Agrarian University of St. Petersburg: History and Modernity

Russia has been an agrarian country for millennia. And today, despite the presence of a developed industry, the agricultural sector continues to play an important role in the economy of our country. That is why one should not underestimate the importance of training qualified personnel for this industry. One of the higher educational institutions, which has been carrying out this difficult mission for decades, is the Agrarian University (St. Petersburg).

Addresses and contacts

Today SPbGAU is located at: Pushkin, Petersburg Highway, house 2. In addition, in the city of Polessk, at ul. Sovetskaya, 10, the Kaliningrad branch is located. As for the organization of residence of out-of-town students, the Agrarian University of St. Petersburg has its own campus with a cultural and sports center, also located in the city of Pushkin.

The first agrarian courses in St. Petersburg

It is known that the first Russian Imperial Decree on the establishment of a special school, where "theoretical and practical instructions on agriculture" were to be taught, dates back to 1797.

However, the first agrarian courses in St. Petersburg were founded only in 1904. And these were the Higher Women's Courses for graduates of gymnasiums, organized by Professor IA Stebut. The first set of Stebutov's courses consisted of 80 students, who were taught by four dozen professors. In just two years it became obvious that the country needed more agronomists, as a result of which one more, the so-called Kamennoostrovsky courses for men and women were founded, where not only agronomists, but also zootechnicians, land surveyors and representatives of other specialties were trained.

Agrarian University (St. Petersburg): history

In 1918, the Soviet state reorganized all existing agronomical courses in St. Petersburg into agricultural institutes.

Thus, several agrarian universities began to operate in Petrograd. Talking about the history of agricultural education in Leningrad (in St. Petersburg) it is impossible to remain silent about one of its heroic pages. The fact is that although after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, students and teaching staff were evacuated from the Leningrad region, those who remained found the strength to organize a vegetable farming in the conditions of blockade and to master thousands of hectares of virgin soil. The work of these heroes can be equated with feats on the battlefield, as the products they have grown have saved thousands of lives. In the following years (until 1954), the agricultural institutes of Leningrad were repeatedly reorganized, until in 1954 a single university - the Leningrad Agricultural Institute located in the city of Pushkin - was finally formed. In 1991, the university was renamed the State Agrarian University of St. Petersburg. During the period 1990-2000, the management and staff of the university carried out a huge work on the modernization of the SPbSUU. In particular, new faculties were created, professors from other educational institutions of the country were invited, and new teaching methods were introduced, taking into account the world experience of higher education organization.

St. Petersburg Agrarian University: faculties

Today in St. Petersburg State University of Education is conducted educational activities in 36 different specialties, there are 13 faculties. Among them there are faculties of soil science and agroecology, management, legal, agronomical, natural and cultural heritage, economic, land management, plant protection and quarantine, zoological engineering, etc. In addition, since 1933 the university has been operating the university department of foreign languages, which teaches French, English, German and Russian (for foreigners) languages. St. Petersburg State Agrarian University also provides training in 38 programs in postgraduate and doctoral studies. Candidate and doctoral dissertations are regularly defended.

Famous professors and graduates

The Agrarian University of St. Petersburg is proud of its famous graduates, who for 100 years of the existence of this educational institution have made a great contribution to the development of agriculture and economy of our country, as well as professors. In particular, in different years here studied and taught the great geneticist NI Vavilov, Professor VA Bryzgalov, Governor of the Leningrad region A. Yu. Drozdenko, famous statesman VA Zubkov and others.

Jubilee of St. Petersburg State University

In 2014, the Agrarian University of St. Petersburg will celebrate its 110th anniversary. In order to mark this event worthily, the leadership of the university together with the students and the teaching staff developed a plan for the celebrations. So, in October 2014 it is planned to hold a Congress of graduates, to which former students, undergraduates and graduate students of SPbGAU are invited.

In addition, a video film about the history of the university is being filmed and a jubilee collection of scientific works is being prepared for publication. And, finally, a big celebratory concert is planned, in which the students and teachers will take an active part. Thus, the St. Petersburg Agrarian University, which is the oldest agricultural university in Russia, today continues the traditions laid down by Professor IA Stebut, and looks with hope in tomorrow.