Remembering the rector of KBSU Hatuta Mutovich Berbekov

To the 105th anniversary of the birth of the first rector of Kabardino-Balkarian State University Hatuta Mutovich Berbekov, the archival service of the Kabardino-Balkarian KBR dedicated an article «He was released only 49 years …», published in the newspaper «Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda» dated March 16, 2021.

Our university was founded as a Pedagogical Institute in 1932 (in 2022 we will celebrate the 90th anniversary of its foundation). KBSU acquired the status of a university in 1957. Hatuta Mutovich Berbekov headed the then only institution of higher education in our republic from 1957 to 1965. His name was given to the university in 1996. In memory of Hatuta Mutovich Berbekov, a monument was erected in the park near the main building of the KBSU.

From the memoirs of H. M. Berbekov: “1957 was significant first of all because this year, together with the peoples of the Soviet Union, all progressive mankind celebrated the glorious anniversary of the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. The year 1957 that is being followed is especially significant for the working people of Kabardino-Balkaria. This year, a historic date was celebrated — the 400th anniversary of the voluntary annexation of Kabarda to Russia. This date was celebrated with us by all the peoples of the Soviet Union. The year 1957 for our republic is significant in that this year the national autonomy of the Balkars was restored. And finally, 1957 is a significant year especially for us — students, teaching staff. This year, by the will of the Communist Party and the native Soviet government, the Kabardino-Balkarian State University was opened in the city of Nalchik … «.

In the first year of its existence, 1700 students studied at KBSU and more than 150 teachers worked, of which five professors and more than 70 candidates of sciences. As the head of the university, Berbekov continued active research work to study the history of the peoples of his native republic. The result of hard work was the defense of a doctoral dissertation on the topic «The transition to socialism of the peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria» and the recognition of its author as one of the leading historians of the North Caucasus.

Today, the Kabardino-Balkarian State University, where more than 16,000 people study, is one of the leading scientific, educational, informational, socio-cultural centers of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the entire North Caucasus.

For more information about the life and work of the first rector of KBSU, Hatuta Mutovich, see the newspaper «Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda» at the link http://gazeta.kbpravda.ru/node/29222