26.02.2025
Acting RSUH Rector Andrei Loginov speaks about the opportunities presented by the "Social Architects Contest".
The newly announced "Social Architects Contest" stands out among the numerous competitions and tournaments that dominate our information agenda. Indeed, human history is filled with social initiatives. The more complex and acute societal challenges become, the more frequently responses emerge directly from individuals rather than being formed by governmental bodies, political structures, or institutions.In recent years, this response has taken various forms of social activity. The key point is that this activity is result-oriented and genuinely addresses people's needs and interests. In this case, bureaucratic formalism from government agencies and other institutions would be unacceptable. That is why the Contest has garnered such attention.
We have already received 7,500 applications, indicating that the Contest has accurately captured society's needs. I truly foresee a significant professional future in the field of social architecture.
The phrase "social architect" may sound somewhat exotic, reminiscent of terms like "social engineering" and "social engineers". However, I believe the term "social architect" has a deeper meaning, as any architect’s work is aimed at creating harmony. This activity combines artistic and aesthetic representations of the ideal while also being based on precise knowledge, science, materials, and their interactions. In short, architecture is a synthetic field of creativity. In this sense, it is well-suited to those who deal with the complex realm of the social environment.
In this competition, my colleagues and I immediately saw an essential perspective, a proper direction for training specialists. Social architects will serve as a link between the "living life" of society and the work of administrators who hold positions through electoral processes. Speaking from personal experience, most of my social projects have been connected with participation in the country's domestic political life. In the 1990s, during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, I headed the Department of Internal Policy, which was responsible for preparing agreements of reconciliation after the crisis of 1993.
In addition to this, when it comes to social projects, I would like to highlight my work related to libraries. A historian by training, I wrote my dissertation and academic papers using the resources of various libraries across the country. For me, a library has always been a window to the world, a point of growth and opportunity. In the 2000s, it was heartbreaking to see major national libraries, including the Russian State Library, in a critical state. Something had to be done.
Naturally, to implement this social project, I utilized my administrative resources. At the time, I was the State Representative in the Duma, and my ideas were supported by the Chairman of the Duma, Boris Gryzlov. When I approached him with the proposal to establish a committee to support Russian libraries (we initially considered calling it “Saving Russian Libraries”, but then settled on “Supporting”), he fully backed me.
Those had been good years, before the onset of the crisis. At the peak of our activities, the federal budget allocated up to half a billion rubles to subsidize book purchases for libraries across the country. Once state support became substantial at the level of regional libraries, a wave of new ideas emerged.
When we talk about social initiatives, we witness the awakening of something entirely new. We see the sprouts of ideas and aspirations that, of course, require support. In this regard, participation in the "Social Architects Contest" is an opportunity to embark on an exciting path. It allows participants to gain a deeper understanding of their work and their future prospects.
On January 16, 2025, Acting Rector Loginov took part in a roundtable discussion "Who Are Social Architects?" at the International Multimedia Press Center "Russia Today". He said that RSUH had three institutes that could contribute to the development of at least additional professional education programs for social architects.
