HSE Is Celebrating an ‘Anti-versary’. What Is This and How Will We Mark It?

This year HSE marks the 25^th anniversary of its founding. While this would usually be cause for pomp, ceremony, and long speeches, we prefer to save those for our 100^th anniversary, and instead to mark the occasion with wit – and declare it an ‘anti-versary.’

Instead of getting presents, we will give them to people, we will look at ourselves with a sense of humor, erect monuments (not to ourselves), run marathons, and of course remember our achievements.

Now, the details.

Open-air celebrations

Spring is thankfully (almost) here, and so some of our celebrations will be held outside. First, in late May, HSE people will run a marathon: we will run from the darkness of ignorance, breathtaking stupidity, and bad grades as fast as we can. Second, in May we will unveil a ‘monument to the unknown reviewer‘ erected with funds raised via the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.  

In Summer we will host a major festival ‘The Whole World at HSE’. And finally in November we will hold the ‘Great University Wassail’ in the restored HSE building on Pokrovka Bulvar. It is unlikely that the weather in November will lend itself to long spells outside, but the building has a large atrium – so the sky will at least be visible.

We remember

25 years may not be long enough to pen one’s memoirs, but it is long enough for there to be some good stories to tell. For example, researchers from the Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities have decided to ask HSE stalwarts about how areas of research and scientific schools were developing, since you can’t have a University without science. The results of this research will come to fruition in the project ‘Science at HSE: for School and for Life’.

The online initiative ‘A year in history’ gives us a chance to remember how the HSE grew year by year, in parallel with the events in this country and the world. There will also be a competition – for the best project that describes the cultural, economic, social and educational history of the country over the past 25 years, including the opportunity to win a grant to see this project through to completion.

And the initiative ‘My HSE History’ will see us gather together an entire archive of fond memories and nostalgia from graduates, staff, students, and passers-by. Incidentally, My HSE History is also a contest.

Will there be contests?

Yes, there will (though we don’t promise a master of ceremonies). For example,  what if you could nick your neighbor’s bike, adapt it to your requirements, and get a prize for that? Not literally, of course, we are simply suggesting taking a look at the world’s leading universities’ experiences in education and administration – and take on board their best ideas.

Doing science and a bit of fortune-telling

Today’s labor-market doesn’t boast great demand for shamans, doulas, and mammoth hunters, but once upon a time they were enviable career choices.

So which of today’s professions will still be needed in 50 years’ time? Academics will carry out research and identify 25 professional qualifications that you are safe to get at university – confident in the knowledge that they will not become outmoded. The results of this research will be published in the ‘Top-25 professional training disciplines available at the HSE’, of great use to both teachers and potential students.

Special ‘Anniversary Editions’ will also be held for traditional conferences – such as May’s Third International RLMS-HSE Conference (an initiative that also started 25 years ago). While the Perm Campus is hosting international academics for a fifth anniversary iCare international conference, following last year’s event that was held in the UK.

Openings

HSE occupies several buildings on Myasnitskaya and nearby streets. Many of the addresses in this area are historically linked to science and research, and we will make this information available to the public in the special ‘University Quarter’ project.

An HSE Quest offers a fun way of learning more about the Moscow campus. Vital knowledge, as otherwise you might be trying to get from the Psychologists to the Managers, but end up with the Philologists.

More information about these, and the many more Anniversary events planned this year, can be found on our Anniversary site.

OK, but what about presents?

We have an entire section about that, and we will be coming back to this throughout the year. No pomp, just joyful celebration and useful things – from embroidered cushions to a range of Telegram stickers. But be careful, if you start off by printing out crow stickers you may find you end the year doing a gigantic HSE logo in cross-stitch.