UNIVERSITY PEOPLE SUM UP THE PASSING YEAR. PART 1

During this year, The YSU Center for Continuity of Education worked in several directions, primarily developing a new procedure and program for training YSU professors from 2023-2026. The program envisages the training of lecturers on an optional basis, aimed at the development of professional, teaching, research, and communication abilities.

The center's professional training team specifically organized and implemented around 30 training courses for 250 civil servants of the RA Ministry of High-Tech Industry, State Supervision Service, Water Committee, Armavir, Ararat, Gegharkunik, Lori, Shirak, Syunik and Vayots Dzor marzpetarans (regional governorates).

"In October and November, within the framework of cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann German Foundation, we organized a series of lectures for students of YSU faculties of Law, Journalism, Economics, and International Relations, where the authors of the articles included in the two-volume collection "Independence and Liberal Reforms of the Republic of Armenia" published by the "Foundation for Freedom" presented their works and held discussions", says the director of the center Lusine Kharatyan.

The center initiated other important events as well, including the meeting organized jointly with "Pen America", "Pen Armenia" and the University of Pennsylvania, USA, with more than twenty poets, which was planned for students of the faculties of Russian Philology and European Languages and Communication of YSU.

In the passing year, Yerevan State University has achieved great success in the field of science. As Yeranuhi Manukyan, head of the YSU Scientific Policy Department, states that significant events were organized this year, which were held for the first time in terms of both volume coverage and content emphasis. Ye. Manukyan first spoke about the "All-Armenian Scientific Conference 2022", which the university organized in cooperation with the Science Committee of the RA ESCS Ministry.

"Thanks to the project, among other important achievements, great prospects for the cooperation of the scientific community were outlined, and scientists got to know each other's activities and scope of scientific interests," the head of the department elaborates.

Yerevan State University cooperates with the Science and Technology Foundation of Armenia ("FAST") in various directions.

"Particularly within the framework of cooperation in the direction of biotechnology, we organized workshops at YSU, which were attended by Professor Karapet Andranikyan, Director of the Center for Biosolutions of the Hamburg University of Technology. With the efforts of YSU scientists, in 2024 the 14th International Conference of Extremophiles will be held in Armenia, at Yerevan State University, which is a great achievement, especially from the point of view of internationalization," says Ye. Manukyan.

According to the head of the YSU Scientific Policy department, the order of allowances allocated for scientific activities in the 2021-2022 school year has been changed, and the main emphasis has been placed on scientific publications in international prestigious periodicals. All this is aimed at encouraging scientists, expanding the scope of scientific activities, and positioning Yerevan State University in the international scientific arena.

Continuing to talk about the university's successes in the scientific field, YSU Publishing Director Karen Grigoryan emphasizes that their work is aimed at the internationalization of the YSU periodicals.

Referring to the reforms of the passing year, K. Grigoryan notes, "In 2022, anti-plagiarism mechanisms were introduced. Today, all works and scientific articles published in a foreign language are checked through appropriate electronic resources, which excludes plagiarism or overlaps with other works, greatly increasing the quality of published works. During 2022, we have developed YSU book publishing policy, which will become a benchmark for the works in that field."

According to the director, many books and periodicals published by Yerevan State University are included in well-known international databases, which expands YSU's visibility and makes work and cooperation with university partners more effective.

The next university unit, YSU Financial Analysis Department provided partial compensation of tuition fees in the form of student benefits to 2800 students in 2022, as well as coordinated the full compensation of tuition fees in the form of student benefits (rotation), as a result of which 1495 students were provided with full compensation of tuition fees in the form of student benefits by the state.

"The Department of Financial Analysis of YSU has coordinated the process of refunding the income tax for the tuition fee compensation, by the Article 160.1 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia, regarding the salary of the students with the current education and payments equal to it". The department took an active part in the discussions on various topics organized by other departments of YSU, presented the financial impact on the reforms and decided changes," said Tigran Galstyan, the head of the department.

According to him, from January 1, the university planned a systemic 10% increase in the salaries and payments of all YSU employees, and the financial year closed with a cash surplus.

During 2022, the YSU Human Resources department made the appointments of professorial, assisting, administrative-economic and scientific staff, as well as organized the process of periodic medical examinations of YSU employees and editing of the YSU electronic management "Mulberry" system.

"This year, within the framework of the contractual (thematic) financing of scientific and scientific-technical activities, we have drawn up drafts of contracts for guaranteed scientific topics as a result of competitions "Support Program for Research of Young Researchers-2022" and "Support Program for Research of Postgraduate Students and Young Applicants-2022", emphasizes the head of the department Mary Zarbabyan.

Amalia Galstyan, head of the YSU's General Affairs department, summarizing their annual activities, emphasizes the reforms made in the field of clerical work.

"Using the already implemented "Mulberry" system, as well as the "e-request.ysu.am" online application submission platform for employee and student applications, document circulation to and from the university is faster and more efficient. We have a lot to do shortly. "The electronic version of the notification of individual legal acts and documents adopted by the employer should be put into use in the Mulberry system, informing the employee through the university e-mail," says A. Galstyan.

The heads of the administrative staff, summarizing their work, successes, and achievements during the year, congratulate the university students and all those who willingly contribute to the development of important areas for our country on the New Year and Christmas, wishing that the year 2023 would be a year of peace, fruitful activity, and academic success.

Ani Sukiasyan