V.V. Kadakin, rector of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev, associate professor, Ph.D., Saransk
Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev, Saransk

Key words: pedagogical institute, innovative departments, sports achievements, winner, university sport.

Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev (MordSPI) was founded on September 1, 1962. Over the years of its existence, the university has trained more than 30 thousand specialists for educational, cultural, scientific, economic, physical culture and sports institutions, as well as for other areas. There are a lot of well-known scientists, educators, politicians, writers and musicians among them. The titled athletes, including two Olympic champions - A. Mishin (Greco-Roman wrestling) and V. Borchin (racewalking), hold a special place. Among the graduates, who attained fame in sports and developed an acknowledged reputation for their university, are the Olympic medalists, the winners of the World and European championships, the winners of international competitions, such as: D. Nizhegorodov, V. Vasil’ev, I. Stankina, S. Bakulin, R. Rasskazov, Y. Kurina, A. Yufkin, A. Gromov, G. Atmakin, R. Yusupov, D. Murtazin, E. Prusova, A. Krivov, Y. Bazeiev, A. Gavrilkin and many others. Today's students of the institute also hold aloft the banner of sports, properly defending the honor of Mordovia and Russia in the competitions of the top level, among them are: E. Shvetsov (the London Paralympic Games three times champion), E. Kleschenko, M. Ryzhov, R. Mshvidobadze, V. Parshin, V. Filipchuk, P. Bogatyrev, K. Kulagov, N. Grishina and others.

The names of the Mordovian highly skilled specialists in physical culture and sport who graduated MordSPI are well known in our country and abroad. First and foremost, it is the name of famous expert in racewalking, Honored Coach of Russia, V.M. Chegin, who trained four Olympic champions, several World champions and more than ten winners of the premium international competitions. Nowadays, 23 graduates have the title of "Honored Coach of Russia” in specific sports, and 7 graduates - the title of "Honored Worker of Physical Culture of the Republic of Mordovia".

Under current conditions, the main task of the pedagogical institute is to train specialists of a new format, including the field of physical culture and sports, who would successfully meet the challenges of health protection and physical education in educational institutions of different types. MordSPI has everything for that. Today, the university has an up-to-date sports infrastructure: a stadium, including a football pitch, a hockey arena, run tracks, basketball and volleyball courts, jumping places and sectors for throws; a sport and a sports and health camp; artistic and rhythmic-sports gymnastics specialized areas, boxing gyms, combat sports and weightlifting halls; four multifunctional areas for team sports, a skiing lodge, etc. At the present time the stadium is being reconstructed, and they are also building a swimming pool.

In order to carry out the solution-oriented scientific and practical activities in the fields of physical culture and healthy lifestyle promotion, in 2011 an innovative structural unit was formed as part of the Faculty of Physical Culture - the Regional Scientific and Practical Center for Physical Culture and Healthcare. Its work in the area is aimed at changing the attitude of young people towards the values of physical culture and sport, at extending the sphere of sports and health services within state institutions, at developing a high-priority attitude towards a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. The Center is also used as a testing site for various research activities. At its premises a number of major projects have already been implemented within the government target for the university and the Federal Targeted Program "Scientific and Academic Staff for Innovative Russia" for fiscal years 2009-2013, and these are such projects as: "Research on Strategies of Formation of Psychological Safety of the Subject of Sports Activity", "Psychological and Pedagogical Support of Development of Self-Regulation of the Subject of Sports Activity", "Constitutional Features of Response of Cardiovascular System to Exercise" and "Morpho-functional Characteristics of Constitutional Type of Evolution of Ageing", etc. As a result, the Center has become one of the strongest connecting links between academic science and sport.

Currently, being inspired by the innovative approaches the Regional Scientific and Practical Center for Physical Culture and Healthcare offers: counseling on health protection and promotion, including nutrition, motor activity, physical education and sports classes, recommendations on sleep schedule, conditions for living, working (studying) and recreation; designing an individual program for keeping a healthy lifestyle in view of the physiological aspects of ageing; educational programs for coaches and athletes of various sports and for coaching supervisors ("Integrated Control in Health-Improving Physical Culture", "Integrated Rehabilitation of the Disabled", "Theoretical Foundations and Methods of Physical Rehabilitation"); programs and educational technologies related to tourism, local history, excursion activities, extreme adventure activities.

As part of the Center the laboratory of "Consistent Diagnostics and Passportization of Health" is operating, which conducts baseline and surveillance studies of students and applicants; performs a health status passportization; diagnoses and researches on the qualities that are professionally important for sports and academic activities; launches educational programs, technologies, practical courses related to rehabilitation of athletes in different sports areas.

One of the innovative structural units of the institute is a sports and health center called "Fitness university". Here, one can find a gym, an aerobics and fitness room, a juice bar and a massage room. In line with the academic studies within the Center, students, teachers and other members of the MordSPI staff get additional health-improving services.

Today, one of the main strands of youth policy in our country is to develop university sport, and primarily this strand is marked by setting of the new goals for the higher school in the field of physical education. The modern stage of university sport development is focused not only on improving students' physical capacities, but also on stimulating their interest to exercises and sport, on developing healthy lifestyle values, where physical activity forms an integral part. The MordSPI university sport development is carried out partially by using the supplementary grants from the budget funds and to a greater extend by raising the extrabudgetary funds. Furthermore, the students who take an active part in sports competitions, get an enhanced scholarship, a dorm room and an enact medicare at a prophylactic sanatorium. The great student-athletes receive athletic scholarship from the federal budget, for instance, the E.I. Maskinsky scholarship.

Getting of supplementary grants from the federal budget to conduct sports work is now possible due to the active project activity. As part of the Development Program for MordSPI Students Associations the following sports events were arranged: "From "School Sports Day" to Olympic heights", "Development of Students Sports Leagues", "MordSPI - the university of the summer 2013 Universiade" and others. A number of promising projects are being also financed within the Program of Strategic Development of MordSPI for fiscal years 2012-2016.

University sport is being developed in the students’ sports club of the institute. The club is aimed mainly at promoting physical culture and sport among students, involving them into regular physical training and individual sports. Within the club, there are different sections for professional athletes - members of the university and the Republic of Mordovia teams. Training exercises are held by the highly skilled coach-instructors from the Faculty of Physical Culture and the leading coaches of the republic. The studies within the scope of elite sport help to select student-athletes having potential more effectively, and also to hone their sports skills.

Along with the professional sections, sports and health sections also work pretty successfully; there, the students of the non-core faculties and residents of the surrounding area can train there. The coaches working here are senior students of the Faculty of Physical Culture, for whom this job is an excellent opportunity to approve themselves as mature specialists. Classes within the development of mass sport are focused on meeting students' requirements for protection and promotion of health, development of specific physical qualities and motor skills, constitutional improvement, recreation and entertainment, communication, for getting vivid positive emotions, for social adaptation and rehabilitation. Experience has proven that the most popular activities are football, volleyball, racewalking, combat sports, tennis, aerobics, etc.

The students’ football team is an honor to the university. The popularity of football among students arises from the upcoming 2018 World championship, the play-offs of which will be held in Saransk as well.

In whole, in MordSPI they arrange different sports events. Perhaps, one of the most spectacular sports festivals are the traditional summer and winter Dorm Olympics in 18 sports. Lots of exhibition performances and lightning tournaments are not just an impressive display of the large-scale participation, but also a chance for young athletes to show their athletic abilities and skills.

The problem of the development of the health protection culture among young people is now on a global scale. Setting a good example by a teacher himself is of great importance in the solution of this problem. For purposes of popularization of mass sports among the teaching staff they traditionally arrange the Dorm Olympics called "Health", where the members of all the faculties compete in 8 sports: skiing race, volleyball, basketball, futsal, chess, ping-pong, darts and armsport.

A serious work is being done in MordSPI to develop the positive motivation for physical culture and sport among the students. For instance, over the last years, it is obligatory on the Faculty of Physical Culture to hit qualifying standards in order to determine the students' level of physical fitness within the course unit "Pedagogical Sports Improvement". The necessity of introducing these qualifying standards is explained by the need in the annual monitoring of the development level of professional skills of future specialists in the field of physical culture and the chosen sports area.

Today, Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev is a well-deserved leader in the development of physical culture and sport, in introduction of health protecting technologies to the educational process and in promotion of a healthy lifestyle in the Republic of Mordovia, the region with strong sports traditions. The achievements of MordSPI go to prove that. It is the winner of the All-Russian open show-contest between the educational institutions of secondary and higher professional education for the best sports and physical training work done among the students of 2010-2011 in the category "The Russian best institute to organize sports and physical training work among students"; the winner of the All-Russian open public contest between the educational institutions of higher professional education for the title "Healthy Lifestyle University" in the category "For development and promotion of the healthy lifestyle values within the university using creative work and social advertising", 2012; the winner of the All-Russian contest for the best organization of the student self-governance at the educational institutions of secondary and higher professional education - the project "The territory of the university is free from tobacco smoke" in the category "The best project in the field of popularization of a healthy lifestyle" (2013).

References

1. Kadakin, V.V. Pedagogical institute as a basic training center for teacher's training / V.V. Kadakin, T.I. Shukshina // Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii. – 2013. – № 4. – P. 60–68. (In Russian)
2. Shukshina, T.I. Development of the system of research and project activity of students in a multilevel system of higher pedagogical education / T.I. Shukshina, P.V. Zamkin, I.I. Parvatova // Gumanitarnye nauki i obrazovanie. – 2013. – № 4. – P. 84–89. (In Russian)

Corresponding author: nir@mordgpi.ru