At the solemn event dedicated to Russian Press Day, Head of Priority Projects and Programmes, SSU, Elena Yelina was awarded with the Badge of Honour For Services to the Professional Community. She was presented this award by Chair of the Saratov regional branch of the Russian Union of Journalists Lidia Zlatogorskaya.

The Badge of Honour For Services to the Professional Community is considered to be one of the highest awards of the Russian Union of Journalists. They encourage Russian and international journalists, media CEOs, public and political figures, as well as representatives of culture and science who assist in strengthening freedom of speech and independence of the Russian media. Such high marks are awarded to those who increase the social authority of journalism and the prestige of the profession, actively work in professional journalistic organisations or actively cooperate with them.

Lidia Zlatogorskaya noted that Elena Yelina has embraced both the love of the word, and dedication to teaching, and interest in journalism is no coincidence, because she was born into the family of a famous journalist, writer Henry Yelin and an outstanding scholar, philologist, and professor Galina Polishchuk. Therefore, the craving for philology, which is the mother of many humanities disciplines, including journalism, has been formed in Elena Yelina since childhood.

Henry Yelin headed various departments in the editorial office of the Communist regional newspaper, was a correspondent for the Worker of Transport newspaper, and in 2001 published a book About the Time and About the Family, where he wrote about his childhood, about the Great Patriotic War, and life after it.

Galina Polishchuk's merit is a multidimensional study of the Russian spoken language and the creation of a unique corpus and a record file. She was a scientific leader and a generator of new ideas in the study of intonation of the Russian language. One classroom at Saratov State University is named after Galina Polishchuk.

Continuing family traditions, Elena Yelina in her professional affairs have covered a huge variety of philological interests, which included both scientific, teaching, methodological work, as well as the history of journalism, and its practical side.

Now, Elena Yelina holds the post of the head of priority projects and programmes, is a professor at the Department of Literary Studies and Journalism, the Institute of Philology and Journalism. With special love and attention, she has been developing projects in teaching – the SSU Pedagogical Classroom, which is implemented as part of the Teachers in the Educational Paradigm university strategic project of the Priority 2030 development programme, the Week of Pedagogical Education festival, the Step into the Profession contest, and the Consilium Support Centre for Young Teachers.

For more than 10 years, Elena Yelina has been a sensitive mentor and curator of the Office for Media Communications, SSU, she has been participating in the development of the university media – the Saratov State University newspaper and the Sweet Milk student magazine, as well as attentively checking the news feed on the official website of the university and posts on social networks. Thus, she covers the entire information policy of the university, including interaction with the other media.

Elena Yelina has half a century of working experience at Saratov State University. She has successfully supervised twenty-three candidates and one doctor of sciences theses.

Elena Yelina is the author of many scientific, educational, methodical, and popular-scientific materials. For many years, she has developed the State Educational Standard (2000), the Federal State Educational Standard for Philology, sample curricula and other methodological materials for various philological courses and programmes (2010-2015), the Federal State Educational Standard for postgraduate courses in linguistics and literary studies (2014-2015). For 19 years, she worked as Deputy Pean of the Faculty of Philology, from 2007 to 2018, she was Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs.

Elena Elina holds of the titles Honourary Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation (2022) and Honourary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation (2009), has a certificate of honour from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (2009), the medal For Special Services to Saratov State University in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of SSU (2009), and other awards.