KBSU-2030 – university of the future
February 26–28, 2024 at the Elbrus educational and scientific complex of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University. Kh. M. Berbekova held a design and analytical session with the participation of the expert group of the FGNU “Sociocenter”, at which strategic projects of KBSU were discussed within the framework of the implementation of the Strategic Academic Leadership Program “Priority 2030”.
After an overview of the university with a visit to scientific centers and laboratories that have a direct connection with the strategic projects of the university, the experts — employees of the examination and networking department of the Sociocenter Victoria Buchatskaya, Evgeny Mukhanov and Alexey Kuzmin, together with the KBSU transformation team led by acting . Rector of the university Yuri Altudov discussed the regulations and main emphasis of the university development program.
Preceding the work of the session, the acting professor reported on the implementation of the KBSU development program within the framework of the “Priority 2030” program. Vice-Rector for Research Svetlana Khashirova focused the experts’ attention on the dynamics of development in terms of policies (educational, research, personnel, youth, digital, financial, campus, open data policy), she spoke about the changes that have occurred in the university management system since the beginning of the PSAL implementation, tools for integrating the university into socio-economic development of the region, digital transformation of the university, key “gaps” impeding the reform of the university, and tools for overcoming them.
The dynamics of the implementation of three strategic projects of the university were also described. The strategic project “KBSU – an integrator for the development of polymer additive technologies” was presented by Zhanna Kurdanova, senior researcher at the Center for Advanced Materials and Additive Technologies.
Zurab Berelidze, director of the Center for Sustainable Development of the Institute of Management, Tourism and Hospitality Industry of KBSU, spoke about how the strategic project “Kabardino-Balkaria — a territory of environmental well-being, innovative mountain and rehabilitation medicine” is being implemented.
The Hermitage-Caucasus strategic project was presented by the head of the Hermitage-Caucasus Center at KBSU, Albert Saralp.
The announced indicators about quantitative and qualitative changes in the university formed the basis for the design and analytical work of Sociocenter experts and the university transformation team, which included directors of educational departments, research centers and leading laboratories, and specialists from the KBSU project office. The session was held in an intensive format in three stages: “KBSU now”, “Problems and gaps in the movement towards the target model of the future” and “KBSU 2030 — the university of the future”.
Sociocenter expert Evgeny Mukhanov commented on the work:
“Now the common goal with the staff of KBSU is to design guidelines and steps for the further development of the university for the coming period. KBSU has firmly established itself in the basic part of the strategic academic leadership program “Priority 2030”, and work at this session is necessary in order to fine-tune its processes, clarify its guidelines, understand what organizational processes and projects to launch in order to confirm its competitiveness, maintain and increase their pace of development. KBSU has long confirmed its intentions — to become an important development center for the republic, a center for attracting talent, attracting new technologies, and localizing new high-tech jobs. And the work that is carried out at the design and analytical session is actually the updating of this target model of the university, the design of specific actions to achieve it.
For example, KBSU is a nationally recognized leader in polymer additive technologies, which are extremely important for the development of a huge number of industries. Here, thanks to the university staff and the rector’s attention to this project, a large team has already been formed that solves major problems, most importantly, along the entire chain — from fundamental research to specific applied work. A large number of industrial partners are already coming to the republic, they are ready to localize jobs here, they are turning here to solve their problems, problems of the federal and world level that they want to solve here. And that’s very cool. In fact, now KBSU can become the center for the development of a new industry in the whole country. This industry — the creation of small-scale chemistry of special-purpose polymers — is urgently needed by the country. And there are no centers in the country that can solve this problem. KBSU is the only point. This is such a responsibility.»
Members of the university transformation team divided into functional groups and continued work in the areas of “Commercialization of Research and Development”, “Human Capital Management”, “University Management System”, “Educational Policy” and “Strategic Projects”.
Working to solve problems in their areas, the session participants looked for systemic mechanisms for solving personnel, infrastructure, communication and management problems in the implementation of the university development roadmap with reference to the regional development strategy.
As a result of the design and analytical intensive, the leaders of the working groups presented their solutions to the functional problems of the university of the future in a presentation format followed by a discussion.
“I sincerely thank the Sociocenter experts for such intense and productive work in developing the skills of working in strategic project logic among members of the university team. Of course, “Priority 2030” is not about money, not even about university projects, which are discussed here from various aspects, but about how we will live tomorrow, responding to the challenges of the time, ensuring the technological sovereignty of the country. Participants in this program have a responsible task — to pursue state policy in the field of higher education, science, applied science, and technology transfer. Through this program, the state determines what higher school should be like in the future, what state tasks it will solve in 2030, 1940. I am confident that the results of today’s work will become a platform for further effective development,” noted the acting director. Rector of KBSU Yuri Altudov.
In general, according to the participants and experts, the design and analytical session became an effective platform for exchanging views on eliminating the problems of the progressive transformation of the university, developing specific steps to implement the development program of KBSU as a university of the future and a driver of regional development.