Altai State University Rector Sergei Bocharov met with university trade union activists and answered the most pressing questions

On Thursday, September 29, an open extended meeting of the trade union activists of Altai State University took place. At this meeting, Altai State University employees could directly ask the rector questions and discuss what concerns them most. According to the trade union, the rector received 104 questions. They were asked both in person and online. The top hot topics included: salary, academic workload, technical support for classrooms, mobilization, medical examination and much more.

At the beginning of the conversation, Sergei Bocharov thanked everyone for their desire to jointly discuss pressing issues. He emphasized that the management of Altai State University is ready for dialogue with every employee.

Salary

The first topic concerned the level of salary at Altai State University. The rector rightly noted that Altai Krai is not the richest region of the Russian Federation. And this fact, of course, must be taken into account when comparing salaries at Altai State University with salaries at other universities in the country.

– If you look at the level of average salary, Altai State University is not inferior to other universities in the region. In addition to the salary, which is comparable to other universities, Altai State University employees have the opportunity to receive additional payments, including through grant competitions. Thanks to the Priority 2030 program, we held an intra-university grant competition, and the finalists – scientists, graduate students – also received incentive payments. Already from October 1 at Altai State University, salaries will increase by an average of 4%, and, I note, this is already the third, albeit small, increase during the year. It is important to understand that an increase in salary (even by 4%!) requires at least an additional 20,000,000 rubles from the university. Colleagues, the university budget is relatively small, but we are doing everything possible to support you. Let me remind you that Altai State University has committed itself to increasing salaries by 40% over seven years. And we are strictly adhering to this plan.

The next topic touched upon the problem of academic workload and the requirements that the higher education system places on academic staff today. The meeting participants noticed that they often do not have enough time to properly prepare for lectures and practices, or to write a high-quality scientific article. And again, the money question arose. The union is concerned that adding academic achievements to the case does not always affect payments as the employee would like.

Sergei Bocharov retorted:

― This is not entirely true. Everyone who actively participates in the Priority 2030 program receives additional payments. We support young scientists; just the other day it was decided to pay graduate students – those whose dissertation was accepted by the dissertation council - 75,000 rubles. And within the framework of an effective contract, 25,000 in case of successful defense.

KPI

Answering the question regarding individual cases of non-payment for published articles in Scopus and Web of Science, the rector of Altai State University noted:

― Here we need to understand each specific case. The administration of Altai State University and the relevant departments are always ready to help if such a need arises. But in any case, you need to understand: the more co-authors, the smaller the payments themselves.

Trade union activist was interested in whether key performance indicators (KPIs) would be introduced for Altai State University employees, and whether recertification of teachers would remain the same as it was. Sergei Nikolaevich assured that neither KPIs nor annual re-certification are discussed. It is only necessary to bring the requirements for elections to the position into line with the development program.

Digitalization

The next topic concerned the digitalization of Altai State University. Trade union activist noted that individual departments and institutes continue to complain about the lack of equipment, including laptops, projectors and others.

― Colleagues, this topic is important. I want everyone to understand: the comprehensive digitalization of Altai State University will take five to six years. But a lot has been done. An audit of all existing equipment was carried out, some new equipment was purchased, and printing outsourcing was introduced in order to save money. It is clear that we still have problems. If there is an urgent need for any equipment, please report it to the directorate of the institute.

Mobilization

The topic of mobilization was also discussed. Will teachers and students be mobilized?

The rector of Altai State University noted:

― At the moment, work is being done at the Government level so as not to mobilize those who have academic degrees, and even more so – students of full-time and part-time forms of higher education and secondary vocational education.

Medical examinations

The topic of health and medical examination was raised. Trade union activist asked why one should undergo a medical examination several times a year, for example, in the case of a change of position or renegotiation of a contract, if it has already been completed this year.

The rector explained: “This is stated in the legislation. And we can’t get away from this.”

"Core"

The ninth topic concerned education, those core courses that all Altai State University students must take. Trade unionist noted that the idea of an “educational core” itself is not bad, but its implementation is not without problems. The rector of Altai State University recalled: there is a Federal State Educational Standard, and core courses are often aimed at disciplines prescribed by the Federal State Educational Standard.

― Core courses can become the hallmark of a modern university. This practice has existed for a long time in leading universities around the world. We need to develop our core in order to increase the recognition and value of education at Altai State University.

At the end of the meeting, the rector thanked the trade union activists for their questions and discussions:

― Colleagues, it has long been known: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I assure you that other Russian universities, including the leading universities of the Russian Federation, have similar problems. But we try to listen to everyone and help those who really need help. Please understand that the development of the university largely depends on you, on your desire, participation in its scientific and educational life. Only together we can make Altai State University even better.