Biographies Characteristics Analysis

Who was the Minister of Education before Livanov? The Strangler of Science and Education

Since the end of spring 2012, the name of this man is well known to Russian students, schoolchildren, as well as their parents. And there is nothing surprising here - after all, Dmitry Livanov occupies the chair of the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, which means he directly influences the lives of the above categories of the population. His track record includes more than one high-profile reform in the field of education, his steps are often criticized, but the state continues to trust him with a high post... What inspires an official to continue his active work?

“I will work as long as the employer has confidence in my work,” the minister once said, and this quote from Dmitry Livanov spread across many domestic media at one time.

Where did Livanov come from to the very top of the Russian state pyramid? Who is he? How did you differ from other statesmen? How did you rise to your current position and what does it look like as a manager?

Origins

Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov first saw the light of day on February 15, 1967. He was born into a family of Moscow intelligentsia. His grandfather was a KGB colonel, and his father Viktor Livanov was a famous aircraft designer who created the Il-96-300 aircraft and at some time headed the Ilyushin Aviation Design Bureau.

Dmitry's parents divorced when the boy was very young, and almost nothing is known about his mother. But we know about the stepmother - Rogozina Tatyana Olegovna, who is only 14 years older than her stepson. My father's second wife turned out to be a match for her husband. She is a Doctor of Economics, and has held high leadership positions all her life.

The future minister Dmitry Livanov began his education at Moscow school No. 91, from which he graduated as an excellent student - young Livanov only had a B in basic military training. With such a certificate and such an origin, the path opened up quite broadly and with great prospects for the young and capable Muscovite...

graduate School

Naturally, after school, Dmitry Livanov goes on to study further. And he chooses the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (specialty “physics of metals”). He graduated from MISiS in 1990 with honors, after which he spent another two years in graduate school here. Then he defended his dissertation and in 1992 received a PhD in physical and mathematical sciences.

And after just 5 years, Livanov already sported the degree of “Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences” (specialization - solid state physics). Later (in 2003) he received another higher education, graduating in absentia from the Moscow State Academy of Law, which was very useful to him later in his future managerial work.

Carier start

It is completely natural that Dmitry Livanov began his career in the scientific field; his education contributed to this. He didn’t have to go far - the talented graduate student was left to work at his native university immediately after defending his PhD thesis. At first he was just a researcher at the MISiS synthesis laboratory. Then he became a senior researcher, then held the position of associate professor at the department of theoretical physics. And even later he worked as vice-rector for international cooperation, combining it with professorship in the same department.

From scientists to managers

In the spring of 2004, Dmitry Livanov, whose biography had previously been associated exclusively with science, decided to make a sharp turn in his career. He was invited to head the department of state scientific, technical and innovation policy in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. And he agreed.

True, he did not completely part with MISiS, continuing to be a professor there until 2012, only this time at the department of metallurgy and non-ferrous metals. From the end of autumn 2005 until the beginning of spring 2007, Livanov served as Secretary of State, replacing the then Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko.

In this position, Dmitry Viktorovich first announced himself throughout the country and caused a storm of criticism. He called for the rights of the country's state academies to be cut, effectively depriving them of the ability to independently manage funds, land, etc. According to the concept developed by the official, the scientific and managerial functions of such institutions should be clearly separated.

Livanov was accused of trying to ruin domestic fundamental science - and the RAS (Russian Academy of Sciences) was especially loudly indignant.

Ultimately, the government approved the charter that was developed by the academicians themselves. But thanks to Livanov’s efforts and some amendments to the law, the rights of academies were largely curtailed. For example, they could no longer dispose of land uncontrollably and appoint their own presidents.

Rector of MISiS

Meanwhile, Dmitry Viktorovich’s connection with his native institute was not interrupted. He remained a professor at MISiS, and in 2007 he was elected rector of this university.

Under Livanov, the educational institution is undergoing dramatic changes. The new leader puts into practice the theoretical developments that he developed during his stay in the ministry. For example, MISiS was the first Russian university to switch to a foreign system of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, who at that time held the post of President of Russia, assigned the institute a higher status - it became the National Research Technological University. And Dmitry Livanov, as a promising employee, entered the top hundred of the Russian management personnel reserve.

Minister

Vladimir Putin, who again headed the Russian Federation in the spring of 2012, considered that such valuable personnel should not remain in the shadows. And already in May of the same year, a member of the United Russia party and the rector of one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Dmitry Livanov became the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, replacing his former boss Fursenko in this post. And literally from the very first days, vigorous activity began, which shook the entire sphere of domestic education and caused more than one scandal in Russian society. And continues to periodically call them to this day.

Livanov's initiatives

The Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation D. Livanov, not yet being the head of the department, believed that there were too many students in Russia. He did not change his beliefs after 2012. Already as a minister, he openly declared the need to reduce budget places in universities by almost half, followed by the elimination of “free” programs as such and the introduction of a system of educational loans.

Livanov also advocated the introduction of strict testing for admission to universities - on the model of foreign systems, and proposed, in addition to the Unified State Exam, to introduce additional exams for applicants upon admission.

In his opinion, the state has absolutely no need for an abundance of people with diplomas from academies, universities and institutes, when there is no one to study in vocational schools and, accordingly, there is no one to work in factories.

Dmitry Viktorovich’s conflict with the Russian Academy of Sciences continued, the level of which he publicly called lower than that of ordinary universities, and demanded reform. In addition, in the fall of 2012, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science published a list of higher educational institutions in the country that, according to department officials, were operating ineffectively.

Scandals and criticism

Due to the vicissitudes associated with the Russian Academy of Sciences and other scandalous projects, a member of the United Russia party, Livanov, almost flew out of this organization. He was sharply criticized in the scientific community, and State Duma deputies seriously sought to deprive the minister of membership in the most influential Russian party structure. Livanov’s reaction to such attempts was to declare that he was not the author of the project to reform the academy.

The actions of the Minister of Education and Science were also seriously criticized by Vladimir Putin, who reprimanded him and accused him of failing to fulfill his obligations. This was in the fall of 2012, and a year later the President actually took his words back.

Among the scandals of a smaller scale is the situation with the law prohibiting foreigners from adopting Russian children. Livanov came out categorically against him, which caused a wave of negativity in certain circles.

Also on everyone’s lips was the story of the theft of budget funds, in which the prosecutor’s office tried to prove Dmitry Viktorovich’s involvement. According to prosecutors, the state budget was deprived of the equivalent of one million dollars due to the fact that Livanov allegedly illegally contracted Teplokon LLC for work on the reconstruction of the MISiS building.

Another “fire” broke out in society after Dmitry Livanov’s publication on his microblog, where the Minister of Education and Science angrily spoke about the work of one of the cellular companies, using obscene expressions and making a bunch of grammatical errors. Many were outraged by this behavior of a person who should be a standard of culture and literacy. Users on social networks and journalists in the media sarcastically asked whether Dmitry Livanov himself would be able to pass the Unified State Exam, which is used to “torture” all Russian school graduates?.. The minister, in turn, made excuses and said that he did not write the text for the microblog.

There were other scandals associated with the name of Dmitry Livanov. But he stubbornly continues to stick to his line, despite criticism. One of the official’s latest initiatives was the decision to reduce the number of universities in the country. In his opinion, many institutions (especially non-state ones) are frankly weak and should not take up a place in the sun by crippling the minds of their students.

Awards and outstanding achievements of Dmitry Livanov

In addition to his candidate and doctoral dissertations, Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov can boast of other achievements. For example, his track record includes more than 60 scientific publications (about 50 of them in foreign media) and the authorship of a textbook for higher educational institutions, “Physics of Metals,” which was published in 2006.

For one of the cycles of scientific work, Livanov, as a young scientist, was awarded a gold medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences. And in 2011, he won a government award as a representative of the educational sector.

What is the minister's hobbies?

From time to time, Russians ask how many languages ​​Dmitry Livanov knows, who is largely oriented towards the West and advocates for tougher admissions tests, in particular in English.

Of course, he cannot be considered a polyglot, but in addition to Russian, the minister is fluent in Italian and, naturally, English. In the latter, he writes his scientific works for foreign media, and also loves to read detective stories in the original. In general, this genre of literature is Dmitry Viktorovich’s passion.

He also loves theater and has a passion for extreme travel. For example, many people remember Livanov’s high-profile vacation, spent at the North Pole. Just then the whole country was discussing a terrible story, during which a 55-year-old teacher ordered the murder of her 13-year-old student, who did not reciprocate her sinful passion... People believed that the Minister of Education should have been at work at such a shameful moment for the country . At least until the investigation is completed. And they condemned him for leaving.

Livanov's personal life

Almost from his school days, the charming and attractive Dmitry Livanov was considered an eligible bachelor. During his student days, he led a stormy personal life, and they say that one of the novels ended in the birth of a child. There is information that the boy was named Konstantin, and that Livanov, although not immediately, recognized his son. True, this information has not been confirmed in official sources. And the minister himself prefers not to talk about this topic.

But it is reliably known that Dmitry Viktorovich has been married since his student days. But here again there is confusion. According to some sources, he was married not to anyone, but to the daughter of the then rector of MISiS Yuri Karabasov, who, in addition, was allegedly Livanov’s scientific supervisor. This fact is indicated in many biographical information and causes idle gossip.

People say with irony that Dmitry Livanov, whose wife is the daughter of such an influential person, simply could not help but successfully graduate from the institute and defend his dissertations. Moreover, while others needed many years to protect themselves, here everything happened with amazing speed. Naturally, no one wants to connect such efficiency with the talent and hard work of the future minister. But they are willing to connect with his personal life.

According to other sources, Livanov’s wife Olga Anatolyevna Mordkovich has nothing to do with the rector of MISiS, and all this is an invention of journalists. Among such sources, an important role is played by Olga’s own interview, in which she is surprised at the innocence of people who believed gossip. After all, neither her surname nor patronymic is in any way connected with Mr. Karabasov.

Well, Olga Anatolyevna was born in 1967, on June 15, and is almost exactly the same age as her husband. She is a mathematics major. Has a diploma from the Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after. Gubkina. She works in the IT field and was even nominated for a national award in this field.

The couple has three children. Two of them are relatives - a son and a daughter, and Livanov and Mordkovich adopted one boy at the age of one. The Minister of Education and Science has repeatedly joked that he has someone to practice on in terms of education and training technologies, because he is a father of many children. Whether Livanov’s children criticize Dmitry for his experiments is unknown...

But even so, he continues to remain an active and proactive person who always strives only forward and is ready to break through to the stars through the thorns of the most dense scandals.

Whether the minister's political activity is successful and whether his work is for the benefit of the country - this will be decided by the Russians. We will not draw any conclusions. But in the end, we will cite one popular joke that circulates among the masses and enjoys great success among many citizens of our country.

Folk joke

Since Livanov became Minister of Education, the quality of the latter has increased several times. Moreover, our education successfully competes with European and American ones, and sometimes is even more prestigious. This has been proven by an authoritative scientific study conducted in the Moscow metro. It turned out that Russian diplomas are sold there at a higher price than their counterparts from Cambridge and Oxford, lying on neighboring shelves.

Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation since May 2012. Previously - Rector of NUST MISIS (2007-2012), Professor of the Department of Non-Ferrous Metals Science of MISiS (2004-2012), State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation (2005-2007), Director of the Department of State Scientific, Technical and Innovation Policy under the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (2004-2005). Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov was born on February 15, 1967 in Moscow, in the family of aircraft designer Viktor Livanov, the future general director of the Ilyushin Aviation Design Bureau and one of the creators of the Il-96-300 aircraft. Dmitry Livanov studied at Moscow school No. 91, his certificate included “A’s” in all subjects except basic military training.

In 1990, Livanov graduated with honors from the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISiS), receiving a diploma in Physics of Metals, after which, according to his official biography, he studied full-time graduate school at the institute for two years. Livanov himself claimed that after graduating from MISiS he worked abroad. In 1992, he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences on the topic “Heat transfer by interacting electrons in superconductors and normal metals,” and subsequently engaged in scientific activities in the field of transport properties of metals, fluctuation phenomena in superconductors, as well as the physical properties of low-dimensional and amorphous metal systems.

After defending his Ph.D. thesis, Livanov began working at the institute's synthesis research laboratory, was a research fellow, and later a senior research fellow, and was an associate professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics at MISiS. He held positions at the Research Laboratory of Synthesis at MISiS until 2000. In 1997, Livanov, having defended his dissertation on the topic “Thermoelectric effect and heat transfer in electronic interaction systems,” became a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. From 1997 to 2000, he served as deputy vice-rector of MISiS for scientific work, and in 2000 became vice-rector of the institute for international cooperation, concurrently working as a professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics of MISiS.

In parallel with his work at MISiS, Livanov continued to receive education in the humanitarian field and in 2003 he graduated in absentia from the Moscow State Law Academy, receiving a diploma in the specialty "jurisprudence" (specialization "Civil Law"), ; some publications called "Civil Law" Livanov's specialty.

In the spring of 2004, Livanov left his vice-rector’s post, receiving the position of director of the department of state scientific, technical and innovation policy of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. In addition, he moved to work as a part-time professor at the Department of Metal Science of Non-Ferrous Metals at MISiS and maintained this position until 2012.

From November 2005 to March 2007, Livanov was Secretary of State - Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Andrei Fursenko,. In this post, he became famous for his speeches in which a ministry official criticized the draft new charter of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN). In particular, Livanov insisted that all state academies adopt a different model version of the charter, prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science, which implied the separation of scientific and managerial functions of the academy, deprived it of the right to freely dispose of funds and demanded the introduction of supervisory boards with a predominance of state representatives. According to media reports, the RAS considered this option unacceptable and infringing on the rights of the academy, and Livanov himself was accused of attempting to “collapse fundamental science” , , , , , . Ultimately, at the end of 2007, the government approved the charter written by the RAS itself, but due to the adopted amendments to the law “On Science,” the RAS partially lost its independence, losing, in particular, the right to independently approve its president and freely dispose of land property

While working in the ministry, Livanov also acted as a representative of the state on the board of directors of OJSC Russian Venture Company, a structure created in accordance with a decree of the Russian government “to stimulate the creation of Russia’s own venture investment industry” by acquiring investment shares of venture funds, as well as “ development of innovative sectors of the economy and promotion of Russian high-tech technological products to the international market."

In April 2007, Livanov was elected rector of MISiS; was re-elected to this post in February 2012. Under the new rector, in the fall of 2008, MISiS, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, received the status of a National Research Technological University. The press noted that as the head of the university, Livanov, who called himself a student of Andrei Fursenko, “began to implement the very standards of modernization of science that he himself developed in the ministry”: in particular, MISiS “was one of the first to develop an independent strategy for the development of the university” and “ switched to a system of bachelor's and master's degrees."

On May 21, 2012, after the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, elected for a third term as President of Russia, and the appointment of Medvedev as Prime Minister, Livanov replaced Fursenko as Minister of Education and Science in the new government of the Russian Federation.

After his appointment, Livanov made a number of policy statements. In particular, the minister’s proposal to halve the number of budget-funded places in Russian universities and gradually abandon free higher education altogether, using other mechanisms to finance the training of new specialists, including educational loans, received great resonance in the press. Meanwhile, even before his appointment as head of the department, Livanov opposed increasing the number of students in universities, believing that an overabundance of higher school students deprives, in particular, education in technical schools of prestige. He called for universities to switch to standard foreign testing systems, for example, in English. Livanov also continued to criticize the RAS, demanding further reform of the academy: he noted that in terms of scientific publications the academy lags behind universities, and experts, commenting on Livanov’s appointment, suggested that the new minister might again enter into a violent conflict with the RAS. They also drew attention to the fact that Livanov would have to be responsible for the adoption of the new law “On Education”, developed under Fursenko.

In the fall of the same year, Livanov and the department he headed were criticized after the Ministry of Education and Science published a list of Russian universities with “signs of inefficiency.” It includes more than 130 higher educational institutions of the country, including a number of well-known Moscow higher schools, such as the Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow Architectural Institute, and the Gorky Literary Institute. Those who published the lists were reproached for the incompetence and imperfection of their chosen methodology for evaluating universities, which took into account the number of square meters per student, but did not take into account “the demand for graduates by employers, the level of their employment in real sectors of the economy, the volume of innovative projects.”

Livanov was awarded the RAS gold medal for young scientists in 2000, and at the end of 2011 he was awarded the Russian Government Prize in the field of education. Since 2009, the scientist was included in the top hundred of the list of management personnel reserve compiled by President Dmitry Medvedev.

By the time of his appointment as minister, Livanov had more than 50 scientific publications; he was the author of the textbook for universities "Physics of Metals", published in 2006.

Livanov is married and has two children. He is interested in theater and loves reading detective stories in English. In addition, he also speaks Italian.

Used materials

Galina Onuchina. The Yaroslavl government will defend its universities. - Komsomolskaya Pravda (kp.ru), 04.11.2012

Nikolay Vasiliev. What will happen to ineffective universities? - Vesti.Ru, 02.11.2012

Yana Lubnina. "Putin has set an impossible task." - Kommersant FM, 20.09.2012

Putin reprimanded the heads of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Regional Development and the Ministry of Labor. - RIA News, 19.09.2012

Dmitry Kazmin, Evgenia Pismennaya, Margarita Lyutova. Putin's election promises will cost the budget 1.077 trillion rubles. - Vedomosti.ru, 01.08.2012

Fursenko's successor will make university education tuition-free. - NTV, 22.05.2012

Irina Ivoilova. Dmitry Livanov: “A C student has nothing to do at an engineering university.” - Russian newspaper, 22.05.2012. - № 5787 (114)

Vasily Loginov. Congratulations to the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation D.V. Livanov. - School No. 91 RAO (91.ru), 22.05.2012

Alexander Chernykh. Science to win. - Kommersant, 22.05.2012. - № 90 (4875)

The government has been renewed by about three quarters. - IA Rosbalt, 21.05.2012

Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation since May 2012. Previously - Rector of NUST MISIS (2007-2012), Professor of the Department of Non-Ferrous Metals Science of MISiS (2004-2012), State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation (2005-2007), Director of the Department of State Scientific, Technical and Innovation Policy under the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (2004-2005). Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.


Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov was born on February 15, 1967 in Moscow in the family of aircraft designer Viktor Livanov, the future general director of the Ilyushin Aviation Design Bureau and one of the creators of the Il-96-300 aircraft. Dmitry Livanov studied at Moscow school No. 91, his certificate included “A’s” in all subjects except basic military training.

In 1990, Livanov graduated with honors from the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISiS), receiving a diploma in Physics of Metals, after which, according to his official biography, he studied full-time graduate school at the institute for two years. Livanov himself claimed that after graduating from MISiS he worked abroad. In 1992, he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences on the topic “Heat transfer by interacting electrons in superconductors and normal metals” and subsequently engaged in scientific activities in the field of transport properties of metals, fluctuation phenomena in superconductors, as well as the physical properties of low-dimensional and amorphous metal systems.

After defending his Ph.D. thesis, Livanov began working at the institute's synthesis research laboratory, was a research fellow, and later a senior research fellow, and was an associate professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics at MISiS. He held positions at the Research Laboratory of Synthesis at MISiS until 2000. In 1997, Livanov, having defended his dissertation on the topic “Thermoelectric effect and heat transfer in electronic interaction systems,” became a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. From 1997 to 2000, he served as deputy vice-rector of MISiS for scientific work, and in 2000 became vice-rector of the institute for international cooperation, concurrently working as a professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics of MISiS.

In parallel with his work at MISiS, Livanov continued to receive education in the humanitarian field and in 2003 graduated in absentia from the Moscow State Law Academy, receiving a diploma in the specialty "jurisprudence" (specialization "Civil Law"); some publications called “Civil Law” Livanov’s specialty.

In the spring of 2004, Livanov left his vice-rector’s post, receiving the position of director of the department of state scientific, technical and innovation policy of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. In addition, he moved to work as a part-time professor at the Department of Metallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals at MISiS and retained this position until 2012.

From November 2005 to March 2007, Livanov was Secretary of State - Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Andrei Fursenko. In this post, he became famous for his speeches in which a ministry official criticized the draft new charter of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN). In particular, Livanov insisted that all state academies adopt a different model version of the charter, prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science, which implied the separation of scientific and managerial functions of the academy, deprived it of the right to freely dispose of funds and demanded the introduction of supervisory boards with a predominance of state representatives. According to media reports, the Russian Academy of Sciences considered this option unacceptable and infringing on the rights of the academy, and Livanov himself was accused of attempting to “collapse fundamental science.” Ultimately, at the end of 2007, the government approved the charter written by the RAS itself, but due to the adopted amendments to the law “On Science,” the RAS partially lost its independence, losing, in particular, the right to independently approve its president and freely dispose of land property.

While working in the ministry, Livanov also acted as a representative of the state on the board of directors of OJSC Russian Venture Company, a structure created in accordance with a decree of the Russian government “to stimulate the creation of Russia’s own venture investment industry” by acquiring investment shares of venture funds, as well as “ development of innovative sectors of the economy and promotion of Russian high-tech technological products to the international market."

In April 2007, Livanov was elected rector of MISiS; was re-elected to this post in February 2012. Under the new rector, in the fall of 2008, MISiS, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, received the status of a National Research Technological University. The press noted that as the head of the university, Livanov, who called himself a student of Andrei Fursenko, “began to implement the very standards of modernization of science that he himself developed in the ministry”: in particular, MISiS “was one of the first to develop an independent strategy for the development of the university” and “ switched to a system of bachelor's and master's degrees."

On May 21, 2012, after the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who was elected for a third term as President of Russia, and the appointment of Medvedev as Prime Minister, Livanov replaced Fursenko as Minister of Education and Science in the new government of the Russian Federation.

After his appointment, Livanov made a number of policy statements. In particular, the minister’s proposal to halve the number of budget-funded places in Russian universities and gradually abandon free higher education altogether, using other mechanisms, including educational loans, to finance the training of new specialists received a great response in the press. Meanwhile, even before his appointment as head of the department, Livanov opposed increasing the number of students in universities, believing that an overabundance of higher school students deprives, in particular, education in technical schools of prestige. He called for universities to switch to standard foreign testing systems, for example, in English. Livanov also continued to criticize the RAS, demanding further reform of the academy: he noted that in terms of scientific publications the academy lags behind universities, and experts, commenting on Livanov’s appointment, suggested that the new minister might again enter into a violent conflict with the RAS. They also drew attention to the fact that Livanov would have to be responsible for the adoption of the new law “On Education”, developed under Fursenko.

In mid-September 2012, President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting on the draft budget for 2013-2015, said that he was dissatisfied with the implementation of his instructions. In particular, in his decrees signed on May 7, 2012, Putin demanded an increase in salaries of public sector employees, expenses for contract military personnel, construction of roads and housing and communal services. It was noted that these decrees were based on the president’s election promises, and their implementation would require 1.077 trillion rubles of budget funds. However, the new budget, on the contrary, implied a reduction in spending on health care, education and culture. As a result, on September 19, 2012, Putin reprimanded Livanov, as well as the heads of the Ministry of Regional Development and the Ministry of Labor, Oleg Govorun and Maxim Topilin.

In the fall of the same year, Livanov and the department he headed were criticized after the Ministry of Education and Science published a list of Russian universities with “signs of inefficiency.” It includes more than 130 higher educational institutions of the country, including a number of well-known Moscow higher schools, such as the Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow Architectural Institute, and the Gorky Literary Institute. Those who published the lists were reproached for the incompetence and imperfection of their chosen methodology for assessing universities, which took into account the number of square meters per student, but did not take into account “the demand for graduates by employers, the level of their employment in real sectors of the economy, and the volume of innovative projects.”

Livanov was awarded the RAS gold medal for young scientists in 2000, and at the end of 2011 he was awarded the Russian Government Prize in the field of education. Since 2009, the scientist was included in the top hundred of the list of management personnel reserve compiled by President Dmitry Medvedev.

By the time of his appointment as minister, Livanov had more than 50 scientific publications; he was the author of the textbook for universities “Physics of Metals,” published in 2006.

Livanov is married and has two children. He is interested in theater and loves reading detective stories in English. In addition, he also speaks Italian.

Since the end of spring 2012, the name of this man is well known to Russian students, schoolchildren, as well as their parents. And there is nothing surprising here - after all, Dmitry Livanov occupies the chair of the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, which means he directly influences the lives of the above categories of the population. His track record includes more than one high-profile reform in the field of education, his steps are often criticized, but the state continues to trust him with a high post... What inspires an official to continue his active work?

“I will work as long as the employer has confidence in my work,” the minister once said, and this quote from Dmitry Livanov spread across many domestic media at one time.

Where did Livanov come from to the very top of the Russian state pyramid? Who is he? How did you differ from other statesmen? How did you rise to your current position and what does it look like as a manager?

Origins

Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov first saw the light of day on February 15, 1967. He was born into a family of Moscow intelligentsia. His grandfather was a KGB colonel, and his father Viktor Livanov was a famous aircraft designer who created the Il-96-300 aircraft and at some time headed the Ilyushin Aviation Design Bureau.

Dmitry's parents divorced when the boy was very young, and almost nothing is known about his mother. But we know about the stepmother - Rogozina Tatyana Olegovna, who is only 14 years older than her stepson. My father's second wife turned out to be a match for her husband. She is a Doctor of Economics, and has held high leadership positions all her life.

The future minister Dmitry Livanov began his education at Moscow school No. 91, from which he graduated as an excellent student - young Livanov only had a B in basic military training. With such a certificate and such an origin, the path opened up quite broadly and with great prospects for the young and capable Muscovite...

graduate School

Naturally, after school, Dmitry Livanov goes on to study further. And he chooses the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (specialty “physics of metals”). He graduated from MISiS in 1990 with honors, after which he spent another two years in graduate school here. Then he defended his dissertation and in 1992 received a PhD in physical and mathematical sciences.

And after just 5 years, Livanov already sported the degree of “Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences” (specialization - solid state physics). Later (in 2003) he received another higher education, graduating in absentia from the Moscow State Academy of Law, which was very useful to him later in his future managerial work.

Carier start

It is completely natural that Dmitry Livanov began his career in the scientific field; his education contributed to this. He didn’t have to go far - the talented graduate student was left to work at his native university immediately after defending his PhD thesis. At first he was just a researcher at the MISiS synthesis laboratory. Then he became a senior researcher, then held the position of associate professor at the department of theoretical physics. And even later he worked as vice-rector for international cooperation, combining it with professorship in the same department.

From scientists to managers

In the spring of 2004, Dmitry Livanov, whose biography had previously been associated exclusively with science, decided to make a sharp turn in his career. He was invited to head the department of state scientific, technical and innovation policy in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. And he agreed.

True, he did not completely part with MISiS, continuing to be a professor there until 2012, only this time at the department of metallurgy and non-ferrous metals. From the end of autumn 2005 until the beginning of spring 2007, Livanov served as Secretary of State, replacing the then Minister of Education and Science

In this position, Dmitry Viktorovich first announced himself throughout the country and caused a storm of criticism. He called for the rights of the country's state academies to be cut, effectively depriving them of the ability to independently manage funds, land, etc. According to the concept developed by the official, the scientific and managerial functions of such institutions should be clearly separated.

Livanov was accused of trying to ruin Russian fundamental science - and was especially loudly indignant

Ultimately, the government approved the charter that was developed by the academicians themselves. But thanks to Livanov’s efforts and some amendments to the law, the rights of academies were largely curtailed. For example, they could no longer dispose of land uncontrollably and appoint their own presidents.

Rector of MISiS

Meanwhile, Dmitry Viktorovich’s connection with his native institute was not interrupted. He remained a professor at MISiS, and in 2007 he was elected rector of this university.

Under Livanov, the educational institution is undergoing dramatic changes. The new leader puts into practice the theoretical developments that he developed during his stay in the ministry. For example, MISiS was the first Russian university to switch to a foreign system of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, who at that time held the post of President of Russia, assigned the institute a higher status - it became the National Research Technological University. And Dmitry Livanov, as a promising employee, entered the top hundred of the Russian management personnel reserve.

Minister

Vladimir Putin, who again headed the Russian Federation in the spring of 2012, considered that such valuable personnel should not remain in the shadows. And already in May of the same year, a member of the United Russia party and the rector of one of the most prestigious universities, Dmitry became the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, replacing his former boss Fursenko in this post. And literally from the very first days, vigorous activity began, which shook the entire sphere of domestic education and caused more than one scandal in Russian society. And continues to periodically call them to this day.

Livanov's initiatives

The Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation D. Livanov, not yet being the head of the department, believed that there were too many students in Russia. He did not change his beliefs after 2012. Already as a minister, he openly declared the need to reduce budget places in universities by almost half, followed by the elimination of “free tuition” as such and the introduction of a system

Livanov also advocated the introduction of strict testing for admission to universities - on the model of foreign systems, and proposed, in addition to the Unified State Exam, to introduce additional exams for applicants upon admission.

In his opinion, the state has absolutely no need for an abundance of people with diplomas from academies, universities and institutes, when there is no one to study in vocational schools and, accordingly, there is no one to work in factories.

Dmitry Viktorovich’s conflict with the Russian Academy of Sciences continued, the level of which he publicly called lower than that of ordinary universities, and demanded reform. In addition, in the fall of 2012, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science published a list of higher educational institutions in the country that, according to department officials, were operating ineffectively.

Scandals and criticism

Due to the vicissitudes associated with the Russian Academy of Sciences and other scandalous projects, a member of the United Russia party, Livanov, almost flew out of this organization. He was sharply criticized in the scientific community, and State Duma deputies seriously sought to deprive the minister of membership in the most influential Russian party structure. Livanov’s reaction to such attempts was to declare that he was not the author of the project to reform the academy.

The actions of the Minister of Education and Science were also seriously criticized by Vladimir Putin, who reprimanded him and accused him of failing to fulfill his obligations. This was in the fall of 2012, and a year later the President actually took his words back.

Among the scandals of a smaller scale is the situation with the law prohibiting foreigners from adopting Russian children. Livanov came out categorically against him, which caused a wave of negativity in certain circles.

Also on everyone’s lips was the story of the theft of budget funds, in which the prosecutor’s office tried to prove Dmitry Viktorovich’s involvement. According to prosecutors, the state budget was deprived of the equivalent of one million dollars due to the fact that Livanov allegedly illegally contracted Teplokon LLC for work on the reconstruction of the MISiS building.

Another “fire” broke out in society after Dmitry Livanov’s publication on his microblog, where the Minister of Education and Science angrily spoke about the work of one of the cellular companies, using obscene expressions and making a bunch of grammatical errors. Many were outraged by this behavior of a person who should be a standard of culture and literacy. Users on social networks and journalists in the media sarcastically asked whether Dmitry Livanov himself would be able to pass the Unified State Exam, which is used to “torture” all Russian school graduates?.. The minister, in turn, made excuses and said that he did not write the text for the microblog.

There were other scandals associated with the name of Dmitry Livanov. But he stubbornly continues to stick to his line, despite criticism. One of the official’s latest initiatives was the decision to reduce the number of universities in the country. In his opinion, many institutions (especially non-state ones) are frankly weak and should not take up a place in the sun by crippling the minds of their students.

Awards and outstanding achievements of Dmitry Livanov

In addition to his candidate and doctoral dissertations, Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov can boast of other achievements. For example, his track record includes more than 60 scientific publications (about 50 of them in foreign media) and the authorship of a textbook for higher educational institutions, “Physics of Metals,” which was published in 2006.

For one of the cycles of scientific work, Livanov, as a young scientist, was awarded a gold medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences. And in 2011, he won a government award as a representative of the educational sector.

What is the minister's hobbies?

From time to time, Russians ask how many languages ​​Dmitry Livanov knows, who is largely oriented towards the West and advocates for tougher admissions tests, in particular in English.

Of course, he cannot be considered a polyglot, but in addition to Russian, the minister is fluent in Italian and, naturally, English. In the latter, he writes his scientific works for foreign media, and also loves to read detective stories in the original. In general, this genre of literature is Dmitry Viktorovich’s passion.

He also loves theater and has a passion for extreme travel. For example, many people remember Livanov’s high-profile vacation, spent at the North Pole. Just then the whole country was discussing a terrible story, during which a 55-year-old teacher ordered the murder of her 13-year-old student, who did not reciprocate her sinful passion... People believed that the Minister of Education should have been at work at such a shameful moment for the country . At least until the investigation is completed. And they condemned him for leaving.

Livanov's personal life

Almost from his school days, the charming and attractive Dmitry Livanov was considered an eligible bachelor. During his student days, he led a stormy personal life, and they say that one of the novels ended in the birth of a child. There is information that the boy was named Konstantin, and that Livanov, although not immediately, recognized his son. True, this information has not been confirmed in official sources. And the minister himself prefers not to talk about this topic.

But it is reliably known that Dmitry Viktorovich has been married since his student days. But here again there is confusion. According to some sources, he was married not to anyone, but to the daughter of the then rector of MISiS Yuri Karabasov, who, in addition, was allegedly Livanov’s scientific supervisor. This fact is indicated in many biographical information and causes idle gossip.

People say with irony that Dmitry Livanov, whose wife is the daughter of such an influential person, simply could not help but successfully graduate from the institute and defend his dissertations. Moreover, while others needed many years to protect themselves, here everything happened with amazing speed. Naturally, no one wants to connect such efficiency with the talent and hard work of the future minister. But they are willing to connect with his personal life.

According to other sources, Livanov’s wife Olga Anatolyevna Mordkovich has nothing to do with the rector of MISiS, and all this is an invention of journalists. Among such sources, an important role is played by Olga’s own interview, in which she is surprised at the innocence of people who believed gossip. After all, neither her surname nor patronymic is in any way connected with Mr. Karabasov.

Well, Olga Anatolyevna was born in 1967, on June 15, and is almost exactly the same age as her husband. She is a mathematics major. She has a diploma, works in the IT field and was even nominated for a national award in this field.

The couple has three children. Two of them are relatives - a son and a daughter, and Livanov and Mordkovich adopted one boy at the age of one. The Minister of Education and Science has repeatedly joked that he has someone to practice on in terms of education and training technologies, because he is a father of many children. Whether Livanov’s children criticize Dmitry for his experiments is unknown...

But even so, he continues to remain an active and proactive person who always strives only forward and is ready to break through to the stars through the thorns of the most dense scandals.

Whether the minister's political activity is successful and whether his work is for the benefit of the country - this will be decided by the Russians. We will not draw any conclusions. But in the end, we will cite one popular joke that circulates among the masses and enjoys great success among many citizens of our country.

Folk joke

Since Livanov became Minister of Education, the quality of the latter has increased several times. Moreover, our education successfully competes with European and American ones, and sometimes is even more prestigious. This has been proven by an authoritative scientific study conducted in the Moscow metro. It turned out that Russian diplomas are sold there at a higher price than their counterparts from Cambridge and Oxford, lying on neighboring shelves.

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Biography, life story of Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov

Origin and education

Dmitry Viktorovich Livanov was born in Moscow on the 15th of February 1967. Father - aircraft designer Viktor Livanov - one of the creators of the IL-96-300 airplane, general director of the Aviation Complex named after Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Dmitry Livanov’s grandfather, Vladimir Borisovich Livanov, is a KGB colonel. Dmitry Livanov graduated with honors in 1990 from the Institute of Steel and Alloys in Moscow (MISiS), majoring in metal physics. In 1992, Livanov defended his Ph.D. thesis and received the degree of Ph.D. For two years, according to Livanov himself, he worked abroad. At the same time, he was in graduate school.

Carier start

After his defense, Livanov worked at the MISiS research laboratory, starting as an employee. Soon he became a senior researcher, then an associate professor at the department of theory. physicists MISiS. In 1997, Dmitry Livanov defended his doctoral dissertation and served as deputy vice-rector for scientific work at MISiS until 2000. In the same year, Livanov became vice-rector of his native institute for international cooperation and worked as a professor at the department of theory. physicists MISiS.

Legal education

Having continued his education (while working at MISiS), Livanov entered the Moscow State Law Academy as a correspondence student and graduated in 2003, becoming a lawyer and specialist in civil law.

Work in the Ministry of Education

In 2004, Livanov received the position of director of a department at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. The department, which was headed by Livanov, dealt with scientific, technical and innovation policy. At the same time, Livanov moved to work part-time as a professor at the Department of Metallurgy for Non-Ferrous Metals at MISiS (this position remained with him until 2012). In November 2005, Livanov became Andrei Fursenko's deputy, receiving the post of Secretary of State - Deputy Minister of Science and Education of the Russian Federation.

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Rector of MISiS

In 2007, in April, Livanov was elected rector of MISiS. In 2012, he was again re-elected to this post. MISiS became the first university to develop an independent development strategy and switch to a purely Western system, consisting of bachelor's and master's degrees. Since 2009, Livanov has been on the list of the “first hundred” of the management personnel reserve.

Minister of education

After taking office as President of the Russian Federation and being appointed Prime Minister, Livanov became Minister of Education and Science (appointed to the post on the 21st of May 2012). In September 2012, he announced his dissatisfaction with the activities of Livanov and some other heads of ministries in implementing his instructions. Livanov, Govorun and Topilin were reprimanded. In the fall of the same year, Livanov’s department again became the object of criticism after the announcement of lists of ineffective universities. It was recognized that the criteria for assessing inefficiency and the chosen methodology for assessing the work of universities are imperfect. In particular, the demand for students by employers and other criteria were not taken into account.

Awards

Livanov was awarded the RAS gold medal, specially established for young scientists. In 2011, Livanov was awarded the Russian Government Prize in the field of education.

Scientific works

Personal life

Livanov married the daughter of the rector of MISiS Karabasov, whom he met during his student years. Karabasov Yu.S. was also his scientific supervisor. Two children were born into the Livanov family - a daughter and a son, another boy was adopted at the age of one.

Livanov's hobbies include theater, reading English literature, in particular detective stories, and studying Italian.