A ceremonial meeting of the Academic Council of Altai State University dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the university was held

On May 25, a ceremonial meeting of the Academic Council dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Altai State University was held at the State Philharmonic of Altai Krai.

On this festive day, the members of the Academic Council of Altai State University were wearing strict academic gowns with the university’s logo.

The ceremonial meeting began with a musical and poetic prologue: the participants of the theater-studio "Living Word" of the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University read Robert Rozhdestvensky's poem "Be the first", and the AltSU choir performed "Gaudeamus" - the international student anthem.

Rector of Altai State University, Doctor of Economics, Professor Sergey Bocharov opened the event. In his speech, he congratulated the large staff of the university on the anniversary and noted:

“Only half a century has passed since May 25, 1973. The history of the emergence of our university is a vivid example of what people are capable of, inspired by the lofty idea of creating the first classical university in Altai! Opening a new educational institution from scratch and in the shortest possible time is comparable to a real labor feat. Fortunately, in Altai there were leaders with outstanding organizational skills who managed to unite the efforts of teachers, staff and many other people for a common goal.
Almost 90 thousand graduates have graduated from the university over the years. The high level of education provided by AltSU is known far beyond the region. And, of course, this is the merit of our rectors who headed the university in different years: Vasily Neverov, Valery Mironov, Yuri Kiryushin, Sergey Zemlyukov. In addition to being a talent foundry, the university began to be regarded as an expert center, a driver of changes in the urban environment, the development of innovations, as an actor in the scientific and technological development of the country. The answer to new requests was a cascade of transformational impulses, which the university implemented thanks to victories in a series of federal competitions to support development programs. This is both the 2012 competition and the flagship university competition, at the current stage the university is among the winners of the Priority 2030 Program, thanks to which we are designing our future for a decade ahead, outlining leadership positions in all priority areas of its strategic development.

From the very establishment of Altai State University, the legislative and executive authorities of the region provided the university with all possible support in its formation and further development. The Altai Krai Legislative Assembly, in close cooperation with scientists from Altai State University, has prepared and carried out many important legislative initiatives. Many graduates of the university have been currently deputies of the Legislative Assembly. Alexander Romanenko, Chairman of the Altai Krai Legislative Assembly, delivered a welcoming speech at the Academic Council:

"Dear friends! Today it is hard to imagine what perseverance it took back in 1973 to initiate the creation of a classical university on the territory of an agrarian region. Not even every major city had the right to have its own university. And so, the university was born in Altai! And then, the status of the city of Barnaul also changed. Our city has acquired the status of a scientific, cultural, and administrative center. Since the birth of the university, a large number of professors and teachers have arrived in Altai Krai, and the scientific environment has developed. Our classical university is a flagship university in Russia, it is the leading scientific higher institution in Altai Krai, it is the university that today trains personnel for the sectors of our national economy, for the social and public sector. Today, Altai State University conducts a very large educational activity, makes progress in the development of fundamental science, forms a scientific and educational community not only in Altai Krai, but also in the Russian Federation.”

Alexander Romanenko awarded the scientists of Altai State University with Certificates of Honor from the Altai Regional Legislative Assembly for their labor merits to Altai Krai in the field of science and higher education.

Igor Stepanenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the region, also delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the Governor of Altai Krai. He expressed sincere gratitude to the faculty for their dedication to the university.

He awarded the university staff with medals "For Merit in Labor" for many years of conscientious work and high professionalism, as well as expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Government of Altai Krai.

The founder of Altai State University is the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Aslan Dambegov, Deputy Director of the Department for Coordinating the Activities of Educational Organizations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, addressed the participants of the meeting of the Academic Council with a welcoming speech. He also awarded those scientists who received the title of "Honorary Worker of the Higher School of the Russian Federation" and the title of "Honorary Worker of the Higher School of the Russian Federation."

President of Altai State University, Rector of AltSU in 2011-2018, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation, Honorary Professor of Altai State University Sergey Zemlyakov delivered a ceremonial congratulatory speech.

“If you count in years, the 50th anniversary for the university is only the beginning of the journey. But this is a big and significant date, if measured by the deeds and accomplishments that over the years have led the university to that wonderful state and to the results that it has today. I would like to return to the origins, thanks to which the university has become what it is today, and which we are proud of, and, I hope, future generations will be proud of. The opening of a classical university is a truly grandiose phenomenon for Altai Krai. In 1972, there were seven specialized institutes in Altai Krai, they provided our region with the main specialists. But at the same time, the leaders of the region, realizing that the region is developing, new industrial enterprises are being built, new technologies are coming, in 1972 sent a serious letter to Moscow with justification, in which they clearly showed the position that without a classical university the region would fall behind. We would not be able to master the pace that was planned for the development of the region. And they asked Moscow to make a decision to open a classical university to train general specialists in the most relevant areas: chemistry, biology, chemical production, physics, and mathematics. One is surprised how much the leaders of the region understood that the staffing determines the development of the region, its individual industries and, in general, determines the life of the regional development. At this time, there was a certain struggle over where the universities would be opened. And our leaders at that time managed to prove and substantiate that Altai Krai needs a classical university. The university should be such that could develop new directions and raise the intellectual composition of our region. Three factors played a key role there: the personality of the head of the university, the support of the region, and the formation of the university environment. The first rector, Vasily Neverov, was an excellent organizer, business executive, and patriot. Big and strategic thinker. The university became the meaning and work of Vasily Neverov's life. Active participation in the development of the material and technical base of the university was taken by the party bodies of the region, Barnaul, industrial enterprises and educational institutions. In the first four years, the university received three academic buildings, two dormitory buildings, and in 1975 a strategic program for the construction of a world-class university campus was adopted. Libraries have been created; dozens of apartments have been allocated for the staffing of the university. The university's achievements over 50 years are largely determined by decisions to attract young professionals and promising personnel from the best classical universities of the USSR. At the very start, the new university absorbed all the best that the country's best universities had developed by that time and generously shared with it. Today, the university has a powerful potential, the leadership of the region highly appreciated our work with you, and we thank you for this high appraisal.”