On December 1, a cooperation agreement was signed between Saratov University and the Saratov City Duma. The event was held at the Duma site, in the Museum of Parliamentarism. Chair of the Saratov Duma Sergei Ovsyannikov and Rector of Saratov University Aleksei Chumachenko signed a document outlining the basic principles of business partnership and promising areas of cooperation between the representative authority and the university. The ceremony was attended by Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Igor Malinskii, Associate Professor of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law Elena Berdnikova, Deputy Chair of the Saratov Duma, Chair of the Standing Committee on Local Self-Government, Social Issues, Justice, and Rights Protection Elena Zlobnova, and the chairs of the standing committees of the City Duma Vyacheslav Tarasov and Igor Fomin.
Welcoming the participants of the solemn ceremony, Sergei Ovsyannikov stressed that today the contribution to the future of our country, region and city – to the younger generation is important for the deputies of the City Duma. ‘By signing the cooperation agreement, we undertake a very important commitment – to engage in the practice of students studying in related specialties, to share their experience with them. After all, they are our future successors, managers who in the future will come to work in municipal authorities for the benefit of our city and the country as a whole,’ the chairm of the City Duma added and thanked the rector and his colleagues for their desire to cooperate.
Rector of Saratov University Aleksei Chumachenko noted that cooperation with the City Duma, including in the framework of work with the younger generation, will be fruitful. ‘I am sure the Duma will take advantage of the university's opportunities in terms of training specialists in the field of jurisprudence. We, in turn, need the support of the city so that our activities, the achievements of our scientists become more visible, so that our graduates stay here and are in demand. Our students should have an understanding that they are needed by their city, in which they were born, that they will be in demand here and will be able to apply their knowledge to the benefit of our region and the city. This is an extremely important moment.’
The interaction of the structures will contribute to the improvement of the qualification and quality of personnel training, the introduction of advanced technologies and scientific developments into the workflow. Within the framework of the agreement, the university will organize master classes and meetings of students with city people's deputies, conduct a preliminary examination of draft legal acts of the City Duma.