M.A. Zainetdinov
Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Ufa

Keywords: Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, physical education system, Physical Education Department, training sessions, human resource, sport facilities.

Background. In 2018 the research and academic community of the Bashkortostan Republic is going to solemnly celebrate the 70^th anniversary of Ufa State Petroleum Technological University. It was established in 1943 as a Moscow Petroleum Institute Affiliate that gained independence in 1948 under the name of Ufa Petroleum Institute (UPI). In 1993 it was reformed to Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USPU) [1]. In 2016 the University was formally titled Base Russian University and Base University of Gazprom JSC. Presently the University student population is reported to average some 18,500. The academic Physical Education discipline has always been in high priority in the specialist training service for the national fuel-and-energy sector.

Objective of the study was to analyze the history of the physical education service provided at Ufa State Petroleum Technological University.

Study findings and discussion. Initially the physical education service was provided at the Military Training Department of the future University. It was on March 15, 1948 that the Ufa Affiliate of I.M. Gubkin Moscow State University of Oil and Gas management established a special academic Physical Education and Sports Course with the faculty of 1 senior lecturer, 1 educator and 1 laboratory assistant. The Course was temporarily headed at that time by A.Kh. Burba, senior lecturer of the Military Training Department. It was only in July 1950 that the Physical Education Department (PED) was formally integrated into the academic system with its own staff list.

In August 1951 the PED was headed by H.F. Kutluyarov, and it was during his term of office that a basis for the future physical education service and sport accomplishments of the PED faculty and graduates was laid – with contributions from many academicians including A.F. Yershov, A.Y. Yershova, V.D. Sarygin, M.V. Luppova et al. The physical trainings at that time were run in the rental indoor facilities provided by a few municipal companies and schools. It was only after the commissioning of the first dormitories that the PED was deployed on the ground floor of Dormitory #1, with the basements of Dormitories #1 and #2 used for a boxing gym and ski center. Soon these modest sport facilities were complemented with a 50m shooting range.

The shortage of the sport facilities was largely eased in 1962 when an indoor sport hall of the main building was put into operation. V.Y. Gubin, Institute Rector, formally assigned land lots for construction of a stadium and a Physical Education Gym. At the same time (in the early 1960ies), the PED formed a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic academic team (D.A. Valeyev, N.N. Dolgodvorov, A.D. Semenov et. al) that heavily contributed to the progress of the PE service. It may be pertinent to acknowledge the special contribution to the progress made by G.G. Lobodin, two-times USSR Boxing Champion who successfully joined the PED faculty upon his retirement from elite sports.

UPI made a great progress in the physical education service to the students when it was headed by A.P. Arpishkin, Honorary Worker of the BASSR, nominated to this position in 1965. For the 20 years of his service in this position, the PED won recognition at the Institute, with its staff growing 4 times, its sport facilities expanded, and with the leading athletes of Ufa Petroleum Institute becoming highly popular in the country. In 1968 the Institute commissioned the newly constructed stadium with a 400m elastic track; grounds for field events; football field; and Physical Education Gym with wrestling and weightlifting gyms; coaching office; 15x54m large team sports hall; and gymnastics arena; plus a ski center with 1 thousand pairs of skies; and a cycling base with 50 bicycles.

It should be acknowledged that the period of 1976 to 1985 was undoubtedly the most productive in the PED history as confirmed, among other things, by its standings in the national and Republican contests of the best mass sports, physical education and health projects where UPI had always been ranked among the leaders (and the second best in the national contest of USSR universities in 1980). The leading UPI athletes had often qualified for the national USSR teams – for example, I. Sokolov (rifle shooting); I. Gimayev, A. Semak (ice hockey); S. Nikishin, S. Filippov (skating); and I. Andreev (modern pentathlon).

In 1965 Hamza Garipov, classical wrestler trained by A.D. Semenov, became the first UPI athlete qualified a Master of Sport, and it was a great event in the Institute history. In 1978 Sergey Nikishin became the first World Class Master of Sport (WCMS) in 1000m junior skating. Irek Gimayev, USSR, European and World Champion (1979), was the second WCMS trained by the university; and Igor Sokolov, World Champion (1979) in running boar shooting event, was the third WCMS from among the UPI students, later qualified an Honorary Master of Sport and the first Olympic Champion in Bashkiria [2]. In 1980, the UPI experience and great accomplishments in the elite academic sports were acknowledged by the Board of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Vocational Education and Physical Education and Sports Committee of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR.

One of the key human resource management policies of UPI was to employ young graduates of physical education universities and departments. In the period of 1960-80ies UPI contracted 23 young graduates dominated by the graduates of Omsk State Institute of Physical Education and Lesgaft Physical Education Institute – 8 (34%) and 4 (17%), respectively; with 11 young people contracted by UPI in this period having qualifications of Masters of Sports. One more human resource management policy in that period was to contract the leading sector specialists from the Republican sport teams and institutions, with 14 education specialists of this category contracted for the period. As a result the PED faculty has grown up from 5 to 40 people in the period of 1951 to 1981, with the students-per-educator service ratio reduced from 219 to 154 for the same period.

In 1985 the PED was headed by D.A. Valeyev, Associate Professor and the first PhD in the Department. Later on the Department was headed by L.L. Shafionetskiy, and then by M.A. Zainetdinov and L.E. Matuzov, PhDs in Pedagogy. Presently the Department is headed by A.V. Greb, PhD in Technical Sciences. It should also be mentioned that 6 PED faculty members were coaching the Republican picked teams in their careers. Given in Table 1 hereunder is the PED human resource flow statistics for the period of 2000-2017.

Table 1. PED human resource flow statistics for the period of 2000-2017

The sector analysts consider the PED activity being highly productive in the new millennium. In 2000-2006, 7 people from USPTU qualified for the national teams, with WCMS E. Vaytsekhovsky (climbing), E. Darina (summer biathlon) and R. Khakimov (summer polyathlon) wining the World Champion titles; and Grand Master D. Khismatulin (chess) winning the World Student Champion title. Other 8 university athletes were runner-ups of the World, European and national championships for the period. The university elite trekking team was two-time national champion. Ranked among the national strongest student teams were the following USPTU teams: men’s handball, men’s kettlebell lifting; sambo wrestling; winter polyathlon; summer and winter orienteering; powerlifting; chess; women’s volleyball; swimming; climbing; all-round tourist events; competitive dance; and aerobics teams. Furthermore, USPTU has never ceded its Student Sport Games champion title and RB Faculty Health Contest champion title for the period. The USPTU Sport Club has successfully hosted national student championships in winter polyathlon, handball, dancesport, and chess; Petroleum University Student Sport Games; and Friendship Sport Games of the Urals and Siberian Universities.

As things now stand, the academic Physical Education discipline is studied in semesters 1 through 6, with the academic progress estimated on the relevant scoring and rating scale by a comprehensive system of progress tests. Since 2003 the yearly academic progress has been rated by a differentiated test. It should be noted that the academic progress, students’ learning process quality and determination have been largely encouraged by the newly introduced Health Passports. The educational service quality has been further secured by the academic theoretical and practical research projects. The PED has hosted 6 international conferences on different issues of academic physical education for the period. For the last 7 years, the PED faculty has published over 100 study guides and 278 research reports including 23 theses in proceeds of the Higher Attestation Commission.
The University is proud of its excellent sport facilities and equipment including: stadium with standard track and field facilities and football field; two basketball courts; gym room; indoor sport gyms with the total floor space of 7,200 square meters; and multiple outdoor sport grounds. The USPTU ski service centers in a few university buildings offer over 500 skiing sets. The former Sports and Health Center “Soluni” (since 2004 it is called an Education, Research and Industrial Site) offers excellent training conditions and natural environment for active academic sports. There have been a few sport celebrities among the university graduates for this period including O. Savchenko, 8-times Paralympic Champion, and N. Golovin, many times winner of the World Cup finals in summer polyathlon. The USPTU men’s handball team successfully competes in the national Super League championships. The USPTU “Ufimochka” women’s volleyball team used to be successful too. The USPTU women’s basketball team successfully competes in the finals of the Student Basketball Association of the RF competitions. The USPTU competitive dancesport team was successful in the 2015-2017 World Championship in the formation event, with 19 team members qualified World Class Masters of Sports.

Conclusion. As seen from the history of Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, its management and faculty have been determined and successful in their formal statutory mission – that is to train a highly knowledgeable and skillful human resource for the sector – and have always secured necessary institutional, management, technical and material provisions for success of the educational service.

References

1. Shammazov A.M. [ed.] Dela i lyudi Ufimskogo neftyanogo. Letopis [Actions and people of Ufa State Petroleum Technological University. Chronicle]. Ufa: Inesh publ., 2008, 516 p., ill.
2. Zainetdinov M.A. Istoriya kafedry fizicheskogo vospitaniya UNI–UGNTU [History of Physical Education Department in SRD-USPTU]. Ufa: USPTU publ., 2000, 123 p.
3. Syunyaev Z.I. [ed.] Ufimskomu neftyanomu institutu – 25 let [25th anniversary of Ufa State Petroleum Technological University]. Ufa, 1973, pp. 120-123.

Corresponding author: ufa.savjulia@gmail.com

Abstract

The study analyses the history of the Physical Education Department (PED) of Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, one of the leading Russian universities that trains specialists for the national oil-and-gas sector. The PED history since 1950s till now is analyzed based on the multiple archive documents, mass media reports, memoirs of senior lecturers and university graduates. The study gives the lists and career records of PED principals, leading professors and athletes; analyzes education, learning, educational methodology development and research processes; PED human resource flow history; and accounts of the assets, facilities and equipment in the academic physical education system. The study data and analyses demonstrate the important contribution of the Physical Education Department to the national specialist training process.