentioned above, I must say that we constantly checked ourselves against the criteria of the top national and international rankings, such as Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), Round University Ranking (RUR), UI Green Metrics World University Ranking, etc. Not only were we able to keep our positions therein, but we also progressed to even higher levels of achievement. Our university took an active part in developing the methodology of the Moscow International University Ranking (“The Three Missions”). 4 RECTOR’S ADDRESS Alongside the positive evaluation of the university’s reputation, in the reporting year we received praise from the governor of the Voronezh region Alexey Gordeev, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Federation Galina Karelova, the new Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva, as well as a number of heads of Russian and international universities and prominent entrepreneurs. Another important achievement was the status of “The Best Innovative University of the Voronezh Region – 2016” that VSU won for the second consecutive year. Furthermore, it was the third time that our students won the National Cup and become the best student team in the country at the All-Russian Student Marathon in the city of Tuapse. Our efforts in 2016 also focused strongly on implementing the joint large-scale project of preparing for the one hundredth anniversary of our university. Its motto was “VSU for the city and the country”. During the year, we managed to address a number of essential organizational issues, as well as implement several projects which demonstrated the role of our university and its contribution to the social, economic, and cultural life of the region. Our experience has confirmed that the chosen path of preparing for VSU’s anniversary is the right one. There is no doubt that 2017 is going to be yet another step on the way to the festive celebration of the centennial. Summing up the results of 2016 and determining the tasks for the year that we are currently living and working through, I consider it my duty to draw your attention to the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly made by Vladimir Putin on 1 December 2016. This document not only analyses the way the country and society have come during the year, but also defines the strategy aimed at uniting our efforts. Significant emphasis is placed on the issues relating to education and training. And this is where we come in. The materials of the Annual Report are presented below in order to give the wider circle of the university’s stakeholders the opportunity to get a clear picture of what has been done, analyse their participation in the joint work, help figure out which reserves are yet to be involved, and define the general and specific goals that we need to meet in the future. Any advice, suggestions, and critical remarks will be accepted with gratitude and considered carefully and in detail. I believe this document, though rather lengthy, is not to be looked through briefly and put on a shelf. What it contains is our experience, our reserves of efficiency growth, and the lines of future development, which is why it can be used as a basis for analysing our current activities, and to determine the possible solutions to the problems we face in view of any possible difficulties and risks. 5 KEY FACTORS SHAPING THE DEVELOPMENT OF VORONEZH STATE UNIVERSITY IN 2016 The driving factors for the work of the university staff in 2016 were selected in accordance with: public policy in the area of education and science, which had been defined by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as well as the orders of the Russian government, and the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation; the goals set by Governor and government of the Voronezh region, aimed at further increasing VSU’s role in the social, economic, and cultural life of the region; the appointment of a new Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva, which meant new adjustments in the direction of the development of higher education; a need to take into account the negative trends of the economic crisis and to resist them; understanding the collective and personal responsibility for sustaining an appropriate level and enhancing the quality of specialist training, research effectiveness, the university’s competitive ability, educating the youth, and preserving the atmosphere of rectitude and spirituality; consolidating the university’s position in its cooperation and collaboration with universities on the interregional and international level; organizing the election of the VSU rector, which enabled us to analyse our work over the last five years, identify the reserves, and determine the tasks for the upcoming period; outlining the work on the preparation for VSU’s centennial. All the abovementioned and other factors found their reflection in the practical activities of both the Rector’s office and all the other structural subdivisions of the university, and they have enabled us to make the necessary adjustments to the current and future plans of action. 6 RECTOR’S ADDRESS VSU OBJECTIVES FOR 2017 At her meeting with the entrepreneurs at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the beginning of 2017, Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva stressed that there are three major tasks facing those involved in the system of higher education today: availability, practicability, and quality. This is what all the university staff need to work on in 2017, consistently and patiently. The specific directions of activity are described in detail in the sections of the present report. Here, we aim to give a general overview of the tasks, in order for those who are going to work on achieving them to base their actions on a unified goal and a deep understanding of their role therein. Like last year, we are going to have to continue our purpose-driven efforts aimed at countering negative recessionary tendencies in order to maintain the positions achieved so far, as well as to keep our university’s “line of development” and ensure the implementation of the university’s strategic plan and projects assigned to each of the Vice Rectors. Another relevant task is increasing the effectiveness of research (with an emphasis on its innovative component) through maintaining collaboration and partnership with enterprises, organizations, business communities, and universities. There is a need to raise to a whole new level the implementation of innovative forms for the education programme, including making active practical use of Massive Open Online Courses, developing the Electronic University project, introducing a network of joint educational programmes in collaboration with leading Russian and international universities, and developing lecture courses and master’s degree programmes in foreign languages. 7 Particularly significant emphasis must be placed on working with gifted children. This wide goal involves a number of specific events associated with the Experimental Technical School for Children, the School Scientific Society, VSU’s participation in the work of the Kvantorum children’s technopark, as well as VSU’s collaboration with the Solnyshko school for gifted children (Repnoye), which is to be brought under the intellectual patronage of VSU. Another task of great strategical importance is strengthening the medical and military components of the research and educational framework of the university. At the same time, we will pay very close attention to developing liberal arts education and research. Our unique competitive advantage is a complete lack of any conflict of interests between the arts and sciences.