730 Days of Rectorship: Konstantin Markelov Officially Became ASU Head Two Years Ago

On August 15, 2019, Konstantin Markelov was officially appointed Rector of Astrakhan State University by order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

In fact, he began to fulfill the duties of university head back in February 2018. From that very point, active development of the university began and continues now in all areas of activity.

In 2021, Astrakhan State University received a positive decision from the Accreditation Commission of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) for a period of six years. Now students and Ph.D. candidates do not need to worry that their diploma may not be accepted by the employer. The quality of educational services provided by ASU is confirmed at the federal level.

The number of those wishing to study at the university and master the Bachelor, Specialist, Master’s and PhD programmes, as well as to study at the ASU College, is growing every year. The university applicants are attracted by a wide range of educational programmes, the opportunity to undertake practical training at leading enterprises in the region and beyond, a large number of foreign languages ​​available for learning, and existing partnership programmes with foreign universities.

The high status of ASU in Russia’s educational space is also seen with the inclusion of the university in national rankings, including the one of SuperJob. It takes into account the terms of remuneration of young specialists working in the field of economy and finance, and Astrakhan State University consistently ranks high in the ranking.

Under the leadership of Konstantin Markelov, ASU continues to strengthen its positions as a leading university in the Caspian region. A striking proof of this was international scientific forum “Caspian Region 2021: Sustainable Development Trajectories”, which took place this May at Astrakhan State University. The large-scale event was attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Italy, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. The university acted as a platform for discussions on the most important issues of the development of Astrakhan Region as a geostrategic region and for the strengthening of partnership between the countries of the Greater Caspian region.

ASU traditionally remains one of the most popular universities for international students. Here, a comfortable educational environment has been created for them, wide opportunities for training and further career development are open. It is no coincidence that Quacquarelli Symonds international ranking agency has included our university among the strongest in Russia in terms of the share of foreign students. This year’s highest indicator for Astrakhan State University in the 12th National Ranking of Universities of Interfax international information group was also internationalization.

Representatives of different states successfully learn the Russian language at ASU; their level is so high that they can compete in reading poetry by heart and taking notes of scientific articles. They find new friends at university, take part in vibrant events, from ethno-cultural student open-airs and mini-football competitions to joint celebration of Nowruz.

Another significant event initiated by the ASU rector is unification of the universities of Astrakhan and scientific organizations of Astrakhan Region into an educational consortium. The head of Astrakhan State University was unanimously elected president of the newly created association. According to him, the consortium will become a structure that ensures scientific and technological development of the region.

A distinctive feature of Konstantin Markelov as a leader is his personal participation in the widest possible range of university events, involving both professors and students. His active position becomes an example for his colleagues and the youth.

For example, in early August 2021, the ASU team, headed by the rector, took part in Archipelago 2121 educational intensive in Nizhny Novgorod. The staff members and students were involved in the activities of several tracks, were trained by the country’s leading experts and presented their own projects.

In general, all activities of Konstantin Markelov as the rector of the largest university of the region are aimed at developing higher education in the region and creating a center for attracting scientific resources in Astrakhan Region.

Konstantin Markelov and the whole team of Astrakhan State University, headed by him, have many challenging and ambitious tasks ahead, from participation in the Priority 2030 programme to successful completion of the admissions campaign and optimal organization of the educational process, taking into account all the epidemiological requirements. We are sure that ASU will cope with it. There are all preconditions for this, and first of all — our competent, broad-minded and modern leader.

We wish Konstantin Markelov lots of thousands of productive days in the position of rector of Astrakhan State University.