In 2010, Vitebsk State University will certify the university's quality management system according to the ISO 9001 standard

January 21, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. The Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov plans to certify its quality management system for compliance with ISO 9001 requirements in 2010. This was announced today to a BELTA correspondent by the university's rector, Alexander Solodkov, before a meeting which featured the first ceremony for awarding laureates of the honorary titles "Man of the Year of the University" and "Best Department of the University." As the rector noted, in 2010, declared the Year of Quality, the university intends to implement a set of measures aimed at improving the quality of the educational process, research activities, and the training of future specialists. The culmination of this work should be the certification of the quality management system developed and implemented at the university for compliance with ISO 9001 requirements, which will allow the university to increase its competitiveness in the educational services market. In 2009, nearly 1,000 young specialists graduated from the university's full-time programs. University staff prepared 1.8 thousand scientific works, including almost 270 textbooks and about 640 scientific articles, and received 4 patents and 8 positive decisions on invention applications. 38 scientific developments by university specialists were implemented, including 15 in various sectors of the national economy. The titles of "Professor" and "Associate Professor" were awarded to 7 staff members, 7 scientists defended their PhD theses, and almost 120 PhD and 50 doctoral dissertations are at various stages of completion. Three new specialties were opened in full-time programs, and a special course "Methods of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language" was organized for the first time for foreign students and master's students. Six educational, scientific, and production complexes, 3 educational, scientific, and consulting centers, and the scientific, information, and methodological center "Actual Problems of Social Assistance and Support for Citizens (Families) in Difficult Life Situations" were established on the basis of university departments. Two university projects received grants in a competition for projects under the international Tempus program. A cooperation agreement was signed with the Hohhot Professional Institute (PRC). Based on the results of 2009, for significant contributions to educational, methodological, scientific, and educational work, the title "Man of the Year of the University" was awarded to Vladimir Golubev, senior lecturer at the Department of General Physics and Astronomy, after whom an asteroid included in the international catalog of small planets under the number 216897 Golubev is named. The best humanities department was recognized as the Department of General and Russian Linguistics, and the best natural sciences department was the Department of Geography. In addition, two university staff members were awarded the Ministry of Education's badge "Excellent Student of Education," and another 40 specialists were commended with certificates from the ministry, the Higher Attestation Commission, the regional executive committee, the city executive committee, and the university.-0-