A scattering of awards, honored guests and orchestra – BrSU celebrated its 80th anniversary

Just as a person comes into this world with a purpose, so institutions have specific goals when they are built. To eliminate illiteracy, train teachers and raise the level of education in the region – these were the tasks of the Teachers' Institute in Brest in 1945. In 2025, BrSU celebrated its 80th birthday. Over these eight decades, the goals of the flagship of higher education in the Brest region have not changed – they have only received deeper content.

Brest State A.S. Pushkin University was established in 1945 almost immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War. Initially, people of different ages studied together. With the growing demand for education, the teaching staff was replenished with new staff, and the number of faculties and departments increased. Scientific and research activities were actively developing. Crucial moments in the history of the educational institution were the naming of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and the acquisition of university status. Today, the university provides multidisciplinary staff training, international cooperation is developing, and new laboratories and centers are being opened. Students have the opportunity not only to study, but also to unleash their potential – by succeeding in science, creativity and sports, students enhance the image of BrSU.

Today, Brest State A.S. Pushkin University is a multidisciplinary center for education and science, which is trained at eight faculties. The university celebrates its 80th anniversary with new guidelines and an understanding of the direction in which to move forward. "We have approached the 80th anniversary with serious successes. Over the years, we have about 80,000 graduates. 5,000 students study, 300 teachers work," Rector Yury Petrovich Holubeu summed up the results. – We are proud to fulfill our duties with dignity – we provide personnel to the Brest region. One of the recent achievements is entry into the Moscow International university ranking "Three University Missions", which formalizes the achievements of students and scientists."

On such a significant day for us, the support of the Ministry of Education is very important to us. It highly appreciates the contribution of BrSU to the educational sector of the country. First Deputy Minister Alexander Gennadievich Bakhanovich read out a congratulatory address from the Head of State and wished our university to continue to be the flagship of education in Brest region, to train the best specialists, to educate patriots. The President's congratulatory address says that the university has made a significant contribution to the development of the national education system and today is successfully working for the benefit of its native Belarus, graduates highly qualified specialists and educates true patriots. "80 years is a significant date for the university. Over the years, he has trained tens of thousands of top-notch specialists. Despite the fact that the university is multidisciplinary, the main thing is still the training of subject teachers," said Alexander Gennadievich. – In the future, the creation of a competence center in the natural sciences on the basis of the university."

BrSU is closely integrated into the life of the city and the region, participates in various projects and takes initiatives. Students and teachers are included in the promising personnel reserve of the Brest region. Viktor Anatolyevich Rafalovich, Deputy Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, joined the celebration. He read out a congratulatory address from the Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and on behalf of the head of the region and the Regional Council of Deputies noted that BrSU graduates are highly qualified, responsible, convinced, patriotic specialists. Andrey Andreevich Filanovich, Chairman of the Brest City Council of Deputies, also said warm words to veterans of labor, today's teachers and students, who stressed that 80 years is a story of great work by those who stood at the origins and those who are working now.

Graduates of BrSU have become successful people. They work in the educational sector, in government, law enforcement agencies, in the field of information and communication, and are active athletes. All of them are busy people who value their time, but they couldn't miss the university holiday, which gave them a start in life. We are pleased that Olga Vasilyevna Stepus confidently moved up the career ladder. From the position of a teacher, she rose to the director of the Palace of Water Sports, and later became a member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly. "I am proud to be a graduate of Brest State A.S. Pushkin University, and that I once consciously chose the Faculty of Physical Education. The profession has become a matter of life," she said. Olga Vasilyevna read out a congratulatory address from the Chairman of the House of Representatives.

BrSU has developed a fruitful partnership and friendly relations with the trade union organization. The employer supports the initiatives of the trade union committee aimed at team building, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and supporting people in difficult situations. Union membership coverage is almost 100 percent. "80 years is a short time for a country, but for a university it is a search, formation and development," said Tatyana Romanovna Yakubovich, Chairman of the Belarusian Professional Union of Education and Science Workers. – It is difficult to teach future teachers. It is necessary for each student to give a piece of his soul, so that later they give a piece of their soul to their students."

BrSU is trying to involve students in scientific activities. To do this, students are told, including in a creative way, how exciting scientific activity really is. While young people are taking their first steps in this field, the teaching staff already has significant results and high achievements, continues to develop the topics being developed and look for new ones. Therefore, Vadim Leonidovich Lakiza, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, could not but congratulate BrSU on its 80th anniversary. "The sovereign Belarus begins with a small homeland, the education system and the Academy of Sciences begin with the university. The history of our country begins with the work that your graduates have put their hearts into," he believes.

Brest State A.S. Pushkin University maintains partnership and friendly relations with other educational institutions. The jubilee university received congratulations from many educational institutions, including Russian ones, wishing it further prosperity, preservation of traditions and new successes. "The University is actively developing scientific contacts with Russian universities. Renowned teachers from Russian universities visit you and share their experiences. Time dictates new tasks. They will probably be even more difficult. The management, faculty and students will do everything to ensure that the university occupies a worthy place in the ratings not only of Russian universities, but also of the whole world," Oleg Yuryevich Murashev, Consul General of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Brest, expressed confidence.

The mood was set by creative numbers. BrSU teams and invited artists, including graduates of the jubilee University, delighted with their performances. The atmosphere was picked up by the chamber orchestra of the Brest Regional Philharmonic.

The moments of the jubilee days fill our hearts with warmth and pride, inspire us to new achievements. The history of Brest State A.S. Pushkin University continues. The university is focused on sustainable development, openness to the world and society, and improving the quality of education. We are confident that the clock in the rector's office, which is the same age as the university, will count down the happy moments of the leading institution of higher education in the first region for many decades to come.

Julia Vovk
Photo by Natalia Petrova and Viktoria Shvedovskaya