South Ural State University

SUSU is one of the largest universities of Russia. It was founded in 1943. SUSU has 33 faculties, 13 branches and 8 regional campuses. There is a linguistic center where you can get a second higher education in the field of linguistics, a gifted child center whose purpose is to develop creativity in children, School of Physics and Mathematics for the schoolchildren keen on math and physics, the “Applicant” center that prepares school graduates to enter our university, and specialized preparation courses on different subjects.

The postgraduate education offers courses in 70 specializations.

Over 50,000 students are enrolled at the University full-time. The teaching staff includes 1900 teachers: 265 Doctors of Sciences, Professors; 857 Candidates of Sciences, Assistant Professors, over 90 members of foreign and Russian academies. Our lecturers successfully use new teaching methods.

In 2004 on the basis of SUSU the Open Institute was established. It opens its doors for all the people wishing to get a higher education regardless of their age and place of living. This is a new way to deliver education called Distance study that incorporates different kinds of modern technologies and methods of teaching.

The SUSU scientific library is the largest one in Chelyabinsk. It has more than 2,5million volumes, journals, periodicals, e-subscriptions. One of these years the library plans to organize the reading hall similar to that in Western universities. It will be a reading hall with open access. Open access means that the students do not need to stand in a line for hours to take a book they need, but they will be able to go around the reading hall with lots of bookshelves, choose the book they like, read it sitting at a comfortable study and put it back into special baskets after they finish reading. Moreover the SUSU scientific library successfully exploits modern technologies and introduces the new electronic system that will allow students to order and prolong books electronically using their home computers.

SUSU is a basic educational institution of Russian Ministry of Education on developing new teaching methods, and introduction of new study equipment. The novelties, introduced in teaching process are multimedia information complexes for lecture theaters, digital control language laboratories, study-laboratory complexes and code gram sets on various disciplines.

South Ural State University is noted for its students and the teaching staff, democratic in their composition and views. To a large extent it is exactly that fact that accounts for the popularity among the undergraduates, the teachers and the tutors of progressive scientific and social ideas. The University has trained 115,000 specialists, 2,100 Candidates of Sciences and 440 Doctors of Sciences. Many graduates are members of governing body of Russia and Chelyabinsk region, among them V. Khristenko, Prime Minister of Russia; A. Pochinok, Minister on Labour and Social politics; P. Sumin, Chelyabinsk region Governer; V. Tarasov, Chelyabinsk mayor and others.

About 6,500 students live in the University hostel. There is a student theater “Mannequin”, modern dance, ballroom dance, a jazz ensemble, 2 choirs, the University has a modern sports complex with a swimming pool. Since 1956 university newspaper “Technopolis” has been published. In 2002 a new teleradiocentre was opened.

Did you know thatSUSU is the highest building in Chelyabinsk?

Its height is 72 meters.

Task 2

Answer the questions to the text

1. How old is the university?

2. What special organizations does it have to help applicants to enter the University?

3. What facts prove that it is one of the largest universities in Russia?

4. What distinguishes the Open University from a traditional one?

5. What special services does the SUSU scientific library provide for the users?

6. What are the novelties introduced into teaching process?

7. Can you name some of the well-known SUSU graduates?

8. What social activities can students take part in?

Task 3

What facts do you know about the SUSU that were not mentioned in the text? Share them with the groupmates.

Task 4

Make the plan for the text

Task 5

If you were asked to give the three most striking facts about the university what facts would you choose?

Task 6

Find additional information about the following organizations and places of the university

1. School of Physics and Mathematics

2. Linguistic Center

3. “Applicant” center

4. Gifted Child Center

5. SUSU Scientific library

6. Open Institute

7. Mechanical and Technological Faculty

8. University Newspaper “Technopolis”

9. SUSU International Department

10. SUSU Teleradiocenter

Present the information you find to your groupmates using the following scheme:

1. Place (Where is it located in the university?)

2. Year of foundation (When was it founded?)

3. Purpose of creation (What for was it created?)

4. Activities (What services does it provide?)

5. Benefits (What benefits does it provide for those who participated (schoolchildren, students)?)

Speaking

Task 1

A delegation of students and teachers from Cambridge are on a visit to your university. You are asked to tell the guests about it. Present information on:

1. the name of your university;

2. the place it is situated;

3. the departments there are at your university (day-time, correspondence, distance, evening);

4. the time the complete course of study lasts;

5. the number of students who study at the university;

6. information resources

7. the equipment the university provided with;

8. the students life;

9. what you like and what you don’t like about your university.

Start your tour with the following phrase:

Dear guests, I would like to give you a tour about our university.

You may use the following algorithm: