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Results of the year and prospects for 2026
On January 15, USUE acting rector Yakov Silin held a press conference. The event, which brought together representatives from city and regional media, served as a key venue for summarizing the past year and announcing plans for 2026.
At the press conference, Yakov Silin first noted that, by the end of 2025, the university retained all its key positions.
“We have once again demonstrated the university's ability to overcome all the challenges that may arise in our time. The objectives set by our government have been met. We haven't failed, haven't given up a single position, and have met all the targets. How did we achieve this? We have a strong team. We have held 18 dissertation defenses, which, compared to universities comparable with us in size and areas of study, is an A+ result. We have our own program for training young specialists and our own internal grants. As a reminder, our university's coat of arms reads “To the Glory and for the Good of the Fatherland,” and that's the way we live," Professor Yakov Silin noted.
Journalists asked about the digital economy, how USUE was adapting to challenges, and whether new training programs would be introduced.
“It's difficult to predict the long-term future. I think digital technologies will be increasingly used, and we certainly don't plan to fall behind. Our university trains flexible specialists who can adapt to all modern innovations. The government has set the goal of being among the leading countries in information technologies and artificial intelligence, and we are pursuing it. But I say, it's difficult to replace a living person,” Yakov Silin said.
They also mentioned that many professions are being phased out and replaced by artificial intelligence. Has this affected Ural State University of Economics?
“For now, all the training areas at our university have remained unchanged. There haven't been any significant ups or significant downs. Everything remains stable at USUE,” replied Yakov Silin.
The traditional annual Eurasian Economic Youth Forum was also discussed at the press conference. Last year, it was held for the 15th time, attracting over 22,000 participants from 116 countries. This year, the large-scale event will take place from April 21 to 24, under the theme “Eurasian Synergy: Ethnic Unity of of Russia in the Era of Global Change.” It's worth noting that 2026 is the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, as declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This year, EEYF will be about consolidation of the peoples of Russia. I expect that this year around 100 countries will participate in the Eurasian Economic Youth Forum. Ambassadors and diplomats have already signed up, and around 40 universities have confirmed their participation. We will discuss important topics, such as the challenges facing higher education and how to address them. It's also important for us to hear the voices of young people, and they do speak to us, as we see from the number of submitted papers last year – they were over 17,000. Our forum was supported by Denis Pasler, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk region.”
At the press conference, they also touched upon the topic of specialists being in demand now.
“We have over 800 contracts with employers. Almost all our graduates, even those who were not the best, find employment in their field. School leavers from other countries come to study with us; approximately 3,700 students from 69 countries study here today, and that is very telling, proving USUE being in demand,” noted Yakov Silin.
Concluding the press conference, USUE acting rector Yakov Silin invited applicants and their parents to an Open Day, which will be held at the university on January 24 at 12:00 PM.
