They tried to close the European University. Russia covered two nests of liberals and Russophobes

R special supervision 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 the department's claims to the qualifications of teachers. The university is still working, but the revocation of accreditation is usually followed by revocation of the license, and this is already the end. It was according to this scenario that the closure of educational activities at another well-known Russian independent university, the European University in St. Petersburg, took place.

A rally in support of the European University was held on Lenin Square, St. Petersburg Photo: David Frenkel / Kommersant

If Shaninka is closed, then there will be no strong, modern and internationally recognized humanitarian universities independent of the state in Russia. The space of higher education (and this is also science) will be entirely in the sphere of influence of the authorities, it will determine desirable and undesirable topics, problems, courses, specialties, and so on. The European University and "Shaninka" were very different: the first was focused, rather, on free education, the second - on paid education for those who already understood what they wanted. The first was more scientific, the second was applied. The universities were united by independence, high prestige in the international educational environment and the demand for graduates. Both Shaninka and EUSP have been working for more than 20 years and have already overgrown with traditions. Usually, claims to Russian diplomas arose abroad, but the diplomas of two Russian independent universities were held in high esteem there. This is one of the reasons why Rosobrnadzor's claims raise questions. Universities worked for decades, their diplomas were recognized, and somehow suddenly, with a lag of one and a half years, it turned out that education in independent Russian universities was somehow different and did not correspond to some state standards. At the same time, both in Moscow and in the provinces, various private legal and economic academies continue to operate, 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 its 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 intercessor, who also considers the university to be one of the most important projects for himself, did not help in the end.

"Shaninka" cooperates with RANEPA, has common programs with this university. RANEPA is officially called the "Presidential Academy". Recently, news about her has been associated with courses for the personnel reserve, from which the Kremlin now draws resources for high appointments - governors, ministers, and their deputies. Completing such courses becomes almost the main condition for successful career growth for an official and a guarantee of good employment. Ironically, the current Minister of Science Mikhail Kotyukov, who oversees higher education, took these courses at the RANEPA. Now the Rosobrnadzor subordinate to him revokes the license of the friendly academy "Shaninka". The presence of connections and high patrons at the top, cooperation with state institutions, which is beneficial, rather, to the institutions themselves, does not mean anything if the decision to close it was made at the highest level.

Future high-ranking officials jumped under the tank and off the cliff during trainings. Perhaps, in the new curricula of the presidential academy, the emphasis will be placed on just such exercises.

Of course, in one of his conversations with Putin, Kudrin could have raised the topic of EUSP: "help, there is a misunderstanding." For a while, claims against the University of St. Petersburg really seemed like a special case that had to do with raiding, not educational policy. The university is located in the palace of Princess Yuryeva, an old building located in the very center of the city. And if it was only this, Putin would help his friend and colleague - in special cases, the president usually helps those close to him. However, Rosobrnadzor's insistence on the European University and the claims against Shaninka is clear evidence that these are not special cases, but general policy, and Putin will not change it.

Why are the Russian authorities attacking independent universities, why have they become redundant? Historically, the university is one of the main centers of city and country life. It is both a bearer of traditions and a platform for new things. Students and their teachers are free-spirited. New political and managerial theories are being born in university classrooms and libraries. At the university, if not everything, then a lot begins. Young economists - zavlabs - prepared the reforms of the 1990s back in the Soviet Union. Young revolutionaries grew up in the universities of the 19th century. Even in an educational institution completely controlled by the authorities, useless new thoughts may appear - what to say about independent institutions, 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 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 did not correspond to the new Russian reality. Departments of theology appear in many universities, and at the Higher School of Economics, which will now be the flagship of liberal arts education, the works of the conservative philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev have been closely studied for a long time. What is gender research here, what is a critical view? The university may 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 trainings jumped under a tank and off a cliff - that's our way! Perhaps, in the new programs of the Presidential Academy, the emphasis will be placed 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 at Russian state, albeit the most prestigious, universities. They do not need a crust with which they can get a job in a state corporation and live - not grieve. They want to learn, develop talents and skills in the free atmosphere of a real university. Now these brains will flow abroad. Most likely, teachers - modern and recognized Russian scientists, who, in fact, came to independent universities, so as not to waste time giving tribute to Berdyaev, will most likely gradually leave there. Shaninka and the European University stood out too much from the general picture. For a while, these bright spots seemed to the authorities too small - 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 completely smooth surface. The landscape of Russian social and political life should become ideally even, and the withdrawal of accreditation from Shaninka is another step on this path.

Every day we have to hear loud groans from our patriotic guards about how liberalism is permeated with our president, our government, our deputies and officials, in general, everything is on an extensive list. Therefore, any actions of the authorities are assessed as another informational occasion for screams and incantations on the topic of liberalism suffocating Russia.

At the same time, the actions of the authorities, which spread rot and stifle this same liberalism, our patriots do not see at close range. They introduce cognitive dissonance into their mental structure, and therefore it is better to dismiss them as from an annoying fly that has flown into the wrong place.

Well, I'll have to bother them a little. And upset.

They have obvious problems with an adequate perception of reality.

Let's not bore ourselves and our readers once again with a story about how closely liberals and liberals covered all the pores and holes of our society in the 90s. Moreover, they gnawed into the structure of education and science with special care.

To make all Russian education Bologna, so that it cooks exclusively lapdogs - that was the task number of times. It was for her that grants were allocated, internships were issued in the western nurseries of Bologna, and complex financing schemes were built.

Anyone who at least periodically monitored this topic can name many addresses where such nurseries for the cultivation of liberalism in the Russian educational, humanitarian and scientific environment have built their nests.

However, few of the patriotic public paid attention to the fact that over the past two years, two odious nests of liberalism have been covered up. Moans about this were heard only on liberal resources. The patriotic press passed over these significant events in almost complete silence. But in vain. They deserve the utmost attention.

So, what are we talking about? And we are talking about the closure of two odious breeding grounds of liberalism in Russia.

The European University at St. Petersburg is closed.

There was in St. Petersburg a certain enclave of liberalism 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 Alexey Kudrin and Mikhail Piotrovsky.

The university was not organized in the most usual way for Russia: it had only master's and postgraduate studies for graduates of Russian and foreign universities in social sciences and humanities. EU had five faculties: anthropology, art history, history, economics, and political science and sociology, as well as four international programs, all of which were taught in English.

Also at the EU there is a program "Gender Studies", in the framework of which, among other things, they investigate the problems of sexual minorities.

EU diplomas have been recognized by leading foreign universities.

The wards of the "European University" develop very specific topics within the framework of their scientific works. A significant part of them is devoted to the values ​​of LGBT people, the strategy for the development of neoliberalism in the Russian Federation, the peculiarities of increasing migration flows in such "undemocratic" (according to the wording of one of the works) countries such as Russia.

The liberal press, which fought with all its might to preserve this hotbed of liberalism, amazed with the masterpieces of its silk-breeding:

So, Rambler wrote: "The leading university was closed in St. Petersburg."

No, gentlemen, I, of course, understand that for your professiogram the absence of logic and common sense is obligatory. But not to complete insanity ?! At the time of closing, the EU had 200 (two hundred) students. What kind of "leading" this, if one may say so, "higher educational institution" can be, against the background of St. Petersburg State University, Polytech, Technolozhka and dozens of other St. orders?

The liberals remembered its closure in the same epithets now, when a similar fate befell the Moscow hotbed of liberals:

Shaninka's accreditation was revoked

reference: Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES, "shaninka") (English The Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES)) - Russian-British higher educational institution; is a partner of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration 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, Theodor Shanin has become the President of the School.

It is known that among the first sponsors of Shaninka were the Open Society Foundation of George Soros and the Central European University from Budapest, in fact, also opened in 1991 thanks to the financial support of the same Soros.

In 2015, the Open Society Foundation, which actively climbed into the Russian education system (financed universities, published textbooks), was included by the Russian Ministry of Justice among the organizations whose activities are undesirable in our country. And, I must say, not in vain - the example of Soros's educational experiments in Ukraine was very indicative.

And now they have come for his "chicks" ...

The Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences lost its state accreditation after an audit by Rosobrnadzor. The agency claims that the commission has identified "Numerous violations of the requirements of educational standards" .

University rector Sergey Zuev told Kommersant that these requirements are divorced from reality, and invited the rector's community to discuss the possibility of changing the legislation. His subordinates speak out more openly - they openly declare that they are talking about the defeat of the next higher educational institution after EUSP with a "liberal" reputation.

The multi-page protocol of the commission's decision was also published. It mentions, in particular, that the disciplines "costume history" and "footwear 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 leads the "disciplines" system of property rights "and" agreements 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 revocation of accreditation, Shaninka cannot issue a Russian state-standard diploma, and is also deprived of the right to teach students on a budgetary basis.

The bloody gebnya is completely mad!

Here is the moan of the liberals worth it:

« The European University scenario will be reproduced "with amplification", - suggests Victor Vakhstein.- While we have been stripped of only accreditation, we will continue to teach and give British diplomas. Then they will try to revoke our license and prohibit us from conducting educational activities. But we will teach even then - on the streets, in parks, in exile ".

Several versions are published The bell... One of them is the conflict between Russia and Great Britain (the founder of Shaninka works at the University of Manchester) over the poisoning of the Skripals. Since its inception, the Russian authorities have already closed one British educational organization - the British Council.

« I can count on my fingers the 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 participants in this stellar list of non-state universities have become disgraced.

"Shaninka" was told "Sha!" - you look, and they will get to HSE…. Horror !!!

And I want to say only one thing about Kuzminov's fears: "We are waiting, sir ... »

Somewhere even with impatience.

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

The European University at St. Petersburg, whose educational license was suspended by Rosobrnadzor on Wednesday, will continue to operate 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 activities, conduct research seminars, and its employees will be able to publish scientific articles, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics of the EU Maxim Buev, 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-governmental 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 the 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 government meeting was held last week on the problems of the European University. At the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the government a directive to deal with the situation. The government should prepare a decision by Wednesday December 14th.

On Wednesday, a 5-day deadline will expire 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 cannot find a solution, then on January 11, the European University will try to challenge the revocation of the educational license in an arbitration court, Buev said with reference to the rector's speech.

Buyev 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 the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Vladimir Milonov, 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 kinds of coincidences, when some documents were not read, when old copies were viewed, which ultimately led to the launch of a legal and bureaucratic process, which cannot be formally 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 agency's website.

The newspaper "Kommersant" reported that the university must, by Wednesday, December 14, transfer students to other educational institutions in St. Petersburg.

The European University of St. Petersburg first faced the threat of closure in 2008 due to violations of fire safety standards. The university resumed work two months later.

In 2016, the European University faced problems again. In the spring, the state accreditation of the university was not for long, 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 Centers for Political Science.

University staff and alumni are known for their independence, they often speak out on many issues without regard to government policy. HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov, speaking at EU Day in 2014, urged the university administration to continue adhering to the principle of academic freedom and university autonomy.

The new building of the European University in St. Petersburg does not meet a number of legal requirements - this is the conclusion reached by the employees of Rosobrnadzor. The act following the inspection of the building has been published on the university's website, RBC reports. From the document, in particular, it follows that it is not adapted to teaching students with disabilities. In addition, according to Rosobrnadzor, the material and technical support of some of the premises does not allow classes in history, anthropology, philosophy, sociology and art history to be held there. However, the document does not specify what kind of disadvantages of the premises hinder the study of these disciplines.

In addition, the inspectors concluded that the European University has not finalized the advanced training program in the direction of "The latest methods of sociological research in the city." In order to obtain a license, the university will have to eliminate all deficiencies found by Rosobrnadzor.

Professor of the European University Grigory Golosov so commented on this news on his Facebook: "That's it: new troubles have hit. Nobody even tries to explain who and why brought them down. Comparison with 2008, when the EU was closed for the first time, clearly shows how much the machine has improved since then." rolling into concrete. "Then there were: a specific and removable reason (MESP / IRENA project), a specific and removable reason (fire safety), and even the line of subordination of the performers was more or less clear to the persons involved. Now the reasons can only be guessed at, but the reasons multiple and therefore unavoidable, because every time there is a new one. With the line of subordination in general it turned out funny, and if the story with the EU illustrates something, it is that public words and actions of the President of the Russian Federation do not mean anything at all. what is said (or rather what is not said) behind closed doors. "

In early August 2017, the department revoked the European University's license. Earlier, the university itself asked the supervisory authority to start issuing a new license. Earlier it was reported that the Smolny Property Control Committee suggested that the European University leave the Kushelev-Bezborodko mansion, where the university was historically located, until October 10, 2017. On September 26, EU rector Nikolai Vakhtin sent a letter to Andrey Korotkov, chairman of the Smolny Property Control Committee, with a request to extend the time of departure.

Let me remind you that over the past two years the university has been under powerful administrative pressure. So, in April 2016 Rosobrnadzor validated the state accreditation of higher education programs of the European University. And in October 2016, the university admitted applicants for "failure to comply with an order within the established time frame by Rosobrnadzor." In January 2017, the European University in St. Petersburg may lose its building. For the first time, problems with supervisory authorities at the university appeared in 2008 - its work was suspended for a month and a half, allegedly due to non-compliance with fire safety rules. In the summer of 2016, a check against the EU was initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office on the complaint of the deputy of the St. Petersburg parliament Vitaly Milonov. Then the supervisory authority gave the university two months to eliminate the violations. However, in 2017, the university faced the most serious problems in its entire history.

Many well-known public, scientific and cultural figures and organizations expressed their support for the European University. For example, in a statement published on the website of the Free Historical Society: "Bureaucratic quibbles and legal procedures carried out on their basis are used to cover up real property interests - the desire to take away from the European University the building that it has occupied since its inception and whose reconstruction project has already been invested considerable forces and means. "

A letter in defense of the university addressed to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and the Minister of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva, as well as 14 academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Among them N.N. Kazansky, V.E. Bagno, A.M. Moldovan, Yu.D. Apresyan et al. The letter, in particular, stated the following: “In 2016, EUSP was the object of numerous checks by various regulatory bodies, primarily Rosobrnadzor. the violations have now been corrected by the university. Nevertheless, Rosobrnadzor continues to put pressure on the EUSP; the decisions of several courts jeopardized the fate of the EUSP educational license and may lead to the suspension of the educational process at the university. "

In June 2017, the rector of the EU, Oleg Kharkhordin, was forced ahead of schedule, and Nikolai Vakhtin, who had already headed the university in 2003-2009, became the acting rector. In an interview with ZAKS.Ru correspondent Roman Perl in mid-July 2017, Vakhtin said: “We employ people of very different political convictions. We have both quite radical professors and very conservative professors. Each of them says what he sees fit. This is actually what is called academic freedom. This is called the university, as a free organization that develops the intellectual capital of society. You see, if all professors begin to turn into radicals, a revolution begins. Why do we need this? If all professors begin to turn into loyal servants. the throne, then any intellectual development in the country ends. This is also not necessary for us. Yes, we have at least three, and maybe four, who are quite regular in various media - newspapers, radio, but not television, unfortunately , yes, they express their position on various political issues. We have other specialists who express a different position. So what? this, do you think that the government of St. Petersburg, the government of the Russian Federation will close the university? Then all universities must be closed. Because in each of them there are people who, perhaps, are not as talented as ours, but they are also quite active in expressing their position. "

At the end of December 2016, the Director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the European University, made an appeal in his defense, in which he noted: “Created in the hungry years of devastation, EUSP used foreign funding. was brought in line with the new reality. The university does not receive a dime of foreign money, is managed by Russian founders, funded by an endowment fund. This is sometimes annoying. EUSP was able to raise funds for the restoration of the city building in which it is located. The project was prepared and approved. Created by Wilmott, the author of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris. This is also very annoying. Among the possible reasons for the attack on EUSP, you can see an attempted raider takeover. In the course of mass checks, the EU quickly corrected all these shortcomings. A few remarks, not eliminated those that were not filmed on time (three) were also corrected. In these conditions, a harsh revocation of the license casts doubt on the entire system of rehabilitation of universities and, most importantly, sharply lowers Russia's competitive advantages in the world of education. "

The author of the popular telegram channel "Nezygar" linked the revocation of the license from the European University to the precarious position of another member of its Board of Trustees - the former Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, and now the head of the Committee for Civil Initiatives Alexei Kudrin. “This is the whole resource of Kudrin. The institute has not preserved - which one is the prime minister,” he wrote.

In March 2017, the well-known economist and former vice-rector of the Higher School of Economics Konstantin Sonin published an article in his live journal "An argument in defense of the EU - Putin's reputation." In it, Sonin said: “I understand that the European University is not being closed by Putin’s order, but — even if we distract ourselves from conspiracy theories (and in a situation with such a building it’s difficult) —because of the general difficulties of the existence of a small non-state university in Russia. (Yes, one of the reasons for the problems in a nutshell is size! A small real university cannot contain a department dealing with the implementation of bureaucratic requirements of the required size.) And nevertheless, the president is responsible for everything and to the president, who for many years has been trying to improve the situation in Russian science and education, it makes sense to ask him to stop the process of closing the European University, "concluded Sonin.

The European University at St. Petersburg was founded in 1994; it was originally located on Gagarinskaya Street in the former mansion of Count A.G. Kushelev-Bezborodko, who was a senator under Nicholas I. The building is also known as the Small Marble Palace or the palace of Catherine Dolgorukova, the morganatic wife of Alexander II. There are four faculties here. The building also houses the administration, the library, the university's computer center and the university publishing house.

On September 23, speaking at the headquarters of Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg, professor of the European University Dmitry Travin evicted the university with the fact that the university is located next to the palace mentioned in the Anti-Corruption Fund's investigation film "He's not Dimon for you." According to Travin, in recent years, this palace has been reconstructed by people close to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and elite apartments have been created in this palace. As the professor of EUSP said: “Maybe this is the best residential complex in St. Petersburg, to the extent that there is a private car to the second floor so that it does not stand on the street. This palace is located on the corner of Gagarinskaya street and the Neva embankment, there is Gagarinskaya building 1, and the European University - Gagarinskaya building 3. We are side by side with this palace. And this makes me think about why they urgently decided to take the building away from us and give it for some other purpose .. . "