On 2 March, an extended meeting of the Council of the Russian Rectors’ Union was held at Moscow State University. The main topic of the meeting was the work of educational organisations in the current situation.
The meeting was addressed by Viktor Sadovnichy, President of the Russian Rectors’ Union, Rector of Moscow State University, Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Igor Shchegolev, member of the Security Council, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Central Federal District, and Dmitry Endovitsky, Vice President of the Russian Rectors’ Union, Rector of VSU. The rector of VSU delivered an address on behalf of the Russian Rectors’ Union. He noted that, despite the difficult period the country was going through, the higher education sector should go through the period with dignity befitting universities, guided by the principles of high academic culture and ethics, and always upholding high humanistic ideals.
“Our task today is to preserve the tradition of trust and unity within the university community, the high quality and accessibility of higher education, and the atmosphere of mutual support among students and teachers,” said Dmitry Endovitsky.
The rector of VSU noted that the most important constituent of a university was its students, he also highlighted one of the key challenges at the moment: the provision of psychological support. Particular attention should be paid to international students as well as to Russian students who may be experiencing difficulties abroad.
“We foresee difficulties related to the development of scientific infrastructure, joint international research, and the publication of articles in foreign scientific journals. Russian universities must not break the international relations that have been developed over decades. We should convince our standing partners of the need to continue working together to find solutions to global challenges and to preserve the world’s scientific heritage,” stated Dmitry Endovitsky.
