Published on: 2026-09-01
Source: Official website of the State –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
And once again we were lucky with the weather. In the morning, the sun came out from behind the clouds just at the moment when the square of the State University of Management was filled with yesterday’s applicants, and today — already students of SUM.
For them, September 1st truly became special. School assemblies, the Unified State Exam, choosing a profession, and admission are behind them. Ahead lies university, new acquaintances, first lectures, projects, student organizations, and several years during which they will not only obtain a profession but also largely determine their own future.
The new academic year at GUU has begun!
First-year students were introduced to the university’s institutes and their flags, after which the rector of GUU, Vladimir Stroeve, addressed the students. He reminded them that today’s September 1 is quite different from the Days of Knowledge the children used to celebrate annually at school.
“You have become students of the State University of Management — the best management university in Russia“, — emphasized the rector.
Freshmen have at least four or six years of university life ahead of them: classrooms and libraries, working with professors, new knowledge, and professional experience… But life at GUU is not limited to studying. Vladimir Stroev encouraged the students to take advantage of the university’s opportunities, socialize, try themselves in various fields, and get involved in numerous activities.
“By the time you graduate, you will already be ready professionals and managers of the highest level“, — noted the rector.
Don’t be afraid to seize opportunities
On the first day of university, the students also met with Olga Petrova, the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
She noted that graduates of GUU successfully build their careers, develop companies and organizations, and contribute to the country’s development. But for this, it is not enough to focus only on the curriculum.
It is important for a modern specialist to be a well-rounded and comprehensively developed person — and the university provides many opportunities for this.
The main thing is to use them.
The conversation quickly turned into a lively dialogue. First-year students asked how to choose a master’s program in the future, which opportunities should be utilized starting from the first year, and why the State University of Management (GUU) is called a leading management university. Olga Petrova answered the students’ questions and shared advice.
Another important thought was expressed for those who are just beginning their independent university life: if it becomes difficult or frightening, it is perfectly normal to seek help. Teachers, mentors, classmates, and the university community will be nearby.
A time when much depends on you
The responsibility for one’s own choice was mentioned by Mikhail Delyagin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy. According to him, university admission becomes the point after which a person increasingly determines the direction of their movement by themselves.
“Starting today, you are entirely responsible for your own life. You have parents, you have friends, but your life is solely in your hands.“, he addressed the freshmen.
And one of the main skills that future managers will need to acquire is the ability to learn continuously. The world is changing too fast for knowledge obtained once to be enough forever.
But student life is also about the people you meet along the way, reminded Mikhail Delyagin: “The strongest friendship is precisely the student friendship“.
This idea was continued by the Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, Evgeny Semchenko. For him, the meeting with the freshmen of GUU was especially symbolic: 32 years ago, he himself stood in this square as a freshman of the State Order of the Red Banner of Labor Academy of Management named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze — which was the university’s name at that time.
Decades later, he returned here again to greet a new generation of students.
“Never part ways with your friends, with whom you will definitely become close and establish long-lasting bonds. And never part ways with your university. Always return to your alma mater.“, — wished Yevgeny Semchenko.
From a GUU student to a professional
On this day, among the honored guests were many university alumni. Therefore, the conversation was not only about how to study at the State University of Management but also about where the education received here can lead a person years later.
The Secretary General of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, Sergey Pospelov, admitted that on this day he primarily wanted to be at the university as its alumnus.
He advised first-year students to value the time they will spend at GUU, the teachers, and the people who will be around them. And also to already remember the responsibility for the decisions they make.
“Do everything so that you are not ashamed, so that in your adult life you will be proud to be graduates of the university. Everything you do today stays with you forever.“, — noted Sergey Pospelov.
Elmira Letnikova, Director of the Trade Finance and Documentary Operations Directorate at Sberbank, is also professionally connected with the State University of Management (GUU).
Addressing the students, she called Knowledge Day a symbol of endless progress and spoke about how profoundly the financial sector is transforming today: modern professionals now work at the intersection of management, finance, and IT, creating digital products and services for millions of people.
This means that the professions that today’s first-year students are just beginning to pursue will also constantly change—along with technologies and the economy.
Another graduate of GUU, who returned to his alma mater that day as an honorary guest, was Alexey Nikitin, president of the NOTECH Association.
Addressing the first-year students, he suggested they recall the choice from the film “The Matrix.” Only now, the choice is not between illusion and reality, but between two scenarios of their own student life.
You can spend the next few years just like many others: attending classes and clearing backlogs. Or you can choose a different path — fill this time with bright colors, new acquaintances, projects, events, and incredible experiences that will stay with you long after your university years. Which of these options becomes reality depends on the students themselves.
Dream, create, innovate
But university years are not only a time to acquire ready-made knowledge. They are an opportunity to try to create something of your own.
Olga Serebryannikova, Director of the Project Office for the Development of Youth Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutions, suggested that first-year students view education as an investment in their own future — and start investing in it today.
“There will be many opportunities; the university creates them for you, and everything depends on each one of you.“, she noted.
Student ideas can become research, projects, and startups, and the university is a space where you can find a team and take the first steps towards their realization.
Therefore, the wish to the freshmen was simple: “Dream, create, and make something real.”
After the ceremonial part, the freshmen, along with their tutors, set off to get acquainted with the university. The square was replaced by the lecture halls and corridors of the State University of Management — the very ones that will soon become familiar to them.
This was the first September 1st for the new generation of students at the State University of Management.
Ahead of them lie thousands of hours in classrooms, the first exams and projects, new friends, student events, victories, and, of course, mistakes. Some already know who they want to become in four years. Others will decide much later. Some will continue their studies in master’s and doctoral programs, and decades later, they may find themselves back on the university square—this time as graduates and honored guests.
But today they are all just beginning this journey.
Welcome to the State University of Management.
And Happy Knowledge Day!
Subscribe to the Telegram channel “Our GUU” Publication date: 1.09.2026
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