A major campaign is currently underway to shut down low-performing educational institutions in Russia. The campaign’s own success, however, has been somewhat compromised as a result of its attempt to revoke the university's license.
EUSP is seen as one of the most successful measures taken to protect Russia from “brain drain”, especially when it comes to the humanities, which will in turn shape the course of the 21st century. Professors at EUSP include top specialists who hold both Russian and Western academic degrees. A significant number of them are world-renowned academic figures. Additionally, EUSP is closely tied to other scientific institutions: its Art History Department is centered around classes held in the Hermitage collections with museum employees. EUSP works in accordance with official programs, is accredited by the government, and uses all of the most recent international teaching methods for the humanities. EUSP also possesses high ratings in its market segment. This sometimes irritates people.
The excellence in teaching at EUSP attracts a large number of foreign students, which today is considered to be one of the main official criteria for high performance. EUSP graduates are in great demand in business and civil service; this has been proven by the active financial support which the university has received. The EUSP Endowment Fund is one of the most prominent such funds in Russia. This sometimes irritates people.
EUSP professors participate in developing government programs and in planning reforms, specifically for the legal system and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Analytic articles which come from the university are often published by the press, particularly by the newspaper Vedomosti. This, too, is a source of irritation.
Founded in lean years of economic collapse, EUSP originally received foreign funding. As the national education system expanded, the university’s management and financial structures were adjusted accordingly. The university currently receives no money whatsoever from foreign sources, is run by Russian founders, and is financed with the help of the EUSP Endownment Fund. This is sometimes irritating to people.
EUSP succeeded in raising money to restore the building where it is located. The project was the work of Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the architect of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual-Cultural Center in Paris. This greatly irritates people as well. When considering the possible reasons for the attack on EUSP, we might also consider it a kind of hostile takeover.
Throughout the course of these large-scale inspections, EUSP quickly rectified all of the identified issues. Several (3) criticisms which were not eliminated and were not rescinded in time have also been addressed.
In light of all of this, such an imprudent revocation of EUSP’s license casts doubt on the entire system for restructuring educational institutions and, more importantly, steeply lowers Russia’s competitive advantages in the world of education.
Mikhail Piotrovsky
General Director of the State Hermitage Museum
Member of the President’s Board on Science and Education
Member of the President’s Board on Culture and Art
Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Chairman of the EUSP Board of Trustees