From our guard-patriots every day we have to listen to loud moans about how liberalism is permeated by our president, our government, our deputies and officials, in general, everything - according to an extensive list. Therefore, any actions of the authorities are assessed as another informational occasion for cries and incantations on the topic of liberalism that is suffocating Russia.
At the same time, our guard-patriots do not see the actions of the authorities, which spread rot and suffocate this very liberalism. They introduce cognitive dissonance into their mental structure, and therefore it is better to brush them aside, like an annoying fly that has flown into the wrong place.
Well, I'll have to disturb them a little. And upset.
With an adequate perception of reality, they have obvious problems.
We will not tire ourselves and readers once again with a story about how tightly liberals and liberalists in the 90s covered all the pores and holes of our society. Moreover, they bit into the structure of education and science with special care.
To make all Russian education Bolognese, so that it prepares exclusively lapdogs - this was the task number one. It was for her that grants were allocated, internships were given in the western hotbeds of Bologna and complex financing schemes were built.
Anyone who has at least periodically followed this topic can name many addresses where such nurseries for growing liberalism have built their nests in the Russian educational, humanitarian and scientific environment.
However, few of the patriotic public paid attention to the fact that in the last two years two odious nests of liberalism have been covered up. Moans about this sounded only on the liberal resources. The patriotic press bypassed these significant events with almost complete silence. But in vain. They deserve the closest attention.
So what are we talking about? And we are talking about the closure of two odious hotbeds of liberalism in Russia.
The European University at St. Petersburg is closed.
There was a certain enclave of liberalism in St. Petersburg with such a loud and proud name. It was established in 1994 under the patronage of Sobchak. The board of trustees of the university included Alexei Kudrin and Mikhail Piotrovsky.
The university was not arranged in the most usual way for Russia: it had only master's and postgraduate courses for graduates of Russian and foreign universities in the social sciences and humanities. EU had five faculties: anthropology, art history, history, economics, as well as political science and sociology, as well as four international programs were taught entirely in English.
Also at the EU there is a program "Gender Studies", within the framework of which, among other things, they study the problems of sexual minorities.
EU diplomas were recognized by leading foreign universities.
The wards of the "European University" develop very specific topics within their scientific papers. A significant part of them is devoted to LGBT values, the strategy for the development of neoliberalism in the Russian Federation, and the peculiarities of increasing migration flows in such “non-democratic” (according to the wording of one of the works) countries like Russia.
The liberal press, which struggled with all its might to preserve this hotbed of liberalism, amazed with the masterpieces of its silkworm:
So, Rambler wrote: "The leading university was closed in St. Petersburg."
No, gentlemen, I, of course, understand that for your professiogram, the lack of logic and common sense is mandatory. But not to the point of complete insanity?! At the time of closing, there were 200 (two hundred) students in St. Petersburg EU. What kind of “leading” can this, so to speak, “university” be, against the background of St. Petersburg state university, Polytech, Technolozhka and dozens of other St. Petersburg universities, whose fame has been created for centuries and many decades, and the number of students exceeds the "leading university" by orders of magnitude?
The liberals recalled its closure in the same epithets now, when a similar fate has already befallen the Moscow hotbed of liberals:
Shaninka's accreditation was revoked
Reference: The Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES) - Russian-British institution of higher education; is a partner Russian Academy national economy and public service under the President of the Russian Federation and is located on the territory of the Academy.
The school was founded in 1995. One of the founders and the first rector of the School was the British sociologist, professor at the University of Manchester Theodore Shanin. Since 2007 Teodor Shanin has become the President of the School.
It is known that among the first sponsors of Shaninka was the George Soros Open Society Foundation and the Central European University from Budapest, which, in fact, was also opened in 1991 thanks to the financial support of the same Soros.
In 2015, the Open Society Foundation, which was actively involved in Russian system education (funded universities, published textbooks) was included by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the number of organizations whose activities are undesirable in our country. And, I must say, not in vain - the example of Soros' educational experiments in Ukraine was very revealing.
And now they came for his "chicks" ...
Moscow Higher School of Social and economic sciences lost state accreditation after the inspection of Rosobrnadzor. The agency claims that the commission has identified "numerous violations of the requirements of educational standards" .
Rector of the university Sergey Zuev told Kommersant that these requirements are divorced from reality, and invited the rectors' community to discuss the possibility of changing the legislation. His subordinates speak out more frankly - they directly declare that we are talking about the defeat of the next university after EUSP with a "liberal" reputation.
A multi-page protocol of the commission's decision was also published. It mentions, in particular, that the disciplines "history of costume" and "shoes of the 18th-20th centuries" "do not form professional competencies". And the claims to the direction of "jurisprudence" are that “one of the teachers has a higher education in the specialty “history”, qualification “historian””, but at the same time he conducts “the disciplines “system of property rights” and “contracts on the transfer of property”” .
http://www.obrnadzor.gov.ru/common/upload/doc_list/Zakluchenie_oano_vo_Moskovskaya_vysshaya_shkola_sotsialnykh_i_ekonomicheskikh_nauk.pdf
After the deprivation of accreditation, "Shaninka" cannot issue a Russian state diploma, and is also deprived of the right to train students on a budgetary basis.
The bloody gebnya is completely crazy!
Here is the groan of the liberals:
« The scenario of the European University will be played "with amplification", - suggests Viktor Vakhstein.- As long as we have been stripped of just our accreditation, we will continue to teach and give British diplomas. Then they will try to deprive us of our license and prohibit us from conducting educational activities. But even then we will teach - on the streets, in parks, in exile".
Multiple versions published The Bell. One of them is the conflict between Russia and Great Britain (the founder of Shaninka works at the University of Manchester) due to the poisoning of the Skripals. After it began, the Russian authorities have already closed one British educational organization- British Council.
« I can count on my fingers non-state universities that Russia can be proud of, - says the rector of the Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov. - These are the Russian School of Economics, the European University at St. Petersburg and Shaninka. Now, two of the three members of this stellar list of non-state universities have become disgraced.
"Shaninka" said "Sha!" - you look, and they will get to the HSE .... HORRIBLE!!!
And I want to say only one thing about Kuzminov’s fears: "Waiting-s... »
Somewhere even impatiently.
The Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) has suspended the license of the European University in St. Petersburg.
This message appeared on Friday, December 9, in the evening. The official reaction of the university management became known only on Monday. An article was posted on the EUSP website, which says that in the summer of this year the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation initiated a comprehensive audit of the European University. “The basis for its holding was the complaint of the deputy Legislative Assembly Petersburg Vitaly Milonov, which was later supplemented by complaints from other enterprising citizens,” the article says.
The following lists all the checks that took place at the university during July and August. Identified violations (most of which consisted in the absence of certain documents in a number of departments, and also in the absence of stands with anti-alcohol propaganda and the failure of some teachers to pass a medical examination) were eliminated as soon as possible.
However, Rosobranadzor insisted not to suspend the license. At the same time, “publications appeared on the Internet disseminating unreliable and discrediting EUSP information about the University's ties with foreign foundations, work against the interests of Russia, etc. This information has nothing to do with the official reason for the suspension of the license,” the European University believes.
EUSP is a non-state institution of higher education. It was founded in 1994, and the first mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak took an active part in the development of the concept of the university.
Among the invited teachers of the university there are well-known professors from a number of EU countries, as well as from the USA. In addition, seminars, conferences and meetings with the participation of foreign experts are regularly held in various halls and auditoriums of the EUSP.
Among the current members of its board of trustees is the former Minister of Finance Russian Federation Alexey Kudrin. The rector of the European University, Oleg Kharkhordin, suggested that the suspension of the university's license may be related to this circumstance. In addition, Kharkhordin admits that the reason for the decision of Rosobrnadzor may be the upcoming restoration of the mansion on Gagarinskaya Street, where EUSP is located.
“We have collected resources for future restoration and construction,” he said in an interview with reporters. “Naturally, there are always great emotions around such a project, there are many who want to become general contractors in it.”
In addition to the economic version of the suspension of the license of a well-known university, there is also a political one. On December 12, the St. Petersburg regional branch of the Yabloko party issued a statement “Let's defend the European University!”. It says: "In last years The European University is being attacked by reactionaries in power and obscurantists of all stripes. We regard the decision of Rosobrnadzor to suspend the license of the university as another attack aimed at restoring the ideological monopoly in education and science.”
The authors of the statement also recall: “Only three decades separate us from the time when scientists were persecuted and persecuted for a conclusion that was not beneficial to the political regime. The return to censorship in education and science is the end of the successful future of our country.”
Chairman of the regional branch of Yabloko, deputy of the City Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Mikhail Amosov In an interview with a Voice of America correspondent, he noted: “The very name of an educational institution looks abnormal in today's times. In our country, everyone is talking about sanctions, anti-sanctions, a break with the West, and suddenly, against this background, there is a European University in St. Petersburg!
This is one reason. Moreover, in addition to learning activities significant scientific work is carried out at this university. For example, I am familiar with their research on the bureaucratic system in building rights. How does it work, and how can it be improved so that there is less bureaucracy. There are also serious anti-corruption studies at the university. The authorities don't like this very much. That is, the theme itself, perhaps - from their point of view - is not bad. But, since independent researchers are engaged in it, it arouses suspicion among those at the top,” the deputy believes.
At the same time, Mikhail Amosov recalls that the current troubles of the European University related to supervisory authorities are not the first. “Last time it seemed to me that we were dealing with petty attacks that would somehow be repulsed and overcome. And now I have doubts that the case will cost “little blood”. But, of course, I would not want the European University in St. Petersburg to be closed,” emphasizes the chairman of the regional branch of the Yabloko party.
Chairman of the Commission on Education, Culture and Science of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Maxim Reznik does not believe that in this case there is a simple “dispute between business entities”.
“It seems to me that there is certainly a political background here. When NTV was shut down in 2000, they also explained it as a “dispute between business entities”. And meanwhile, this is an obvious political story. And in this case, only the president can put an end to it, which, in fact, is happening. Meetings on this issue are going on at the highest level, so we'll see.
I, of course, believe that repeated attempts to close the European University for various reasons, including mister Milonov's denunciations, are nothing more than an attempt to establish censorship,” Maxim Reznik is sure.
The lecturers of the European University, who were approached for comment by the Voice of America correspondent, refused to say anything about the suspension of the license of their university. At the same time, they referred to an official statement published on the university's website, saying that they had nothing to add. And they urged to wait until the end of the meeting in Moscow, in which the rector of the European University Oleg Kharkhordin takes part.
The stumbling block is the building of the European University? Photo by M. Buev Sometimes one gets the impression that now few people follow what is happening around the European University at St. Petersburg (including among the scientific and educational community), and yet less people know the details of the situation. Colleagues from EUSP say that they also do not really understand who ordered the attack on the university. At the same time, the latest investigation by Alexei Navalny “He is not Dimon to you” provides grounds for a rather convincing explanation of many oddities: the building of the European University, the former mansion of Count Kushelev-Bezborodko, adjoins the mansion with an autolift, which the Anti-Corruption Foundation considers to be among the prime minister’s assets. Minister Medvedev.
EUSP can really close. Over the past few months, more than a dozen supervisory authorities unexpectedly found claims against the university, and although many were withdrawn, some went to court: on March 15, 2017 - a court on the issue of eviction from the building, on March 20 - a court on the claim of Rosobrnadzor. TrV-Nauka turned to its authors with a request to answer the question why it is so important to save the university. We publish the responses.
Nikita Sokolov,
Chairman of the Council of the Free Historical Society:
For more than 10 years, he has been the editor of journals that claim not only popularity, but also scientific thoroughness (“Domestic Notes” and “Around the World”), and now as Deputy Executive Director of the B. N. Yeltsin Presidential Fund for scientific work(which has to involve third-party specialists), I am constantly busy searching for the best authors and collaborators.
At the same time, it was invariably found that the most knowledgeable specialists in the field of social science and, more broadly, the humanities, in a very significant part, turn out to be professors and teachers of the European University in St. Petersburg, an institution that is relatively small in terms of its teaching staff.
Such a concentration of high-level specialists, in my opinion, makes it possible, without great exaggeration, to speak of the creation in Russia of a completely new type and world-class scientific and educational center. The destruction of such a center, no matter what goals it pursues and no matter how motivated, will have the saddest long-term consequences for the national higher education and science.
Sergey Zenkin,
Chief Researcher, Russian State University for the Humanities, Dr. philol. Sciences:
I visited and spoke at the European University several times. This university is unique in its type - small, eccentrically located (in St. Petersburg, not Moscow) and aimed not at a quantitative "gross product" and not at growth in breadth, but at the highest level of quality, at training world-class specialists. Moreover, this is not some kind of closed departmental school, but a non-state institution, in principle, open to everyone; even entry without passes, which is forgotten in most Russian universities. Comparisons are always lame, but in humanities The closest functional analogue of the EU was, perhaps, the philological school of the University of Tartu in its best times.
The fact that today the university is being subjected to brutal pressure, behind which the raider intrigues of the influential owners of the neighboring building are increasingly visible, is an act of shameless and reckless aggression on the part of the power-money elite against the intellectual elite, an attempt to profit materially, spitting on the mind and knowledge. And the historical hopes of Russia are connected only with them: the money will run out, the power will weaken, and then where to look for smart and educated people?
Boris Dolgin,
scientific editor of Polit.ru:
Talking about EUSP is both easy and difficult. We can get away with stating the obvious - one of the leading (and very rare in this status) Russian universities in the field of social and humanitarian knowledge, combining education, science, enlightenment and expert-analytical activities in its activities.
It can be recalled that EU is the leader among all non-Moscow sites that supply lecturers for public lectures “Polit. ru” (even if we subtract the solidarity lectures from the period of the “fire crisis” and the current attack on the university). It can be said that this is one of the few projects of the Sturm und Drang period in Russian education, which now not only does not fizzle out, but constantly generates something new.
There are no even universities or scientific institutions (except frankly rubbish ones), but the density of quality here is much higher than many others can afford. If the European is destroyed, it will be bad for everyone - both the rest of the best, and society as a whole.
Cosplay reaction (from the English costume play: "masquerade." - Ed.) do not fight the revolution - they successfully feed its spirit. The experience of the stupidity of the strong and the impotence of the worthy. The inability to sit out far from the storms in the role of an eccentric scientist or an honest professional. Destroying the only long-term alternative - the chance for reform.
Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption EU Rector Oleg Kharkhordin told his staff on Monday that the university can continue to work as a research institute
European University at St. Petersburg, action educational license which was suspended by Rosobrnadzor on Wednesday, will continue to work as a research institute.
On Monday morning, the rector of the European University, Oleg Kharkhordin, spoke to the staff of the university.
After the suspension of the license, the university will be able to engage in scientific activity, to conduct research seminars, and its employees will be able to publish scientific articles, Maxim Buev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics of the EU, who was present at the rector's speech, told the BBC Russian Service.
The European University at St. Petersburg, founded in 1994, is considered one of the best non-state higher education institutions in the country, focusing on the Western model of education, which implies the direct participation of students in scientific research.
Since the mid-2000s, EUSP has been associated with the name of former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin - he is a member of the university's board of trustees and oversees the university's endowment fund.
According to Buev, a special meeting of the government dedicated to the problems of the European University was held last week. At the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the government a directive to deal with the situation. The government must prepare a decision by Wednesday 14 December.
On Wednesday, the 5-day deadline expires, during which the university is required by law to notify students of a potential transfer, the dean explained. Until that time, there will be no transfer of students to other universities.
If the government fails to find a solution, then on January 11, the European University will try to challenge the revocation of the educational license in the arbitration court, Buev said, citing the rector's speech.
Buev believes that the revocation of the license has nothing to do with political pressure. According to the economist, the audit began in July due to the claims of Vladimir Milonov, a member of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, who was elected to the State Duma in September.
“Any bureaucratic bodies do not work smoothly, that in the state that we have at the university, there were a lot of all sorts of coincidences when some documents were not read, when old copies were looked through, which ultimately led to the start of a legal and bureaucratic process, which formally cannot be stopped," Buev explained the situation.
Rosobrnadzor on December 7 suspended the license of the European University in St. Petersburg. This became known on December 9, when a mention of the relevant order appeared on the website of the department.
The Kommersant newspaper reported that the university must transfer students to other educational institutions in St. Petersburg by Wednesday, December 14.
The European University of St. Petersburg first faced the threat of closure in 2008 due to violations of fire safety regulations. The university resumed work two months later.
In 2016, the European University again had problems. spring state accreditation the university for a short time, and in July Rosobraznadzor began inspections at the request of Milonov, which led to the suspension of the license.
The European University is one of the few Russian universities known abroad for its research work. It is the only Russian university included in the London School of Economics' "Top 100 European Political Science Centers" ranking.
Employees and alumni of the university are known for their independence, they often speak out on many issues without regard to government policy. During his speech at EU Day in 2014, HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov urged the university administration to continue adhering to the principle of academic freedom and university autonomy.
R obrnadzor revoked the accreditation of the legendary "Shaninka" - the Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences. The reason was some flaws in the content of the courses and claims of the department to the qualifications of teachers. The university continues to work for the time being, but the withdrawal of accreditation is usually followed by the revocation of the license, and this is the end. It was in this scenario that the closure educational activities at another well-known Russian independent university - the European University at St. Petersburg.
A rally in defense of the European University was held on Lenin Square, St. Petersburg Photo: David Frenkel/Kommersant
If "Shaninka" is closed, then in Russia there will be no strong, modern and world-renowned liberal arts universities independent of the state. The space of higher education (and this is also science) will be entirely in the sphere of influence of the authorities, it will determine the desired and unwanted topics, problems, courses, specialties and so on. The European University and Shaninka were very different: the first one was more focused on free education, the second - for paid education for those who have already understood what they want. The first was more scientific, the second - applied. Universities were united by independence, high authority in the international educational environment and demand for graduates. Both Shaninka and EUSP have been working for more than 20 years and have already acquired traditions. Usually, complaints about Russian diplomas arose abroad, but diplomas from two Russian independent universities were held in high esteem there. This is also why the claims of Rosobrnadzor raise questions. Universities worked for decades, their diplomas were recognized, and somehow suddenly, with a lag of a year and a half, it turned out that education in independent Russian universities something is not like that and does not correspond to some state standards. At the same time, various private legal and economic academies continue to operate both in Moscow and in the provinces, which in fact sell diplomas to their graduates.
Independence from the state does not mean weakness. The connections between Shaninka and EUSP were just good. The Council of the European University (founded by mayor Anatoly Sobchak) includes the head of the Accounts Chamber, Alexei Kudrin, who is considered one of Vladimir Putin's close associates. During the attack on the university, he did not hold official posts, but relations with the head of state did not disappear anywhere. Kudrin and Putin continued to meet. The presence of such a high defender, who also considers the university one of the most important projects for himself, did not help in the end.
"Shaninka" cooperates with RANEPA, has with this university general programs. Officially, RANEPA is called the "Presidential Academy". AT recent times news about it is connected with courses for the personnel reserve, from which the Kremlin now draws resources for high-level appointments - governors, ministers, their deputies. Passing such courses becomes almost the main condition for successful career growth for an official and a guarantee of good employment. Irony of fate, but the current Minister of Science Mikhail Kotyukov, who oversees higher education, took these RANEPA courses. Now the Rosobrnadzor subordinate to him is depriving the license of the friendly academy Shaninka. The presence of connections and high patrons at the top, cooperation with state institutions, which is more beneficial for these institutions themselves, means nothing if the decision to close was made at the highest level.
Future high-ranking officials at trainings jumped under a tank and off a cliff. Perhaps in new curricula Presidential Academy will focus on just such exercises
Of course, in one of his conversations with Putin, Kudrin could have touched on the topic of the EUSP: "help, there's a misunderstanding here." For some time, claims against St. Petersburg University really seemed like a special case, which has to do with raiding, and not educational policy. The university is located in the palace of Princess Yurieva, an old building located in the very center of the city. And if this were the only thing, Putin would help his friend and colleague - in particular cases, the president usually helps those close to him. However, Rosobrnadzor’s insistence on the European University and claims against Shaninka are clear evidence that these are not isolated cases, but a general policy, and Putin will not change it.
Why are the Russian authorities attacking independent universities, why have they become superfluous? The university is historically one of the main centers of life in the city and the country. It is both a bearer of traditions and a platform for the new. Students and their teachers are free-spirited. New political and managerial theories are born in university classrooms and libraries. At the university, if not everything, then a lot begins. Young economists - the heads of the labs - were preparing the reforms of the 1990s back in the Soviet Union. Young revolutionaries grew up in the universities of the 19th century. Even in a fully controlled by the authorities educational institution unhelpful new thoughts may appear - what to say about independent establishments, which, moreover, were proud of their will? Knowledge is power: many remember the slogan of the Soviet era, and it is difficult to disagree with the veracity of this statement. A real teacher at a real university teaches you to understand the subject, in reality, in the situation in the city and the world, and not in the picture of the world that the authorities impose.
Shaninka Library
Photo: Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences
Shaninka and the European University corresponded little to the new Russian reality. Departments of theology appear in many universities, high school economics, which will now be the flagship of the liberal arts education, has long been closely studied by the works of the conservative philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev. What are the gender studies here, what is the critical view? A university can be very modern at the world level, but lag behind Russian modernity, and it is now in theology and Berdyaev. Future high-ranking officials at RANEPA training jumped under a tank and off a cliff - that's our way! Perhaps the new programs of the Presidential Academy will focus on these exercises.
In practice, the closure of independent universities will result in their potential students going to study abroad. These people do not want to study in the Russian state, even the most prestigious universities. They do not need a crust, with which you can get a job in a state corporation and live - do not grieve. They want to learn, develop talents and skills in the free atmosphere of a real university. Now these brains will flow abroad. There, most likely, teachers will also gradually depart - modern and recognized Russian scientists, who, in fact, came to independent universities so as not to waste time paying tribute to Berdyaev. Shaninka and the European University stood out too much from the overall picture. For a while, these bright spots seemed too small to the authorities - well, just think, several hundred people study a year. Now the gaze of the state has become more intent, it lingers on any irregularities, roughness, on a seemingly already completely smooth surface. The landscape of Russian social and political life should become perfectly even, and the deprivation of Shaninka's accreditation is another step along this path.
