On November 18, on the eve of Professors’ Day, Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valerii Falkov congratulated on the holiday and awarded the oldest professor of Saratov State University, a linguist, world-known scholar, Professor Olga Sirotinina with Ushinsky Medal For Merits in Pedagogical Sciences.

This year, Olga Sirotinina celebrated her 100th anniversary. She is almost as old as her alma mater, which is already 113 years old.

‘Dear Olga Borisovna! I know that you have been working at the university for 75 years. From the bottom of my heart, I want to congratulate you on your professional holiday and present the medal of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky. This is the highest award established in the Russian Federation in the education and science. And you deserve it. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian teacher, writer, founder of scientific pedagogy. You also celebrated your anniversary this year, and I want to give you another gift – a book by Krzysztof Meyer about Dmitri Shostakovich’s life. I know that you respect the works of this composer, so I am giving you this book and its audio version,’ Valerii Falkov said.

After accepting the valuable award and gift, Professor Olga Sirotinina told the minister that, despite her years, she continues working and communicating with students. She also mentioned the two of the most important people in her life who influenced her fate. This is my mother, she worked as a biologist and was fond of theatre. During her life, she did a lot and was awarded with the Order of the Badge of Honour. And the second important person is my daughter, who is now taking care of me and helps me in everything.’

Deputy Prime Minister of Saratov Region – Minister of Education of the region Mikhail Orlov, SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko, Prof. Sirotinina’s colleagues, and media representatives took part in the meeting at her department.

Prof. Sirotinina is a well-known linguist in the world, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Russian Language, Speech Communication, and Russian as a Foreign Language at the Institute of Philology and Journalism, Saratov State University, SSU Honoured Professor, and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. She considers the Honoured Scientist of the Russian Federation title to be the most valuable award. In 2023, the professor was awarded the Honourary Letter of Appreciation of the President of Russia for her achievements in research and pedagogy, training of qualified specialists, and many years of dedicated work.

Sirotinina is the founder and head of the Saratov school for the study of the functioning of the Russian language in modern society, recognized in Russia and abroad. Her research include dialectology, syntax, colloquial speech, text issues, functional and stylistic differentiation, speech culture, the language of mass media, as well as the changes in language and speech.

She has supervised 58 candidate's and 17 doctoral dissertations. Olga Sirotinina has always given valuable advice young colleagues.

Every year, the professor publishes a dozen of research papers. For almost three quarters of a century of work at Saratov State University, she has become the author of more than 800 publications. Recently, there was published the Communication Effectiveness: How Communication Spheres Influence Effectiveness Factors collective monography which she had edited.

The professor has always kept in mind her mother’s words. ‘A person is the master of their own destiny.’ Never give up, adapt to opportunities, and overcome impossibilities – these are the principles that Olga Sirotinina has followed.

During 81 years of studies and work at SSU, she has had to go face different situations, but neither the prognosis of doctors, nor the Great Patriotic War, nor the attacks of followers of erroneous concepts could lead this strong-willed and confident person astray.

You can get to know a unique person and a great scholar better by reading the expanded edition of Olga Sirotinina's biographical book Life in Spite of, or I Am a Happy Person. She wrote in detail about her research and the inextricable connection with Saratov State University and in the The Queen of Syntax article of the Research City university popular scientific electronic journal.