Kazan Agriculture and Forestry Institute was established on May 22nd, 1922 as a result of the integration of the Agricultural School of Polytechnic Institute and the Forestry School of the Kazan University. Over the years the Institute structure has been changed more than once. Various schools existed in different periods, such as zoo-technical, fruit-vegetable and agrosilviculture. In 1995 Kazan Agricultural University was awarded the Academy status as one of the major educational and scientific centers, training experts in the sphere of agriculture. Further stable and dynamic development of the Academy, the accumulated scientific potential and staff providing for highly-qualified experts in agriculture training in a wide range of specialties, the developed technical and scientific basis – all this lead to the resolution passed by the Accreditation Board of the Federal Service of Education and Science Supervision of the Russian Federation Ministry of Education and Science dated July 6th, 2006 (the Decree of June 27th). A new name – Kazan State Agrarian University was given in compliance with the decree (the decree No 238 dated August 16th, 2006) of the Russian Federation Ministry of Agriculture, the institute establishing body.
At present Kazan State Agrarian University is a major scientific and educational centre. The University includes the Institute of Economy and 4 schools – Agronomic School, Forestry and Ecology School, Agriculture Mechanization School and Technical Service School. The University trains specialists of 16 specialties; training in 3 more professions is now being licensed. The total number of students as of September 1st, 2006 comprised 5567 (3393 full-time students and 2174 students by correspondence). The University has its branch in the city of Nurlat and representative offices on the basis of agricultural vocational schools and lyceums in the cities of Bavly, Bugulma, Buinsk, Menzelinsk.
Over the last five years the number of specialists graduating annually has increased from 637 to 858, and over 26 thousand of experts in the sphere of agriculture (agronomists, mechanical engineers, economists, accountants, forestry engineers) have been trained during 84 years of its existence.
The effective career-guidance activities and strict selection of the University entrants’ annually provide for a high level of competition among them. The number of students admitted for targeted education has significantly increased over the last five years. In the year of 2006 they comprised 70% of the total number of students admitted for training paid from the budget, and the level of competition — 4.5 students per one place.
With every stage of our country development the role of highly-qualified staff and science, including the agro-industrial sector, is becoming more and more important and decisive. It is impossible for the economy to achieve success without scientific potential and staff of our Republic in conditions of strict competence at the world and home markets, including the market of food supplies.
Kazan State Agrarian University with its rich scientific potential, all necessary material and technical basis is intended to provide the agroindustrial complex and forestry of the Republic and the middle Volga Region with highly-qualified experts, research and educational staff, as well as scientific research of the world standards.
The best specialists in the region lecture at 36 departments of Kazan State Agrarian University, including 11 Academicians and Corresponding Members (6 of them are Academicians of state academies, and 5 are academicians of public academies), 60 Ph.D. (51 out of them are Professors), 174 Ph.D. (162 among them are Associate Professors). Over 60 professors have been awarded with the honorary titles of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan, 4 of them are Honored Workers of Science of the Russian Federation and 11 are the Republic of Tatarstan Honored Workers of Science.
The scientific research work at Kazan State Agrarian University covers 18 priority scientific trends including economics and agroindustrial complex management, accounting, agriculture and plant cultivation, cattle breeding, agriculture mechanization, technical service and electrification, nature management, forestry and ecology, social sciences and Humanities. 22 scientific schools function within the University, which have lately widened the fields of their research. The post-graduate students training is carried out along 22 specialties, 3 Thesis Boards are functioning at the University.
Every year the scientific and research developments of the University employees are submitted to the international, regional, republic and city exhibitions, and are awarded various prizes. Over the last five years 35 golden, silver and bronze medals of international and Russian contests have been received.
The new forms of scientific and technical cooperation with industrial and business structures of the agroindustrial complex are created through establishment of joint laboratories, business structures, experimental-industrial farms and joint departments. Our partners include Agrounion “Zolotoy Kolos”, State Unitary Enterprise Agrocomplex “Mayskiy”, OAO “Saba”, Pig Farm “Sosnovoborskiy”, Sabinskiy and Arskiy forestry, FGU “Plants Protection Station of the Tatarstan Republic”, FGU “Tatarskiy” Agrochemical Service Station, OAO Association “Kartofel Tatarstana”, “Agrosila-Tatenergo”, “OOO Biruli”, “Nur-1”, OAO “Elitniye semena Tatarstana”, NPO “Agroservice”, etc.
Kazan State Agrarian University pays special attention to development and implementation of highly-efficient resource-saving technologies of crops cultivation. The contracts on scientific cooperation have been concluded with the leading colleges and scientific establishments of the region. Research-and-production centers dealing with innovations in the agroindustrial complex– centers for implementation of saving technologies in the agroindustrial complex, information and consultation centers, advanced training and professional development centers of the agroindustrial complex experts, centers of aerospace research of agricultural and forest resources have been established at the University. It is actively and fruitfully cooperating with the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, Institute of Ecology and Nature Systems of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Russian Data-Processing Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Kazan State Agricultural University is taking an active part in international cooperation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan in the sphere of education and science. The University is developing cultural relationship with the purpose of achievement and maintenance of the international level of its educational programs, scientific research, organization and management. It leads to realization of the main objects of the Bologna process and promotes integration into the international science and education system. The international relations are developed through bilateral contracts and agreements, academic and student exchange programs with colleges, universities and organizations in Germany, USA, Great Britain and Denmark. At present the University has contracts on academic exchange programs with the Pittsburg University (Kansas, USA) and the Eberswald University (Germany). Every year the students of the University take part in APOLLO and LOGO programs.
The University campus (on the territory of Farm-2) possesses sports facilities with the total area of 2263.6 m2 for holding sports and health-improving events for the University students and employees. The sports facilities include a gym (for wrestling, weightlifting, aerobics), a shooting-gallery, a chess club, a skiing base, a stadium and open-air sports-grounds. The main building of the University is equipped with two gyms for weightlifting and sports aerobics. Apart from that, the University has a summer sports and health-improving camp in the Laishevo forest area for 50 places.
The University campus of Farm-2 has all the necessary facilities for the daily life of the University students and employees. The 5 dormitory buildings are intended for 1464 people and are equipped with 2 canteens, 6 buffets and 1 café. The students and employees can get first medical care in the medical center on the territory of the University campus of Farm-2 and in city policlinic No 9. The area of the University medical center comprises 140 m2 and is located in the dormitory No 6 as well as in city policlinic No 9.
Over the last five years Kazan State Agrarian University has invested great efforts and much funds in the development of its technical and material base. The capital assets volume has increased by 48 million rubles. The local area network and Internet connection have been established. The total number of computers has reached 350.
The funds spent for repair works and reconstruction of buildings and constructions over the last 5 years comprised 111 million rubles. The canteen for 140 people and the dormitory for 60 students of Qualification upgrading department and 50 full-time students have been brought into operation after the reconstruction and major repairs of the Agronomic School building.
Further development of the agroindustrial complex within the frames of the national project realization requires improvement of approaches to staff training, innovation and scientific support of the farming industry development. All this requires efforts integration of the scientific-pedagogical resources, technical and material base of the higher educational establishments of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Russian Federation, scientific establishments, major industrial agro-complexes, agro-business structures by establishment of “Corporate Agrarian University of the Republic of Tatarstan” Association. The main goal of the Association shall be the production of competitive agricultural products on the basis of innovation approaches to the agroindustrial staff training and intended for the population life quality improvement.
The history and reputation of the oldest agrarian university, its teaching staff, well-equipped buildings, innovation technologies and scientific achievements – all this serves the basis for further development of Kazan State Agrarian University.
Шаймиев М.Ш.
