Yuri Altudov: «It is important for us to be noticed»
On September 13, 2022, the RAEX-Analytics rating agency published on its information portal an interview with acting rector of KBSU Yuri Altudov.
It is important for us that we be noticed, that we be written about, that our experts appear in the media
How long (since what year) has your university been preparing reports in excess of those required by official bodies (ministry, Rosstat, etc.)? What prompted the decision to prepare the first report?
– For a long period of time, at the end of the calendar year, at one of the last meetings of the academic council, the rector makes a report on the results of the university’s activities for the current year and tasks for the coming year, presenting information on educational, scientific, educational, administrative and financial university activities.
The report of the university differs from the report of any commercial company, but we partly pursue the same interests: to attract new partners and investors, to tell about ourselves, to increase brand awareness. First of all, the report is needed by the management of the university — the board of trustees, as well as the professional community and business. After seeing the report, the target audience should immediately understand what kind of university it is, what it is and what can be done together with this university.
To what extent is the process of preparing civil defense developed and formalized?
– As a rule, two to five full-time employees, including at least one editor and one designer, are involved in compiling a report at our university. We start by asking all departments of the university to highlight the main achievements for the past year, and then choose from them what will be included in the report. The university in the report shows the implemented projects, financial indicators: the growth of the fund, contributions. The draft report is again sent to all departments for review. According to the time frame, the preparation of the report takes from 2 to 3 weeks. The process of preparing the report is supervised directly by the leadership of the university. At the end of the preparation of the report, it is collectively approved at a meeting of the academic council of the university.
When preparing high-quality civil defense, commercial organizations are guided by the relevant international standards — first of all, GRI. What standards are you guided by when preparing a report?
– In the report, we talk about the educational, scientific and methodological work at the university, indicate the dynamics of the number of references to the university in the media. It is important for us to be noticed, written about us, so that our experts appear in the media. We do not hesitate to place all reports on the site. In preparing the report for content determination and quality assurance, we are guided by the following principles:
Accuracy: the report includes accurate and reliable, quantitative and qualitative data obtained by measurement or calculation methods.
Clarity: the information in the report is presented in an accessible form, in order to form an objective opinion about the activities of the university in the field of sustainable development.
Comparability: the report includes information for the current and previous reporting periods, which allows you to assess the dynamics of changes and development trends for the future.
Have you analyzed similar documents of other universities — Russian and foreign? What ideas of colleagues seemed to you useful, interesting, worthy of borrowing? Can you name the reports of other universities that, in your opinion, are exemplary?
– Probably, every university has carried out this kind of analysis in order to identify the best practices, and we are no exception. The materials presented in the annual reports are designed to enable the widest range of university stakeholders to visually see the work of the university over the past period: evaluate its experience, analyze its participation in the development of education, determine private and general tasks for the upcoming academic year, identify reserves that need to be used in the future.
The annual report can and should become the basis for taking into account possible difficulties and risks as much as possible when referring to the results of current activities and focusing on the successful solution of global challenges facing the modern system of higher education. As the history of the annual report competition of past years shows, the canon of public non-financial reporting of universities is still being formed, but “leaders” are already being identified — the HSE, MISiS, Polytechnic University, and others as one of the representatives of the best practices for preparing annual reports of the participants in the 2021 competition.
What is the target audience of your report? Is it possible to create a hierarchy of target groups for which the report is oriented?
— The target audience of our university is not only graduates of the 11th grade and their parents, but also people who want to get a higher, and often a second higher education. Among the priority promotion channels for educational institutions, event events are singled out — this is constant work with both students and employers, organizing round tables, scientific and practical conferences, seminars with the involvement of leading experts in these fields, meetings with graduates. We often organize meetings with famous people, including public figures and athletes.
The university also hosts master classes for top managers of world-famous companies. These events have a double effect: firstly, it is getting additional information about what we need to work on, what additional opportunities to introduce, and secondly, it is helping students find jobs, which is a plus for the image of the educational institution. Not only extensive promotions are very popular, but also targeted events, in particular, the participation of regional universities in exhibitions (for example, «Education and Career»). This is an additional opportunity to convey information to the consumer, to interest potential customers.
Are there topics (sections of the report) that you, for one reason or another, have not yet reflected in the report, but would like to reflect in the future?
– It is possible that in the near future, in connection with the entry of our university into the Priority 2030 program and the start of the implementation of the updated university development program, new sections dedicated to this topic will appear in the report.
What are the specific benefits of both the report itself and the work on it?
— The annual report is a form of summing up the results for the year and demonstrating the achievements of the educational institution that has already become familiar. It, as a rule, shows the key events in the life of the university, implemented projects, important indicators that have been achieved. The main goal pursued by us in preparing the report is to increase the openness and transparency of the organization, strengthening its image, business reputation and competitiveness.
The report is formed on the basis of information from the departments of the university, therefore, in the course of this work, the communication between the departments of the university is strengthened. The reporting brochure contains not only the results of the past year, but also plans, strategic directions for the development of the university, and information about partners. The brochure is presented to the board of trustees, corporate partners, alumni and published on the university website.
The annual report is a kind of SWOT analysis that allows you to identify and structure strengths and weaknesses, as well as potential opportunities and threats, which must be taken into account when developing a strategy.
The results of the activities of KBSU since 2015 can be found in the «General Information» section on the university’s website.