History

The History of the Pedagogical University is both a weighty nugget in the history of the enlightened Russia and a biography of establishment and development of one of the leaders of contemporary national pedagogical education, scrupulously keeping up and pursuing the best traditions of the contemporary academic science, in unity with everyday pedagogical practice. Despite all the problems, social and economic reforms going on in the country, The Pedagogical University of Tula not only survived, but, owing to a high professionalism of the faculty and the staff, creative undertakings of the students, has expanded and established itself as a new-type university, having occupied a worthy place and improved its prestige and authority both in Russia and abroad.

Tula State Pedagogical Institute was created in 1938 on the basis of the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR No. 45 of 26th July 1938 as an independent institution of higher education. In the first year the three faculties (Historical, Russian and Literature, Physics and Mathematics) enrolled 156 students. The institute faculty consisted of 21 people, who worked at 5 departments. Its first director was Carp Illarionovich Chirva.

In 1939 he was succeeded by Aleksey Moiseyevich Bogdanov, who headed the institute for almost 15 years, in the period of formation, during the war and the first years after it. In 1939 the institute opened its correspondence department, and in April 1940 the first Ph.D. thesis by N.A. Konoplev was presented in TSPI. Between 1940 -1941 there were already 4 Ph.Ds.

The aggression of the fascist Germany suspended people’s peaceful life and work. The war also radically changed the life of Tula Pedagogical Institute, which in the June of 1941 was coming to the end of its third academic year and had 712 students. Many students and professors of the Institute volunteered to the front during the first days of the war. Many of them never returned: the Dean of the Faculty Physics and Mathematics faculty, Assistant professor P.V. Soloviyev, Senior tutor S.T. Zotov, students G.Demykin, I.Orlov, I.Iskain, I.Dronov, Yu.Potemkin, N.Rozhdestvensky, M.Nazarov, S.Reshishvili and others. Their names are inscribed on the memorial plaque of teachers and students, who died at the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Despite the difficulties the Institute developed in the post-war period: in 1944 the Institute opened the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

During the first year after the war there were 579 students with full-time attendance and 1764 students studied at the correspondence department. The first students’ research society appeared in the first years after the war. In May 1948 the first conference was held. Since then students’ research conference have been held every year. Post graduate courses that were created in 1949 had 8 specialties.

In 1956 the Institute had a new rector, Ph.D. in History, Assistant professor Nikolai Ivanovich Shmarakov, who worked at this post for 16 years. In the early 60s the Institute opened new training buildings and hostels.

On 18 July 1958  The Soviet of Ministers of the RSFSR adopted Resolution No. 819 to name Tula State Pedagogical University after the great Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy.

Since 1960  the Institute has been hosting Tolstoy conferences, which now have international status. Th University is a study center of Tolstoy’s life and creative work. In 1995 it opened L.N. Tolstoy’s memorial room featuring a large collection of books, brochures, newspapers connected with the great writer’s name. Some of them are lifetime editions.

In 1959 the Institute added the Faculty of Elementary School Teachers.

In 1962  the Faculty of Optional Specialties.

1963 – the year of birth of Chemical and Biological Faculty, while the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics split up into two separate faculties.

In November 1967  the institute got the status of the first category.

Between 1972 and 1978 the Institute was headed by Ph. D. in History, Assistant professor Vladimir Nikolayevich Molchanov. In 1977, on its 40th anniversary, the Institute got another building that became its main, building No. 4. In 1977 the Faculty of Physical Training and the Faculty of Russian for foreign students were added. Physical and Technical faculty split up in 1978 into two separate faculties: that of Physics and Industrial-pedagogical, while Historical and Philological into the Faculty of History and the Faculty of Philology. The Institute set up museums: archeological, zoological and of the Institute’s history.

Between 1978 and 1981 the Institute’s rector was Member of Academy of Pedagogical Science, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor Victor Anatoliyevich Buravikhin. During the period of his work the University received two new and modern dormitories.

Between 1981 and 1992 the Institute was headed by Ph.D., Professor Evgeniy Georgiyevich Sapogov.

Since 1992 till the present it has been headed by Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor Nadezhda Anatoliyevna Shaidenko.

In 1993 Tula State L.N. Tolstoy Pedagogical Institute successfully passed the State Attestation, to the effect that the State Committee of Higher Education of the Russian Federation on 6 March 1994 issued State License No. 16Г-209 authorizing educational activity in the sphere of secondary, higher, additional, post-graduate vocational training in different specialties and educational levels, until 30 March 1999.

In accordance with the Order of the State Committee of Higher Education of the Russian Federation No. 1268 of 29 December 1994 and Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 7 of 10 January 1995 the Institute got the status of Tula State L.N. Tolstoy Pedagogical University.

In 1996 there were opened regional branches of: the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Academy of Human Sciences, and International Academy of Education.

Since 1997 TSPU has been a Fellow of the International Association of Teacher of Russian and Literature.

In November 1997 Tula State L.N. Tolstoy Pedagogical University became a member of International Association of Universities within the frames of UNESCO and has cooperation with Institutions of Higher Education in Bulgaria, UK, Germany, China, Poland, Slovakia, USA, France, and Japan.

TSPU intensive work aimed at improving the staff, material facilities, training and research facilities ensured the next state attestation in 1998 without any remarks. On April 1999 the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation issued the University State License No. 24Г-0064 authorizing educational activity in the sphere of secondary, higher, additional, post-graduate vocational training in different specialties and educational levels until the date stated in the license supplement.

In 2000 the university opened Faculty of Psychology.

The University is a member society (branch) of international Academy of Sciences of Pedagogical Education (Diploma of 26 January 2000.).

By the Order of the Testing Center of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 9/90 of 21.12.2000 there was set up a branch of the Testing Center of the Ministry of Education based in Tula State L.N. Tolstoy Pedagogical University.

The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation on 2 April 2001 issued Certificate of the State Accreditation No. 0188 certifying that Tula State L.N. Tolstoy Pedagogical University provides the level of higher vocational training, is ranked by the state accreditation status as "University” and has the right to issue state documents to the graduates, who have passed final state attestation, stating qualifications of the educational programs available, in accordance with the supplement to the State Accreditation Certificate.

In 2002 the University added the Faculty of Art and Humanities.

In 2002 TSPU named after L.N. Tolstoy got a diploma in the contest of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation "University Systems of Ensuring the Quality of Specialist Training".

After another successful attestation of its comprehensive work  TSPU in March 2003  the State Inspection of the Ministry of Education of Russia issued "Conclusion of the state attestation No. 0650 of  4 July 2003", recognizing the attestation of GOUVPO TSPU named after L.N. Tolstoy in the programs of vocational training in accordance with the Order of the State Inspection No. 42-198/П of 21 April 2003 expiring on 11 June 2008. On 30 April 2003 the Ministry of Education of Russia issued license Series А No.000715, Registration No. 0693, expiring on 30 July, 2008., and on 4 July 2003 State Accreditation Certificate, series А No. 001021 registration No. 0973, expiring on 11 June 2008.

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