On Russian Student Day, 25 January 2000, Building X of Saratov University was ceremonially opened.
The ambitious project was successfully implemented due to the initiative and support of Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav V. Volodin, who had controlled the construction from its projecting and financing to commissioning, and help from Governor of Saratov Region Dmitrii F. Ayatskov.
According to Dmitrii I. Trubetskov, who rectored the university then, ‘we began to improve the university territories inside the university campus at the end of the 1990s. We were given a big amount of money for it. After that we prepared the territory where Building X were about to be built. In 1997 the foundation stone laying ceremony took place, which was attended by Minister of General and Professional Education Vladimir Kinelyov, and then the construction works started. This project was curated by many people but Vyacheslav Volodin paid really much attention to it. The construction works lasted for a very short period of time, and it helped solve the problem of facilities deficiency. Thus, the administration offices were redeployed to the new building from Building V, where, in its turn, the Faculty of Biology was redeployed, and later the new Faculty of Nano- and Biomedical Technologies was located. Also the Olympiad Training Centre was established there. According to the project, Building X was administrative, but 2 big lecture rooms were also built there, and even now students attend lectures there. However, in my opinion, the most important thing was that we also got a big ceremony hall we had never had before as well as the “round” room on the 5th floor which is used for official meetings and panel discussions.’
There were not only comfortable equipped rooms for professors and students but the beautiful and cosy ceremony hall and the SSU History Museum. The new building on the corner of Moskovskaya Street and Astrakhanskaya Street made the university campus even better. It has become one of the most notable and favourite symbols of Saratov and Saratov Region.
‘The university community considered that they would not only get new rooms and offices due to the new building. That fact meant that the university was valued, that people believed in it, and it would have a great future. Besides, the building was so astonishing that it found its place among other buildings constructed by a genius architect Karl Mufke, and since its opening ceremony the building has become one of the main landmarks of the city and the university itself. Our dreams began to come true. We did not know then that during 20 years (a short period of time in terms of history) other new buildings and dormitories would be constructed, Buildings III and IV would be renovated, and a sports complex and other facilities would be planned to be built. And it has become possible due to Vyacheslav Volodin who has done a lot to improve Saratov University,’ marked SSU Rector Aleksei N. Chumachenko.
