MINSK, 16 February (BelTA) – Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova met with the administration of Belarusian State University (BSU) on 15 February, BelTA has learned.
“I have already met with BSU students many times. When university employees approached me with a proposal to have a meeting, I decided, first and foremost, to talk to the administration of the country's leading university - with deans, vice-rectors, and the rector. I am an authorized representative for Minsk, which means that everything that happens in the city, from the economy to social and political developments, has to do with my work,” Natalya Kochanova said.
BSU Rector Andrei Korol noted that such meetings offer an opportunity to have a high-profile discussion of pending issues. “The university is investing tremendous effort in building a meaningful dialogue between all members of the university community. Today, any student or an employee can approach a dean, a vice-rector or the rector and discuss issues of concern. We strive to maintain a continuous dialogue and barrier-free communication. At the same time, the current social and political situation in the country and the world necessitates a more candid communication between all representatives of the university community. We are aware of the bottlenecks and we are ready to address them,” Andrei Korol said.
The rector recalled that 2021 is a special year for the university, as it marks its centenary anniversary. Preparations for the anniversary celebrations began several years ago. The university is set to hold 100 events that will not go unnoticed by the public. These events include publication of books and infrastructure improvement, among other things. “The organizing committee meets once a month to discuss all matters. This allows keeping our finger on the pulse and addressing some delays,” he said.
BSU will celebrate its 100th anniversary in October 2021. This is a milestone event for Belarus and the national education system. BSU is the country's oldest and biggest university, a flagship higher learning institution, its scientific and cultural hub. Today BSU incorporates 17 faculties, 4 institutes, 7 educational institutions, 6 research facilities, 41 laboratories, 4 innovative enterprises, 5 educational and production clusters, 177 departments, 3 educational and experimental stations, and 4 museums. The BSU Fundamental Library boasts about 2 million copies of Belarusian and foreign literature.
BSU employs about 8,000 people, including 3,200 teachers, of whom 6 are academicians, 10 are corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, more than 300 are doctors of sciences and professors, over 1,300 are candidates of sciences. The university trains more than 30,000 students, post-graduate students and doctoral students, including 4,074 foreign citizens from 62 countries.
Since the university was established, it has trained about 185,000 students, 4,700 candidates of sciences and 700 doctors of sciences, over 15,000 foreign nationals. Among its graduates are famous scientists, academicians, professors, laureates of state prizes of the USSR, BSSR and Belarus, top managers of large companies, people's poets, honored workers, and Olympic medalists.
Today, Belarus' leading university is featured in rankings of 12 international agencies, including the Big Three (QS, THE, and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities).
