Kalmyk State University was founded in 1970.
The Founder of the University is the Russian Federation. In accordance with the paragraph 1.5. of the Charter of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “Kalmyk State University”, functions and powers of the Founder of the University are implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (hereinafter — the Founder). Founder’s address: Russia, 125993, Moscow, Tverskaya str., 11, GSP-3.
The first state University in the Republic was founded on the basis of the Kalmyk Pedagogical Institute on January 1, 1970. This event marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of higher education in Kalmykia. Initially, there were only three faculties (Biology, Philology, Physics and Mathematics) and nine departments. Today, the University has 10 faculties including the Institute of Kalmyk Philology and Oriental studies.
Being a major traditional educational institution in the Republic it is preparing students in 24 specialties, in 35 areas of bachelor area training, 13 areas of masters’ training, 14 specialties of secondary vocational education and a number of additional educational programmes.
The teaching staff of the university is highly qualified. Over 80% of teachers have candidates or doctoral degrees. About 8 thousand students are studying in the university at the moment.
For the contribution to fostering a harmoniously developed young people, general cultural and peacemaking activities, preparing specialists for the Republic, the titles of Honorary Professors of Kalmyk State University were awarded to the Dalai Lama ХIV, the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia Alexy II, the President K. Ilyumzhinov, the Chairman of the North Caucasus Scientific Center of Higher School Yu. Zhdanov, the national poet D. Kugultinov, the sculptor E. Neizvestny, the Deputy of the State Duma of Russia G. Kulik.
The University is constantly working on expanding the range of specialties and specializations. Since the priority attention is paid to the training of highly qualified specialists for both University departments and the Republic, the University offers the expanded list of specialties of graduate school. Young scientists who have defended their Candidate’s dissertations successfully work within the Republic’s system of science and education.
Over the past 10 years the scientific activity as well as the authority of the university scientists has increased significantly. It is shown not only by their participation in federal, sectoral and regional programs but also by the successful implementation of science grants funded by the Ministry of Education of Russia, the Academy of Sciences, and extra-budgetary funds.
The University deeply cooperates with the universities of Buryatia and Mongolia republics whose postgraduate students are defended in the Dissertation Council K.212.305.01 – Languages of foreign countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and aborigines of America and Australia (Mongolian languages) to attain the Candidate of Sciences degree.
In the period 2005 – 2010, about 40 scientific forums of both all-Russian and international levels as well as public hearings of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on education issues were held at the University. Among the issues discussed during the forums were those devoted to the ecology of the Caspian Sea region, philology and history of Mongolian – speaking peoples, Buddhist culture, the repressed peoples, ethnopedagogy and ethnopsychology. In 2009, the University hosted the 13th regular Assembly of State Universities of Caspian Region Countries.
Scientific schools functioning at the University and areas of their study dedicated to the issues of higher and secondary education, history and culture of the region, Mongolian and Oriental studies, ecology, rational nature management, cattle breeding and irrigated cropping are gaining recognition within the scientific community. Kalmyk State University has a developed scientific and innovative infrastructure.
The Agreement between the government of the Republic of Kalmykia and the management of the Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation has very much contributed to the humanitarian research development. It enables the university researchers not only to fund up to 20-22 projects on philology, history and economics annually but also to hold international scientific conferences and expeditions as well.
The University has close scientific links with the leading universities of the Southern Federal District (Southern Federal University, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Kuban State Universities), universities of national republics (Kabardino-Balkarian State University, Dagestan State University, Mordovian State University), structural divisions of the Russian Academy of Sciences (southern research center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory).
Such cooperation has a positive impact of fundamental science on the formation and development of scientific and educational activities, as well as on the achievement of real results in the training of specialists and highly qualified personnel.
In 2006-2009, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the voluntary entry of the Kalmyk people into the Russian Federation, the University developed and implemented an action plan consisting of holding a number of humanitarian conferences, undertaking complex international scientific expeditions, preparing and publishing popular science works and films, improving the physical facilities for scientific research, developing and implementing the state policy programme to regulate the language situation in Kalmykia, creating and strengthening the innovative national and regional continuous professional education system.
Today the international life of the University is focused on building new synergies through cooperation. Thus, Kalmyk State University actively cooperates with many foreign universities such as Atyrau State University named after Kh. Dosmukhamedov, Aktau State University named after Sh. Yessenov, Inner Mongolia University (PRC), the Foundation for the Development of Education and Culture of Xinjiang Oirats (Mongols) (Urumqi, China), Gurvan Erdene Pedagogical University (Mongolia), the Consortium “Moscow Universities in Mongolia” at the Educational Centre of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (technical University) in Mongolia, Mongolian State University, Mongolian State Pedagogical University, Institute of Archaeology of the Ruhr University (Bochum, Germany), the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, with the university of Finland (Pohjois-Savo Polytechnic) Savonia University of Applied Sciences, UK Newman University (Birmingham) as well as with universities of Spain (Málaga) and the United States.
The University has established and is maintaining contacts with Catalan UNESCO Center (Spain), the International Advisory Committee of Linguapax Institute. The teaching staff of the Department of Germanic Philology initiated the creation of a branch of Linguapax Institute (UNESCO CAT) “Linguapax-Kalmykia”, whose goal is to preserve the world’s cultural and linguistic diversity through multilingual and multicultural education. Thus, Linguapax Eurasia Delegation is represented by Kalmyk State University.
Kalmyk State University is also one of the co-organizers and active members of the International Association of State Universities of Caspian Sea Region Countries (ASUCSRC), which unites over 50 universities and research institutes of Russia, neighboring and foreign countries.
Due to the long standing system of getting students involved in research work, there is a closer integration of education process and science supported by hosting annual student science days, student scientific conferences, student paper competitions with the opportunity of being published in conference proceedings of young scientists as well as being paid for undergraduate research mostly in some technical programs and innovative projects.
The high level of training and comprehensive development of our students is confirmed by the achievements of our graduates, who work decently at various enterprises and organizations of governmental agencies, tax and law enforcement bodies, agricultural and industrial spheres, educational institutions, building sector and media both within and outside the Republic.
Over 80% of managers and specialists of the national economy of the Republic graduated from Kalmyk State University. Among the graduates of our university there are deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and the Parliament of the Republic of Kalmykia, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Vice-rectors of universities, Heads of schools, organizations and enterprises.