South Ural State Medical University, Russia

South Ural State University (SUSU) in Chelyabinsk is one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. It is among the top-ten of the Russian universities according to the state rating of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and the largest in Russia in terms of the number of undergraduates.

There are over 50 thousand students and more than 5 thousand faculty members and staff at the University, including 270 professors and 1020 associate professors. Among them are four academicians and five Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, over 90 academicians of various public academies, and four members of foreign academies.

An information and library complex comprises over 2.5 million books and is supplied with an electronic catalogue, electronic resources hall and open hall of access to economic sciences.

The University possesses a supercomputer; linguistic centres with a digital audio equipment; a centre of preparatory training; open and distance learning institute. A special centre of the University deals with the gifted children within the framework of such international programmes as “The Odyssey of the Mind” and “A Step into the Future”.

SUSU has developed for many years as a large regional university. However, in view of the Bologna Process and the reform of the higher education system of Russia, the main aims of the University now include an active integration with European universities; the development and realization of joint academic, scientific and innovation programmes; the provision of teachers and students mobility; the introduction of an effective system of education quality control. The University represents a system of educational institutions that includes 35 faculties, 13 branches and three representative offices, 166 departments; two faculties for professional retraining and advanced education; 53 computer centres.

The research activity of the University combines fundamental, applied and humanitarian studies. They are coordinated by the department of research that, apart from scientific faculties and departments, includes a scientific research institute of numeral systems, a scientific research institute of industrial ecology chemical problems at the Russian Academy of Ecology, a scientific centre of the Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, State scientific institution “South Ural innovation center of new technologies”, an engineering centre of automation and control, and 10 departments and laboratories of corresponding institutes and academies. Young scientists are involved in various projects financed by the Chelyabinsk region administration with the framework of scholarship and grant programmes.

The Center for creative work and leisure that organizes the activity of SUSU in accordance with five main areas: amateur creative work, theatrical events, amateur groups, student philharmonic society, educational and methodological work, has been working since 1999.

It comprises more than 40 student groups of various types, including a jazz-brass band, two chorus groups, eight dance groups, four vocal ensembles, a theatre studio, a fashion theatre, four instrumental ensembles, and a club of art song.

The sports complex of SUSU includes one of the three largest swimming-pools in Russia (50 meter with 10 water-lanes); an indoor field-and-track hall with a 200-meter running track; specialized basketball, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, weight-lifting grounds; a hockey pitch and a skiing lodge, tennis courts and billiard halls.

The recreation and sports complex on the bank of Lake Bolshoy Sunukul consists of a student camp, a children’s recreation camp, and a recreation centre for teachers and staff.