‘Golden HSE’ — An Opportunity to Show That We See and Appreciate Each Other’s Work

Applications continue to be accepted for the Golden HSE, the university’s main prize. We asked those who have either nominated candidates or who have received the award themselves about what it means for them personally and for the university.

 

Maria Yudkevich — Vice Rector of the HSE

There may be more reasons for nominating people for the Golden HSE, but I will name three.

First, it seems to me that when many of us open the online listing of candidates for the Golden HSE, we have the feeling: ‘But I know a lot of people who are just as good. If I nominated someone, then he or she would also have a real chance of getting on the list.’ I urge people to keep that feeling in mind now rather than a month later when the list is already drawn up. I urge everyone to think who they want to put forward, as the list of nominees is a reflection of the activity of those people who surround us, who notice what their colleagues are doing, and who are thinking about them.

Second, the HSE is becoming bigger, and the importance of this award is growing. It gives us an opportunity to tell our colleagues about someone from other faculties and programmes and find out what is going on at the university. For example, I always read with great interest and about those who are doing the nominating and about the teams they work in.

And third, in everyday life, we don’t say ‘thank you’ to our colleagues as often as we could, and this prize is an opportunity to show that we see and appreciate what others are doing.

 

Dmitry Vinogradov — Winner of the Golden HSE; Professor, University of Essex

Like any award, the ‘Golden HSE’ allows us to understand that we’re on the right track. This is important moral and material support. In my case (Vinogradov won in 2012 in the category ‘Alumni success in academic activity’ - Editors), it was clear that the award was given for my work in Perm, and we accepted it as a sign of support for the entire team. The golden crow itself was handed to me on the Perm campus since I wasn’t able to make it to the ceremony in Moscow. The news spread quickly among my colleagues, with people asking how many candidates there were and how competitive it was.

It was also very influential in promoting the ideas of the team in Perm throughout the entire HSE. People feel that what we do is recognized. This year, we have already held a second iCare conference and have established two new research centres. The golden crow inspired me in a sense, and I hope that my optimism is transmitted to the whole team.

 

Irina Savelieva — Director of the Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities

I am certain that as a true university-wide event, the Golden HSE creates a sense of belonging to the life of the university. Recognition of achievements in different areas and at different levels — whether research staff or administrators, students or alumni — promotes mutual understanding and shows the value of the activities in which we are all involved. It also seems very important that the competition among different faculties and educational areas takes place publically.

One of the most important categories for the Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities is ‘Achievement in research.’ Usually authors of books are nominated, which for the humanities is the preferred form of recognizing professional achievement. Unlike articles in specialized publications, books can be more than academic and achieve wider resonance.