Sergei Ogai, Rector of Nevelskoi MSU: “our graduates with navigational specializations are in great demand”

- Mr. Ogai, how many students and cadets study in MSU today? What are the plans for 2013 enrolment? What’s your opinion about the applicants’ qualification?

– As of today, some 8,000 cadets and students study in the Maritime State University named after admiral G.I.Nevelskoi including 5,500 persons of the higher professional education program (HPE), some 2,000 persons – secondary professional education program (SPE) and about 500 persons – elementary professional education program (EPE). The next academic year we plan to take some 2,000 of enrollees. It should be noted that the applicants’ qualification has improved several times over the last two years. Young people with sufficient knowledge of maths and physics come to the University.

- How do you attract young people? Is there any vocational guidance applied?

– “Applicant” center operating at the university is engaged in extensive vocational guidance of children in higher forms of Vladivostok and Primorsk Territory schools. Besides, personnel of the Maritime Academy, institutes and colleges are also involved in this work. On their vocation cadets hold meetings at their native towns to tell schoolchildren about the seafaring, distribute booklets and leaflets to familiarize them with the maritime specializations. We also maintain close relations with the young people of the cadet corps in Khabarovsk. The Maritime Academy teachers used to hold meetings with the cadets which later entered the University being excellently prepared for studying. Over a number of years young people from Surgut and Nefteyugansk sport-military schools Berkut and  Taifun have a navigation practice on our sailing boat Nadezhda. While on the training boat, sailor boys get to know the sea and manage to prove themselves to be disciplined and inquisitive, carry out deck works and stay on duty together with the cadets of the Maritime Academy. Upon completion of the voyage they are qualified as sailors. We are going to continue this work aimed at attraction of young people from different regions of Russia.

- What is the share of girls in the University? Do they choose navigational specializations?

– we provide a wide range of specializations for girls: psychology, sociology, maritime ecology, document management with Oriental languages etc.

All in all, some 21% of the students are girls. More and more girls choose traditionally “male” professions like navigator or radio engineer. One girl even entered the marine engineering faculty.

- Cadets with navigational specializations are provided with the accommodation, uniform and food. Is it the same for students with shore-related specializations?

– Both state-subsidized and commercially educated students are provided with paid dormitory accommodation when possible. They also eat on their own.

- Was you institution united with the secondary educational institutions for establishment of vertically integrated educational complex? If so, what is your opinion about the outcome?

– In 2000, our Maritime Academy hosted a joint panel meeting of the RF Ministries of Education and Transport. According to the decision, our institution was joined with the Vladivostok nautical school. Then, pursuant to the RF Government Decree on University Complexes we were united with a number other regional institutions as a vertically integrated educational complex Maritime State University named after admiral G.I.Nevelskoi. Thus, from 2000 the University formed an efficient system of continuous maritime education. The students got the possibility to upgrade their educational level with a unified approach in all our colleges.

- Do you plan introduction of new specializations?

– Sure. This year we are to obtain licenses for HPE programs in water transport management and hydrographic servicing of navigation (Bachelor's programme), sociology, social and cultural activities and technosphere safety (Master's programme). We are getting ready to be licenced for new specializations to be in demand at our branch institutions of Blagoveshchensk and Kholmsk.

- Is there a deficit of the higher-education teaching personnel? If so, what measures are needed to attract the personnel to the University?

– There is no deficit but the age of the personnel is nearing its limit at many department, especially at the Maritime Academy.

Attraction of younger personnel is a slow process as our state-funded educational institution fail to withstand the competition with the shipping companies introduce terms of salaries. To attract young teachers we have to considerably increase the salaries and to ensure the possibility of a career development and creative scientific work.

Another important aspects are providing of housing for young teachers and fitting of a laboratory and training base with an up-to-date equipment. These are the challenges we are currently trying to cope with to be staffed with highly qualified teaching personnel in the nearest future.

- Are there many graduates working in Russian shipping companies?

– Our graduates of navigational specializations are in great demand. The number of requests from shipping companies for senior commanders exceed the number of graduates by 20-30% last years. It should be noted that all those companies are in the Far East region. So we can say that 100% of the graduates are employed by Russian companies though a competition of the labor market begins to work later and the best specialists find attractive jobs, partially in foreign companies.

- Tell about scientific research, interesting scientific works developed in the University. Do the MSU representatives participate in legislative projects like those of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)?

– Special attention is paid the scientific work in the university. Our project “amphibious locomotive device” became a part of a federal special-purpose program (SPP) “Development of civil marine facilities till 2016” and there is an international application for it under the patent cooperation agreement. The work “Photon sensors and measuring systems for precision measuring of nanometric physical quantities of different nature” was provided with the state support as the leading scientific school. SPP “Support of scientific and teaching personnel of innovative Russia included the following projects “Providing of organizational and technical support to an international youth conference “Shipbuilding, shipping and Northern Sea Route development. Port development, ocean and shelf development”, “Development of national remote-controlled subsea complexes for water area examination and ensuring of safe navigation in the Arctic region with application of the latest laser technologies”, “Development of new technologies for Arctic ocean engineering”.

A scientific-research institute of marine transport was set up to improve the efficiency of scientific research. Small innovation enterprise “Maritime engineering technologies” set up within the University will be in charge of application of our scientific products like remote-control device МАX-300, alternative energy and amphibious cross-country vehicles for scientific research. The Professor Khlustin will be converted into a scientific-educational vessel by Sovcomflot OJSC, Sovfracht OJSC and Russian Geographical Society. The vessel will now be deployed for scientific expeditions in the Arctic and North Western part of the Pacific Ocean.

Last year a scientific expedition was fulfilled by the sail boat Nadezhda. Young scientists guided by their tutors held experiments on examination of the vessel hull and the seabottom by remote-controlled MAX-300 for the first time in Russia.

The University scientists participated in EXPO-2012 in Yousu (S. Korea) where the Nadezhda vessel was a floating ground for the presentation of the scientific products of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Maritime State University named after admiral G.I.Nevelskoi, Far East Federal University, Russian Geographical Society.

Our University takes part in lots of international events of maritime education in the Asia-Pacific region including legislation projects. In particular, IMO held a Diplomatic Conference to amend the STCW Convention and STCW Code in Manila (Philipines) in June 2010. The Nadezhda vessel with cadets onboard participated in the event. Being a member of the Russian delegation I took part in its work and signed the final act of the Conference as well as the Memorandum on creation of a world center for onboard training.

Interviewed by Margarita Babkova