On November 14, in the conference hall of the main building of VSU, the results of the competition for young lecturers were announced. The event was dedicated to the 105th anniversary of VSU and the Year of Teachers and Mentors in Russia. University lecturers not older than 30 years of age with 1 to 5 years of work experience at VSU took part in the competition.
Dmitry Endovitsky, Rector of VSU, made a welcoming speech at the awarding ceremony. He recalled the lecturers who influenced him significantly: Professor Lilia Gilyarovskaya, DSc in Economics, Professor Vladimir Eitingon, PhD in Economics, Professor Iosif Sternin, DSc in Philology, and Professor Lev Kroichik, DSc in Philology.
“The ability to be a teacher, a mentor, an educator is not only a gift, but also a duty. It is not enough to be just a transmitter of knowledge. The main goal is to inspire students and learners to create, to be an example for them. To be able to lead and motivate is the main skill for a teacher and a mentor,” said the rector of VSU.
Third place in the competition for young lecturers of VSU was awarded to Daria Utitskikh, a lecturer from the Department of English Language for Sciences Faculties of the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology. Second place went to Evgeny Kulakovsky, a lecturer from the Department of Human Geography and Regional Studies of the Faculty of Geography, Geoecology, and Tourism.
Elena Tyurina, a lecturer from the Department of Journalism and Literature of the Faculty of Journalism of VSU, was named the Best Young Lecturer.
“I did not expect that I would be among the winners because our university has many worthy young lecturers at different faculties. We have brilliant philologists, philosophers, physicists, chemists, programmers, and translators. And this is not surprising, because the university is a unique environment. I am very grateful to the competition committee for such a high assessment of my work as a lecturer, and to the university for supporting young lecturers. I am also very grateful to my faculty, my home, because I believe there are all the necessary conditions for growth,” shared Elena Tyurina.
“I decided to participate quite spontaneously. I wanted to take a critical look at my pedagogical activities. I wanted to conduct, so to speak, an audit: what I had achieved, what I had missed, what I should pay attention to. In my essay, I tried to analyse what a mentor should look like and what qualities he or she should have. I would like to say that I was guided by my teachers and colleagues. And, of course, I wanted to see what I was capable of. During the award ceremony, my main emotion was surprise! It was a great present just before my birthday. To be honest, I didn’t expect to take a prize-winning place. I am grateful to VSU for this opportunity!” commented Evgeny Kulakovsky.
Ekaterina Strelnikova, a lecturer from the Department of Russian Literature of XX–XXI Centuries and the Theory of Literature and Humanities of the Faculty of Philology, became the laureate of the competition. She described the difficulties she had to face taking part in the competition:
“The most difficult thing for me was writing an essay on the topic “Teacher and mentor at VSU: personal experience and the outlook for the future”. I found it extremely agitating and difficult to discuss such a serious topic. As a result, my essay turned out to be highly emotional and a bit ‘philological’.”
The event concluded with speeches by Vladimir Listengarten, the rector’s councillor, and Marina Sternina, DSc in Philology, Head of the Department of English Language for Sciences Faculties, and the mastermind of the competition.
“I hope that the representatives of the new, young generation of VSU lecturers will get acquainted with the achievements of higher education pedagogy and will also be involved in the research and practical implementation of this science. Love the university, work for it. I congratulate everyone on the 105th anniversary of VSU!” said Vladimir Listengarten.
