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Unity in the name of the Higher School

I.B. Fedorov, Chairman of Rectors' Council of Moscow and Moscow
Region, Rector of Moscow State Bauman Technical University, Corresponding
Member of Russian Academy of Sciences.

There are dates in history, one cannot pass by in even pace. They help
to think anew those events, which are still extremely important many years
later.
So, 35 years ago, in July 1972, when a decision to establish rectors'
unions was taken, few, if any, could imagine the vast role the decision
would play in country's future. Even more, inside the higher school itself,
skeptical mood prevailed at that time - just another senseless organization
to waste time and efforts.
The first step was made by Moscow and the example was so inspiring,
that other cities followed the trend. The Moscow rectors' union (which
later has absorbed the Moscow region institutions) from the very beginning
has showed that, for the time, it is untypical non-government organization.
The union, according to the rules of that time, was attached to the city
Communist Party Committee -- but managed to keep independence largely. One
can judge it by the episode, told by the very first academic secretary of
the Union, Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Science A. Pervukhin. At that
time, as many still remember, all public speeches at meetings of any
significance were expected to be agreed with Party authorities. Therefore,
when the city Party committee has asked him for texts of the Union members'
speeches, the quiet answer was that no such data were available. Nobody was
going to ask rectors about their speeches - they would say whatever they
considered proper. Moreover, the city committee did not insist! At that
time - the situation is unheard of.
What played for the authority of the Rectors' Union? The first, it was
led at different years by such prominent persons, as V.G. Kirillov-
Ugriumov, G.A. Nikolaev, V.N. Vinogradov, which could rely upon their
colleagues' help all the time. The second, the Union played by its own
rules, and that added greatly to its importance. It worked practically
without administrative staff; those who were to implement decisions - on a
voluntary basis, took them. At first, the Union has founded 10 commissions,
later, in its bloom, there were 30 commissions to cover practically all
sides of university life. It helped to unite rectors, while before every
higher school institution was on its own. The Union has joined rectors in
properly, it has become the union of associates, whose voice could not be
ignored.
The Union's opinion was being taken into consideration and its
position was being respected. That allowed the Union to bring up the most
vital questions before the country's leadership. It resulted positively.
The letter to M. Gorbachev, for example, resulted in government decree
dealing with higher school problems, which, in turn, ended up by five
separate enactments.
The rectors' solidarity has played the major role when our country
found itself in the most severe economic crisis. Exactly at that time,
early nineties, with a substantial help from Moscow rectors' council, the
RRU was founded. 15 years have passed, and ever since, we invariably acted
together, along the common course. One can say it without exaggeration that
such an integration of country rectors has helped to save the higher school
during its most difficult period. At that time, we resisted not only to
economic hardships, but also to attempts to change the status of the higher
school institutions. Actually, the rectors' firm stand has eliminated the
imminent danger of the higher school privatization.


I could bring more examples of how rectors' community jointly defended
the most important educational issues. Say, the Common State Exam, which
still causes many disputes, initially had been proposed in much stricter
and, we believe, unfair form. It had been linked with the so-called SPFL -
state personal financial liabilities. We have proved that this proposal
actually bars many entrants from getting the higher school education. We
have secured the gradual introduction of the exam, with practical testing
of knowledge, which gives more chances to entrants.
We have a clear-cut position on the introduction of two-level system
of higher education (bachelor - master). We demonstrate the relevancy of
more flexible approach, which would allow preserving the "specialist"
level. Besides, we believe that for some professions, minimal period of
study cannot be less than four years, rather than three, as anticipated by
recent decisions.
I can note with great satisfaction that our doubts, our proposals are
not set aside. Russia Rectors' Union, led by academician V.A. Sadovnichiy,
and the Union's constituent part - Moscow Rectors' Union are carrying a
constructive dialogue with different government departments, up to
country's President. The exchange of opinions does not go smoothly all the
time, but the main thing is that we reach understanding. It proves that the
traditions, enrooted at the time of creation of RRU are alive, that the
authority of this public institution is still high.
Especially I would like to mention the productive contacts of Rectors'
Union with city administration. When the threat of electricity and water
supply cutting off because of non-payment was imminent, the help of Moscow
authorities and our mayor Y. M. Luzhkov helped us several times. These were
the years when we had no budget for utilities at all. Moscow administration
has set preferential tariffs, helped us to defend dormitories we were
threatened to loose, and introduced a system of grants for lecturers,
students, young researchers. Since 1993 a practice of joint decrees of the
Union and Moscow administration continues. It provides higher school
institutions with additional budget not only to increase lecturers'
salaries, to pay for dormitories repair, but also to participate fully in
city problems solving. Our cooperation foresees utilization of scientific
researches' results and help from students' construction teams. Besides,
the students' construction team movement has been restored mainly due to
the Union and Moscow administration. With our support the yearly students'
festival "Festos" has become widely known, sports are developing among
students.
Rectors' Union assumes a huge volume of work, still having a minimal
staff. A burden of responsibility lies on the persons, directly related to
higher education institutions. As an example, the acting (and the second in
the Union's history) academic secretary V. S. Gavrilov, is an associate
professor of Bauman University. Rectors and presidents of higher school
institutions still voluntarily lead commissions, which help to exchange
experience, solve common problems, whether related to taxation (our thanks
to Moscow for lifting land tax), to students' board or dormitories. What
the real mutual support means, we have seen in emergencies. When the
Academy of Instruments suffered from a fire, the Rectors' Union rendered a
feasible help.
As you can see, the rectors' community assumes different tasks,
related to the higher school development - from legislation to daily needs
of a higher school institution. The years, which give education to our
students, determine the future of every new knowledge-striving generation
consist from this daily life. I hope that the Rectors' Union would do
everything feasible to make the road to knowledge available to the youth.




"Arguments of the Week"
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