The newspaper "Il Tumen», № 13, 06 April 2012.
We offer your attention interview of Eevgenia Mikhailova, she is the rector of the North-Eastern Federal University named after M. K. Ammosov.
“To get ahead”
Soon it will be two years as you became the rector of North East federal university. What do you think about the results of this organizational period?
- The main task for me is to form the university group of like-minded teachers, professors, staff, and students, especially senior students who understand what the mission and the role assigned the Federal University in the north-east. New tasks of NEFU train professionals to create human capital, integrated into the economy of the north-eastern regions of the country, in addition to our republic, such as Kamchatka, Chukotka, Magadan, Sakhalin, partly Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Amur and Irkutsk regions. It is not only training, it is participation in modernization and construction of future of the economy through the creation of new workplaces, and then the sooner universities were not engaged. In the twenty-first century approach to knowledge has changed, students must be taught not only to gain knowledge and know how to use knowledge. New to Russian university system, and as you know, our universities are gradually transferred to the European two-level system of training professionals with higher education - undergraduate and graduate - it helps to separate training for the economy and the training of researchers in science. I must say that many universities in the country have already transferred to level system. Credit-module system is implemented in the educational process of the majority universities for example, in the People's Friendship University - 20 years. Unfortunately, we started it recently. And, like everything new, this system meets with some resistance on the part of individual staff, faculty, and even the heads of departments; people seem to be the most interested in improving the quality of work, improving the quality of education.
To become a personality
Our challenge is to create conditions for the student that he could choose his own education program, an individual with knowledge and skills, practical skills.
For example, in terms of the training of doctors, I even think with some horror of what is to be the material base, to release such a specialist, who came to work in the hospital in one hundred percent able to use the achievements of modern medical science, would be engaged in the prevention, he was in good health and taught a healthy lifestyle.
In general, we can say that a doctor teacher or engineer who came out of the walls of the federal university, should primarily be personality, which can not only think, but also make practical steps and concrete actions, can make own decisions, to defend cultural values and political interests of his country.
Creative groups decide on different directions. But we have just started the process, as there are the initial achievements. We developed the concept, which in 2009 was approved at the Inter-departmental commission under the Minister of Education Andrei Fursenko. Then we developed a program for the university, its long agreed, finally, 7 October 2010, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin endorsed it.
But today it is clear that we can and should be added to it. We had hoped to get funding of one billion rubles a year. On this sum, we thought as something unattainable. Of course, we dreamed to buy the most modern equipment, so that future doctors, biologists, engineers were able to master the latest technologies. But over time it became clear that even if teachers and students are ready to master modern equipment, in practice existing enterprises, the same medical institutions are lagging behind in terms of equipment, so that the training specialists on the new standards have no place to apply their medical skills. Not to mention, the current state of the production base of many industries have very depressing.
What would you like to success?
- Unfortunately, the mentality of those who work at the university has not changed. I calm thinking about that I want too much - to realize so many ideas for so short period of time. Now we have defined our task - to become by 2020 the largest university not on the number of students, but as the leading research, education and training, cultural center for the whole the Far East, known for its work, so attractive, causing the interest and desire to learn or cooperate.
I really would like to see teachers have sought to comprehend something new to learn, implement new attitude. Of course, there are "stars" such as Nikolai Georgievich Samsonov, Nikita Gavrilovich Solomonov, Victor Danilovich Mikhailov, Nikolai Mikhailovich Gogolev, Palmyra Georgievna Petrova, Sergey Vyacheslavovich Popov, Vasily Maximov, Alex Egorovich Mestnikov, Stepan Konstantinovich Kolodeznikov. Once I wondered why Mikhail Efimovich Nikolayev said: "The University works only three hours of the day." Now I made sure some departments work until 3 pm. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t understand me. They say that I want to return the Soviet era, but in fact now our teachers have the opportunity to travel and see how people work in the same American, German, and Japanese universities - "all day long.
I don’t forced to work from eight to eight each day, but the matter is that students just after three o'clock exempt from the lectures and they have time to do research and other work on the future specialty. I do not understand how can teacher have near a group of students with whom he works more closely and seriously on his subject, does not lead clubs, studios, does not keep conversations on social issues, but sometimes a young person needs someone to talk to someone about life. We have created a few suggestions for the development of the student government. I can say that thanks to the CID- the Council of intellectual development of students we have 26% engaged in research study group.
Student's dances
I try to communicate more directly with the students themselves. Young people are more open, straightforward and say what they think. And very often during a conversation with them, I have a question: why nobody explains it to them? This applies to basic questions of ethics, morality, culture, and behavior skills.
Offenders were the very first group of students which I happened to meet. One of the young people said that he went to the club "Dragon" and got into debt by seven thousand, could not pay, wanted to run away, but security guard called the police, in the end, he was "on the carpet," the rector. I asked him: "why did you go there?'. He replied: "I wanted to dance with the girls, because dancing is banned at the university." I was very surprised –I did not know that dances were banned.
- How? But "dancing on the Sergelyakh street" for so many generations of graduates is the most lyrical memories of their youth and a lot of couples met at college in these evenings...
- I saw the order to YSU! The order was issued by A. Alexeev. Now discos were resumed. Students say: "We have the most sober dance floor". I personally like: above, you can sit in a cafe, drinking juice, chat, and below - to dance. No wonder the ancient sages said, "Music for the soul, exercises for the body, math - exercise for the mind."
After this meeting I made it a rule to communicate regularly with all students, not just from offenders, talk to them, and answer their questions. We hold conferences and seminars freshmen, graduate topics of future occupation.
But the more time I take personal meetings, to help everyone - my duty. The Council of the creative development of students actively works with sociable, cheerful people, of course, our students. They understand what it means - to do his time.
To build a house
We try to provide opportunities for contact with prospective employers. We have opened the door for them - for those less than two years more than 3,000 teachers were able improve qualification, we try to invite the best professors and teachers of Russia, those who really know emerging technologies in education.
We formed an association of senior students, teachers and representatives of construction companies. We hope to get the training civil engineer, and undergraduate students will be working to master a profession, such as quantity surveyor. Employers want to get a professional, absolutely meet the requirements of actual construction, and the university must provide for this possibility. Teachers of engineering department took this with understanding and created six small innovative enterprises. For example, Alexey Egorovich Mestnikov now takes out the patent for the know-how in the sphere of development of new wall panels. We bought the equipment for them, shops and mini-plant laboratory on production of wall panels are built. We hope that future engineer could build the house completely – to put up walls, to lay down a floor, to deliver windows, to carry out an electrical wiring, heating, bathroom equipment, that is completely to seize technology of turnkey construction. The same tendencies are used in training of doctors, biologists, teachers, miners, power engineering specialists, geologists, etc.
Mathematics is up-to-date
For Physical-Technical Institute, we are preparing a program to prepare physicists who could work in a real production - in the sphere of energy saving, the nuclear industry, for schools. I thought about a new way of teaching mathematics in the meeting with the leadership of "MegaFon" and "System". Those engineers are now preparing the technical institutions of the country, they do not need. According to them, they need mathematics-analysts who have systematic thinking, are able to compare. We have opened a special group under the "Math +" assigned monthly scholarship of ten thousand rubles. The strong students came; I am pleased by indexes of their study – quality is high. I hope that for the infocommunicationsphere we will train demanded experts, especially "System" became the cofounder of an endowment to the University.
We should make serious changes in training of programmers to begin cooperation with Delhi University (India), but for this purpose our mathematicians-programmers shall reach a certain level – while it isn't present. They engage in for robotic technology – created small computer academy in case of mathematics and informatics institute, we bought the equipment, something to us was presented by Koreans who are very advanced in robotic technology. Vasily Vasilyevich Maksimov, the gifted and interesting person who with all the heart is engaged both with school students and with students directs academy. He holds seminars for all comers, trains in programming, holds competitions, etc. Certainly, the university by right is proud of such teachers.
From Chukotka to South Korea
I was very surprised when I heard in 2010 at meetings in groups of mathematicians and physicists that the worst students go to school. I was amazed such ingrained in YSU attitude to teachers. Lowest passing points are from 35 to 85 points on these faculties, it is clear that level of first-year students different and would be better to taught such students differently. But if we want have the strong students, it is necessary to work with school, with teachers that they helped to reveal to children and to be prepared for higher education institution. It seems simple "train" of thoughts – from a school bench to bring up future students, but it wasn't "implanted" at university earlier. We began to take now steps in this direction: created Educational University District, association which included the best schools of the republic, Kamchatka, Magadan, Chukotka and Khabarovsk territory, held competition of resource schools, we equip them, because favor mutual.
Tell us about your relationship with the North-East?
- We have an agreement with the governors of neighboring regions. We study the history of the north-east, development programs, and labor market. For example, in Chukotka we develop Mining and Geological direction, at their request, we opened a branch there, we accept for employment forty people - miners, geologists, engineers, energy, the same needs in magadantsev - mining, gold mining. We have taken students from 28 Russian regions, from Magadan in the first year came five students, now they have become much more. Heard that there was a federal institution, the guys wanted to learn from Kamchatka, Sakhalin. They like us, especially our hostel. By the way, I'm sharing them: those who have built or Mikhail Nikolaev, Vyacheslav Shtyrov, now part of Egor Borisov, we hope that it will build a university nursery school, as promised. This year, starting to build a dormitory for 941 place with a postgraduate unit, we are very grateful for the support of Andrei Alexandrovich, and, of course, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. University decided on the customer: 2 April, we announced a competition for potential contractors, builders. We hope that in December 2013, the object will be put into operation in the new dormitory for students and graduate students will be much more of recreation, sports and creative hobbies.
In 2011, the students came to study from six countries of the near abroad and South Korea. Korean surprised me, he wished me to study law. He has a serious motive, he had already received degree in law at home, but that's not enough, he said, that he would like to become an expert in any studies.
We have afforded an opportunity for our teachers to learn foreign languages more deeply, five hundred have already passed the course with good performance, and for students I always advise to master linguistic skills. It is impossible now without it.
There were not enough number of computers and toilet paper.
- What evokes satisfaction of result?
Perceptible to eyes changes, with modern equipment, new laboratories and clean in rooms and in the yard. At the beginning I noticed the absence of two things in the university: computers and toilet paper. When I mentioned it at the meeting, the audience laughed. Is there something to laugh at? You Laugh at yourselves. The first means the absence of technology, and the second - the lack of culture. I was told that it will cost money that the paper would steal by students. But I got on my way. It takes about half a million rubles, and the toilet paper appeared, including dormitories. Stop smoking, there are less people with alcoholic breath (it was), have to comply with the dress code, as it is in the universities. This is not a little thing - bad smelling toilets, dirty walls and floors. It determines the level of culture of the institution.
Sated student learns better.
I thank for the staff of our refectories, they are trying to feed a good lunch students in the amount of 80-100 rubles. In my opinion, our chefs are not worse than "Tygyn Darkhan", and the food is several times cheaper. If I do not have good breakfast in the morning, all day feel not well, I think that I'm not only one. Sated student will learn better. It has been well said: "We are what we eat".
Now we have the means for subscriptions edition, for books. Soon the electronic resources of our library must be provided access to large libraries, including foreign ones.
We also thoroughly equip our laboratory with modern scientific equipment, which is sorely lacking before. Staff members write more applications. That means they believe that we pull off challenges. There opens new lab, so students and postgraduates will be able to study there.
There will create a single information service space, introduce a single campus map. We dream about a closed campus with their technology park.
OJSC "Nizhnelenskoe" paid back debt to the university. It has already been allocated a room, which was placed the university publishing house, for which the new equipment purchased for 47 million rubles. Part of the debt will get apartments, which will become the property of NEFU.
About money
I try to do everything in my power, in the care of the staff and teachers. We select micro-housing, medical treatment. The government supports us in solving the problems of housing, allocating ground areas.
We think about how to improve the skills of teachers, combining with the ability to earn. The average monthly salary of a teacher is 37 thousand rubles. This is no extra charge for participating in the research work and multidisciplinary team. There are special programs for the development of MDT, consideration specific topics, introducing researches.
To pay for them, we spend about 200 million rubles. There are a growing number of teachers who want to participate in this process, because with payments for research and MDT monthly salary on average is 43,000. It is one of the main ways to spark teachers.
One of my main concerns is creating financial and economic stability of the university, we cannot always lot upon federal subsidies, which, by the way, we get by taking part in competitions.
We created stock of special-purpose capital of NEFU. Founders are "Surgutneftegas", "ALROSA" AFK "Sistema", RICKomdragmet. Alrosa, for example, has agreed to transfer 60 million rubles. On behalf of the graduates of YSU, Bogdanov, V. Shtyrov, E. Borisov, K. Vasilev, Fedotov and I transferred one hundred thousands, became the founders of the fund. We figure on the graduate’s association: we ask donation for Alma Mater a thousand rubles, would make a substantial sum, because near tens thousands of people graduate the university. The funds are intended for support scientific research, scientific practical activities, practical study of students and staff, and more. In 2014, the first phase of the program will be finished, a period of direct investment may be stopped. Even now, financial support of universities does not address, but competitive. That is why; funds for the support are needed.
Is there any use for take rap from army?
What troubles me? Nevertheless, some drink and smoke. I am opposed that students are dropped out from student’s dormitory even for drinking alcohol. Where will they go? On the street? We have to educate them, they are our children.
On day there came to me for "analysis" regular student-offenders. I asked them why they went to the club and drank? Yes, they say, celebrating the fact that you will no longer drop out of from the dorm. The logic is amazing. Or, for example, in autumn of about 500 students was given a draft noticed to the army, most of the highway department were given the arm service, because there were open new specialty, in whom the university has no accreditation. Military enlistment office met our needs, did not interrupt student’s study. Do you imagine my indignation that some of these students commemorate drinking, that the rector, as they say it, "took rap" them. And who brings up these loafers? Than I thought, maybe I should not have to do it, let it be passed army school, it would be good for them. After all, my brothers, and sons did military serves, and now one doing it for the country.
Hard-working, family and ready for contest
-What is, in your opinion, a new generation of students?
Today's students are very active, they want to be seen, they are more relaxed. I like them. They are much more know, more work, more independent. And most of them have strong sense of responsibility. They used to fall in love, get married, have children, it does not expect to scrounge off the parents, they know how o keep a family, so they learn and work. Relationship to each other they have other - competitive, emulative. They are more confident. For them, computers, cell phones, smart phones are the usual things of daily use, but the reading of Leo Tolstoy's is boring...
What particular qualities of Yakut students? I do not see much difference, though they are, I would say, patriarchal-believe in parents, family, a dream. I think it's good.
-Evgenia Isaevna, I cannot ask you about the interview of Vasily Vasilievich Filippov "Yakutsk vechernii.”
Lies.Vasily Vasilyevich Filippov must respect the people, I do not about myself. He knows me since the first-year, especially after my refusal to go with him to the movie. It should treat with respect, which he expected them to elect him. How can allow oneself to speak about "manipulated" by me members of the general meeting, which allegedly feared some of my threats, and even showed me the voting papers? Nonsense. Maybe BM Kerchengolts "scared" that he will not be given in to work on the equipment of NEFU? I will ask Boris Moiseevich. I am very glad that he came back to the university. Being a member of Il Tumen, Vasily Filippov was opposed translation Republican Institute for Human Studies to the Russian Academy of Sciences, and others. And the fact that the employees of FFI themselves was a dream to be in the same academic community of the country, the deputy did not care. If only impress a seal upon government, criticize the President of the Republic. Criticism should be constructive, in the case. Margin nearly twice as many votes won dear Mikhail Lebedev. We must be able to lose properly. A lie, meanness, betrayal - all of it sooner or later comes back to the man himself, making him miserable. But this does not mean that we should run amuck.
Written by Tatiana Burtseva.