Mission and Vision

Strategic vision of the University

Ural State Law University named after V.F. Yakovlev is one of the leading centers of legal education in the country. It demonstrates the qualities of a leader in Russian jurisprudence, enables the most effective participation in creating scientific and educational conditions for the development of the Russian state, modern models and tools for the legal protection of the interests of society and the individual. It provides training of highly qualified personnel for all types and spheres of legal activity.

Mission of the University

The mission of the University is to implement the following activities:

·       Training of competitive specialists in the field of jurisprudence with a wide range of competencies demanded by the labor market, the ability for professional and social mobility in accordance with the interests of society, state, and individual.

·       Preserving the scientific traditions of the Ural school of law, promotion of the University as a recognized center for the development of national legal science, training of scientific personnel, conducting fundamental scientific research of the state and law, as well as implementation of applied developments for state bodies, state and non-governmental organizations.

·       Participation of the University as a center for entrepreneurial ecosystems in the implementation of the National Technology Initiative through commercialization of knowledge and technology, the formation of entrepreneurial ecosystems, technological and business competencies, entrepreneurial culture and promising technology markets.

Strategic aim of the University development

The strategic development aim until 2022 is to position the University as a modern multidisciplinary educational, scientific, expert, consultative complex in the field of jurisprudence and interdisciplinary practices. The University is one of the leading Russian universities and serves the prosperity of the state and society.

Strategic development objectives

·       Systematic improvement of the content, mechanisms, and quality of professional education results in accordance with the dynamically changing needs of the labor market.

·       Creation of an open information and educational environment, involving the effective implementation of innovative processes in educational, research and pedagogical activities in the legal education system.

·       Use of marketing management technologies and activities aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the University in society, ensuring the realization of social partnership mechanisms, and attracting new financial and economic resources through the development of entrepreneurial initiatives.

·       Management of the system of external and internal communications of the University, ensuring the development and improvement of human capacity in accordance with the modern state requirements for the results of the law University activities.

·       Creation of a stable financial system that forms the conditions for the stability of the university's resource provision and allows investing in the University development.

·       The choice and implementation of strategic objectives as development priorities will allow the University to become an active subject of the rule of law state and protect the interests of society.

Directions and mechanisms of the University development

1. Education and upbringing.

Goal is to ensure the quality of education, which determines the demand and competitiveness of specialists in the field of jurisprudence due to:

·       Organizational and content restructuring of the educational process in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard 3+ and professional standards.

·       Introduction of new educational programs and specializations that correspond to the USLU profile, taking into account changing public needs and demands.

·       Application of innovative informatization technologies of the educational process, including distance learning systems, involving the participation of student communities in effective communications and joint activities.

·       Integration of research and educational processes in an open innovative information and educational environment.

·       Advanced training of legal personnel in the SVE-HE-FVE and ensuring their meaningful continuity.

·       Improving the system of targeted preparation that guarantees a stable inflow of highly qualified legal specialists to various regions of the country, including the Ural, Siberia and the Far East.

·       Introduction of various ways of organizing international cooperation and network interaction in the system of continuing education, ensuring an increase of quantitative and qualitative indicators of international academic mobility of students and scientific and pedagogical specialists.

·       Application of modern educational trajectories that take into account individual needs and person's capabilities (including disabilities) and ensure students' academic mobility in professional and personal spheres of life.

·       Application of modern marketing mechanisms for attracting applicants and graduates’ employment, developing a system of distance vocational guidance in the Russian regions and the CIS countries.

·       Creation of a full-fledged electronic information and educational environment, including personal accounts of students and teachers.

·       Creation of a systematic organization of purposeful educational work in the student environment in the form of extracurricular work and the inclusion of certain disciplines in educational programs and special projects, aimed at forming the socio-personal competencies of the future lawyer.

·       Creation of an optimal socio-cultural environment and conditions for self-determination, self-realization and socialization of students, increasing civic activity, competitiveness, and readiness for socially significant activities of graduates.

·       Development of a multi-level system of student self-government, support of youth public organizations and associations, stimulation of initiatives in public activities.

·       Implementation of the system for the formation of a students’ active civic position in solving actual social problems of the region, participating in cultural development and preserving historical memory (volunteer movement, All-Russian historical quests, work of the School of Law, field legal consultations, sports club, various forms of cultural mass and circle work).

·       Improvement and development of the material and educational base of the University in order to create a new modern learning and education environment.

2. Science and innovation.

 Goal is to expand the range of fundamental and applied scientific research in the field of jurisprudence, commercialization of the results of scientific and innovative activities due to:

·       Improving the efficiency of scientific activities and the quality of research, stimulating the participation of USLU scientists in federal and regional research programs and projects, scientific support of the state bodies and business structures activities.

·       Increasing the publication activity of departments, faculty, and students; increasing the number of citations and publications in foreign languages.

·       Stimulating academic mobility of USLU research and pedagogical specialists (foreign research internships, lectures at universities of foreign countries, etc.).

·       Implementation of a comprehensive system for monitoring the research activities of divisions and financial incentives for the publication activity of the University's scientific and pedagogical specialists.

·       Implementation of mechanisms for increasing the amount of financing for research activities (grant work of departments and institutes, civil law agreements on research, attracting financing from foreign sources).

·       Assistance in improving legal practice, participation in solving current problems in the field of public administration and legal regulation through the development of cooperation with the legislative and law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation.

·       Introduction of effective ways to implement innovative research infrastructure (development of existing and creation of new scientific schools and directions; creation of a scientific and educational center for forensic enquiries; material and technical support of the laboratory of the Centre for Legal Expertise and Consulting, etc.).

·       Forming research teams capable of actively working in new interdisciplinary methodologies and modern forms of organization of research activities.

·       Strengthening scientific interaction with leading legal educational institutions of higher education in the country, coordination and organization of joint research, active participation in scientific events of Association of Lawyers of Russia.

·       Expansion of international scientific cooperation, development of partnerships with leading foreign universities in the field of scientific research, participation in research programs and projects of international organizations (SCO, BRICS, EEU).

·       Improving the mechanisms of internationalization of research activities (international research projects, competitions and programs, foreign speakers and debaters, foreign postgraduate students, etc.).

·       Implementation of the automated information system for scientific research management as a subsystem of the unified information and educational environment of the University.

·       Attracting young people to science, stimulating students' research work, expanding participation in international, national and regional scientific conferences and Olympiads.

·       Ensuring mechanisms for implementing USLU publishing policy.

·       Optimization of the dissertation councils activity at the University.

3. Management and resource provision.

 Goal: ensuring the competitiveness of the University through the use of strategic, financial, project and personnel management technologies, namely:

·       Improving the organizational structure, processes, and management style using modern technologies result-oriented planning, quality management systems, and budgeting.

·       Implementation of project management and risk management technologies in the University management system.

·       Actualization of normative legal and methodological base regulating the university management.

·       Improving the effectiveness of results-based management, developing a modern corporate culture, eliminating inefficient processes and outsourcing non-core functions.

·       Application of strategic management approaches within the framework of project-oriented personnel policies in solving personnel management issues (effective contract concept, personnel reserve policy, wage policy, employee motivation policy, reward policy, social policy, etc.).

·       Implementation of a quality control system for educational and scientific activities of the University; formation of an internal monitoring system for the performance of the University and its structural divisions.

·       Implementation of an internal electronic document control system.

·       Improvement of the financial management system by means of diversification of funding sources, using fundraising technology and creating an endowment fund

·       Improvement of the planning and budgeting system at the University based on the principles of financial management and result-oriented approach.

·       Formation of employees' professional competencies in the realization of corporate programs of further vocational education, including the use of e-learning technologies and internships in other organizations and abroad.

·       Realization of social projects integrated in the University's corporate values system within the framework of the corporate policy of labor relations management.

·       Development of a system for identifying talented youth and supporting them until hiring.

·       Realization of mechanisms for students' participation in University administration, development of academic freedoms, and student self-government.

·       Improvement of the "effective contract" mechanism used to determine incentive payments to research and pedagogical specialists.

·       Maintaining and developing a highly qualified personnel to improve the quality of education and ensure effective scientific activity.

·       Development of socio-cultural infrastructure aimed at the formation of value-semantic life orientations of students, attitudes to continuous personal growth, successful self-realization in society and profession.

·       Establishment of a Student Service Center (SSC) that provides high-quality and fast «one-stop-shop» services.

·       Ensuring the availability of information technology infrastructure, information systems and resources while complying with the necessary and sufficient level of security and confidentiality of information

·       Active development of the material base, creating conditions for the development of the educational environment, including the environment aimed at people with disabilities (the presence of specialized classrooms, halls and polygons, as well as the construction of a sports and recreation complex, dormitories, educational buildings).

4. Positioning of the University.

 Goal: positioning the University in international and national rankings as one of the leading legal universities in the country, including:

·       maintaining and strengthening the positive public reputation of the University;

·       broadcasting the mission and strategic aims of the University to the internal and external environment;

·       development of international cooperation with foreign partners in the field of science and education in order to ensure the mobility of students and teachers, implement joint scientific and educational projects, and identify prospects for using "network" forms of cooperation;

·       development of external relations, interaction with the Association of lawyers, University graduates;

·       strengthening the university's interaction with relevant authorities, enterprises and organizations on improving the educational process;

·       development and implementation of the University's positioning concept in the information space of the region and Russia as a whole;

·       implementation of an image promotion strategy on the Internet, the use of social media as the most promising communication channel with applicants and other target audiences of the University;

·       active use of Internet technologies to promote the image of the University in the information space (website, Internet portal, corporate newspapers on-line, electronic encyclopedia, single web portal);

·       development of programs for successful graduates' participation in University brand projects, providing image promotion of the University in the socio-cultural environment;

·       creating and replicating the University's brand book.

5. University as a center of entrepreneurial ecosystems.

 Goal: strategic development of the University as a center of entrepreneurial ecosystems in accordance with the University 3.0 concept, involving:

·       Commercialization of knowledge and technology, formation of entrepreneurial ecosystems, technological and business competencies, entrepreneurial culture, and promising technological markets.

·       Focusing the resources of development programs on the University in the "tree" concept: roots-education, maker networks/clubs/applicants, competencies, crown - industry cooperation, partnerships, entrepreneurial culture, Center - University as a trunk, providing a two-way dialogue of market and talent.

·       placing the University in the center of regional and sectoral ecosystems, focusing tools and resources of cluster and sectoral development on them.

·       expanding resources for transformation, attracting global visionaries, corporations, investors, and instilling skills for advanced development.

·        training of current teams, growing and attracting successful people, contacts with the world's best experience and expertise, partnership with leaders, collaboration with successful organizations, entering into leadership projects.