Materials of KBSU rector’s meeting with freshmen
September 1, 2022 on the Day of Knowledge at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov, a meeting was held. university rector Yuri Altudov with first-year students. We bring to your attention materials from this event.
Aksana Karasheva: Good afternoon, dear freshmen. My name is Aksana Georgievna Karasheva. I work as the head of the department for pre-university training and career guidance work. Met many of you when you were in high school. You came to our university on excursions, participated in the Olympiads held by our university, attended the Open Days of KBSU. And here you are students, congratulations! In 2022, more than 5,000 people entered the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov. Friends, you have been given a high honor — you represent five thousand first-year students of KBSU at a meeting with the head of the university, Yuri Altudov. Yury Kambulatovich Altudov is a graduate of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Doctor of Economics, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Acting State Counselor of the Russian Federation of the 3rd class, laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology, author of more than 190 scientific works. Yuri Kambulatovich wished to meet with you for a personal conversation to tell you about the opportunities that the university provides you; learn about your expectations and intentions in the field of education and research, answer your questions. Listen to the advice of a scientist, a leader, a wise person. You have a unique opportunity to personally communicate with the head of the university, use this chance.
Yuri Altudov: Dear freshmen! From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on your admission to the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov! Today you have become part of our big friendly family, members of a team of many thousands, students of one of the 100 best universities in Russia according to national and international rating agencies. It is quite obvious that you are ambitious people, you want to achieve a lot, set big goals for yourself. Someone wants to become famous as a scientist, an outstanding specialist in his field. Others aspire to build their own business or devote themselves to teaching. You will be taught by highly qualified teachers, doctors and candidates of sciences, professors, associate professors. You will get acquainted with the achievements of leading scientific schools, gain skills and knowledge that will help you become first-class specialists and find your place in life. JUBILEE DATES In 2022, we are celebrating two major anniversaries — 100 years of statehood in Kabardino-Balkaria and 90 years since the founding of the first higher educational institution of our republic, that is, our university. Is 100 years a long time or a little? For you young people, a lot. And for a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a member of the KBSU veteran organization Maxim Ozhered, this period of time is less than his life. He is 104 years old. Let’s analyze the changes that have taken place here, in Kabardino-Balkaria, during one human life. Let’s say there are 100 people in this room. Imagine that you live in the North Caucasus not now, but 100 years ago. Do you know how many of you are literate, i.e. completed primary or secondary education? No more than two percent. That is two people out of a hundred. But back then, universities had been operating in Russia for almost two centuries! At the same time, there were no high-quality primary schools on the outskirts of the country, including in Kabardian and Balkar villages. Schools operated only in the Nalchik settlement, where about 8,000 people lived 100 years ago. Now in our city there are 240 thousand inhabitants, three state universities. Literacy in the republic, as you know, is 100 percent. Different tribes and peoples have lived in the North Caucasus for thousands of years. How do you think, due to what there was an educational, civilizational breakthrough over the past hundred years? That’s right — through education. And now Kabardino-Balkaria is a region with a developed economy, powerful agriculture, industrial enterprises, and the tourism industry.
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSITY
Dear first-year students, today you are in the hall of the academic council of the university. Who is a member of this public governing body of KBSU? Basically — graduates of this university, former students of KBSU. These are older, middle-aged people and their young colleagues. Each of you also has the opportunity to become a significant scientist in the future, an excellent lecturer, a wonderful teacher, the head of a structural unit of the university, and maybe even a rector. After all, I also began to receive higher education here, within the walls of this university. When the opportunity arose to transfer to the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute through a competition, he was ready for this, passed a very tough selection and after graduating from MEPhI worked in industry, in the government of Kabardino-Balkaria, and federal structures. When he was appointed rector of KBSU, he sought to make the university modern, on the agenda of modern digital trends, and together with a team of like-minded people, we did it. You already managed to make sure of this when you submitted your documents to the university, some of you passed the entrance examinations … Everything that the university has today: the buildings, the equipment that you will use, the educational programs that you will master, did not suddenly arise. It was created by several generations of university employees. We are grateful to our predecessors, to everything they have done for us. 90 years ago, in 1932, when the first university of Kabardino-Balkaria was established, it became an outstanding event for the inhabitants of our region. Teachers of Russian language and literature, Kabardian language and literature, teachers of history, botany, chemistry, mathematics, physics, geography were trained at the Kabardino-Balkarian Pedagogical Institute. When the Great Patriotic War began, several hospitals were established in Nalchik to treat wounded soldiers. There was also a hospital in a building near the park, where the Faculty of Medicine is now — on Inessa Armand Street. Teachers and students dug trenches to delay the advance of enemy troops, many went to the front, defended their homeland from the attack of Nazi Germany, fought bravely, died. Pedagogical Institute graduate Grant Oganyants received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously. One of the streets in Nalchik is named after him. In memory of the dead students and teachers, monuments with the names of the heroes were erected in the park near the main building of the university and near the building of the medical college. We remember the exploits of the defenders of the Fatherland when significant dates are celebrated, we lay flowers and wreaths. In 1957, the Pedagogical Institute was transformed into a university, where they began to train not only teachers, but also specialists in other areas. This event coincided with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the voluntary entry of the peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria into Russia, just as today the beginning of your adult life coincides with the 90th anniversary of the university you have chosen. Since 1957, Khatuta Mutovich Berbekov has been the first rector of the university, and our university bears his name. Kabardino-Balkarian University became the first university among the six republics of the North Caucasus. Our university hosts all-Russian events, meetings with the participation of the heads of federal ministries, the Head of Kabardino-Balkaria Kazbek Valerievich Kokov. The President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin visited here, he gave a worthy assessment to the university. The profile of the university and the set of specialties is determined by the needs, first of all, of its strategic partners, which are associations, enterprises and educational organizations, world-class scientific and educational centers, as well as enterprises and organizations of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. All areas of activity of the university staff are united within the framework of a single university development program, implemented in correlation with the Strategy for the socio-economic development of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Members of the Board of Trustees of KBSU are outstanding figures of science, education, culture.
BE THE BEST AND YOU WILL BE THE FIRST
In Russia, there are over 700 universities subordinate to various ministries — the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Health and so on. Our university is also an institution not of the republican, but of the federal level. Among 200 universities, it is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The Ministry is the founder of our university, it is it that determines the number of state-funded places for students. All who are present in this hall have received the right to study at the expense of the state thanks to their diligence, good studies and high USE scores. But at the university, for the most part, you need to study on your own in order to quickly master a large amount of knowledge, form professional skills (hard skills) and cross-professional skills (soft skills). Professional competition is great, and every year it gets tougher. As you know, in any case, the strongest wins. A wise rule applies everywhere: be the best and you will be the first. The best of you, who will not only study, but also engage in scientific activities, will be entitled to an individual educational trajectory, that is, they will be able to master educational programs on their own schedule. For several years at the university you will receive a higher or secondary specialized education, that is, you will form, create a new image of yourself. The image of a highly educated person, culturally, with a broad outlook and a range of contacts with industry experts. It is necessary for a professional career. This means that during the years of study it is necessary to undergo internships in specialized organizations. To do this, you can contact the Career Development Department. I want to inform you that along with the academic scholarship, you can receive other types of scholarships if you are successful in your studies and science. You can get the necessary information at the Center for Scholarship Programs and Material Support for Students, as well as from curators, heads of departments, on the university website. A number of undergraduate and graduate students receive a scholarship from the President of the Russian Federation, a scholarship from the Government of the Russian Federation, as well as nominal scholarships. Financial assistance is provided to needy students. Students are informed about this by employees of the Department for Youth Policy and Educational Work.
PROGRAM «PRIORITY 2030»
KBSU occupies a leading position among higher educational institutions of the North Caucasus Federal District. Carries out projects commissioned by the federal agency Rosaviatsia, the state corporation Roscosmos in the development and import-substituting production of advanced polymers and composites, binders, materials for 3D printing, which are in high demand in aviation, space, and medicine. Of the country’s 700 universities, only 106 have received the right to participate in the Priority 2030 strategic academic leadership program. This is 15% of all universities. This 15% includes our university. Under the Priority 2030 program, our university is implementing 5 research projects that are important for the development of the Russian economy. And you can get involved in this work.
THE SCIENCE OF THE FUTURE IS THE SCIENCE OF THE YOUNG
You have the opportunity to prove yourself in scientific volunteering. This means trying yourself in different fields of science, not necessarily only within the framework of your future profession, because the university has many interdisciplinary projects that are carried out by different specialists gathered in one team — chemists, physicists, mathematicians, biologists, doctors … How does it work? Both young scientists and experienced ones need help with research. A student can participate in the process as an unskilled worker, when additional labor is needed, some kind of mechanical work needs to be done. The second option for scientific volunteering is a qualified assistant. For example, you need to make calculations, record instrument readings, etc. You will communicate with highly qualified specialists and quickly enter the scientific agenda of the university. While the Priority 2030 program is in effect, that is, before 2030, you will have time to graduate from the university, complete postgraduate studies, defend a Ph.D. available in every department. Submit your ideas. The university is open to constructive cooperation with both organizations and citizens. Consult with teachers, choose a scientific topic that interests you and start mastering scientific methods. Over time, you can become specialists who are in demand not only in our republic, but throughout the country and abroad. There are many such specialists in our university in all departments. Scientific and innovative activities are carried out within the framework of cooperation with more than 70 leading world and Russian scientific centers. The university has a Council of Young Scientists, a system of financial support for young scientists who intend to obtain a PhD or PhD degree (incentive amounts from 100,000 to 250,000 rubles, depending on age and degree). Students and postgraduates of KBSU, under the guidance of experienced teachers and researchers, take part in writing applications for grants, in the implementation of research projects and business contracts with wages, and publish articles in scientific journals. If you participate in project activities, submit your scientific and social projects to competitions, such as the All-Russian competitions UMNIK, Mashuk and others, you will be able to receive grants, that is, state financial support for the implementation of these projects. Our university also participates in competitions and ratings. KBSU is a multiple winner of the All-Russian public competition «100 Best Educational Organizations of the Russian Federation». Along with the largest universities in Russia, it occupies high positions in the ratings of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, in the ratings of independent analytical agencies. This allowed our university to become one of the 9 Russian universities that are official partners of the universities of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. We cooperate with the Luhansk State Pedagogical University — teachers take refresher courses at KBSU, students do practice. Schoolchildren came from the liberated territories in the summer. Our teachers provide methodological assistance to colleagues, together with students they collect and send textbooks and other books to Lugansk. Entering into adulthood, you must understand that political realities affect the life of society, each person. Our university takes into account this factor and other trends in world politics and is ready to work in the new realities.
Campus and other areas
The university complex is located on several sites. This is the main campus where we are now. There are educational buildings, dormitories, a sports complex. On Gorky Street there is a medical college, at the entrance to the park there is a building of the medical faculty, and so on. Of course, you paid attention to our security systems, access control and management system. Access to the territory of the university is by electronic passes, video cameras are everywhere. The management of the university provides all measures of anti-terrorist, anti-extremist orientation, creates conditions for conducting the educational process in comfortable conditions. I ask you to appreciate it and explain it to your classmates. A small part of what KBSU is like in 2022 is shown in a video produced by the university. Pay attention to the technical equipment of classrooms, research laboratories, as well as to the improvement of the territory, the availability of educational buildings for the disabled.
Students from 50% of the regions of Russia, from 20% of the countries of the world
Dear first-year students, future colleagues! Our university has 15 educational units — 10 institutes, a medical faculty, 4 colleges. More than 16,000 students are currently studying across the entire spectrum of specialties, and their training is conducted by the teaching staff of more than 700 people. Among them, more than 127 doctors and about 408 candidates of sciences, associate professors. Judge for yourself how much our university is in demand: half of the students study at the expense of the state and the same number at their own expense. People are willing to pay because our teachers provide quality education to anyone who intends to study, get a profession and constantly develop. I would like to draw your attention to the following fact: 15% of students came to us to study from other regions of Russia. There are 85 regions in the country — we have students from 43, that is, more than half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In addition, 10% of students are foreigners — from India, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other states of Central Asia. In total, more than 40 states are represented at our university. The multicultural composition of the student community allows you to establish business connections with those who will soon become university graduates, your colleagues in another country, from the first year. Don’t miss out on these opportunities. At KBSU, each student can find an area for the manifestation of their talents. But at the university you will not be strongly invited, forced, as at school. It all depends on your personal interest, on your aspirations and perseverance in achieving the goal, on the intensity of mastering new technologies.
And you can too
You, like other students of KBSU, have the opportunity to do an entrepreneurial internship at the TechnoSpark venture company of the Rosnano group.
Last year, after completing such an internship in Moscow, Kanamat Kurashev defended a startup as a diploma, became a self-employed entrepreneur, and wins grants for the implementation of his projects.
Marina Beresneva,
a student at the Pedagogical College, is a finalist in the All-Russian Championship “Young Professionals” (WorldSkills Russia), the largest competition in Russia in the field of professional skills among students.
Islam Tlupov,
student of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies and the Institute of Law, Economics and Finance, winner of the Student Startup competition of the Innovation Promotion Foundation.
Tamir Dishek,
student at the Institute of Architecture, Construction and Design, diplomat of the 5th All-Russian Competition for Young Architects and Urbanists “Ideas that Transform Cities” (Moscow).
Anastasia Moshura,
master student of the Institute of Pedagogy, Psychology and Physical Culture and Sports Education, laureate of the international competition «Psychology of Education» (Lithuania).
Dalia Karaf,
a student at the Institute of Informatics, Electronics and Robotics, is a laureate of the international Olympiad Huawei ICT Competition.
EDUCATION IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS
The continuity of education throughout life is already a reality. The joking saying is absolutely fair: who did not have time, he was late. The university has a system of additional education for students, teachers, employees of various fields of activity who seek to improve existing competencies or acquire new ones. Many of our students receive a second specialty in parallel with the main one, taking into account the needs of the labor market. For example, this year the last year students of the Pedagogical College received a second specialty, and engineering students received additional training in the country’s leading universities.
STUDENT LIFE
At our university there are many opportunities for personal growth, revealing one’s own talents. The Constitution of Kabardino-Balkaria determines that the state languages in the republic are Kabardian, Balkar and Russian. There are three national cultural centers in KBSU — Adyghe, Balkar and Russian culture. Conditions have been created for the creative development of students, interest clubs are operating, and creative teams are successfully operating. The Student Council is active. Our athletes adequately represent the University at the most prestigious competitions. This work is organized by the Department of Youth Policy. I think you understand well that your main capital is health and knowledge that you can put into practice. And health comes first. If you play sports to stay healthy, you can achieve a lot. Students who show good results in studies, science, creativity, sports, volunteer activities, get the right to rest in the Elbrus region. The Elbrus Educational and Scientific Complex of KBSU is a place where major scientific conferences, youth events, and exhibitions are held.
TWO ANNIVERSARY DATES
And now we are all preparing for a big holiday — on September 10, residents of Kabardino-Balkaria, together with guests from other regions of Russia and foreign countries, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the republic. On October 12, celebrations dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov will be held at the republican level, and we will enter the tenth decade of the history of our university. I wish you to write your bright page in the history of our university, our republic, our country. And now I’m ready to answer your questions. Questions — answers.
Aksana Karasheva: Dear Yury Kambulatovich, thank you for your attention to freshmen. They will remember this meeting and one of the mottos of our university, which is realized only with the most responsible attitude to their work: KBSU = Everyone Will Be Guaranteed Success. By the way, guys, you can ask the rector a question at any time through a special service on the university website. Yuri Kambulatovich, thank you again and hope that the students will have the opportunity to meet with you. Thank you!
KBSU = Everyone Will Be Guaranteed Success