Academic Council Approved HSE Statement of Values

On December 6, the Academic Council of the Higher School of Economics approved the HSE Statement of Values, which represents the university’s mission and its most important principles of work and study. The Statement of Values project was studied and discussed beforehand by HSE academicians, lecturers, and students. The acceptance and publication of this document is no mere formality, especially since there are no legal provisions regulating university activity that require such a move on the part of the university’s administration.

‘It is standard practice for the world’s leading universities to create statements of values’, noted Yaroslav Kuzminov, HSE Rector, during the Academic Council meeting. ‘And, we decided to make this tradition a permanent part of our university’s culture. Our mission and values are the quintessence of the HSE’s development strategy.’

According to HSE staff members, the Statement of Values facilitates an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support, which provides the greatest opportunities for creativity and development, and ensures that the quality of the university’s scientific and educational activities is on an international level.  

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Statement of Values

Approved at the meeting of the Higher School of Economics Academic Councilon 
December 6, 2013

The Higher School of Economics is a research university that carries out its mission through academic, programming, peer review and sociocultural work based on international academic and organizational standards. We perceive ourselves as a part of the global academic community and believe that international partnership and engagement in global university cooperation are the key elements of our movement forward. As a Russian university, we work for the welfare of Russia and its citizens.

The basis of our work is theoretical and empirical research and the dissemination of knowledge.  Without compromising the quality of research and not being limited to teaching fundamental disciplines, we seek to make a practical contribution to the building of a new Russia.

Our university is a community of faculty, staff members, graduate and undergraduate students who are distinguished by their deep commitment to supporting high academic standards in their work. We seek to guarantee that each member of our community has the most favourable conditions to develop.

Though at times we take different positions on a variety of historical and contemporary issues, we are united by the following common values:

• striving for truth
• collaboration and commitment to one another
• honesty and openness
• academic freedom and political neutrality
• professionalism, self-discipline and accountability
• public engagement

Striving for Truth

We believe in the existence of objective truth and, as scholars, we do everything possible so that our academic work serves its comprehension. Our lectures and textbooks reflect cutting-edge academic research; our academic articles, student papers, models and experiments seek to expand the horizons of contemporary academic inquiry.

Collaboration and Commitment to One Another

As scholars, we seek to make our research available to all of our colleagues in the Russian academic community.

We are open to participation in discussions and review of academic work, and we welcome requests for clarification, consultation and peer review, which all lead to the convergence of positions on problems relevant for Russian and global development. As teachers, we seek to awaken our students’ interest in our subjects, help those who experience difficulty and support talented and hardworking students.

As undergraduate and graduate students, we try to learn from our professors, help one another and set an example for the young. We seek to be full-fledged citizens and members of our university community.

Honesty and Openness

We do not tolerate any  deceit, corruption, double standards, or any form of discrimination.

Our undergraduate and graduate students take a genuine interest in studying and accumulating  knowledge and therefore do not accept cheating, plagiarism or having others do their work for them.

Our scholars follow academic ethical norms and do everything possible to prevent their violation in our university. They serve as an example to students.

Our teachers strive for maximum objectivity when evaluating our students’ knowledge on the basis of an open and transparent system of criteria. They strive for equivalent evaluation of students with an equivalent level of training, and they seek to establish equal conditions for all levels of knowledge assessment. 

As a university in general, we seek to ensure open and public access to information on all aspects of our work.

Academic Freedom and Political Neutrality

We welcome the free exchange of opinions and ideas based on the principles of strict academic rigour, mutual respect and partnership.

We respect the opinion of each member of our community and believe that the right to state one's point of view is inviolable.

In the area of academic research, this means that imposing the academic approaches and standards of a specific school of thought in the university is unacceptable.

In the area of peer endorsement and empirical analysis of social and economic processes, this means that the university is free from political and ideological dogmas.

The university does not restrict employees and students from forming and expressing personal political opinions. However, any political discussions taking place within the walls of the university are to be investigative and impartial in nature, as well as based on the search for substantive arguments.

Professionalism, Self-discipline and Accountability

We are guided by international academic standards in conducting research and by global professional standards in the practical areas of our work.

We strive to be as strict and critical as possible with ourselves in cases where no corresponding international standards can be applied. Self-discipline is the basis of our everyday work. We aim to continuously improve the quality of our performance, whether it concerns our educational, academic or peer review work.

We accept responsibility for all aspects of our work – for the level of our graduates' preparation, for the quality of research conducted and results achieved, and for the justifiability and balance of our peer review findings, our students’ papers and graduation theses.

Active Social Position

We are part of Russian society not as observers but as active participants in its development.

We value and support the aspiration to creative, social and professional work that exists in each of us. We do not fear taking innovative risks and discovering new opportunities for both ourselves and others.

We use our organizational experience and potential to spread accumulated knowledge and experience across the country. We strive to have our academic results and our best teaching materials part of the public domain.